Written questions by Martin.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing civil rather than criminal penalties on people found in possession of drugs for personal use.

There are no plans to decriminalise illicit drug use. The law allows for the prosecution of those who commit offences, including drug possession and supply. The police have a range of alternative options within the out of court resolution framework (such as community resolutions, cautions and deferred prosecutions) to direct individuals into meaningful interventions to address their drug use, and divert them away from the criminal justice system.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 16106 on Overseas Students: Ukraine, whether students who have extended visas under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme and whose graduation date falls after the expiration of that visa will (a) be allowed to remain to complete their studies and (b) retain home fee status for the duration of their course.

Those granted permission under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme will receive the same rights and entitlements to access work, benefits, healthcare and education as provided under the existing Ukraine Schemes.Individuals with permission under one of the Ukraine schemes will have access to standard immigration routes to remain in the UK, in order to complete higher education courses they commence during their initial period of permission.Where a person's Ukraine scheme permission expires during their course of study and they are granted further permission to remain under one of the standard immigration routes, they will continue to be eligible to access student support and home fee status while they complete their studies.

What steps her Department is taking to bring forward the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.

To provide future certainty, Ukrainians who have been provided with sanctuary in the UK under the Ukraine schemes will be able to apply for further permission to remain in the UK through a bespoke Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme due to open in early 2025. The new route will provide an additional 18 months’ permission.The scheme will provide the same rights and entitlements as the existing Ukraine Schemes, to access work, benefits, healthcare and education.Further details on eligibility and application processes will be available before the scheme opens, ensuring that Ukrainians have sufficient time to apply to the scheme.

What steps her Department is taking with police forces to tackle violence against women and girls.

This Government is determined to treat violence against women and girls as the national emergency it is and we have already taken significant steps to strengthen the police response to these devastating crimes. As part of Raneem’s Law we will put domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms and finally pilot new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to keep victims safe and ensure perpetrators are properly pursued.