Oral Answers to Questions

Gerald Jones Excerpts

Wednesday 14th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Gentleman just gave me a moment of déjà vu—I remember standing up in this Chamber auditioning for a mayor’s job many years ago. [Interruption.] He did not do a bad audition, but maybe it needs a little bit of work because the Administration that he worked in left some of that bureaucracy behind in London City Hall. I hope he will show more candour and directness than the Leader of the Opposition if he is ever asked the question, “Has Brexit been good or bad for London?” What is his answer?

[Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) (Lab)]

The 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, which claimed the lives of 116 children and 28 adults, will be marked on 21 October. In the coming days, the community will mark the occasion with a range of events. As a precursor, this evening in Portcullis House the Lewis Merthyr band will perform a piece of music dedicated to the lost children of Aberfan. It was the most unimaginable horror that befell the village, and just how the community came together in the days and months ahead was, and is, testament to the spirit of the people of that community, who responded with such dignity and fortitude. It is fitting that the chair of the Aberfan memorial charity and a survivor of the disaster, Mr David Davies, is with us in the Gallery. Will the Prime Minister join me in paying tribute to those who were lost and to what Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II described as the most “indomitable spirit” of the people and community of Aberfan?

[The Prime Minister]

I will be meeting David shortly. I look forward to paying tribute to him as the chair of the Aberfan Memorial Charity for all the support he has provided over the years to the relatives of the 144 people who died, many of them children, and the families who have lived with that grief for generations. I intend to visit Aberfan next week on the occasion of the 60th anniversary. I pay tribute to the whole community for the strength that they have shown over the years and to the wonderful representation that my hon. Friend has given.

Oral Answers to Questions

Gerald Jones Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Kinnock]

I thank my right hon. Friend for his question. Like him, I pay tribute to all those involved in the collective and heroic response to the wildfires. I can confirm that the South Wales fire and rescue service submitted a military aid to the civil authorities request for consideration, which was immediately endorsed by both the Welsh Government and the Wales Office—by myself—and authorised by the Ministry of Defence. Although matters relating to agriculture and the fire and rescue services are devolved in Wales, we are committed to working with the Welsh Government to strengthen resilience against wildfires and to provide assistance to those affected.

[Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) (Lab)]

The Plaid Cymru Welsh Government marked their first 100 days in office last week with little fanfare—their achievements to date seem to be setting up Committees and commissioning reports, rather than focusing on the needs of the people of Wales. Does the Secretary of State agree that spending time and money on a commission into independence and undermining the Union of the United Kingdom is not the best way to deliver on the priorities for the people of Wales?

[Stephen Kinnock]

I think it is fair to say that Plaid Cymru Ministers are still finding their feet. I am hugely proud of what our new Labour Prime Minister has achieved for Wales in his first six weeks—it really shows what a leader can do when they roll up their sleeves, listen to our people and communities, and deliver on their priorities. The Prime Minister’s visit to Wales and his commitment to reindustrialising our communities comes after a summer of announcements that will benefit communities across Wales—real action delivering for people right here and now.

Civil Service Pensions

Gerald Jones Excerpts

Monday 6th July 2026 Commons Chamber

[Nick Thomas-Symonds]

My hon. Friend has spoken powerfully on many occasions about how her constituents have been affected by this issue; I know she has many cases. The introduction last month of the public interest test, which will end outsourcing by default, will make such a difference.

[Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for his statement and the work he is doing to bring this issue to a resolution. A growing number of my constituents are affected. The response from Capita has been appalling, and correspondence is taking weeks or indeed months to get through. Just today, at one of the surgeries that the Minister has set up, Capita failed to provide my caseworker with an update on an individual case, despite us giving more than a week’s notice of the background. The response from Capita continues to be shockingly poor. Can the Minister ensure specifically that those surgeries are fit for purpose? At the moment, they are not delivering.

[Nick Thomas-Symonds]

Yes, I am certainly happy to do that. We now have taskforce members on each one, but if Members are not getting the information that they require, I ask them please to escalate it to me.

Oral Answers to Questions

Gerald Jones Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Carolyn Harris (Neath and Swansea East) (Lab)]

12. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the cost of living in Wales.

[Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) (Lab)]

13. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the cost of living in Wales.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Jo Stevens)]

We know that the conflict in the middle east is placing pressure on the cost of living and household bills, including for those in rural communities. That is why this Government are providing £3.8 million to the Welsh Government to support households in Wales that use heating oil.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jo Stevens]

We promised that we would be a Government for working people, and that is exactly what we have done. Our industrial strategy is set to support tens of thousands of new jobs across Wales. We have provided more employment support to help people get into work, increased the national minimum wage and the living wage, and strengthened rights and protections at work, making work pay, and making it more secure and fairer through our Employment Rights Act. New jobs have been created, alongside better jobs and higher wages, all because of this Labour Government.

[Gerald Jones]

Free school meals for children, our universal credit uplift, and up to £575 more on the state pension thanks to protecting the triple lock are all great examples of how Labour Governments at both ends of the M4 are helping with the cost of living. Can the Secretary of State update the House on the steps that the Government are taking to ensure that in future nobody gets trapped in a cycle of poverty, whether in my constituency of Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare or across the country?

[Jo Stevens]

Whether it is young people, families or pensioners, this Labour Government are determined to tackle the cost of living, both for my hon. Friend’s constituents and for all our constituents. We inherited a broken welfare system from the Conservatives that has failed people and trapped them in a cycle of poverty. We will not allow that to continue, which is why we are helping people into work through new employment programmes and increasing universal credit for those who need support. As my hon. Friend mentioned, 700,000 pensioners are being helped through the state pension rise. We are absolutely laser-focused on tackling the cost of living.

Oral Answers to Questions

Gerald Jones Excerpts

Thursday 4th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Dan Jarvis]

My hon. Friend speaks with great authority on these matters. The Cabinet Office is strongly supportive of the work that DEFRA is undertaking on food security, including mapping critical food supply chain assets to provide a greater understanding of potential vulnerabilities. We have also published the first ever chronic risks analysis to support decision making on longer-term cross-cutting and interconnected risks, such as climate and geopolitical change.

[Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) (Lab)]

9. What recent progress he has made on improving the relationship between the Government and the devolved Administrations.

[Katrina Murray (Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch) (Lab)]

12. What recent progress he has made on improving the relationship between the Government and the devolved Administrations.

--- Later in debate ---

[Gerald Jones]

I very much welcome the additional £505 million of investment that the Chancellor announced in last week’s Budget through the Barnett formula, building on the biggest settlement since devolution. Does my right hon. Friend agree that this is another example of two Labour Governments working together for the benefit of the people of Wales, which is in complete contrast to how we were treated by the Conservatives?

[Darren Jones]

I agree that this is but one fantastic example of two Labour Governments working together to deliver for the people of Wales, in stark contrast with 14 years of Conservative Governments ignoring Welsh leaders in the Senedd. Just the other week, we announced two AI growth zones and the UK’s first small modular reactor in Anglesey, alongside historic investment in Welsh rail earlier this year. Through that, we are creating 11,000 new jobs across Wales. That is thanks, again, to two Labour Governments working together for the people of Wales.