Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much remuneration the Trustees of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme receive for their roles on the committee.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2023, the remuneration was £91,500 per year for the Chair, £41,350-£72,650 per year for the Committee Chairs and £24,150 per year for other members of the Committee.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on what date the Government last made a contribution to the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme under British Coal.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has not needed to input funds to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme since becoming Guarantor.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) former miners and (b) former miners' widows are in receipt of a mineworkers' pension in Easington constituency.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As at June 2023, the total number of members of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme in the Easington constituency was 3,563. The breakdown by former miners and former miners’ widows is not available.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) former miners and (b) former miners' widows are in receipt of a mineworkers' pension.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As at 31 March 2024, the number of former miners in receipt of a Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme pension is 86,032 and the number of former miners’ widows/dependants in receipt of a pension is 23,253.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) the detection of and (b) testing methods for synthetic cannabinoids in the prison estate; and what steps he is taking to improve effectiveness in these areas.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
All prisons have a zero-tolerance approach to drugs, and we are highly aware of the threat synthetic drugs present. In response, HMPPS has developed capabilities to drug test prisoners who are suspected to have used, or are at risk of using, these dangerous substances. In addition, all prisons have been provided with access to forensic testing of items seized or found within the estate.
Our drug testing contract enables us to deliver key commitments in the cross-Government drug strategy such as: testing of offenders who receive a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement, the pilot of Intensive Supervision Courts, and increased flexibility to test for a broader range of drugs.
Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs, was completed in March 2022. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners, resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. Under this programme, all public sector sites have also been provided with next-generation drug trace detection machines. This technology enables prisons to detect attempts to convey drugs, including synthetic cannabinoids, into prisons. The equipment is effective in identifying synthetic cannabinoids that have been soaked onto letters, clothing and other items.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of vehicles on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database are not taxed in (a) England and (b) Easington constituency.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The outcome of the most recent roadside survey, which provides an estimate of the number of unlicensed vehicles in traffic, was published in December 2023. This showed that 98.7 per cent of vehicles across the UK were correctly licensed, which equates to an estimated 498,000 unlicensed vehicles and an evasion rate of 1.3 per cent. The estimated evasion rate in England was also 1.3 per cent. This information is not held by parliamentary constituency. A copy of the roadside survey can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/vehicle-excise-duty-evasion-statistics-2023/vehicle-excise-duty-evasion-statistics-2023.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of vehicles on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency database do not have a valid MOT in (a) England and (b) Easington constituency.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) database records every vehicle that has an MOT, and the dates the MOTs were carried out. Authorities, such as the Police, have access to that data should they need to check if a vehicle has a valid MOT. There is no comparable database for vehicles which do not have a valid MOT.
As such, it is not possible to determine the number, or proportion, of vehicles being used illegally without an MOT in England or the constituency of Easington.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many deaths involving (a) nitazenes and (b) fentanyls have been confirmed by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in 2024 as of 25 April.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are actively monitoring, and responding to, the continued threat posed by the growing levels of potent synthetic opioids in the United Kingdom. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities receives intelligence via its networks on reported deaths from drug misuse, including those that involve nitazenes or fentanyls. There have been 14 deaths confirmed to have involved nitazenes, and no deaths confirmed to have involved fentanyls in England in 2024, as of 25 April.
Statistics on the annual number of deaths related to drug poisoning, including those involving synthetic opioids, are reported by the Office for National Statistics, and will be published in due course.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate she has made of the average weekly pension payment to widows of miners who are recipients of the mineworkers pension scheme.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The average pension to widows of former members is currently £77 per week.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating the Rules Amendment Committee for the Mineworkers Pension Scheme.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Rules Amendment Committee was disbanded on privatisation and there is no need for it with the current valuation process.