Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the National Police Chief Councils on the effectiveness of powers to arrest people suspected of driving under the influence of drugs.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Ministers and officials meet with representatives of the NPCC on a regular basis and discuss a wide range of topics.
The police have the power under section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to arrest and detain an individual if they have provided a specimen of breath, blood or urine that exceeds the prescribed drink or drug driving limit or the individual’s ability to drive properly is impaired. How the police decide to use these powers is an operational matter for their discretion.
The Government will continue to support the police to ensure that they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation.
The information requested on how many arrests there were for driving under the influence of drugs in each year since 2018 is not held centrally by the Home Office. Drug driving offences are not among the list of offences for which police forces are currently required to notify the Home Office of data on arrests, charges and outcomes.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests there were for driving under the influence of drugs in each year since 2018.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Ministers and officials meet with representatives of the NPCC on a regular basis and discuss a wide range of topics.
The police have the power under section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to arrest and detain an individual if they have provided a specimen of breath, blood or urine that exceeds the prescribed drink or drug driving limit or the individual’s ability to drive properly is impaired. How the police decide to use these powers is an operational matter for their discretion.
The Government will continue to support the police to ensure that they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation.
The information requested on how many arrests there were for driving under the influence of drugs in each year since 2018 is not held centrally by the Home Office. Drug driving offences are not among the list of offences for which police forces are currently required to notify the Home Office of data on arrests, charges and outcomes.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HMRC plans to respond to the email of 9 December 2024 from the office of the hon. Member for Brentford and Isleworth.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
A response to the member for Brentford and Isleworth regarding their correspondence of 9 December 2024 is being prepared and will be provided by 24 January 2025. I apologise for the delay in responding to the Honourable Member.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to remove the 50% faith cap on newly opened schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The previous government launched a consultation proposing to lift the 50% faith admissions cap that applies to free schools designated with a religious character, where they are oversubscribed. The consultation closed last year and the department will respond in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has plans to consult with (a) community and (b) environmental groups on her Department's plans to modernise airspace.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Anyone sponsoring a proposal to change airspace must follow the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Airspace Change Process (CAP1616). This process sets out the requirements for airspace change sponsors to engage with and consult those potentially affected by airspace change, including local communities and environmental groups. This includes a requirement to engage with relevant stakeholders at different stages of the process, from the initial design principles to detailed options appraisal, before any final plans are submitted to the CAA.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to introduce early diagnosis services for osteoporosis.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding was recently announced to boost bone density scanning capacity, to support improvements in bone health and early diagnostics for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, such as osteoporosis. This will provide an estimated 29,000 extra scans per year.
As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England’s Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT teams will deploy their proven Further Faster model to work with integrated care board leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with osteoporosis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of HRT products in London.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within London is not held centrally.
There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products, and the vast majority are in good supply. Previously there has been issues with the supply of a limited number of these products, primarily driven by very sharp increases in demand. Following the Department’s intensive engagement with industry, the supply position has improved considerably. As part of this we have met with suppliers on a very regular basis and have held seven HRT supply roundtables since April 2022, with the most recent in September 2024, with suppliers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists, to provide updates on the supply position and actions being taken to address them, to share data, and to discuss relevant policy developments and potential impacts.
We are aware of the supply issues affecting Estradot (estradiol) 50 microgram/24 hour, 75 microgram/24 hour, and 100 microgram/24 hour patches, for which we have issued comprehensive management guidance to the National Health Service, including Serious Shortage Protocols allowing community pharmacists to supply the equivalent strength patch of an alternative brand without the need for a new prescription. Alternative brands of estradiol patches remain available.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of credit unions operating in (a) London and (b) England.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit.
The Chancellor announced new measures to support the growth of the credit union and mutuals sector in her Mansion House speech on 14 November. This included publishing a call for evidence on the potential to reform common bonds for credit unions in Great Britain, asking the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to produce a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025, and welcoming the establishment of an industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Business Council. Together, these actions reinforce the Government’s commitment to support the credit union and mutuals sector, and help it grow to drive innovation and economic growth across the country.
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) publishes quarterly statistics relating to credit unions in the United Kingdom. According to this latest data, there are currently 140 credit unions operating in England. Whilst HM Treasury does not hold data on the number of credit unions operating in London, all registered mutuals are listed publicly on the Mutuals Public Register, which is managed by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to increase the number of credit unions operating in England.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit.
The Chancellor announced new measures to support the growth of the credit union and mutuals sector in her Mansion House speech on 14 November. This included publishing a call for evidence on the potential to reform common bonds for credit unions in Great Britain, asking the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to produce a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025, and welcoming the establishment of an industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Business Council. Together, these actions reinforce the Government’s commitment to support the credit union and mutuals sector, and help it grow to drive innovation and economic growth across the country.
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) publishes quarterly statistics relating to credit unions in the United Kingdom. According to this latest data, there are currently 140 credit unions operating in England. Whilst HM Treasury does not hold data on the number of credit unions operating in London, all registered mutuals are listed publicly on the Mutuals Public Register, which is managed by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether applications for the NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance payment received after 30 September 2023 are eligible.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme was launched on 20 May 2020 to recognise the increased risks that National Health Service and social care staff faced in carrying out their duties during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Scheme closed to new deaths on 31 March 2022. Under the rules of the scheme, claimants were required to submit claims for deaths that occurred while the Scheme was open before 30 September 2023.