Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to settle Access to Work payments owed to Icarus Theatre Collective in Southwark to support a disabled actor.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are unable to comment on individual cases.
Claims for Access to Work payments can be submitted via our online portal or through the post and this is clearly explained in customer letters. Approved claims submitted through the proper channels are typically processed within 10 days.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will reinstate the digital application process for Ukrainians in the UK.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
All Ukraine scheme application forms are accessed online. The application process which allowed Ukraine scheme applicants to use the UK Immigration ID Check app to provide facial biometrics was open to eligible Ukrainians outside of the UK until 7 December 2023. This process was only ever available for Ukrainians applying from outside of the UK. We keep the Ukraine schemes and application processes under constant review, including for Ukrainians in the UK.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Independent review of drugs by Professor Dame Carol Black, if his Department will commission further research on the potential impact of the use of (a) skunk and (b) all other cannabis on levels of psychosis.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs noted that cannabis poses a large number of health risks, including psychological and respiratory disorders, particularly given increases in potency. There is a growing body of evidence that indicates a link between cannabis and psychosis which underlines the importance of our approach to tackling its misuse. Cannabis continues to be the most commonly used drug and around 21% of adults starting drug treatment between 2021 and 2022 said they had a problem with cannabis use.
For this reason, cannabis is controlled under Class B of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. There is clear scientific and medical evidence that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people’s mental and physical health, and harms people and communities.
At the UK Drugs Ministerial in November 2023, the latest research findings into the links between cannabis and psychosis were presented by a leading academic and those findings are informing policy making. The department has no current plans to commission further research into the links between cannabis and psychosis but continues to keep all drugs under review and will consider all evidence as appropriate.