Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the change in the level of police funding on the capacity of local police forces in Greater Manchester to investigate burglaries.
Answered by Nick Hurd
In January I announced the police funding settlement for 2018/19 which will see an additional £450m invested in the policing system, around £270m direct to PCCs. I understand that the Greater Manchester Mayor has chosen to use his increased precept flexibility, which will provide around £10.4m additional funding for Greater Manchester Police in 2018/19. The Mayor has said that he will use this additional funding to improve services delivered to the public. I spoke to police leaders in every police force in England and Wales about the demands they face, including representatives from Greater Manchester and this settlement reflects the evidence they provided.
Decisions about the allocation of police resources and deployment of officers are for Chief Constables and democratically accountable PCCs. They are responsible for ensuring the needs of the local community are met.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Office, with reference to the report, Reducing Crime and Preventing Harm: West Midlands Drug Policy Recommendations, published in February 2018, whether she plans to bring forward proposals for the introduction of city centre drug testing facilities at night time economy venues.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Drugs are illegal and there is scientific and medical evidence that they are harmful to health and society. The possession of any amount of a controlled drug is a criminal offence and the supply of a controlled drug (with intent to supply to others) is an even more serious offence. No illegal drug-taking can be assumed to be safe and there is no safe way to take them.
The Government’s approach remains clear: we must prevent illicit drug use in our communities and help those dependent to recover, while ensuring that our drugs laws are enforced. While operational decisions are a matter for Chief Constables, the Government and the public expect the police to enforce the law.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to appoint new members of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
A recruitment campaign to appoint new members to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs commenced in 2017. The recruitment process has been conducted in accordance with Cabinet Office Governance Code for Public Appointment which was published in December 2016 (see link below).
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-code-for-public-appointments
The new members have been selected for appointment, once security clearance has been completed the successful candidates will be announced.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what evidence in favour of decriminalisation she considered in drafting the Drug Strategy 2017.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The 2017 Drug Strategy was informed by extensive consultation with key partners in the drugs field – the partners who will be delivering the Strategy on the frontline.
The Government has no intention of decriminalising drugs. Drugs are illegal because evidence has shown they are harmful to human health and are associated with much wider societal harms including family breakdown, poverty, crime and anti-social behaviour.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department has provided to (a) support the implementation of the Drug Strategy 2017 and (b) evaluate the effect of that strategy.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Government recognises that effectively funded and commissioned services are crucial to the implementation of the Drug Strategy 2017. The Government has confirmed the continuation of the ring-fenced Public Health Grant to local authorities until April 2019, which funds drug and alcohol services.
The Home Secretary-chaired Drug Strategy Board will monitor the progress of the Strategy on an ongoing basis.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will allocate additional funding to evaluate the effect of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 on harm reduction.
Answered by Sarah Newton
We are undertaking a review of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. The review will report its findings by late 2018. The framework for the review was published on 14 July 2017, and is available at www.gov.uk.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs's recommendation that the treatment services that are most effective will be those that combine harm reduction services with support to recovery.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Government consulted the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) during the development of the Strategy. The Government’s response to the ACMD, along with the ACMD’s advice, was published on 14 July.
The new Strategy sets out clear expectations for a range of partners, including those in health, housing, criminal justice and employment to offer people with a drug dependence problem the best chance of recovery through support at every stage of their life.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Greater Manchester Police have sufficient resources to reduce harm caused by the drug spice.
Answered by Nick Hurd
It is an operational decision for Chief Constables, working with Police and Crime Commissioners to determine the best use of their available resources. The 2015 Spending Review protected overall police spending in real terms, and the 2017/18 police funding settlement maintained that protection.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of applicants for the 30-day entry visas to the UK specified a future date for travel on their application form.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
All visa applicants are required as part of the online application process to provide the date on which they intend to travel to the UK.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) longest, (b) shortest and (c) average time taken to process a 30-day entry visa was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Home Office publishes information on visa processing times online at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-february-2017