Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendation by the Prison Service Pay Review Body to offer different paid contracts for Prison Officers on Fair and Sustainable rates and closed rates; and what steps he is taking to address disparities between the two pay structures.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
In 2012, HMPPS introduced of a new common pay and grading structure called Fair & Sustainable (F&S) that applied to all new staff who joined the service after 1 April 2012 and existing staff who would benefit from opting into the modernised pay structures. This was a Workforce Policy decision and therefore not determined by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB). There are, however, still a group of staff employed pre-2012 who remain on legacy “closed” grade pay structures. The reason for this is that they would not benefit financially from “opting in” to F&S so they have been allowed to remain on legacy terms. This year, because of the Prison Service Pay Review Body recommendations, the majority of closed grade staff will financially benefit from opting into the Fair & Sustainable pay structures and we will encourage them to do so.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of patients were waiting for NHS treatment as of 30 August; and what was the average waiting time for NHS treatment in August 2023.
Answered by Will Quince
The requested data for August 2023 has not yet been published. The most recent published data showed that the total waiting list for elective consultant-led treatment was 7.57 million in June 2023. For patients waiting to start treatment at the end of June 2023, the median waiting time was 14.3 weeks.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure an adequate supply of Ozempic for patients with diabetes.
Answered by Will Quince
We are aware of a supply issue with Ozempic, which has been largely driven by off-label use for weight loss. We have issued guidance in the form of Medicine Supply Notifications and, on 18 July, issued a National Patient Safety Alert which made it clear that Ozempic, which is solely licensed to treat Type 2 diabetes, should only be used for that purpose, and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.
We have engaged with relevant regulators, and the General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards.
We have also added Ozempic and other glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists to the list of medicines that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the United Kingdom.
We are continuing to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of these medicines for UK patients, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries.
We have provided advice for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring this medicine whilst there are shortages and are keeping this under review as the situation evolves. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the availability of Ozempic.
Answered by Will Quince
We are aware of a supply issue with Ozempic, which has been largely driven by off-label use for weight loss. We have issued guidance in the form of Medicine Supply Notifications and, on 18 July, issued a National Patient Safety Alert which made it clear that Ozempic, which is solely licensed to treat Type 2 diabetes, should only be used for that purpose, and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.
We have engaged with relevant regulators, and the General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards.
We have also added Ozempic and other glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists to the list of medicines that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the United Kingdom.
We are continuing to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of these medicines for UK patients, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries.
We have provided advice for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring this medicine whilst there are shortages and are keeping this under review as the situation evolves. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, which (a) organisations and (b) other stakeholders her Department plans to consult on the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals for a new cuckooing offence.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government fully recognises the serious impact that persistent Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) can have on both individuals and the wider community. The ASB Action Plan, published on 27 March, commits to tackling ASB across five key themes: 1) stronger punishment, 2) making communities safer, 3) building local pride, 4) prevention and early intervention, 5) improving data, reporting and accountability for action.
As part of the plan, which is backed by £160m of funding, we are committed to tackling the exploitation and degrading behaviour that is associated with cuckooing. The targeted stakeholder engagement exercise commenced in the Spring of 2023 and is ongoing. We are engaging on the potential merits and scope of a new offence with a variety of key stakeholders such as the police, CJS partners, local authorities, other Government departments, specialists in the field and the Devolved Governments.
There is no centrally held data on the number of cuckooed properties. The National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, in which all police forces take part. The most recent week of intensification, which took place between 27th February to 5th March 2023, saw 887 cuckooed properties visited.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 59.g of the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, updated on 17 May, what discussions she has had with stakeholders on the introduction of the new offence of cuckooing .
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government fully recognises the serious impact that persistent Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) can have on both individuals and the wider community. The ASB Action Plan, published on 27 March, commits to tackling ASB across five key themes: 1) stronger punishment, 2) making communities safer, 3) building local pride, 4) prevention and early intervention, 5) improving data, reporting and accountability for action.
As part of the plan, which is backed by £160m of funding, we are committed to tackling the exploitation and degrading behaviour that is associated with cuckooing. The targeted stakeholder engagement exercise commenced in the Spring of 2023 and is ongoing. We are engaging on the potential merits and scope of a new offence with a variety of key stakeholders such as the police, CJS partners, local authorities, other Government departments, specialists in the field and the Devolved Governments.
There is no centrally held data on the number of cuckooed properties. The National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, in which all police forces take part. The most recent week of intensification, which took place between 27th February to 5th March 2023, saw 887 cuckooed properties visited.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) research she has commissioned and (b) information her Department holds on the (i) prevalence and (ii) impact of cuckooing in vulnerable communities.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government fully recognises the serious impact that persistent Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) can have on both individuals and the wider community. The ASB Action Plan, published on 27 March, commits to tackling ASB across five key themes: 1) stronger punishment, 2) making communities safer, 3) building local pride, 4) prevention and early intervention, 5) improving data, reporting and accountability for action.
As part of the plan, which is backed by £160m of funding, we are committed to tackling the exploitation and degrading behaviour that is associated with cuckooing. The targeted stakeholder engagement exercise commenced in the Spring of 2023 and is ongoing. We are engaging on the potential merits and scope of a new offence with a variety of key stakeholders such as the police, CJS partners, local authorities, other Government departments, specialists in the field and the Devolved Governments.
There is no centrally held data on the number of cuckooed properties. The National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, in which all police forces take part. The most recent week of intensification, which took place between 27th February to 5th March 2023, saw 887 cuckooed properties visited.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the nature was of the security breach that resulted in the Rt Hon Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip being advised to keep his phone turned off from April 2021 onwards.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Hon Member to the correspondence from the then Independent Adviser for Ministerial Interests to the then Prime Minister of 17 December 2021, which can be found on gov.uk.
As has been the case under successive Administrations, the Government does not comment on security matters.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK meets its obligations to NATO.
Answered by Ben Wallace
NATO is undergoing a once-in-a-generation transformation that orientates it towards the main threats of Russia and Terrorism.
Our commitment to NATO is unconditional and our contribution to deterrence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic will be delivered via credible, deployable and lethal warfighting capabilities into the NATO Force Model.
Under the new Regional Plans, UK forces, operating alongside our Allies in NATO will deter further aggression and defend every inch of NATO territory. In the first year of these new plans, the UK will have enhanced our force posture in Estonia with rapid reinforcements on standby, have sent warships and fighter aircraft to south-east Europe and the Mediterranean and lead the inaugural very high-readiness Allied Reaction Force.
We will continue to contribute to every NATO mission and declare the UK’s nuclear deterrent to NATO.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of recent legislative changes in Hong Kong that allow its Chief Executive to veto foreign lawyers from working on cases brought under its National Security Law.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have made clear our strong opposition to China's imposition of the National Security Law, which represents a serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The Foreign Secretary set out those views at the UN Human Rights Council on 27 February and with Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng on 5 May. In the latest Six-monthly Report, the Foreign Secretary stated that the recent legislative changes have transferred powers once vested in the judiciary to the Chief Executive. We will monitor closely how these changes will be implemented. As the Foreign Secretary said at Mansion House on 25 April, we will continue to speak out against the clear erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.