Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Question 9 of oral evidence taken before the Justice Committee on 24 October 2023, HC 1929, Session 2022–23, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the adequacy of the levels of pay of (a) prison officers and (b) operational support staff on (i) leaving and (ii) vacancy rates.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Recruitment and retention (leaving and vacancy rates) are a key consideration when formulating HMPPS pay proposals for the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB). However, levels of pay for Prison Officers and operational support staff are ultimately determined through the independent PSPRB process with the panel having considered evidence from both Government (HMPPS) and the recognised trade unions.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she made of the effectiveness of the arrangements to perform real-time security checks with EU countries.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides a comprehensive package of capabilities that ensures we can work with counterparts across Europe to tackle crime and terrorism, protecting the public and bringing criminals to justice.
The UK and EU Member States routinely exchange information on persons of interest, including missing and wanted individuals, and on lost and stolen documents using the INTERPOL system. There is an automated upload of incoming INTERPOL circulations to UK domestic systems. Information is available via policing systems within minutes of receipt and is available at the border within 24 hours. If the National Crime Agency is notified a case is urgent, then specific alerts can be uploaded to domestic systems more rapidly.
Delivery of technical capabilities through the International Law Enforcement Alerts Platform (I-LEAP) is further enhancing the UK’s connectivity to INTERPOL by providing UK law enforcement with real-time access to INTERPOL nominal data (people) and objects of interest (stolen motor vehicles; stolen, lost and fraudulent travel documents).
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to appeal the decision of Mr Justice Linden on 13 July 2023 relating to the use of agency workers to fill in for striking workers.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have carefully considered the judgment and decided not to appeal, given that it was solely restricted to the issue of whether sufficient consultation took place before this change was made.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had recent discussions with his Japanese counterpart on increasing cooperation between the Japanese and UK legal service sectors.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The UK and Japan have a strong legal services trading relationship, with bilateral legal services trade valued at approximately £147m in 2021 (ONS data) and multiple UK law firms maintaining a presence in Japan. The UK and Japan regularly engage to discuss legal services. This includes as part of ongoing cooperation under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement which was reaffirmed by the signing of the Hiroshima Accord by PM Sunak and PM Kishida in May 2023.
In July 2023, the Secretary of State for Justice undertook a visit to Japan to attend the G7 Justice Ministerial Forum. As part of the visit, the Secretary of State for Justice discussed legal services with his counterpart, the Japanese Justice Minister, and with representatives from the UK and Japanese legal sectors. The Secretary of State for Justice and Japanese Justice Minister signed a UK-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation on legal and justice affairs. The Memorandum of Cooperation will increase collaboration between Justice Ministries by establishing a regular dialogue on legal and justice matters. The agreement signals a mutual desire to strengthen cooperation between the Japanese and UK legal services sectors, and commits to cooperation on international legal services and dispute resolution.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
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 prevent the unlawful sale of prescription medicines through online platforms.
Answered by Will Quince
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the regulator within the United Kingdom for human medicines and is responsible for enforcing the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The MHRA has identified the illegal sale and supply of human medicines as a global challenge. This includes the sale of prescription drugs from unregulated sources. Criminal gangs, often based overseas, advertise medicines through websites resembling those of legitimate pharmacies, while others exploit online marketplaces or sell social media platforms.
The MHRA has a dedicated Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) that works with partners across government and policing to prevent and disrupt this illegal trade and to bring to justice those involved. The CEU monitors online channels for evidence of illegal activity and takes proportionate regulatory action. This includes using the full range of the agency’s powers to investigate and prosecute offenders where necessary and appropriate. The unit also works to remove illegally trading websites and remove criminal profits from offenders. Through its #Fakemeds communications campaign the MHRA also provides quick and easy tools to help the public avoid buying illegally traded medicines when they shop online.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
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 level of availability of prescription drugs from unregulated sources.
Answered by Will Quince
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the regulator within the United Kingdom for human medicines and is responsible for enforcing the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The MHRA has identified the illegal sale and supply of human medicines as a global challenge. This includes the sale of prescription drugs from unregulated sources. Criminal gangs, often based overseas, advertise medicines through websites resembling those of legitimate pharmacies, while others exploit online marketplaces or sell social media platforms.
The MHRA has a dedicated Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) that works with partners across government and policing to prevent and disrupt this illegal trade and to bring to justice those involved. The CEU monitors online channels for evidence of illegal activity and takes proportionate regulatory action. This includes using the full range of the agency’s powers to investigate and prosecute offenders where necessary and appropriate. The unit also works to remove illegally trading websites and remove criminal profits from offenders. Through its #Fakemeds communications campaign the MHRA also provides quick and easy tools to help the public avoid buying illegally traded medicines when they shop online.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the pension age of prison officers to 60.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The pension age in all public sector pension schemes is set under legislation by HM Treasury and the merits of any review in aspects of the pension scheme, including pension age, would be for them to consider. I am committed to listening to and working with officers, staff and trade unions and I continue to meet with the Prison Officer’s Association and other unions to discuss a range of issues, including pensions. We highly value our hardworking prison officers and take very seriously the safety of all staff working within prisons, whatever their age. The Ministry of Justice continues to review and roll out new safety equipment and provide new skills to prison officers to deal with challenging situations and reduce the risk of assault.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help reduce economic loses caused by rogue builders operating in the repair, maintenance and improvement sector.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The domestic repair, maintenance, and improvement (RMI) sector is a vital part of the construction industry. It is one where genuine concern exists about consumer protection. The Government is committed to ensuring that we have a high-quality and professional construction industry and works with the industry and Local Authority trading standards, to improve standards of competence, consumer protection and redress, and to act against rogue builders.
The Department consulted last year on proposals to make alternative dispute resolution mandatory in the home improvements sector as part of a broader attempt to strengthen consumer rights in problematic sectors. We are now working with the Ministry of Justice to help inform and support their policy development on the use of mediation as an integrated part of the justice system.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Law Commission report entitled Employment Law Hearing Structures: Report, published April 2020, what progress he has made on extending the time limit for all employment tribunal claims to six months.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to keep of Employment Tribunal time limits under review.
Any decision to extend Employment Tribunal time limits will need to take account of the effect on the wider justice system, as well as the effect on Acas, who are responsible for conducting early conciliation.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June to Question 186376 on Government Departments: Apprentices, if he will provide a breakdown by Department of the percentage change in digital, data and technology apprenticeships between October 2021 and December 2022.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) apprenticeships are a way to gain industry standard qualifications whilst working full time in a salaried DDaT role in the Civil Service. During their programme, apprentices receive training from an apprenticeship provider in their chosen field, and apply their emerging knowledge and skills to their full time role as a DDaT professional.
The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) is working with departments and commercial teams to address barriers to fully utilising the apprentice levy, including through increasing apprentice provider choice.
We have also grown our early talent offers. CDDO is now in the process of building a cross-government digital apprenticeship programme ‘Tech Track’ which aims to upskill existing Civil Servants into the DDaT profession through apprenticeships, targeting 350-500 roles in its first year from Q1 2024.
Apprentice numbers regularly fluctuate year to year as apprentices begin and finish their courses at different stages throughout the year. External factors play a significant role in decisions to invest in apprenticeships. These include the impact of Covid-19 on recruitment and operation of apprenticeships, and proposed reductions to overall Civil Service headcount, prompting departments to prioritise fully developed staff. Changes to the recruitment of apprentices will not be reflected in the number of apprentices in departments until the following year.
Data provided by the Civil Service Apprenticeship Unit (CSAU) shows that, between September 2021 and December 2022, the number of apprentices fluctuated as per the below table:
Department | On programme Apprentices September 2021 | On programme Apprentices December 2022 | Percentage Change |
Ministry of Justice | 2 | 22 | 1000% |
Ministry of Defence | 39 | 116 | 197% |
Department for International Trade | 1 | 2 | 100% |
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 7 | 12 | 71% |
Department for Education | 20 | 23 | 15% |
United Kingdom Statistics Authority | 9 | 10 | 11% |
Attorney General's Departments | 1 | 1 | 0% |
Department for Work and Pensions | 169 | 163 | -4% |
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office | 15 | 12 | -20% |
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (and former partners) | 70 | 53 | -24% |
National Crime Agency | 4 | 3 | -25% |
Cabinet Office | 35 | 23 | -34% |
Competition and Markets Authority | 2 | 1 | -50% |
Department For Digital Culture Media And Sport | 4 | 2 | -50% |
HM Revenue and Customs | 248 | 117 | -52% |
Home Office | 89 | 41 | -54% |
Department for Transport | 53 | 22 | -58% |
Department of Health and Social Care | 34 | 13 | -62% |
Charity Commission | 3 | - |
|
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities | - | 1 |
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