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 discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the potential merits of devolving powers related to the administration of the social security system to Wales.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Welsh Government about the devolution of the administration of the social security system to Wales.
The Government’s commitments on further devolution were outlined in our manifesto. We have no plans to devolve the administration of social security to Wales.
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, if he will make it his policy to replicate the changes announced for the Mineworkers Pension Scheme to the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer the honourable member to the response from my honourable friend the Minister for Industry on 29 January 2025 (UIN 25410).
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support farm-to-fork initiatives on publicly-owned land.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently announced a series of reforms for delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers including backing British produce by monitoring food currently bought in the public sector and where it is bought from this will make it easier for British farmers to win a share of the £5 billion spent each year on public sector catering contracts.
The Government also announced how it would boost profitability through fair competition across the supply chain. New rules for the pig sector will come this spring, ensuring contracts clearly set out expectations and changes can only be made if agreed by all parties. Similar regulations for eggs and fresh produce sectors will follow with the Government ready to intervene with other sectors if needed.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has plans to take steps to help lower the price of healthy food.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Steps to improve the affordability, availability, and accessibility of healthy foods are being considered as part of both the Child Poverty Strategy, due to be published in spring, as well as the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs-led Food Strategy, for which further updates will be released in due course.
The Government is committed to increasing access to healthy foods for vulnerable populations by rolling out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools. This also supports free school meals, where under current programmes, 2.1 million of the most disadvantaged school pupils are registered to receive benefits-related free school meals, and a further 90,000 students in further education receive free lunches on the basis of low family income. Also, approximately 1.3 million infant pupils in reception, year one and year two, receive free lunches as part of the universal infant free school meals policy.
We also have schemes to support those on low incomes such as Healthy Start, which reached over 354,000 vulnerable people in December 2024. Healthy Start supports a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households by providing vouchers for fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, and tinned pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries also have access to free Healthy Start vitamins for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children aged under four years old.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing the electrification of the rail network in Wales to the same level as England on rail journey times in Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Electrification of the rail network is one of a number of factors, including timetables, rolling stock and possible infrastructure works, which can improve journeys. The Wales Rail Board is responsible for assessing and recommending rail investments to support improved services and deliver Net Zero decarbonisation obligations, working in partnership with the two governments and the transport industry.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the value of a primary residential property be included within Family Visa minimum financial requirement calculations.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Those using the family route to come to the UK must be capable of being independently supported by their sponsor. A couple’s income or cash savings are the most reliable and practicable indicator of their financial status and independence for the purposes of this requirement.
Equity in a property cannot be used to meet the MIR. Owning a capital asset does not in itself provide any means to support a partner. However, any income received from the rent of a property can be counted towards the requirement, provided the property is not, or will not be, the couple’s main residence in the UK.
On 10 September 2024, the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules.
There will be no changes to the current threshold of £29,000, or the ways in which the Minimum Income Requirement can be met, until the MAC review is complete.
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, if he will take steps to introduce transparency obligations on generative AI developers to disclose detailed information on all creative works used in AI training.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.
This consultation seeks views on a number of issues relating to copyright and AI. It sets a clear objective of achieving proportionate transparency from AI developers over the creative content that is used to train their models.
The consultation closes on 25 February.
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 steps he is taking to tackle the impact of grey imports on UK businesses.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
There are regulations that enable intellectual property rights owners to limit the sale of goods in some territories and these regulations may be used by rights owners to manage the parallel import of goods covered by their intellectual property rights.
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, what estimate he has made of the cost of remedial work due to be carried out in properties in Wales as a result of work undertaken through the (a) ECO4 scheme and (b) Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Remediation costs can differ significantly from one property to another. All insulation under ECO4 must be installed by a TrustMark-registered installer, and covered by a TrustMark approved 25 year guarantee. The government has previously published guidance for consumers who suspect that they may have faulty cavity wall insulation installed in their home outlining the routes to redress under these circumstances. CIGA is a non-profit organisation that issues guarantee certificates for cavity wall insulation installations. DESNZ does not have oversight of CIGA’s business activities, or the number of certificates issued by it, or where these have been called upon for remediation.
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, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) oversight and (b) remedial mechanisms of the (i) ECO4 scheme and (ii) Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Since 2019, installations under Government backed energy efficiency schemes, including ECO4, have been required to be carried out by TrustMark registered publicly available specification (PAS2030) certified installers alongside an insurance backed guarantee. Consumers have a route to redress, with remedial work arranged through the original installer and oversight from the relevant scheme provider for quality and auditing, or through the guarantee if installers have ceased to trade.
Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA) is a non-profit organisation that provides guarantee certificates for cavity wall insulation measures. The Department has no oversight of CIGA’s business activities, including the number of certificates issued and/or recalled for remediation.