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Written Question
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Wednesday 13th March 2024

Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing minimum unit pricing for alcohol; and what other steps he is taking to help reduce alcohol harm.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government continues to watch the impact of MUP in Scotland with interest.

In England and Wales there is an ambitious programme of work in train to tackle alcohol-related harms including significant investment in treatment and recovery services, equipping the police and local authorities with the right powers to take effective actions against alcohol related-crime and harms in the night-time economy.

The Government has delivered on its commitment to review the outdated and complex alcohol duty system and introduced the biggest reform of alcohol duties for 140 years. From 1 August 2023, all alcohol has been taxed by strength, putting public health at the heart of alcohol duty.

This is helping to target problem drinking by taxing products associated with alcohol-related harm at a higher rate of duty. This new system is incentivising the production and consumption of lower strength products by introducing a reduced rate of duty for products of a lower alcohol by volume (ABV).


Written Question
Electricity: Prices
Monday 12th February 2024

Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofgem on the potential impact of recent changes in off-peak night rates on Economy 7 electricity tariffs on households which use electricity to heat their homes in comparison with other households.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As the demand for electricity during the night-time period has grown, energy suppliers have had to pay significantly more to purchase that electricity for their customers. In turn, this is reflected in rising night-time rate for time-of-use tariffs

The setting of tariffs, including for peak and off-peak periods for ‘Time-of-Use’ tariffs (such as Economy 7), are a commercial matter for individual energy suppliers.


Written Question
Drugs: Music Festivals
Thursday 30th November 2023

Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has issued recent guidance to the organisers of festivals on the use of back-of-house drug testing licences.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

There is no safe way to take illegal drugs, which devastate lives, ruin families and damage communities. The Government recognises the potential benefits of ‘back-of-house' drug checking services in the night time economy, at festivals and similar events. Back-of-house services are those which test surrendered or confiscated drugs, but do not offer individuals the opportunity to submit drugs for testing, do not return any drugs to individuals or give individuals any information on the content of the drugs following testing.

Instead, they provide intelligence to law enforcement and healthcare agencies about the kinds of illicit drugs in circulation and they enable localised public alerts if toxic or otherwise dangerous drugs are detected so that anyone at risk can dispose of those drugs in amnesty bins. This type of service does not encourage drug taking, recognising that all illicit drugs are harmful and that there is no safe way to take them.

No recent guidance has been issued to festival organisers. Organisations wishing to deliver back-of-house services have always been able to apply for a Home Office controlled drug licence and we continue to encourage potential applicants to plan ahead to ensure that they apply for a licence in good time for the festival season next year.

Guidance on applying for a Home Office controlled drug licence can be found at the following link: Controlled drugs: domestic licences - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).


Written Question
Energy: Meters
Monday 3rd July 2023

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans he has to modernise dynamically teleswitched meters; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to those meters on energy price charging.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The smart metering system in Great Britain has been designed to enable a range of flexible and dynamic tariffs that reward energy consumers for using electricity away from peak times, or when there is excess clean electricity available.

Suppliers are in the process of contacting consumers using the Radio Teleswitching Service (RTS) to encourage them to upgrade to smart meters. This upgrade will ensure continued access to ‘time of use’ tariffs, including Economy 7. All smart meters can support tariffs which charge different prices throughout the day and night.

The RTS will remain operational until at least 31st March 2024.


Written Question
Night Flying: Regulation
Monday 22nd May 2023

Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of restrictions on night flights on the competitiveness of the UK.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the benefits that night flights bring to the economy, through connectivity and the movement of time-critical freight. We also recognise that aviation night noise can disturb people’s sleep - with the potential for health impacts.

To strike a balance between the benefits and detriments, the Government sets restrictions on night flights at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports, and local planning authorities set restrictions at other airports.

For the airports where restrictions are set by Government, the Government regularly consults on appropriate restrictions to find this balance. The most recent related consultation closed in early May, and we will consult on future proposals towards the end of this year. The Government is aware that the aviation industry has in the past sponsored research to assess the economic impact of night flying in the UK. Through these consultations, it is incumbent on the aviation industry to continue to develop the evidence base and demonstrate the value that night operations bring to the UK economy.


Written Question
Aviation: Freight
Monday 22nd May 2023

Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of restrictions on night flights on the efficiency of air freight (1) into, (2) out of, and (3) within, the UK.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the benefits that night flights bring to the economy, through connectivity and the movement of time-critical freight. We also recognise that aviation night noise can disturb people’s sleep - with the potential for health impacts.

To strike a balance between the benefits and detriments, the Government sets restrictions on night flights at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports, and local planning authorities set restrictions at other airports.

For the airports where restrictions are set by Government, the Government regularly consults on appropriate restrictions to find this balance. The most recent related consultation closed in early May, and we will consult on future proposals towards the end of this year. The Government is aware that the aviation industry has in the past sponsored research to assess the economic impact of night flying in the UK. Through these consultations, it is incumbent on the aviation industry to continue to develop the evidence base and demonstrate the value that night operations bring to the UK economy.


Written Question
Licensed Premises
Thursday 30th March 2023

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a cap on (a) the number of premises licensed to sell alcohol and (b) the opening hours of those premises.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government believes the Licensing Act 2003 sets out a clear and effective legislative framework to regulate licensable activities and strikes the right balance between providing safeguards to prevent nuisance, crime and disorder, while recognising the contribution licensed premises make to thriving night time economies.

The Licensing Act includes several powers that a Local Authority may use to manage the night time economy. For example, a licensing authority may complete a cumulative impact assessment to help it to limit licences granted in areas where there is evidence to show that the number or density of licensed premises in the area may be contributing to problems that are undermining licensing objectives.

There is also the option to consult on introducing a late night levy - this is an optional power used at the discretion of the local authority, to collect a financial contribution from businesses that profit from selling alcohol late at night, with the funds raised to be used for late night policing and other costs associated with the night time economy.


Written Question
Licensed Premises: Anti-social behaviour
Thursday 30th March 2023

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to give local authorities more control over licensing to prevent anti-social behaviour.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government believes the Licensing Act 2003 sets out a clear and effective legislative framework to regulate licensable activities and strikes the right balance between providing safeguards to prevent nuisance, crime and disorder, while recognising the contribution licensed premises make to thriving night time economies.

The Licensing Act includes several powers that a Local Authority may use to manage the night time economy. For example, a licensing authority may complete a cumulative impact assessment to help it to limit licences granted in areas where there is evidence to show that the number or density of licensed premises in the area may be contributing to problems that are undermining licensing objectives.

There is also the option to consult on introducing a late night levy - this is an optional power used at the discretion of the local authority, to collect a financial contribution from businesses that profit from selling alcohol late at night, with the funds raised to be used for late night policing and other costs associated with the night time economy.


Written Question
Licensed Premises
Thursday 30th March 2023

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of creating control zones for the licensing of venues selling alcohol.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government believes the Licensing Act 2003 sets out a clear and effective legislative framework to regulate licensable activities and strikes the right balance between providing safeguards to prevent nuisance, crime and disorder, while recognising the contribution licensed premises make to thriving night time economies.

The Licensing Act includes several powers that a Local Authority may use to manage the night time economy. For example, a licensing authority may complete a cumulative impact assessment to help it to limit licences granted in areas where there is evidence to show that the number or density of licensed premises in the area may be contributing to problems that are undermining licensing objectives.

There is also the option to consult on introducing a late night levy - this is an optional power used at the discretion of the local authority, to collect a financial contribution from businesses that profit from selling alcohol late at night, with the funds raised to be used for late night policing and other costs associated with the night time economy.


Written Question
Safer Streets Fund
Monday 6th February 2023

Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)

Question to the Home Office:

What recent progress her Department has made on allocating Safer Streets funding.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

We have invested £120 million through four rounds of the Safer Streets fund supporting 270 projects helping to tackle Neighbourhood Crime, Anti-Social Behaviour and Violence Against Women and Girls.

Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner has already received over £1m for three projects lead by Ipswich Borough council. This includes £499,588 in the current round to target anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls in the night-time economy.