Written questions by Nichols.

For what reason the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has not published an annual report since 2019; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs resumes publishing these reports.

The Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention met the Chair of the ACMD, Professor Owen Bowden-Jones on the 29th October 2024, as part of this Government’s wider work on tackling the harms associated with drug misuse.Regular meetings with the ACMD or its Chair will be held as appropriate, in accordance with the important work it does in assessing the evidence of drug harms.The government will consider outstanding and forthcoming reports carefully.The ACMD is independent. The publication of its annual report is a matter for the ACMD.

If she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies on tackling drug-related harms of all of the recommendations made by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs between 2010 and 2014.

The Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention met the Chair of the ACMD, Professor Owen Bowden-Jones on the 29th October 2024, as part of this Government’s wider work on tackling the harms associated with drug misuse.Regular meetings with the ACMD or its Chair will be held as appropriate, in accordance with the important work it does in assessing the evidence of drug harms.The government will consider outstanding and forthcoming reports carefully.The ACMD is independent. The publication of its annual report is a matter for the ACMD.

What meetings she has had with the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs since 5 July 2024.

The Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention met the Chair of the ACMD, Professor Owen Bowden-Jones on the 29th October 2024, as part of this Government’s wider work on tackling the harms associated with drug misuse.Regular meetings with the ACMD or its Chair will be held as appropriate, in accordance with the important work it does in assessing the evidence of drug harms.The government will consider outstanding and forthcoming reports carefully.The ACMD is independent. The publication of its annual report is a matter for the ACMD.

If she will ask the Office for Budget Responsibility to review its (a) price elasticity of demand and (b) other forecasting methodology for alcohol duty revenues.

The OBR regularly reviews its forecasting methodology. Its forecast is informed by economic factors including real household consumption and underlying trends in alcohol consumption.The OBR published updated price elasticities for alcohol in July 2024.

Whether she plans to end the duty stamps scheme.

The government will set out plans for the future of Alcohol Duty Stamps in due course.

What information her Department holds on the number of fires that have been caused by the batteries of (a) e-scooters and (b) e-bikes in the last 12 months.

The Home Office collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available here: Fire statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Data collected through the Incident Recording System (IRS) does not include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by or involved batteries of either e-bikes or e-scooters..We are reviewing the IRS, and the data it collects, and considering what categories to record in the future. Adding new categories, including lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, e-scooters and e-bikes, to the data collection will be considered as part of the work to reform the IRS with a modern, secure, and flexible system.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the Mental Health Bill will (a) protect and (b) enhance the rights of (i) children and (ii) young people who are (A) detained in and (B) admitted informally to mental health hospitals.

The forthcoming Mental Health Bill will strengthen the rights of children and young people, to ensure they are involved in decisions about their care, that they can challenge these decisions and, above all, ensure that they are only detained for treatment in hospital when it is absolutely necessary. NHS England is working to minimise the number of children and young people informally admitted to inpatient mental health care.Subject to the passage of the Bill through Parliament, it is proposed that children and young people formally detained under the Mental Health Act will have statutory Care and Treatment Plans, the right to choose a ‘Nominated Person’ to look after their interests and expanded access to Independent Mental Health Advocates. The latter will also apply to voluntary patients who are not detained under the Act.

What progress her Department has made on reviewing the fairness of PIP assessments.

The Department is not currently undertaking a review of the fairness of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments. PIP is designed to treat all claimants fairly, focusing on the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, rather than the condition itself. Individuals can be impacted by their health conditions in different ways, so the PIP assessment considers the needs of each individual claimant against the assessment criteria set out in legislation, regardless of whether those needs relate to a physical or non-physical impairment. DWP has set standards for the quality of assessments and closely monitors all aspects of the process including the performance of the assessment suppliers. Our audit process considers the initial review, evidence collection, further evidence provided, and the advice within the assessment report completed by a health professional (HP). The check is completed against a set of guidelines to ensure a consistent approach is taken. This ensures that assessment reports are fit for purpose, clinically justified and sound, and provide sufficient information for the department to make an informed decision on entitlement to benefit. All assessment suppliers work with the department on plans to continuously improve assessment quality through a range of measures including audit procedures, clinical observations, tailored training and development plans, providing feedback and in the support available to HPs. All claimants have the right to request a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) if they disagree with their PIP decision. If they disagree with the outcome of their MR, they are able to appeal to an independent tribunal. We are exploring potential changes to modernise the PIP service to improve claimants’ experience and trust in our services and decisions. We will set out the detail of any changes in due course.

What steps she is taking to embed a Whole Education Approach to mental health and wellbeing in all education settings.

​​The government is committed to improving mental health outcomes for all children and young people, as this is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and learning.The department, along with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, provides guidance to schools and colleges on a whole school or college approach to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614cc965d3bf7f718518029c/Promoting_children_and_young_people_s_mental_health_and_wellbeing.pdf. The department has also provided a free to access resource hub for mental health leads, which can be found here: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/.Over 70% of all schools and colleges have accessed grants from the department to train a senior mental health lead, who develops their knowledge and skills to embed a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. Information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/senior-mental-health-lead-training. In addition, as of April 2024, Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) cover 44% (4.2 million) of pupils in schools and learners in further education (FE) in England. Coverage of MHSTs is expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025.A key part of our approach is ensuring the right support is available to every young person that needs it, which is why we have committed to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.For early years settings, the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children have the best start in life and are kept healthy and safe. The EYFS statutory framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.The department works closely with the FE sector to support providers to develop and implement a whole college approach to mental health and wellbeing. This is supported by the Association of Colleges refreshed Mental Health and Wellbeing Charter, which was published in March 2024.To raise standards in the higher education sector, the Office for Students has provided £400,000 of funding to the student mental health charity, Student Minds. This has enabled significant expansion of the University Mental Health Charter Programme, with 113 universities now signed up. The programme helps universities to adopt a whole institution approach to mental health.

Whether he plans to increase funding for the children's mental health to (a) reduce waiting times for and (b) increase access to support.

It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across both adult and children and young people’s mental health services. We are discussing our future investment in children and young people’s mental health services.The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Education to consider how to deliver our manifesto commitment of accessing a specialist mental health professional in every school. We need to ensure any support meets the needs of young people, teachers, parents, and carers. This includes considering the role of existing programmes of support with evidence of a positive impact, such as Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges.Alongside this we are working toward rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.The Mental Health Bill currently before Parliament will deliver the Government’s commitment to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983, so that it is fit for the 21st century. The Bill will amend the Act, which applies to England and Wales, and give patients detained under the Act greater choice, autonomy, rights, and support.

What steps he is taking to support women with flexible working.

Through the recently introduced Employment Rights Bill, we are amending existing legislation to ensure employers accept flexible working requests, except where they are not reasonably feasible. These changes will support employees to access flexible working, including women. We know flexible working is particularly important supporting women who combine work with caring responsibilities.

What steps she is taking to ensure that employers are supporting women managing menopause.

The Government believes in the vital importance of equality of opportunity and of treatment in the workplace. The plan to Make Work Pay includes clear action to place equality, diversity and inclusion issues on a statutory footing. This includes requiring large employers to publish plans detailing the action they're taking to improve gender equality and support employees during the menopause. Alongside this, the Government has appointed a Menopause Employment Ambassador who will work with employers to improve the support for women experiencing menopause symptoms at work.

What steps she is taking to help tackle low pay in the further education sector.

The government does not set or recommend pay in further education (FE). This remains the responsibility of individual colleges who are free to implement pay arrangements in line with their local needs.The government recognises the vital role that FE teachers play in developing the skills needed to drive our missions to improve opportunity and economic growth. That is why the department is investing around £600 million in FE across the financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26. This includes extending retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas. The department also continues to support recruitment and retention with teacher training bursaries worth up to £30,000 tax-free in certain key subject areas and with support for industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through our Taking Teaching Further programme.My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced a Budget on 30 October, to be followed by a multi-year Spending Review in the spring of next year. Decisions about future post-16 funding and capital programmes will be subject to the outcomes of these fiscal events.

Whether he has had discussions with D&D London on the closure of 35 TGI Fridays branches.

We understand that this will be a concerning time for workers at TGI Fridays, and we stand ready to support those impacted. Affected employees will be able to access Government support, including Universal Credit and Job Centre Plus to help them find new jobs, through its Rapid Response Service. DBT officials are monitoring developments and are in touch with administrators.

What steps she is taking to simplify railway ticket pricing.

This Government is committed to reviewing the overcomplicated fares system with a view to simplifying it. We have already begun simplifying fares through our pay as you go schemes and work to simplify fares with LNER. More details will be announced in due course.

Communities and Local Government, how many people have successfully applied for the Home Ownership for People with Long-term Disabilities (HOLD) scheme since it was launched.

The Government supports the delivery of the Home Ownership for People with Long-Term Disabilities (HOLD) scheme through the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme. To the end of March 2024, 76 homes had been funded through the Programme as part of the HOLD scheme.

How many people secured a grant from the Great British Insulation Scheme since it opened in April 2003.

The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) is not a government grant, rather it is an obligation on larger energy suppliers to deliver the most cost-effective single insulation measures to eligible households across Great Britain. Information on the number of measures installed and the number of households that have received measures under GBIS since it launched in 2023 can be found in Tables 1 and 2 of the latest GBIS Statistics Release.

If he will take steps to review the requirement for three miscarriages to have taken place before the drug progesterone can be administered.

The new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance states that women bleeding in early pregnancy after one miscarriage should be offered progesterone. The guidance was updated in 2021, based on the progesterone in early pregnancy bleeding trial, and is available at the following link, in section 1.5.2:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng126/chapter/Recommendations#management-of-miscarriage

Whether she plans to proceed with the recruitment process for members of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, as announced by the previous government on 2 August 2023.

Appointments to the Advisory Council and the Misuse of Drugs are made by Ministers in accordance with the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the principles set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments.Governance Code on Public Appointments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Ministers are considering the recruitment options, and a decision will be taken in due course.

Whether she has had discussions with (a) HSBC and (b) Standard Chartered on the provision of Mandatory Provident Fund retirement savings to Hong Kongers on the British National (Overseas) visa scheme.

This government is deeply committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK. We are aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the British National (Overseas) route are having difficulties accessing their Mandatory Provident Fund from Hong Kong. Whilst documentary requirements for withdrawing funds are a matter for the Hong Kong authorities, officials have raised this issue directly with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Hong Kong MPF Schemes Authority. We have urged them to facilitate early draw down of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently and have made clear such discrimination of BN(O)s is unacceptable.