Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of restricting offences triable either way to summary trial except for the sentencing process.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Last November, we extended magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months.
This change is expected to save Crown Court time and help deliver the swifter justice that victims deserve.
The Independent Review of the Criminal Courts is considering measures to ensure cases are dealt with more proportionately, including triable either-way offences.
I do not want to pre-empt the recommendations of the Review but I welcome my Honourable Friend’s interest in this topic.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to encourage social media companies to tackle animal abuse content online.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Animal abuse content is horrific, and social media companies must do more to tackle it.
Social media platforms and search services have duties to tackle animal abuse content and implement safety-by-design features under the Online Safety Act.
Ofcom – the independent regulator - has published recommendations for how providers should tackle such content under their ‘illegal content duties’.
These duties took effect on 17 March and Ofcom have strong enforcement powers to hold companies accountable for failing to meet their obligations.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the Chagossian population residing in (a) the UK, (b) Mauritius, (c) the Seychelles and (d) all other countries; and how many Chagossians not residing in the UK have applied for British citizenship through the (i) British Indian Oceans Territory citizenship registration route and (ii) other routes, broken down by the country in which each applicant lived at the time of application.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The information requested is not held by the Home Office.
However, the overall number of applications for British citizenship including those made through the British Indian Ocean Territory route is available on:
Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to tackle the shortage of licensed (a) aircraft engineers and (b) pilots.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department works with industry to identify any skills gaps to ensure their workforce is resilient. There are three main approaches Government is taking to support the pipeline of talent:
- Encouraging opportunities for all with the ‘Generation Aviation’ programme raising the profile of aviation careers, removing barriers to access and attracting diverse and talented people to tackle new technologies, decarbonisation and other emerging trends. This includes the Reach for the Sky fund supporting outreach projects that only last week I announced the winners for 2025.
- Making it easier to train engineers and pilots of the future by transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners. As well as encouraging industry to fully funded pilot training programmes and applaud effort of companies such as TUI and British Airways which have established sustainable pipeline for budding aviators.
- Following EU exit, my Department sympathises with the difficulties faced by stakeholders in the aviation industry and establishing an effective personnel licensing regime that supports UK aviation remains a priority for us.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his Mauritian counterpart on the return of Chagossians to the Chagos Archipelago without fear of (a) discrimination or (b) prosecution under the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act 2021 of Mauritius.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Mauritius will be free to resettle the islands, other than Diego Garcia. It will be for Mauritius to set the terms of and manage any future resettlement. Ministers and officials continue to engage with their Mauritian counterparts as part of routine bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his Mauritian counterpart on Chagossians returning to the Chagos Archipelago being able to undertake (a) subsistence and (b) commercial fishing activities in the Marine Protected Area.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Mauritius will be free to resettle the islands, other than Diego Garcia. It will be for Mauritius to set the terms of and manage any future resettlement. Ministers and officials continue to engage with their Mauritian counterparts as part of routine bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Mauritian counterpart on the return of Chagossians without a Mauritian passport but in possession of (a) British, (b) Seychellois or (c) other citizenship.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Mauritius will be free to resettle the islands, other than Diego Garcia. It will be for Mauritius to set the terms of and manage any future resettlement. Ministers and officials continue to engage with their Mauritian counterparts as part of routine bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral statement on British Indian Ocean Territory: Negotiations of 7 October 2024, Official Report, column 45, what guidance his Department has provided to Chagossians who are resident outside of Mauritian territory on accessing the trust fund.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
After a treaty with Mauritius is ratified, the UK will capitalise a new trust fund for Mauritius to use in support of Chagossians. Separate to the Trust Fund, we will also increase our support to Chagossians living in the UK and around the world, through new and existing projects. As details of the Trust Fund will be agreed as part of the implementation of the Agreement after signature, no guidance has yet been issued.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the long-term future of Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Urgent Treatment Centres have played a vital role in supporting patients while A&Es were under high demand this winter. We’ve taken action – announcing an extra £26 billion at the budget, rolling out the new RSV vaccine, and ending the resident doctor strikes. The NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for decisions on commissioning services for the local community.Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to implement the recommendations on a Housing Revenue Account agreement outlined in the report commissioned by Southwark council entitled securing the future of council housing, published in July 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government are giving careful consideration to the recommendations of the report in question as part of our ongoing commitment to support local authorities facing Housing Revenue Account financial pressures.