Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish statutory guidance to accompany the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Public sexual harassment is a crime that often leaves victims, who are disproportionately likely to be women, feeling very unsafe. That is why tackling it is an important part of our mission to halve levels of violence against women and girls within a decade.
We will confirm next steps on implementation of the Protection from Sex Based Harassment in Public Act 2023, including accompanying statutory guidance, at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 1 August 2024 (HL318), what progress they have made to devolve employment support to Wales.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK Government is committed to devolving non-Jobcentre Plus employment support funding to the Welsh Government.
DWP and Welsh Government officials are working closely to progress this commitment, which will support our joint efforts to help people back into secure, well-paid jobs.
To date, DWP has devolved funding for a Get Britain Working economic inactivity Trailblazer in Wales, providing £10 million to the Welsh Government to deliver tailored support where it is most needed. This includes help with CV writing and job searching, one-to-one mentoring, counselling, wellbeing services, and condition management for those with health conditions.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of labour market statistics up to July, and what plans they have to target industrial development investment in areas where employment rates are lowest.
Answered by Lord Leong - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government assesses the labour market as resilient and strong by historic standards, with high employment and falling inactivity. However, we recognise ongoing challenges, particularly for young people and those with health conditions. The Employment Rights Bill will support improvements by enhancing protections, expanding flexible working, and tackling insecure contracts. These reforms are central to our Plan to Make Work Pay, ensuring a fairer, more inclusive labour market that supports both economic growth and individual opportunity.
The Industrial Strategy is a 10-year plan to back our strengths and realise Britain’s potential. Through the Industrial Strategy we are targeting investment towards our eight-growth driving sectors (IS-8). All regions benefit from the Industrial Strategy’s national policy offer – there are clusters of the IS-8 sectors across the whole country, and our package addresses the biggest constraints to growth highlighted by businesses in these sectors. Regions across the UK will also benefit from a targeted and ambitious place policy package, focussing our efforts on the city regions and clusters where the IS8 concentrate.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 1 August 2024 (HL461), what progress they have made in the strategic review of probation governance, and what consideration they have given to the devolution of youth justice.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK Government and Welsh Government regularly discuss justice matters in Wales. Both governments have agreed to work together to explore options relating to the governance and funding of youth justice services and partnership arrangements on probation services. This work is currently underway.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made (1) to establish specialist courts for fast-tracking rape cases, and (2) to appoint legal advocates to provide free legal advice and support to rape survivors.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government has funded a record number of court sitting days, so that prosecutions, including of rape and other sexual offences, can be heard more efficiently. We commissioned Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts to improve timeliness for victims, and we continue carefully to consider how we can deliver our manifesto commitment to fast-track rape cases. Alongside this, judicial initiatives to expedite rape and other sexual offence cases are already taking place at a local level – for example, in Bristol and Guildford, and the judiciary already prioritise cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, which will include victims of rape.
The Government also continues work on our manifesto commitment to introduce free independent legal advice for adult rape victims.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Twycross on 2 August 2024 (HL188), what progress have they made in commencing section 106 of the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to commencing Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010, requiring registered political parties to publish anonymised data relating to the diversity of their candidate selections. Our Call for Evidence included questions on implementing the Duty. Responses are being considered and we will set out next steps on this work in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the rates of poverty among people who are assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity, and who are under 22 years old.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No estimate has been made because the sample sizes in DWP’s Family Resources Survey and Households Below Average Income are too small to provide robust poverty estimates for this group of people.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact for disabled people under the age of 22 of the proposal to remove their eligibility for being assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, the Government invited views on the proposal to raise the minimum age for accessing the Universal Credit (UC) health element to 22. The consultation closed on 30 June, and we are now considering responses.
No final policy decisions have been taken and full impacting will take place before any policy changes are made.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the devolved administrations will be represented on the Pensions Commission.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Pensions Commission has been revived to examine the pensions system as a whole and look at what is required to build a future-proof pensions system that is strong, fair and sustainable. The Turner Commission achieved success through its national approach, which this Commission aims to replicate by ensuring the regular and timely involvement of the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the variation in life expectancy among the different nations and regions of the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Of the four nations in the United Kingdom, England consistently has the highest life expectancy at birth for males and females, and Scotland the lowest. Life expectancy at birth in 2021 to 2023 was estimated to be: in England, 79.1 years for males and 83 years for females; in Scotland, 76.8 years for males and 80.8 years for females; in Wales, 78.1 years for males and 82 years for females; and in Northern Ireland, 78.8 years for males and 82.5 years for females.
The 10 highest local area male life expectancies at birth were all located in the south of England, with the 10 lowest being in Scotland, in the north of England and in Wales. The 10 highest local area female life expectancies at birth were also all located in the south of England, with the 10 lowest being mostly in Scotland.