Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many violent incidences have been recorded in betting shops in the six months (a) before 1 April 2019 and (b) after 1 April 2019.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office collects data on the number of violent crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales and these data are published quarterly.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
However, these data do not identify whether the offence took place at a betting shop.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will ensure any future protections for shop staff selling age-restricted products apply to charity shop volunteers who sell those products.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse can have on victims, businesses, and the wider community; and we are committed to tackling this issue.
That is why on 5 April the Home Office launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff. It will run to 28 June and is open to all organisations and individuals affected by this issue, including those working in charity shops. The call for evidence will strengthen our understanding of the issue and inform our next steps.
In addition, I co-chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group which brings together a wide range of representatives, including the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, to help ensure our response to retail crime is as robust as it can be. Membership of the Group is kept under regular review and we will ensure the charitable sector is appropriately represented.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will create a place for representatives of charity retail volunteers on the national retail crime steering group.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse can have on victims, businesses, and the wider community; and we are committed to tackling this issue.
That is why on 5 April the Home Office launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff. It will run to 28 June and is open to all organisations and individuals affected by this issue, including those working in charity shops. The call for evidence will strengthen our understanding of the issue and inform our next steps.
In addition, I co-chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group which brings together a wide range of representatives, including the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, to help ensure our response to retail crime is as robust as it can be. Membership of the Group is kept under regular review and we will ensure the charitable sector is appropriately represented.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will ensure that the call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff receives representations from charity shop volunteers.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse can have on victims, businesses, and the wider community; and we are committed to tackling this issue.
That is why on 5 April the Home Office launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff. It will run to 28 June and is open to all organisations and individuals affected by this issue, including those working in charity shops. The call for evidence will strengthen our understanding of the issue and inform our next steps.
In addition, I co-chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group which brings together a wide range of representatives, including the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, to help ensure our response to retail crime is as robust as it can be. Membership of the Group is kept under regular review and we will ensure the charitable sector is appropriately represented.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussion he has had with Police and Crime Commissioners on tackling crime targeted at charity shops.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse can have on victims, businesses, and the wider community; and we are committed to tackling this issue.
That is why on 5 April the Home Office launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff. It will run to 28 June and is open to all organisations and individuals affected by this issue, including those working in charity shops. The call for evidence will strengthen our understanding of the issue and inform our next steps.
In addition, I co-chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group which brings together a wide range of representatives, including the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, to help ensure our response to retail crime is as robust as it can be. Membership of the Group is kept under regular review and we will ensure the charitable sector is appropriately represented.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department will take to monitor the implementation of the National Police Chief’s Council's operational guidance for pre-charge bail.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Pre-charge bail is a vital policing tool for investigating crime and protecting victims and witnesses. The NPCC have issued new operational guidance to help police forces take these important decisions and use pre-charge bail whenever it is necessary and proportionate.
The implementation of this guidance, and broader national issues around the use of bail, will continue to be monitored through the Home Office chaired Pre-Charge Bail Implementation Board, which brings together partners from across the criminal justice system.
The Home Office remains fully supportive of the use of pre-charge bail when neces-sary and proportionate.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to increase the availability and quality of specialist care and support for child victims of trafficking.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Independent Child Trafficking Advocates (ICTAs) are an independent source of advice for trafficked children and somebody who can speak up on their behalf.
The Government has successfully rolled out ICTAs to one third of all local authorities in England and Wales, in line with the commitment made in July last year. Where the service is available, all children that are potential victims of trafficking are eligible for support.
The Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act led by Frank Field, Baroness Butler-Sloss and Maria Miller has recently considered Section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which makes provisions for ICTAs. The Review’s final report can be found https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-the-modern-slavery-act-final-report
The Government is currently carefully considering the recommendations of the review on the improvements we can make to the ICTA service, and we remain committed to rolling ICTAs out nationally.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria he will use to decide whether to include a minimum unit pricing for alcohol in the new joint alcohol strategy.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The introduction of minimum unit pricing in England remains under review pending the impact of its implementation in Scotland.
Home Office ministers have held no meetings with representatives of the alcohol industry and public health advocates to discuss minimum unit pricing for alcohol. However, Home Office officials have engaged throughout 2018 with a range of stakeholders as part of our alcohol policy work , including the health sector, academics, the voluntary sector and representatives of the alcohol industry and the licensed trade.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had in 2018 with representatives of (i) the alcohol industry and (ii) public health advocates to discuss minimum unit pricing for alcohol.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The introduction of minimum unit pricing in England remains under review pending the impact of its implementation in Scotland.
Home Office ministers have held no meetings with representatives of the alcohol industry and public health advocates to discuss minimum unit pricing for alcohol. However, Home Office officials have engaged throughout 2018 with a range of stakeholders as part of our alcohol policy work , including the health sector, academics, the voluntary sector and representatives of the alcohol industry and the licensed trade.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on drug-related fatalities of drug safety testing at (a) festivals, (b) nightclubs and (c) other large gatherings of young people.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Drugs are illegal where 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 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 on drugs to recover, while ensuring our drug laws are enforced. In relation to drug testing at festivals, chief constables are responsible for operational decisions in their local area and we are not standing in their way. We are exploring with the National Police Chiefs’ Council whether their advice on this issue needs to be clarified.