Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Sentencing Council's publication entitled Comprehensive new guidance on imposing community and custodial sentences, published on 5 March 2025, if she will provide examples that would constitute a cultural minority.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Sentencing Council has issued new guidance which the last Government was consulted on between November 2023 and February 2024, and then publicly welcomed.
The Lord Chancellor has been clear that these guidelines do not represent the views of this Government, and she has asked the Council to reconsider them.
The Lord Chancellor and the Chairman of the Sentencing Council have since had a constructive discussion. It was agreed that the Lord Chancellor will set out her position more fully in writing, which the Sentencing Council will then consider before the guideline is due to come into effect.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of a ban on the (a) marketing and (b) advertising of (i) e-cigarette and vaping products, (ii) non-medically licensed nicotine products, and (iii) heated tobacco products on adult smokers switching from combustible cigarettes to alternatives.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has published a thorough impact assessment of the measures included in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, including the prohibition on the advertising of vaping products and nicotine products.
Public health messaging and campaigns will continue to support the promotion of vapes as a quit aid for smokers, as outlined on the Better Health and National Health Service websites. Additionally, through our national Swap to Stop scheme, we’re helping adult smokers to quit by providing up to one million vapes to local authorities.
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits the advertisement and sponsorship of tobacco products, and that prohibition applies to tobacco products intended to be smoked, sniffed, sucked, or chewed. The Department’s view is that heated tobacco is captured by this definition.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled 10-year study to shed light on youth vaping, published on 19 February 2025, what steps he plans to take to ensure all data reviewed is from the use of vapes compliant with UK regulations.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Due to the nicotine content and unknown long-term harms, vapes and nicotine products carry risks of harm and addiction, and this is particularly acute for adolescents whose brains are still developing.
The 10-year Adolescent Health Study (AHS) will follow a cohort of 100,000 eight to 18 year olds from across the United Kingdom and will provide further insights about the health consequences of vaping for young people. This will provide healthcare professionals and policymakers with the robust evidence they need to shape future policy. We will continue to engage with the AHS team during the study’s development.
Alongside this, we will continue to clamp down on illicit vapes and those which are not compliant with UK regulations. We have also committed to invest £10 million of new funding in 2025/26, to support Trading Standards to tackle underage and illicit tobacco and vape sales.
Through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are also introducing powers to introduce a retail licensing scheme and create a more robust product registration scheme. A new registration scheme, along with stricter rules on testing and product requirements, will support a safe and legal market for tobacco and vape products, and will allow us to quickly identify illicit products which should not be on shelves.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of whether the funding of the UK Youth Parliament delivers value for money to taxpayers; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of transitioning its funding from public expenditure to a model reliant on voluntary donations.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is currently overseeing a number of projects reviewing the UK Youth Parliament and its funding. Further details on their conclusions will be published in due course.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) sham marriages and (b) relationships of convenience on the number of (i) spousal and (ii) partner visas applications; and how many cases were identified in each of the last three years.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
If UKVI suspect a relationship may not be genuine, further checks can be conducted, which may include a relationship interview with the applicant and sponsor. If the relationship is found to be non-genuine the application may be refused.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to enhance the fit and proper person test for the (a) owner and (b) manager of a park home site.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The fit and proper person test, which applies to a site owner or the person appointed to manage a site, is intended to ensure that those managing park home sites are competent to do so.
Where properly applied by local authorities, the legislation has been shown to be effective.
We will continue to monitor its operation and consider whether any changes are required.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there is a quota for the number of tourist visas granted within a given time period.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
No. There has been no change in policy towards tourism from that in place under the previous government.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a list of the (a) mechanisms and (b) grounds for appeal of an Entry Clearance Officer's decision to refuse a tourist visa.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
There is no right of appeal against refusal of a visit visa as this was removed by Parliament in 2013. Where someone applies for a visit visa and is refused, it is open to them to make a new application, in which they can address any reasons given in the refusal and provide any new evidence.
There is also the ability to seek judicial review of a refusal decision or to use the complaints procedure by which applicants can raise concerns about the service provided to them. The complaints procedure is set out on the UK Visas and Immigration pages on gov.uk: Complaints procedure - UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK.
The Home Office publishes further guidance on immigration appeals, which is available here: Current rights of appeal.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the levels of grants of Indefinite Leave to Remain on NHS (a) capacity and (b) waiting times.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made of the potential impact of changes in the levels of grants of Indefinite Leave to Remain on National Health Service capacity or waiting times, and there are no current plans to undertake such an assessment.
Internationally educated staff remain an important part of the workforce, and our Code of Practice for International Recruitment ensures stringent ethical standards when recruiting health and social care staff from overseas. The Government remains committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join the NHS.
In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of an increase in Indefinite Leave to Remain visa grants on NHS capacity.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made of the potential impact of changes in the levels of grants of Indefinite Leave to Remain on National Health Service capacity or waiting times, and there are no current plans to undertake such an assessment.
Internationally educated staff remain an important part of the workforce, and our Code of Practice for International Recruitment ensures stringent ethical standards when recruiting health and social care staff from overseas. The Government remains committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join the NHS.
In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.