Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to introduce drug consumption rooms.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the efficacy of police stop and search powers in reducing knife crime.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Stop and search helps to seize deadly weapons from our streets and is a vital tool in the fight against violent crime. We fully support the police in their use of this power to tackle serious violence and protect our communities from harm. There were over 9,300 offensive weapons arrests in 2018-19, a 20% increase on the previous year, and the Metropolitan Police Service believe that the increased use of stop and search is helping cut serious injuries among under 25s.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to launch a consultation on the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government has no plans to decriminalise drug possession. It would not eliminate the crime committed by the illicit trade, nor would it address the harms associated with drug dependence and the misery that this can cause to families and communities. The police and criminal justice system nevertheless have a considerable amount of discretion in how they enforce the law and we support them in taking a proportionate approach.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to update the research on what steps firefighters should take when facing a fire since the Grenfell Tower fire.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
How firefighters tackle fires is an operational matter for fire and rescue services. In 2012, responsibility for the creation and maintenance of national operational fire-fighting guidance was transferred to the sector. National Operational Guidance for Incident Command is an essential guide to the safe systems if needed at an incident. National Operational Guidance is considered as national best practice and is regularly reviewed. The sector is currently developing national incident command standards and the NFCC has already issued guidance on simultaneous evacuation. We are also considering a proposal from the National Fire Chiefs Council to develop a research programme on these matters.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of firefighters.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Fire and rescue services have the resources they need to do their important work.
Operational decisions are for each fire and rescue authority to make as part of the integrated risk management planning process and it is for individual fire and rescue services to make decisions on the number of firefighters they employ.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help people over the age of 60 experiencing domestic abuse.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.