Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many licence applications for medicinal cannabis have been received by the expert panel; and what the status is of those applications.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Government has announced an aim to reschedule cannabis in the autumn. This will enable specialist clinicians to legally prescribe cannabis-derived medicinal products to patients with an exceptional clinical need. In the interim the Expert Panel has been established to review applications from specialist clinicians who wish to prescribe specified cannabis derived medicinal products. For each application, the panel are looking for a specialist clinician to meet their criteria and show that there are exceptional clinical circumstances before recommending that a licence should be issued.
As of 06 September 2018 there have been forty four inquiries to the expert panel mailbox from members of the public, patients, doctors and press. The number of applications to the panel has been small there is a significant risk that even aggregate information disclosed about applications could be linked to personal details (made available through media reporting). Given that the Home Office has a duty to protect these individuals the actual number of applications cannot be disclosed.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many inquiries the medicinal cannabis licensing panel has received from potential applicants.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Government has announced an aim to reschedule cannabis in the autumn. This will enable specialist clinicians to legally prescribe cannabis-derived medicinal products to patients with an exceptional clinical need. In the interim the Expert Panel has been established to review applications from specialist clinicians who wish to prescribe specified cannabis derived medicinal products. For each application, the panel are looking for a specialist clinician to meet their criteria and show that there are exceptional clinical circumstances before recommending that a licence should be issued.
As of 06 September 2018 there have been forty four inquiries to the expert panel mailbox from members of the public, patients, doctors and press. The number of applications to the panel has been small there is a significant risk that even aggregate information disclosed about applications could be linked to personal details (made available through media reporting). Given that the Home Office has a duty to protect these individuals the actual number of applications cannot be disclosed.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland on sales of cider; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of such minimum unit pricing.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government has made no assessment of the evidence from minimum unit pricing implementation in Scotland. However, the Government is developing a new cross-government alcohol strategy which will set out targeted action to prevent and reduce harmful drinking, support vulnerable people affected by others’ alcohol misuse, improve the pathway into treatment for people with alcohol dependency and professionalise the licensing system.
The new strategy will not include a commitment to introduce minimum unit pricing at this time but Public Health England will be commissioned to carry out a scientific review into the impact of minimum unit pricing following its recent introduction in Scotland.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to publish an implementation plan for the 2017 Drug Strategy.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We have established a Drug Strategy Board which includes representation from Government departments and wider partners that are critical to successful delivery of the Strategy, including those in education, health, criminal justice, housing and employment. The Board is chaired by the Home Secretary and its purpose is to oversee and drive implementation of the commitments in the 2017 Drug Strategy. The Board has met twice since the Drug Strategy was published.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Windrush Scheme plans to make a decision on the application of Mr Peter Lock of North Walsham in Norfolk.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
I cannot comment on individual applications. Should Mr Lock wish to discuss his application he can contact the helpline on 0800 678 1925, available Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm, or email commonwealthtaskforce@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Department's policy paper, EU Settlement Scheme: statement of intent, published on 21 June 2018, whether the continuous qualifying period would apply to a person who was absent from the UK for (a) eight months and (b) 13 months for the purposes of scientific research.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
To obtain settled status, EU citizens and their family members will generally need to have lived continuously in the UK for five years (the continuous qualifying period). Those with less than five years’ continuous residence will be eligible to apply for pre-settled status.
For those in the continuous qualifying period for settled status, “continuously resident” means that a person has not been absent from the UK for more than six months in total in any 12-month period. There is no restriction on the number of absences permitted, provided that the total period of absence does not exceed six months in any 12-month period.
There are some exceptions to this; one instance of 12-month absence in a five-year period is permitted for an important reason such as work, study, serious illness or pregnancy. We will be pragmatic about what activity constitutes an important reason. Any period of absence for compulsory military service is also permitted.
However, for applicants who have been continuously resident in the UK for five years, and are therefore eligible for settled status, “continuously resident” means that since completing that period they have not been absent from the UK for more than five consecutive years.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the EU Settlement Scheme: Statement of Intent published on 21 June 2018, whether the continuous qualifying period would apply to an individual who was absent from the UK for (a) eight months, and (b) 13 months for the purposes of research collaboration.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
To obtain settled status, EU citizens and their family members will generally need to have lived continuously in the UK for five years (the continuous qualifying period). Those with less than five years’ continuous residence will be eligible to apply for pre-settled status.
For those in the continuous qualifying period for settled status, “continuously resident” means that a person has not been absent from the UK for more than six months in total in any 12-month period. There is no restriction on the number of absences permitted, provided that the total period of absence does not exceed six months in any 12-month period.
There are some exceptions to this; one instance of 12-month absence in a five-year period is permitted for an important reason such as work, study, serious illness or pregnancy. We will be pragmatic about what activity constitutes an important reason. Any period of absence for compulsory military service is also permitted.
However, for applicants who have been continuously resident in the UK for five years, and are therefore eligible for settled status, “continuously resident” means that since completing that period they have not been absent from the UK for more than five consecutive years.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were (a) prosecuted and (b) cautioned for cannabis possession offences in each police authority area in each of the last three years.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Home Office does not hold the information requested. Information on prosecutions is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 5 of the Government's Drug Strategy 2017, published on 14 July 2017, what progress he has made on appointing a National Recovery Champion.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
A public appointment process is underway to identify a Recovery Champion, who will provide a national voice for the recovery sector. We expect to make an announcement about the role in due course.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 5 of the Government's Drug Strategy 2017, published on 14 July 2017, when he plans to appoint a National Recovery Champion.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
A public appointment process is underway to identify a Recovery Champion, who will provide a national voice for the recovery sector. We expect to make an announcement about the role in due course.