Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle the (a) consumption and (b) sale of monkey dust.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to reducing the harm caused to individuals and communities from drugs. This is vital to our missions to deliver safer streets, improve health outcomes, break down barriers to opportunities for all and contribute to economic growth.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was commissioned in May 2023 by the then Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire to provide an updated harms assessment of 3',4'-Methylenedioxy-α-pyrrolidinohexiophenone (MDPHP) and other synthetic cathinones (sometimes sold as “monkey dust”) under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
On 3 February 2025, the ACMD’s report was published. Their assessment considered the harms and controls of synthetic cathinones, and it includes recommendations to reduce their harm across the UK. Although no specific assessment has been made about the sale and crime trends, the ACMD report does comment on the social harms and the association of synthetic cathinones with violent behaviour.
The Home Office will give careful consideration to the ACMD’s recommendations and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs's review into Synthetic cathinones published on 3 February 2025.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to reducing the harm caused to individuals and communities from drugs. This is vital to our missions to deliver safer streets, improve health outcomes, break down barriers to opportunities for all and contribute to economic growth.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was commissioned in May 2023 by the then Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire to provide an updated harms assessment of 3',4'-Methylenedioxy-α-pyrrolidinohexiophenone (MDPHP) and other synthetic cathinones (sometimes sold as “monkey dust”) under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
On 3 February 2025, the ACMD’s report was published. Their assessment considered the harms and controls of synthetic cathinones, and it includes recommendations to reduce their harm across the UK. Although no specific assessment has been made about the sale and crime trends, the ACMD report does comment on the social harms and the association of synthetic cathinones with violent behaviour.
The Home Office will give careful consideration to the ACMD’s recommendations and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the sale of monkey dust on trends in the level of crime.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to reducing the harm caused to individuals and communities from drugs. This is vital to our missions to deliver safer streets, improve health outcomes, break down barriers to opportunities for all and contribute to economic growth.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was commissioned in May 2023 by the then Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire to provide an updated harms assessment of 3',4'-Methylenedioxy-α-pyrrolidinohexiophenone (MDPHP) and other synthetic cathinones (sometimes sold as “monkey dust”) under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
On 3 February 2025, the ACMD’s report was published. Their assessment considered the harms and controls of synthetic cathinones, and it includes recommendations to reduce their harm across the UK. Although no specific assessment has been made about the sale and crime trends, the ACMD report does comment on the social harms and the association of synthetic cathinones with violent behaviour.
The Home Office will give careful consideration to the ACMD’s recommendations and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on delivering additional neighbourhood police officers in Dorset.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, the Home Secretary has made a clear commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing through the introduction of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This includes delivering an additional 13,000 police officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles up and down the country and ensuring every community has a named officer to turn to. Every part of the country will benefit from this pledge, including Dorset.
We are working closely with policing to implement this commitment and will announce our plans.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of mental health issues on young people becoming involved in crime.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
A multiagency approach to divert young people away from becoming involved in crime is pivotal. This includes partners that play a role in young people’s mental health. This is why the Government is creating the Young Futures Programme to identify young people at risk and the most effective interventions to support them.
These Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to help improve the way young people can access the support they need. We will be engaging with local communities, the police, charities, and other key partners to support the design of the hubs and explore options for their delivery.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 public funding for specialist domestic abuse services.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We have set out our mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. The Government understands the vital role that the domestic abuse sector plays in supporting victims.
The Minister for Safeguarding regularly meets with the sector to discuss the Government’s approach to tackling violence against women and girls, including the role of funding and specialist domestic abuse services, most of which does not sit in the Home Office.
All decisions on funding will be made in due course as part of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the domestic abuse sector on the adequacy of public funding for specialist domestic abuse services, in the context of potential considerations to be reflected in the upcoming Budget.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We have set out our mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. The Government understands the vital role that the domestic abuse sector plays in supporting victims.
The Minister for Safeguarding regularly meets with the sector to discuss the Government’s approach to tackling violence against women and girls, including the role of funding and specialist domestic abuse services, most of which does not sit in the Home Office.
All decisions on funding will be made in due course as part of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the 20-hour work limit on student visas in the context of increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
All students applying to study within the UK are required to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves financially throughout their studies.
Working hour limits are in place to ensure students have sufficient time to devote to their main purpose coming to the UK: to study. We currently have no plans to increase these working hour limits. There are alternative routes available for individuals who wish to come to the UK to work.
Students are not currently permitted to be self-employed or engage in business activity. There are currently no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review the self-employment restriction on student visas.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
All students applying to study within the UK are required to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves financially throughout their studies.
Working hour limits are in place to ensure students have sufficient time to devote to their main purpose coming to the UK: to study. We currently have no plans to increase these working hour limits. There are alternative routes available for individuals who wish to come to the UK to work.
Students are not currently permitted to be self-employed or engage in business activity. There are currently no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward legislation to make anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime an aggravated offence.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is absolutely committed to tackling all forms of hate crime and has already committed to protect LGBT+ and disabled people by making all existing strands of hate crime an aggravated offence.
We will set out next steps in due course.