Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has placed any contractual requirements on private organisations to liaise with (a) local authorities, (b) health boards, (c) local voluntary sector and (d) Senedd Cymru when planning to accommodate asylum seekers in Wales.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office requires that all of our accommodation providers engage and consult with local authorities and other partners on the procurement and placement of supported asylum seekers. Full details of our requirements can be found online at:
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder
The Home Office is committed to working with statutory partners in planning for the dispersal and accommodation of asylum seekers and funds Strategic Migration Partnerships to facilitate and enable that engagement, including in Wales. In addition, the Home Office has, in April this year, established monthly regional governance forums to plan for the dispersal of asylum seekers and consider the impact on statutory and other services.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has entered into contracts with any private sector organisations to (a) provide and (b) arrange specialist mental health support for asylum seekers accommodated by her Department in Wales.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government is under a legal obligation to provide support to all asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.
Asylum seekers have access to free NHS care, which includes mental health services. In addition, asylum seekers can access Migrant Help, who the Home Office contract to provide advice and guidance to asylum seekers, should they have an issue and for signposting to health and welfare services.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the contractual requirements with private sector organisations are on the (a) length and (b) nature of support provided to asylum seekers accommodated by the Home Office in Wales.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office has a statutory obligation to house and financially support destitute asylum seekers whilst we consider their claim for protection and any support provided will last until their asylum claim is full determined. Support provided by our accommodation providers therefore lasts until we inform them that a claim is fully determined and that the Home Office ceases support.
We expect the highest standards from our contractors and providers which are monitored closely to ensure they continue to meet these standards. The standards of accommodation and service are set within Asylum Accommodation & Support Contracts (AASC) and represent a higher standard of quality than the preceding COMPASS contracts. The details of our contract with the private sector provider of asylum support in Wales can be found online at:
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that households that have been informed by commercial providers that they are not part of their fibre broadband rollout schemes will be connected to fibre broadband.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Almost 97% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a superfast connection (>= 30Mbps), more than enough for the vast majority of requirements such as high-definition streaming and video calling on multiple devices. Currently, 49% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a full-fibre connection. Households can request a full-fibre connection from suppliers, but we do not hold the data regarding the number of premises that have requested full-fibre connections.
In March 2021, the government launched Project Gigabit, its £5 billion mission to deliver gigabit-capable (>1000Mbps) broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.
We conduct extensive market reviews to identify the premises that do not currently have gigabit-capable infrastructure, or are not included in suppliers’ commercial plans. This enables us to identify the premises that are eligible for public subsidy and design the areas for Project Gigabit interventions.
We are on track to launch our first procurement covering large parts of Wales this summer, and this is likely to include some premises in the Arfon constituency.
On top of our Project Gigabit procurements, the Welsh Government’s Superfast Cymru programme is expected to complete this month, and in total the programme has provided over 100,000 premises in Wales with access to gigabit-capable infrastructure.
For the small number of very hard to reach premises which are unlikely to be connected to gigabit-capable infrastructure through Project Gigabit or suppliers’ commercial plans, the government is exploring all possible options for providing improved broadband connectivity.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what her Department's expected timescales are for the rollout of fibre broadband to all premises in Arfon.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Almost 97% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a superfast connection (>= 30Mbps), more than enough for the vast majority of requirements such as high-definition streaming and video calling on multiple devices. Currently, 49% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a full-fibre connection. Households can request a full-fibre connection from suppliers, but we do not hold the data regarding the number of premises that have requested full-fibre connections.
In March 2021, the government launched Project Gigabit, its £5 billion mission to deliver gigabit-capable (>1000Mbps) broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.
We conduct extensive market reviews to identify the premises that do not currently have gigabit-capable infrastructure, or are not included in suppliers’ commercial plans. This enables us to identify the premises that are eligible for public subsidy and design the areas for Project Gigabit interventions.
We are on track to launch our first procurement covering large parts of Wales this summer, and this is likely to include some premises in the Arfon constituency.
On top of our Project Gigabit procurements, the Welsh Government’s Superfast Cymru programme is expected to complete this month, and in total the programme has provided over 100,000 premises in Wales with access to gigabit-capable infrastructure.
For the small number of very hard to reach premises which are unlikely to be connected to gigabit-capable infrastructure through Project Gigabit or suppliers’ commercial plans, the government is exploring all possible options for providing improved broadband connectivity.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of households in Arfon constituency that have requested fibre to the premises broadband do not currently have it.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Almost 97% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a superfast connection (>= 30Mbps), more than enough for the vast majority of requirements such as high-definition streaming and video calling on multiple devices. Currently, 49% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a full-fibre connection. Households can request a full-fibre connection from suppliers, but we do not hold the data regarding the number of premises that have requested full-fibre connections.
In March 2021, the government launched Project Gigabit, its £5 billion mission to deliver gigabit-capable (>1000Mbps) broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.
We conduct extensive market reviews to identify the premises that do not currently have gigabit-capable infrastructure, or are not included in suppliers’ commercial plans. This enables us to identify the premises that are eligible for public subsidy and design the areas for Project Gigabit interventions.
We are on track to launch our first procurement covering large parts of Wales this summer, and this is likely to include some premises in the Arfon constituency.
On top of our Project Gigabit procurements, the Welsh Government’s Superfast Cymru programme is expected to complete this month, and in total the programme has provided over 100,000 premises in Wales with access to gigabit-capable infrastructure.
For the small number of very hard to reach premises which are unlikely to be connected to gigabit-capable infrastructure through Project Gigabit or suppliers’ commercial plans, the government is exploring all possible options for providing improved broadband connectivity.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding has been allocated to Arfon constituency to facilitate the (a) rollout of fibre to the premises broadband and (b) provision of infrastructure.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Almost 97% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a superfast connection (>= 30Mbps), more than enough for the vast majority of requirements such as high-definition streaming and video calling on multiple devices. Currently, 49% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a full-fibre connection. Households can request a full-fibre connection from suppliers, but we do not hold the data regarding the number of premises that have requested full-fibre connections.
In March 2021, the government launched Project Gigabit, its £5 billion mission to deliver gigabit-capable (>1000Mbps) broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.
We conduct extensive market reviews to identify the premises that do not currently have gigabit-capable infrastructure, or are not included in suppliers’ commercial plans. This enables us to identify the premises that are eligible for public subsidy and design the areas for Project Gigabit interventions.
We are on track to launch our first procurement covering large parts of Wales this summer, and this is likely to include some premises in the Arfon constituency.
On top of our Project Gigabit procurements, the Welsh Government’s Superfast Cymru programme is expected to complete this month, and in total the programme has provided over 100,000 premises in Wales with access to gigabit-capable infrastructure.
For the small number of very hard to reach premises which are unlikely to be connected to gigabit-capable infrastructure through Project Gigabit or suppliers’ commercial plans, the government is exploring all possible options for providing improved broadband connectivity.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of the removal of the spare bedroom subsidy on levels of spending on (a) housing benefit and (b) discretionary housing payments in Wales in each year since April 2013.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has not made an assessment of the full impact of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy on levels of spending on Housing Benefit (HB). We estimate that the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS) policy, between May 2013 and February 2023, has seen deductions from Housing Benefit (HB) expenditure in Wales of £190 million. This is broken down for each financial year below:
Financial Year | Total RSRS deductions for HB in Wales |
2013/14* | £21m |
2014/15 | £22m |
2015/16 | £22m |
2016/17 | £22m |
2017/18 | £22m |
2018/19 | £21m |
2019/20 | £18m |
2020/21 | £16m |
2021/22 | £14m |
2022/23* | £12m |
*These years do not include the full 12 months. 2013/14 excludes April 2013 as there is no data for this month. 2022/23 excludes March 2023 as this data is not yet available.
This estimate is based on those households with the RSRS deduction applied. For a full impact assessment, the behavioural impact of the policy would need to be considered, for example where households with a spare bedroom have moved to a right-sized property.
As asked for the total RSRS deductions are for Housing Benefit only, and do not include deductions for those in receipt of the Universal Credit Housing Element (UCHE). Over the time period shown there has been migration of cases from HB to UCHE, and the majority of new claims for housing support for those of working age will be for UCHE since its introduction.
The impact of the RSRS on Discretionary Housing Payment spending has not been fully assessed. DHP funding has historically been distributed using four funding streams based on DWPs best measures of housing need, these are Local expenditure on Housing Benefit (HB)/Universal Credit Housing Element (UCHE), Local Housing Allowance (LHA) shortfalls, RSRS deductions and Benefit Cap deductions. Although the funding is distributed using this broad methodology, local authorities spend according to their own criteria. As part of annual returns LAs include a breakdown of their expenditure by measure including RSRS, though DHP stats include this breakdown only at national level.
The overall RSRS expenditure reported to DWP by Welsh Local Authorities between April 2013 and March 2022 has been over £30 million. This is broken down for each financial year below:
Financial Year | RSRS Expenditure in DHP by Local Authorities in Wales | Percentage of LA’s information is available for |
2013-14 | £3,116,498 | 73% |
2014-15 | £4,427,275 | 86% |
2015-16 | £3,045,024 | 77% |
2016-17 | £3,360,025 | 82% |
2017-18 | £3,062,745 | 77% |
2018-19 | £3,204,905 | 86% |
2019-20 | £2,821,180 | 82% |
2020-21 | £3,702,173 | 91% |
2021-22 | £4,247,069 | 100% |
* Monitoring returns were not provided by all local authorities; for those that did, not all could provide the detailed breakdown
This table shows the expenditure of Welsh LAs on DHPS in respect to RSRS, not what DWP provide to Welsh LAs as a contribution of funding DHPs. DHP statistics are available online:
Discretionary Housing Payments statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a review of the under-occupancy penalty.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no plans to review the Removal of the Spare Room policy.
The policy applies to claims for housing support where the claimant is living in the social rented sector in a property that is deemed too large for their needs. The policy aims to strengthen work incentives and seeks to encourage greater mobility within the social rented sector.
There are easements to the policy which allow for the provision of an additional bedroom in certain circumstances, such as to support the needs of disabled people. Pensioners in receipt of Housing Benefit are exempt from the policy.
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available for those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Since 2011 we have provided nearly £1.6 billion in funding to local authorities for DHPs.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the adequacy of the provision by HM Revenue and Customs of information about deadlines for voluntary National Insurance Contributions for men born (a) before and (b) after 5 April 1951.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government on 12 June 2023 announced through a Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) an extension to the deadline for eligible individuals to retrospectively fill gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record to 5 April 2025. A link to the WMS can be found at https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-06-12/hcws843.
HMRC have worked with HMT and DWP to raise awareness of this extension by issuing a press release, through content on HMRC’s own social media channels signposting to guidance on GOV.UK, through local radio interviews, and via HMRC’s regular bulletins, and newsletters through June and July.
Additionally, the extension will provide HMRC and DWP with the opportunity to make improvements to the digital service, with the intention that ultimately the majority of individuals should be able to complete the process of paying voluntary NICs online.
More generally, individuals are encouraged to take responsibility for ensuring their NI record is correct and up to date. There are resources available to individuals to help them achieve this, including their Personal Tax Account and the ‘Check your National Insurance record’ and ‘Check your State Pension forecast’ services on GOV.UK. This extension will allow men born after 1951 and women born after 1953 with more time to review their NI records. Those men born before 1951 and women born before 1953 are unaffected by this extension.