Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
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 the Government's proposals to restrict the use of red diesel on levels of theft of white diesel in (a) sawmills and (b) the construction industry.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In bringing forward this change, the Government considered views of diesel users and our long-term environment objectives.
The Government does not anticipate reforms to red diesel use will lead to white diesel theft at scale in the affected industries. We will continue to work closely with policing leads and other partners to monitor the situation.
Fuel users storing diesel in tanks or in vehicles and machinery on their site(s) should continue to take steps to ensure this is stored securely. Practical crime prevention advice is published on the Secured by Design website, developed by the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives: https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/fuel-theft.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a fair funding review of (a) fire services and (b) police services, alongside the broader local government fair funding review.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Police Funding Formula Review is currently in progress, and we intend to introduce a new funding formula before the next General Election.
The Review will include an evidence-based assessment of policing demand and the relative impact of local factors on forces. We are working closely with the policing sector and relevant experts to develop proposals, and a full public consultation will take place before any new funding arrangements are put in place.
My Department is in regular contact with fire and rescue authorities to ensure we remain informed of their financial circumstances. The Government is committed to ensuring that funding allocations for Fire and Rescue Authorities are based on an up-to-date assessment of their needs and resources. We will work closely with local partners, and take stock of the challenges and opportunities they face, before consulting on any potential funding reform.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what laws are in place to protect people from having their drinks spiked; and what penalties do those laws carry.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
A range of criminal offences are in place to deal with this behaviour. The precise offence committed will depend on the facts of the individual case but the offences available to the police and Crown Prosecution Service include the following:
Section, Act | Description | Penalties |
S.18 Offences Against the Person Act 1861 | Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm | The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment. |
S.20 Offences Against the Person Act 1861 | Inflicting bodily injury, with or without weapon. | The maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years. |
S.23 Offences Against the Person Act 1861 | Maliciously administering poison, &c. so as to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm. | The maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years. |
S.24 | Maliciously administering poison, &c. with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy any other person. | “To be kept in penal servitude for life” – No specific sentencing |
S.47 | Assault occasioning bodily harm. | “To be kept in penal servitude” – No specific sentencing |
S.61 Sexual Offences Act 2003 | Administering a substance with intent to engage in a non-consensual sexual activity | On summary conviction: Imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or both. |
On conviction on indictment: Imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years. | ||
S.39 Criminal Justice Act 1988 | Common assault and battery | Imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the level 5 on the standard scale, or both. |
We have listened closely to the concerns that have been raised about the lack of a specific spiking offence. The Home Office is now considering a criminal offence to target this behaviour directly and this work is ongoing.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deaths by dangerous driving occurred in each of the last twenty years; and how many and what proportion of those divers (i) had and (ii) did not have a valid driving licence.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office collects data on police recorded offences, including a group of offences classed as Death or serious injury – unlawful driving. These are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest figures for the year ending March 2021 can be accessed here:
The Home Office does not collect data on the age of drivers in these offences, or the number of drivers in these offences who did not hold a valid licence at the time of the offence.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deaths were caused on UK roads by drivers who (a) were driving without a licence, (b) had never held a driving licence and (c) had previously held a license but had been disqualified from driving broken down by age groups of those who were (i) under 17, (ii) 17 to 65 and (iii) 65 and above years old, in each of the last 20 years.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office collects data on police recorded offences, including a group of offences classed as Death or serious injury – unlawful driving. These are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest figures for the year ending March 2021 can be accessed here:
The Home Office does not collect data on the age of drivers in these offences, or the number of drivers in these offences who did not hold a valid licence at the time of the offence.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking help tackle nitrous oxide use among young people.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government has published guidance on gov.uk for retailers to satisfy themselves that they comply with the law. The guidance recommends that retailers, including those operating online, should pay particular attention to the potential for abuse of nitrous oxide, especially where customers seek to buy in bulk or large volumes, and suggests that retailers may wish to carry out age checks to prevent those at highest risk from gaining access to psychoactive substances. The online resource, Talk to FRANK, provides information to the public about nitrous oxide and outlines the risks and dangers of inhaling the gas. We are aware of the role that online sale of nitrous oxide can play in causing harm to young people. We have published the draft Online Safety Bill, which gives effect to the regulatory framework outlined in the Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper, published in December 2020. We want the internet to be a safe space for all users and are clear that what is unacceptable offline should be unacceptable online. For the first time, tech companies are going to be accountable to an independent regulator to keep their users safe. Under a new legal duty of care, in-scope companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content and activity online. The draft Online Safety Bill will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny in this session. |
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government's commitment to providing an additional 20,000 police officers by 2023, what recent estimate she has made of the total number of police officers in (a) Durham and (b) the police service nationally.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of officers recruited as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme. The latest data are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-officer-uplift-statistics
The latest data show that as at 31 March 2021, Durham Constabulary employed a total of 1,226 police officers and 137,704 across England and Wales. This represents an additional 86 officers recruited by Durham Constabulary as part of the Uplift Programme, and an additional 8,771 across England and Wales as part of the Programme.
These data are collected by Police Force Area. Lower levels of geography are not collected.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the correlation between rates of problem gambling and levels of (a) acquisitive and (b) violent crime.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Rates of problem gambling have remained stable at around or below 1% of the adult population since 1999. The Government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December 2020 with the publication of a Call for Evidence. The Review will be wide-ranging and evidence-led, aiming to ensure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age and will consider how effective the regulatory framework is in preventing gambling-related crime, alongside other outcome measures.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people suffering from a gambling disorder who have come into contact with the criminal justice system.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office does not hold information on individuals who come into contact with the police to ascertain whether a gambling disorder has been identified as a motivational factor in any alleged offences committed.
The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the court system and their centrally-held data does not identify where gambling has been identified as a relevant motivational factor in offending. The information may be held on court records, however to identify such cases would require accessing individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) per play limits, (b) daily deposit limits and (c) other affordability measures to reduce levels of offending among the problem gambling community.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
I have not undertaken an assessment. Rates of problem gambling have remained stable at around or below 1% of the adult population since 1999. The Government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December 2020 with the publication of a Call for Evidence. The Review will be wide-ranging and evidence-led, aiming to ensure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age and will consider how effective the regulatory framework is in preventing gambling-related crime, alongside other outcome measures.