Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to review the criteria used to determine the State Pension age to reflect regional inequalities in healthy life expectancy.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government launched the third Government Review of State Pension age on 21 July.
This Review will consider a wide range of evidence including the latest ONS life expectancy and healthy life expectancy projections, findings from the Government Actuary on adult life in retirement, and an independent report led by Dr Suzy Morrissey, which will consider which facts are most relevant in setting State Pension age.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of frozen personal tax thresholds on pensioners’ disposable incomes.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The previous government made the decision to freeze the income tax Personal Allowance at its current level of £12,570 until April
The previous government published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) setting out the impacts.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to maintain tax relief on pension contributions.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Pensions tax relief is one of the most expensive reliefs in the personal tax system, costing £78.2 billion in 2023/24.
The Government remains committed to encouraging pension saving, to help ensure that people have an income, or funds on which they can draw, throughout retirement.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Energy during the Westminster Hall debate on Coal Tip Safety and Prohibition of New Coal Extraction Licences on 22 October 2025, whether the further work which has been done on mapping coal tips since 2020 has produced a new provisional figure for the cost of remediating coal tips in Wales.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Coal tips are a devolved matter and it would be for the Welsh Government to produce any updated estimate of the cost of remediating coal tips in Wales. The Welsh Government has done a considerable amount of work mapping recorded coal tips and they believe that £118m, which they have received from the UK Government and is additional to the funding they have already committed to coal tip safety, is a sufficient amount of funding that can be used to protect and help communities living near coal tips.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on (a) the ‘Future of TV Distribution’ stakeholder forum and (b) the potential impact of its decision making on Wales.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of matters. In July, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales met with Broadcast 2040+ to understand their perspectives on the long-term future of terrestrial TV in Wales.
The lead department on this matter, DCMS established the Future of TV Distribution stakeholder forum which takes views from a range of broadcasters active in Wales, including S4C, the BBC and ITV. The forum also benefits from the perspectives of a number of groups representing the interests of Welsh and UK-wide audiences, such as Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Digital Poverty Alliance and Silver Voices. Before any decisions are made, including in relation to Wales, close consideration will be given to how any changes would impact audiences, and especially those who rely on digital terrestrial television as their primary means of watching television.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a statutory right to (a) paid leave and (b) job protection for parents of (i) critically and (ii) terminally ill children.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has committed to consult on employment rights for parents of seriously ill children, including terminally ill children, and will develop this consultation in partnership with key stakeholders such as the charity It's Never You. Developing and delivering this consultation will allow the department to properly consider the merits and potential costs of any such entitlement.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of households in receipt of Universal Credit that are affected by the Benefit Cap have (a) no debt deductions from their Universal Credit award, (b) a deduction of more than 0% of their standard allowance and less than or equal to 5%, (c) a deduction of more than 5% and less than or equal to 10%, (d) a deduction of more than 10% and less than or equal to 15% and (e) a deduction of more than 15% in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland and (iii) England.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics related to Universal Credit deductions are routinely published. The latest publication, published on 12 August 2025, is available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 July 2025 - GOV.UK
The narrative Universal Credit deductions statistics, June 2024 to May 2025 - GOV.UK and supporting supplementary data tables provide a range of breakdowns including deduction amounts as a percentage of the standard allowance, in Table 2 of the supplementary tables and breakdowns by Local Authorities and Parliamentary Constituencies.
Statistics on households that have had their benefits capped is also routinely published. The latest publication is available here: Benefit Cap statistics - GOV.UK.
Data on UC households affected by the Benefit Cap that have deductions is not published.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a legal requirement for broadband and fibre providers to provide 2 month contracts.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, is responsible for setting the rules on contract lengths for telecom services in the UK. Under Ofcom’s General Conditions, providers must offer at least one 12-month contract for each service, e.g. landline, broadband.
Consequently, Government has not made any such assessments on the provision of a two-month contract. We would expect that any assessment would need to include the practical and financial implications of such short contracts for the operators as well as potential clients.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the Housing Benefit taper rate from 65 per cent to 55 per cent.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those residing in Supported and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department is considering the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.
As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the Housing Benefit earnings disregard from £5 to £57.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those residing in Supported and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department is considering the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.
As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.