To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Immigration
Tuesday 19th March 2024

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people had Section 67 leave to remain on 14 March 2024; how many and what proportion of those people had been contacted by his Department to discuss their options for when their leave expires by 14 March 2024; and what guidance his Department has issued on the options available to people when their Section 67 leave expires.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Section 67 leave is a form of leave introduced in the Immigration Rules for eligible children transferred to the UK under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.

The Home Office has not published data on how many people had Section 67 leave to remain on 14 March 2024.

The Immigration Rules are clear that individuals with Section 67 leave can apply for indefinite leave to remain once their leave to remain ceases, provided they meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules. Individuals can also seek advice from an independent legal representative about their options.

The published guidance for Section 67 leave can be found here: Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 asylum casework guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk). The Home Office is currently in the process of updating that guidance and will publish a revised version in due course.


Written Question
Food: Wales
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential application of new geographical indications for Welsh food and drink products in Japan.

Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales

As Secretary of State for Wales, I am proud to promote protected Welsh products, and was delighted to celebrate Single Malt Welsh Whisky on a recent visit to India.

I was also pleased to see that on 29 February 2024, 37 Geographical Indications received protected status in Japan, including famed products such as Welsh Lamb, Anglesey Sea Salt, Conwy Mussels, Pembrokeshire Early Potatoes, Traditional Welsh Caerphilly, Welsh Beef, Welsh Laverbread and Welsh Wine joining the seven GIs already protected in our agreement.

The UK Government is continuing work to secure protection for further products. The GI additions have been split into two tranches running in parallel to aid processing time, and officials will continue work to finalise the completion of UK and Japanese processes for the second and final tranche.


Written Question
Food: Wales
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 5.98 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, published on 6 March 2024, by what process the £5 million for an agri-food Launchpad in mid and north Wales will be allocated; and what the criteria for funding will be.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Innovate UK, Ceredigion County Council and the Welsh Government will now work in partnership to lead the design of bespoke competitive rounds of funding for the new Agri-Food Launchpad. This will allow businesses to apply for a share of the funding to undertake projects in the Mid and North Wales agri-food cluster. Further eligibility details will be published when the competition is launched.


Written Question
North Wales Coast Line: Electrification
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish a timetable for the development of the (a) strategic outline case, (b) outline business case and (c) full business case for the electrification of the North Wales Main Line.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

We are working closely with the rail industry to develop the Government priorities outlined in the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement, which includes an unprecedented £1 billion investment to fund the electrification of the North Wales Main Line. We are in the early stages of establishing the next steps for the North Wales electrification scheme, including the costs and programme for development and delivery. We will share further information when that work is complete.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Carers
Monday 4th March 2024

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of making the Universal Credit claimant commitment for kinship carers equal to that for foster carers.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No such assessment has been made.


Written Question
RFA Sir Galahad
Monday 4th March 2024

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence about the publication of documents held at the National Archives in relation to the bombing of RFA Sir Galahad.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Secretary of State has had no discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence about the publication of such documents, but the Minister for Defence People and Families has recently visited The National Archives to view some of them.


Written Question
Probation: Staff
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the sustainability of probation officer caseload.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

We have increased funding for the Probation Service by an additional £155m a year since 2021 to recruit staff, bring down caseloads and deliver better supervision of offenders in the community.

We have also accelerated recruitment of trainee Probation Officers, particularly in areas with the most significant staffing challenges. As a result, over 4,000 trainees, a record number, have started on training courses between April 2020 and March 2023. These intakes will qualify by the end of 2024 and will have a direct impact on reducing caseloads.

The Probation Service is constantly monitoring staffing levels and retention, specifically in hard to recruit to areas, which remain challenging. We continue to take tactical decisions to mitigate the risk in sites where it is most acute, as well as taking forward several non-pay related activities to improve retention.

From September 2022 to September 2023, the Probation Service saw an increase in staff of 11.8%, Senior Probation Officers saw an increase of 13%, and Probation Officers saw an increase of 6.9%.


Written Question
Students: Loans
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to increase the (a) student loan and (b) postgraduate loan repayment thresholds in line with (i) inflation and (ii) the national living wage.

Answered by Robert Halfon

As education, including higher education and student finance, is a devolved matter, this department is responsible for student finance in England only.

The student finance and funding system must provide value for money for all of society at a time of rising costs. It is important that a sustainable student finance system is in place, that is fair to students and fair to taxpayers.

The department has frozen maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By the 2024/25 academic year, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven successive years.

The mechanism for setting repayment thresholds for student loans is set out and governed by the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations 2009 (as amended). This includes provision for annual adjustments, where applicable.

The department will continue to keep the terms of the student finance system under review to ensure that they keep delivering value for money for both students and taxpayers.


Written Question
Horizon IT System: Compensation
Thursday 25th January 2024

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with the Board of the Post Office on the provision of financial evidence to claimants of the Horizon shortfall scheme to assist with their claims for redress.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government wants to ensure that all postmasters who experienced losses as a result of the Horizon scandal are provided with full and fair redress. It also recognises that given the significant time that has elapsed, it may be more difficult for claimants to provide evidence in support of their claim.

This was factored into the design of the Horizon Shortfall Scheme to ensure that postmasters will not be disadvantaged if there is a lack of records to support their claim.

There is an independent panel in place on the HSS, comprising of retail, legal and accountancy experts, which assesses each individual claim. The panel can exercise a degree of discretion to make fair awards where documentary evidence is lacking.


Written Question
Biometric Residence Permits: Applications
Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 16 January 2024 to Question 9201 on Biometric Residence Permits, how many and what proportion of applicants have been waiting more than 28 days following a decision for a biometric residence permit production request.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

At the point a decision is made to grant permission to remain, a BRP is automatically requested by the caseworking system and data is sent to DVLA for the BRP to be produced. Any automatic requests that become “stuck” when sent to DVLA are targeted and proactive reporting is being developed to identify such cases earlier.

During 2023 DVLA produced 99.6% of BRPs within 24 hours of this automatic request process and 100% within 48 hours.