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Written Question
Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent the Civil Procedure Rule Committee making rules of court that would implement the recommendations in paragraphs 73 and 74 of Part L of the Leveson Report.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is not proposing to instruct the Civil Procedure Rule Committee to amend rules of court to support the commencement and implementation of section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013. This aligns with its commitment to repeal section 40.


Written Question
Pesticides
Tuesday 6th February 2024

Asked by: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We will publish the National Action Plan (NAP) for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides in due course. It will set out Defra’s ambition to minimise the risks and impacts of pesticides to human health and the environment and the actions that need to be taken to deliver those goals.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is at the heart of our approach to support sustainable agricultural productivity, and we have not waited for the publication of the NAP to move forward with work to increase its uptake. Farmers can now sign up to paid IPM actions within the SFI scheme, through which they can be paid to complete an IPM assessment and produce an IPM plan; establish and maintain flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips; establish a companion crop and to move towards insecticide-free farming.


Written Question
Horticulture: Peat
Friday 2nd February 2024

Asked by: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to restrict the sale of horticultural peat under Section 53 and Schedule 7 of the Environment Act 2021.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Government does not believe that this power provides an appropriate vehicle to legislate for a ban on the sale of peat and peat containing products.


Written Question
Food Supply: Vacancies
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to the Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain, published in June 2023.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is currently considering the 10 recommendations from the Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain and intends publishing a Government Response in early 2024.


Written Question
Radiology: Prescriptions
Wednesday 6th December 2023

Asked by: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State during the debate in Grand Committee on Healthcare: Controlled Drugs in the House of Lords on 14 September 2023, what progress his Department has made on allowing therapeutic radiographer independent prescribers to prescribe (a) opioids and (b) other controlled drugs.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government responded to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on 3 October 2022, accepting its further recommendations on administration and directions to administer controlled drugs by therapeutic radiographer independent prescribers.

As the letter set out, the Government intends to legislate to enable prescribing of controlled drugs by therapeutic radiographer independent prescribers, including tramadol, lorazepam, diazepam, morphine, oxycodone and codeine. The Government also intends to make changes relating to use of controlled drugs in healthcare by podiatrists, paramedic independent prescribers, and those acting under Patient Group Directions.

During a short debate on this topic, held in the House of Lords Grand Committee on 14 September 2023, Home Office Minister Lord Sharpe explained that we intend to bring forward legislation to make the necessary amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 by the end of the year. This remains the intention.


Written Question
Radiology: Prescriptions
Wednesday 6th December 2023

Asked by: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State during the debate in Grand Committee on Healthcare: Controlled Drugs in the House of Lords on 14 September 2023, what steps he is taking to allow therapeutic radiographer independent prescribers to prescribe (a) opioids and (b) other controlled drugs.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government responded to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on 3 October 2022, accepting its further recommendations on administration and directions to administer controlled drugs by therapeutic radiographer independent prescribers.

As the letter set out, the Government intends to legislate to enable prescribing of controlled drugs by therapeutic radiographer independent prescribers, including tramadol, lorazepam, diazepam, morphine, oxycodone and codeine. The Government also intends to make changes relating to use of controlled drugs in healthcare by podiatrists, paramedic independent prescribers, and those acting under Patient Group Directions.

During a short debate on this topic, held in the House of Lords Grand Committee on 14 September 2023, Home Office Minister Lord Sharpe explained that we intend to bring forward legislation to make the necessary amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 by the end of the year. This remains the intention.


Written Question
Universities: Mental Health Services
Tuesday 5th December 2023

Asked by: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 149 on Universities: Mental Health Services, what information her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of universities that have amended their practices in line with the recommendations in her Department's letter.

Answered by Robert Halfon

It is a priority for this government that students are provided with the mental health support they need. The opportunity to enter, thrive and graduate from university should be open to everyone with the ability to do so. To achieve this, the department is taking an approach based on three pillars:

  • Funding vital services and innovative projects via the Office for Students, with £15 million allocated for the 2023/24 academic year to support students starting university for the first time and enable effective partnerships between higher education (HE) providers and local NHS services. £3.6 million was invested to launch Student Space in 2020 and it has since provided over 450,000 students with free online mental health resources and confidential support.
  • Spreading and implementing best practice consistently across providers.
  • Clear responsibilities for providers and protection for students, with solutions developed by the HE Student Support Champion, Professor Edward Peck.

On 5 June 2023, the department wrote to all higher education providers asking for their strongest possible commitment to the mental health of our students, including by showing ownership of mental health at an executive level. The department has set a target for all universities to sign up to Student Minds’ University Mental Health Charter Programme by September 2024 so that they take a whole-university approach to mental health and wellbeing and follow the principles set out in the Charter. This programme is about continuous improvement from universities so that standards are raised within the sector.

61 universities had joined the programme by the 2022/23 academic year. Following the 5 June 2023 letter, nine HE providers wrote back to the department on action being taken to improve practice. A significant number of universities then applied to the Charter Programme during the summer 2023 application window. The programme has seen a greater than 50% increase in membership and now has 96 members for the 2023/24 academic year. The full list of members is available at: https://hub.studentminds.org.uk/charter-programme-members-23-24/.

The Higher Education Mental Health Taskforce is looking at the application of best practice among HE providers. The Taskforce will deliver a final report by May 2024 and will provide an update ahead of that early in 2024.

I continue to raise the value of Charter Programme membership with universities and sector representatives and hosted a roundtable on the mental health of students with university leaders at Leeds Trinity University on 23 November 2023. This roundtable addressed the important role that executive leadership have in setting the culture and practice around wellbeing for students on campus. We also confirmed at this roundtable that the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health, a renowned centre of expertise on suicide prevention, will lead the National Review of HE Suicides. This will ensure lessons from tragic instances of student suicide are shared widely across the sector.

This roundtable followed a speech I delivered at the UUK Mental Health Conference on 21 November 2023 where I asked the sector to come together and finish the job of embedding best practice.


Written Question
Fishing Vessels: Inspections
Tuesday 5th December 2023

Asked by: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times fisheries patrol vessels boarded and inspected UK registered fisheries vessels in each year between 2018 to 2022 inclusive.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Fisheries control and enforcement is a devolved matter, and each Devolved Administration is responsible for conducting inspections on vessels in their respective zones. Within England, the ten Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities are responsible for compliance and enforcement within inshore waters (0-6 nautical miles (nm)) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for control and enforcement of third country vessels and all UK vessels fishing outside of 6nms. There is no fishing allowed by foreign vessels inside 6nms.

The number of inspections by MMO patrol vessels of EU vessels at sea in English waters by year are:

2018: 96

2019: 303

2020: 122

2021: 303

2022: 280

The number of inspections by MMO patrol vessels of UK vessels at sea in English waters by year are:

2018: 94

2019: 245

2020: 135

2021: 248

2022: 304


Written Question
Fishing Vessels: EU Countries
Tuesday 5th December 2023

Asked by: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times fisheries patrol vessels boarded and inspected EU registered fisheries vessels in each year between 2018 and 2022 inclusive.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Fisheries control and enforcement is a devolved matter, and each Devolved Administration is responsible for conducting inspections on vessels in their respective zones. Within England, the ten Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities are responsible for compliance and enforcement within inshore waters (0-6 nautical miles (nm)) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for control and enforcement of third country vessels and all UK vessels fishing outside of 6nms. There is no fishing allowed by foreign vessels inside 6nms.

The number of inspections by MMO patrol vessels of EU vessels at sea in English waters by year are:

2018: 96

2019: 303

2020: 122

2021: 303

2022: 280

The number of inspections by MMO patrol vessels of UK vessels at sea in English waters by year are:

2018: 94

2019: 245

2020: 135

2021: 248

2022: 304


Written Question
Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Wednesday 15th November 2023

Asked by: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to establish the role of the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief on a permanent basis.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The Government is committed to the role of the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB and has had three Special Envoys to date.

The current Special Envoy, Fiona Bruce MP, is a passionate advocate for FoRB, and this year was re-elected to serve a second term as the Chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, a network of 42 countries committed to protecting and promoting FoRB.

Defending FoRB for all is a longstanding priority for the UK Government. We shall continue to stand up for the rights of all individuals, and use our position at the UN Human Rights Council, and on the UN Security Council, to ensure violations and abuses of FoRB are highlighted and addressed.