Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the range of charges levied by GPs for completing verification forms for the purposes of firearms licensing.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The police are responsible for assessing the suitability of those who apply for the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate. The police carry out a number of checks to ensure that those in possession of firearms do not pose a danger to public safety, including in relation to medical suitability based on information from the applicant’s GP.
The Government has consulted on the introduction of new statutory firearms guidance to police to bring greater consistency to licensing practice across the country. This includes proposals for revised medical arrangements to ensure that police have the medical information they require before the grant of a certificate.
An impact assessment on the proposed medical arrangements was published alongside the consultation document. This made reference to a range of fees being charged by some GPs to provide the medical information. The consultation closed on 17 September and the Government will publish its response and the statutory guidance in due course.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the legal liability is of a GP involved in the medical verification of a firearms licence form; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Firearms licensing is an operational matter for police forces. The police are not required to provide data to the Home Office about how the medical checks are conducted or the response from GPs. The police carry out a number of checks to ensure that those in possession of firearms do not pose a danger to public safety, including in relation to medical suitability. As part of this process, GPs are asked to provide information about whether the applicant has suffered from a number of relevant medical conditions.
The Government has consulted on the introduction of new statutory firearms guidance to police, which includes proposals for revised medical arrangements to ensure that police have the medical information they require before the grant of a certificate. The consultation closed on 17 September and the Government will publish its response and the statutory guidance in due course.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of police constabularies that accept medical verification forms for firearms licences that have been completed by medical staff of a general practice other than a GP.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Firearms licensing is an operational matter for police forces. The police are not required to provide data to the Home Office about how the medical checks are conducted or the response from GPs. The police carry out a number of checks to ensure that those in possession of firearms do not pose a danger to public safety, including in relation to medical suitability. As part of this process, GPs are asked to provide information about whether the applicant has suffered from a number of relevant medical conditions.
The Government has consulted on the introduction of new statutory firearms guidance to police, which includes proposals for revised medical arrangements to ensure that police have the medical information they require before the grant of a certificate. The consultation closed on 17 September and the Government will publish its response and the statutory guidance in due course.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will list the meetings held since May 2016 by (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department with representatives of the British Medical Association on the matter of the involvement of medical professionals with respect to firearms licensing.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Home Office Ministers and officials have regular meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and as was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. It is, however, the case that we have discussed the involvement of medical professionals in firearms licensing procedures with representatives of the police, the medical profession and shooting organisations and we shall continue to do so, as appropriate.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, she will list the meetings held since May 2016 by (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department with the British Association for Shooting and Conservation on the matter of the involvement of medical professionals with respect to firearms licensing.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Home Office Ministers and officials have regular meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and as was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. It is, however, the case that we have discussed the involvement of medical professionals in firearms licensing procedures with representatives of the police, the medical profession and shooting organisations and we shall continue to do so, as appropriate.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information she holds on the proportion of firearms licensing applications for grant and renewal which require further inquiries into the medical health of applicants.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Firearms licensing is an operational matter for police forces. The police are not required to provide data to the Home Office about how the medical checks are conducted or the response from GPs. The police carry out a number of checks to ensure that those in possession of firearms do not pose a danger to public safety, including in relation to medical suitability. As part of this process, GPs are asked to provide information about whether the applicant has suffered from a number of relevant medical conditions.
The Government has consulted on the introduction of new statutory firearms guidance to police, which includes proposals for revised medical arrangements to ensure that police have the medical information they require before the grant of a certificate. The consultation closed on 17 September and the Government will publish its response and the statutory guidance in due course.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that medical involvement in firearms licensing conforms her Department's guidance on firearms licensing.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The police are responsible for assessing the suitability of those who apply for the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate. The police carry out a number of checks to ensure that those in possession of firearms do not pose a danger to public safety, including in relation to medical suitability based on information from the applicant’s GP.
The Government has consulted on the introduction of new statutory firearms guidance to police to bring greater consistency to licensing practice across the country. This includes proposals for revised medical arrangements to ensure that police have the medical information they require before the grant of a certificate.
An impact assessment on the proposed medical arrangements was published alongside the consultation document. This made reference to a range of fees being charged by some GPs to provide the medical information. The consultation closed on 17 September and the Government will publish its response and the statutory guidance in due course.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what impact assessment was undertaken on the potential effect of the introduction of GP verification on levels of participation in the shooting community.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The police are responsible for assessing the suitability of those who apply for the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate. The police carry out a number of checks to ensure that those in possession of firearms do not pose a danger to public safety, including in relation to medical suitability based on information from the applicant’s GP.
The Government has consulted on the introduction of new statutory firearms guidance to police to bring greater consistency to licensing practice across the country. This includes proposals for revised medical arrangements to ensure that police have the medical information they require before the grant of a certificate.
An impact assessment on the proposed medical arrangements was published alongside the consultation document. This made reference to a range of fees being charged by some GPs to provide the medical information. The consultation closed on 17 September and the Government will publish its response and the statutory guidance in due course.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the introduction by police constabularies of GP verification of firearms licensing.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The police are responsible for assessing the suitability of those who apply for the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate. The police carry out a number of checks to ensure that those in possession of firearms do not pose a danger to public safety, including in relation to medical suitability based on information from the applicant’s GP.
The Government has consulted on the introduction of new statutory firearms guidance to police to bring greater consistency to licensing practice across the country. This includes proposals for revised medical arrangements to ensure that police have the medical information they require before the grant of a certificate.
An impact assessment on the proposed medical arrangements was published alongside the consultation document. This made reference to a range of fees being charged by some GPs to provide the medical information. The consultation closed on 17 September and the Government will publish its response and the statutory guidance in due course.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on the NHS of police forces requiring medical verification for firearms licensing applications from GPs during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government recognises that firearms licensing arrangements, including the medical aspects, will be affected by the measures that have been put in place in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. We want to avoid placing any additional or unnecessary burdens on the NHS, and police forces may need to adopt a flexible approach to meet local need and risk in the current exceptional circumstances, with some impact on firearms licensing arrangements. The Government will continue to have discussions with the police to keep firearms licensing under review over the coming weeks and months.