Month: February 2019

Written question – Home Office

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the level of seizures required to put a successful drug trafficker of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) cannabis and (d) ecstasy out of business. (222039)

Tabled on: 15 February 2019

Answer:
Mr Ben Wallace:

The level of seizures required putting a successful drug trafficker of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) cannabis and (d) ecstasy out of business is impossible to estimate.

There are a number of variables which can affect the impact of disruptive activity.

Such variables include the type of commodity seized, for example drugs or cash/assets, the size and influence of a particular drug trafficking business and the roles of those arrested and convicted as a result of any seizure.

The Home Office recognises that disruption is not the only method for targeting SOC activity. The SOC strategy which was published in November 2018 outlines a set of capabilities which are designed to respond to the full range of serious and organised crime threats, including those posed by drug traffickers.

It highlights our four overarching objectives to achieve our aim:

1. Relentlessly disrupt and target action against highest harm and serious and organised criminal networks
2. Build the highest levels of defence and resilience in vulnerable people, communities, business and systems
3. Stop the problem at source, identifying and supporting those at risk of engaging in criminality
4. Establish a single whole-system approach, expanding our global reach and pooling skills and expertise with the private sector

In taking this approach, we aim to protect our citizens and our prosperity by leaving no safe space for serious and organised criminals to operate against us.

The answer was submitted on 27 Feb 2019 at 17:25.

 

BoastYourBroadband

On a near regular basis my constituency office is contacted by people regarding broadband access and speeds.  Many have been frustrated with the download and upload speeds available. 

However, over the last few years we’ve seen a lot of work by the Scottish Government and service providers to improve broadband speeds, in Inverclyde, and we are now above the national average for receiving superfast broadband.

I would encourage people in Inverclyde to visit www.BoostYourBroadband.com website to find out how to get more for less from your broadband.

BoostYourBroadband website – https://www.boostyourbroadband.com/broadband-checker

 

Universal Credit

During my meeting with the Minister for Employment, I highlighted a number of issues which constituents have raised with my office regarding Universal Credit (UC).  For example, people receiving four weekly wages meaning they missing a UC payment at least once a year; Student loans being classed as income and affecting someone’s Universal Credit claim.

I have been campaigning for improvements to Universal Credit since my election in 2015 and have voted against the UK Government’s welfare cuts at every opportunity.  The public petition I have created has been signed by hundreds of Inverclyde constituents who have raised their concerns about the policy.

I hope the Minister will take on-board the issues I have raised and look forward to receiving his written reply as an update in due course.

 

Tele diary w/b 11th February

Monday

Business started with questions to the Department for Work and Pensions. I was not on the Order Paper so I bobbed furiously on the back of other people’s questions. My extreme bobbing was in vain as I failed to catch the Speaker’s eye. I had lodged an urgent question on the allocation of European Conference of Ministers of Transport permits (ECMT) to road hauliers but I was unsuccessful. The urgent question was on the contract awarded and subsequently cancelled to Seaborne for the provision of Ferries post Brexit. I had a cunning plan to squeeze in my question about road hauliers but once again the speaker chose to ignore me. I had yet another Delegated Legislation (DL) Committee. This one was on eco-design for energy-related products and energy information. In the evening I appeared on the James Whale show on Talk radio. I took the opportunity to finally explain that the U.K. has an allocation of 984 ECMT permits and there have been over 11,000 applications. Simple maths tell me that less than ten percent of the applicants will be able to continue to transport goods from and to the U.K. post Brexit if we have a no deal. With forty one days to go the U.K. Government continues to hide its head in the sand over serious issues with extreme consequences.

Tuesday

I met with MPs from the Conservative and Unionist Party, Labour Party and Plaid Cymru to show solidarity with the Catalan political prisoners. In the chamber the Prime Minister made another, very similar, statement about leaving the European Union. These matters are hugely important which makes it all the more disappointing that the conversation has not moved on in over 30 months. My second DL Committee of the week. This time it was draft judicial pensions and fee-paid judge’s pensions. I dropped in to see Digital Scotland to hear about the next phase of broadband rollout in Scotland. Inverclyde is well served already but there will always be room for improvement. I met the Parliamentary cyber security team to ensure that my office staff and I are doing everything we should to keep our data secure. I made a short speech outside Number 10 to Catalan protestors.

Wednesday

I met with representatives of pharmaceutical companies regarding the supply of prescription drugs after Brexit. Although many are manufactured in the U.K. most require ingredients from outside the U.K. The supply chain, as per my previous observations regarding the haulage industry, will be under extreme pressure. Prime Ministers Question’s has stagnated into a she says, he says affair. I attended the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on global security and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Late afternoon I attended my third DL committee of the week, the draft financial services contracts. One of the great things about this job is the wide variety of subjects that I get involved in but these DL committees really are stretching that theory to the limit.

Thursday

First up were questions to the Department of Transport. I bobbed, I wasn’t taken. I am one of the judges in the UK parliament awards so I spent some time reviewing this year’s entrants. I have gone to some lengths to encourage people of all walks of life to engage with politics and politicians and these awards are a good vehicle to do that. The re-run of the E.U. Withdrawal Bill was debated in the chamber and votes started at 17:00. There were 2 amendments voted on but followed by the main business of the day and we had two interesting developments. The SNP amendment to extend article 50 was supported by 41 Labour MPs who ignored their party whips and the government lost their motion by 303 votes to 258. A hammering in anyone’s language. And so the Brexit debacle continues. The ’mother of all parliaments’ overseeing the mother of all farces. I arrived home at 22:50

Friday

I caught up with some casework and then attended the Inverclyde Alliance Tobacco Strategy update. I had meetings with constituents and street surgeries all afternoon. In the evening I finally got to a Burns Supper.

Tele column 15th February 2019

The owners of the Inverkip Power Station, Scottish Power, have applied for planning permission for up to 650 houses/premises on the site. This does not mean that they will build them, it means if planning permission is granted that the land can then be marketed and sold with planning permission in place and therefore it increases in value. I have viewed this site and it is truly unique. Although close to the A78 it is secluded and peaceful. I think that this site offers so much more than most and with that in mind I have entered discussion with Alzheimer’s Scotland to gather their views on approaching prospective purchasers and asking them to include a ‘dementia village’ in their plans. Such villages have been muted around other parts of the U.K. and they already exist in other countries. They are designed to allow people with dementia to receive appropriate care and live their lives to the maximum. The entire village would be inhabited by residents and carers. It is estimated that over a million people in the U.K. will be living with dementia by 2025 and the need for practical methods of caring for people with dementia will continue to increase. I have asked Scottish Power to consider this when it comes to selling the land. I understand the council may look at this site and see a revenue source via council tax and I also understand that all budgets are stretched but I would hope they would see beyond the cash in hand and consider this as a long term investment in the citizens of Inverclyde.

Universal Credit flaws

The link between Universal Credit and soaring foodbank use has long been disputed by senior Tories at Westminster and Holyrood – but the Work and Pensions Secretary has finally admitted that the policy, which has been plagued with delays, has led to widespread poverty.

Amber Rudd yesterday admitted that: “It is absolutely clear that there were challenges with the initial rollout of universal credit –and the main issue that led to an increase in food bank use could have been the fact that people had difficulty accessing their money early enough.”

It’s now abundantly clear that the welfare cuts inflicted by the UK Government on people across Scotland are directly forcing vulnerable people into poverty.

I have been campaigning and commenting on the subject of Universal Credit since my election in 2015 and have voted against the UK Government’s welfare cuts at every opportunity.  The public petition I have created has been signed by hundreds of Inverclyde constituents who have raised their concerns about the policy. 

Universal Credit still carries the punitive benefit freeze, two child cap and rape clause as well as the brutal sanctions regime born from ideologically-driven Tory austerity.  I will continue to campaign for further changes to the policy.

 

Westminster diary w/b 4th February

Monday

Business continues to be slow at Westminster as the government is completely incapacitated by the prospect of leaving the European Union. I utilised my time away by holding extra meetings with constituents. Until Westminster sorts itself out, if that is possible, then I shall be making plans to spend as much time in Inverclyde as I can and use that time constructively.  

Tuesday

Paying the price for not travelling down yesterday and caught the red eye to London. Despite a slight delay due to fog I was in Westminster by 9:30 and started the day with the select committee for Transport. We took evidence from the road haulage industry regarding Brexit. This was a follow up session to a previous one where we took evidence from the rail haulage industry. It’s an accurate reflection on the evidence provided that the haulage industry has been dreadfully under-represented in any withdrawal discussions. There are a host of questions unanswered that need to be addressed if goods are going to flow back and forward unhindered. In the afternoon I had a meeting with the Minister of State for disabled people Sarah Newton. I updated her on four universal credit cases that my office are dealing with as they represent a cross section of typical cases. I attended the debate on Unpaid Work Trials brought forward by my SNP colleague Stewart M McDonald MP. And finished the day with an internal group meeting to keep us updated with all things Brexit. 

Wednesday

A second meeting of the Transport Select Committee was another private session. We took evidence from representatives of air traffic controllers, pilots and senior management from Gatwick and Heathrow about drones. This was prompted by the closure of Gatwick due to drones. It was an extremely informative session from experts in their field. I caught most of Prime Minister’s Question Time. It was the day of the deputies as the Prime Minister was otherwise engaged desperately seeking anyone that would back her Brexit deal. I had a meeting with the Secretary of State for Culture, Jeremy Wright MP and Minister for Sport and Civic Society, Mims Davies MP. The topic of conversation was gambling related harm. I am pressing them for a range of changes including advertising regulations, funding and the proliferation of ‘loot boxes’. As once again business collapsed early I caught an evening flight home. 

Thursday

Great start to the day with a cycle to work and meeting with the Inverclyde Bothy and Halfords to promote cycling in Inverclyde. Swift peddle back to my office for a range of meetings with constituents and organisations. In the evening I attended the community council meeting for Inverkip and Wemyss Bay. Amongst a range of issues discussed the biggest concerns were the proposed 650 houses on the old power station site and the state of the A78.  

Friday

I had a meeting with constituents to discuss employment issues. I then had one of my regular meetings with Police Scotland to review my and my team’s security. A quick catch up with Tommy ‘the clown’ Armstrong was followed by a meeting with River Clyde Homes management for an update and constituent cases. I ended the week with a meeting with Scottish Power to discuss their plans for the Inverkip Power Station site. We can do so much more with that site than just houses.

 

Drugs policy inquiry

The Health and Social Care Committee is seeking written submissions on the health consequences of illicit drugs policy including on:

Health and harms:

  • What is the extent of health harms resulting from drug use?

Prevention and early intervention:

  • What are the reasons for both the initial and the continued, sustained use of drugs? This refers to the wide spectrum of use, from high-risk use to the normalisation of recreational use.
  • How effective and evidence-based are strategies for prevention and early intervention in managing and countering the drivers of use? This includes whether a whole-system approach is taken.

Treatment and harm reduction:

  • How effective and evidence-based is treatment provision? This refers to both healthcare services and wider agencies, and the extent to which joined-up care pathways operate.
  • Is policy is sufficiently geared towards treatment? This includes the extent to which health is prioritised, in the context of the Government’s criminal justice-led approach.

Best practice:

  • What would a high-quality, evidence-based response to drugs look like?
  • What responses to drugs internationally stand out as particularly innovative and / or relevant, and what evidence is there of impact in these cases?

Accepting written submissions; the closing dates is Monday 18 March 2019.

https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/health-and-social-care-committee/inquiries/parliament-2017/drugs-policy-inquiry-17-19