Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to work with (a) Vale of Glamorgan Council and (b) other local authorities to (i) prevent homelessness and (ii) provide sustainable housing solutions for people at risk.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected.

We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness.

We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, grant funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (FY2024-25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025-26.

More widely, we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness, including delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament. We are also Abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

Homelessness legislation is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

MHCLG is always keen to learn from other countries’ approaches. Ministers and officials engage regularly with their counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss a range of issues, including tackling homelessness.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to coordinate cross-Government compute-related (a) planning and (b) infrastructure.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how the UK can lay the foundations for AI growth, by building the cutting-edge compute infrastructure needed to lead in AI development and deployment. To deliver this commitment, we are working closely across government, including on the creation of AI Growth Zones.

With MHCLG we have updated the National Planning Policy Framework to make it easier to build data infrastructure.

MHCLG will be introducing legislation this year to enable larger data centres to be directed into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects consenting regime on request. As part of this work, DSIT will be producing a National Policy Statement (NPS) on data infrastructure to guide future planning decisions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) identification, (b) investigation and (c) prosecution of stalking; and what engagement she has had with police forces in Wales on this issue.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Stalking is an insidious crime that can leave victims living in fear every day, and tackling it forms a key part of our mission on to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) over the next decade.

That is why the Home Office is:

- investing £13.1 million next financial year (25/26) to set up a new National Policing Centre for VAWG and Public Protection which will drive consistency in the police response to these crimes;

- introducing provisions for new multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking which will set a robust framework for how agencies such as the police, local authorities and health should work together, including statutory guidance for the police on when they should release identifying information about stalking perpetrators to victims;

- conducting a review of stalking legislation to determine whether the law should be changed and strengthened to take tougher action against perpetrators, and better protect victims; and

- the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are updating their joint protocol on the handling of stalking offences, so police and prosecutors are better equipped to recognise and respond to stalking. The CPS will also shortly launch a revised training module on stalking to support prosecutors.

Home Office officials engage regularly with the police and Welsh Government on this issue to understand how measures to improve identification, investigation and prosecution of stalking will apply to Wales.

In addition, we have established a VAWG Strategy Advisory Board which is feeding directly into the development of the new VAWG Strategy and has representatives from Wales, including the Independent Adviser on VAWG for Wales.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle spiking incidents; and what support is being made available to local authorities and hospitality venues to improve prevention and victim support.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Spiking is an appalling crime that undermines the people's right to feel safe when they are simply enjoying a night out.

The Government is currently delivering a range of measures to tackle this vile practice, specifically targeted at raising awareness, identifying perpetrators, and gathering evidence. They include:

• Introducing a new criminal offence for spiking to help police better respond to this crime. This is being delivered through the Crime and Policing Bill which is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Commons.
• Funding the development and delivery of increased training on spiking to staff in the Night Time Economy at no cost to venues.
• Working with the regulator of the UK private security industry, the Security Industry Authority to deliver mandatory spiking training for their 352,000+ door supervisor licence holders by April 2028. This has already been delivered to more than 135,000 new licence applicants since Spring 2024.
• The funding of police spiking "intensification weeks" which have seen an enhanced focus on spiking and led to increased arrests, detections, and prevention activity taking place.
• Investing in research into the accuracy and efficacy of commercially available spiking testing kits, to help the police detect if someone has been spiked in real-time.

The Home Office works closely with the hospitality and third sectors, as well as law enforcement to ensure that we are delivering measures on spiking which make it more difficult to carry out in the first place, that venues and the emergency services are proving the best possible response, and that victims are listened to and feel supported.

A wide range of spiking training, resources, support and advice options are available across a number of organisations, many of whom are referenced on the Government's spiking web pages or within our training package.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against women and girls; and what support is being provided to local police forces and frontline services in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We have already announced a series of measures designed to strengthen the police response to violence against women and girls (VAWG), protect victims and hold perpetrators to account across England and Wales. This includes:

• Embedding the first domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms in five police forces under Raneem's Law to advise on risk assessments, work with officers on the ground and ensure that victims are referred to appropriate support services swiftly.
• Launching new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in select police areas which will go further than any existing order, making it a legal requirement for perpetrators to inform the police of any change in name or address; imposing electronic monitoring and ordering assessments for behaviour change programmes.
• Investing £13.1 million next financial year (25/26) into the new National Policing Centre for VAWG and Public Protection, to co-ordinate the police response to these crimes from 1 April 2025. Centralising policing expertise to tackle these crimes will drive national coordination, with the development of strengthened specialist training for officers across England and Wales ensuring they offer consistent protection for victims and relentlessly pursue the perpetrators of these vile crimes.

The Home Office also continues to fund a range of organisations providing vital frontline support to victims of VAWG.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the respective compute requirements for AI training and inference; and whether he plans to reflect this distinction in future infrastructure planning.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

In response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan, DSIT is currently developing a long-term compute strategy. At the same time, DSIT and UKRI are taking forward the development of the AI Research Resource, a network of supercomputers, currently consisting of Isambard-AI, in Bristol, and Dawn, in Cambridge, which will increase the UK’s existing public compute capacity by thirty times.

The Government has also committed to expanding the AIRR a further 20 times by 2030 to ensure that the UK has the AI infrastructure and compute capacity it needs to deliver new scientific innovations and discoveries that will drive productivity and growth throughout the economy. This expansion, and the long-term compute strategy – will reflect the evolving demands for training and inference.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to establish AI Growth Zones close to major research centres; and what role compute infrastructure will play in their design.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Universities and research institutions are critical to the UK’s vision for AI. To build upon our strong R&D base and to ensure we’re at the forefront of AI innovation, AI Growth Zones will help secure the UK’s position as a global leader in AI, attracting significant investment and ensuring long-term economic growth.

In February, local authorities and industry, were invited to come forward with potential sites suitable for hosting AI infrastructure as an early expression of interest, and hundreds of responses were received. Further updates will be provided in due course.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) universities and (b) research institutions to host compute infrastructure.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Expanding the UK’s compute capability is essential for the development and adoption of AI, scientific research, and improving public services. DSIT and UKRI are taking forward the development of the AI Research Resource, a network of supercomputers, currently consisting of Isambard-AI, in Bristol, and Dawn, in Cambridge, which will be fully operational by the summer. When this capacity is live, it will increase the UK’s existing public compute capacity by thirty times.

In response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we have also committed to expand the AI Research Resource (AIRR) by a further 20 times by 2030, and to publish a long-term compute strategy.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) energy and (b) grid access on the deployment of high-performance compute infrastructure.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government recognises the importance of continued innovation and improvements in the efficiency of compute infrastructure.

AI Growth Zones will help shift energy demand to areas with more capacity, reducing pressure on congested parts of the grid. DSIT are working closely with DESNZ and the National Energy System Operator to align AI energy demand with future energy planning and ensure long-term sustainability. The Government is working to reform the National Grid connections process, making it easier for data centres to secure a timely grid connection.

Through the AI Energy Council, we will be exploring bold clean energy solutions, from next-generation renewables to small modular reactors, to ensure our AI ambitions align with the UK’s net zero goals.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the National Data Library on AI model training; and what steps he is taking to ensure that data access frameworks (a) enable innovation and (b) safeguard privacy.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The NDL will unlock the value of public data assets. It will provide simple, secure and ethical access to our key public data assets for researchers, policy makers and business – including those at the frontier of AI development – and make it easier to find, discover and make connections across different datasets.

Where data sharing involves personal data, it must comply with the UK’s data protection legislation. This will equally apply to the National Data Library.

We will set out further details on the National Data Library shortly.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans he has to provide compute access to early-stage AI startups.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to removing barriers to growth for AI startups and ensuring that they have access to resources and expertise needed to develop and scale.

Earlier this year, DSIT opened phase 1 of the AI Research Resource for early access to SMEs and startups to drive forward new AI-enabled innovations.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the timely delivery of the national Compute Strategy; and whether she plans to publish an updated timeline ahead of Spring 2025.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Expanding the UK’s compute capability is essential for the development and adoption of AI, scientific research, and improving public services. DSIT and UKRI are taking forward the development of the AI Research Resource, a network of supercomputers, currently consisting of Isambard-AI, in Bristol, and Dawn, in Cambridge, which will be fully operational by the summer. When this capacity is live, it will increase the UK’s existing public compute capacity by thirty times.

In response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we have also committed to expand the AI Research Resource (AIRR) by a further 20 times by 2030, and to publish a long-term compute strategy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support the allocation of a greater share of defined contribution pension capital into UK productive assets, in the context of the Mansion House reforms.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government published the Interim Report of its Pensions Investment Review at the Mansion House event on 14 November. This Report puts forward ambitious proposals to reform the UK pension system which could unlock productive investment while boosting savers’ pension pots.

The government is currently considering whether further interventions may be needed by the government to ensure that these reforms are benefiting UK growth.

The final report of the Pensions Investment Review will be published in the Spring, ahead of the introduction of the Pension Schemes Bill.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Data (Use and Access) Bill on the (a) development and (b) deployment of artificial intelligence models in the UK.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Compliance, productivity and familiarisation costs savings of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning reforms in the Data (Use and Access) Bill have been considered and can be found in the indirect benefits and costs sections of the impact assessment (IA). The ethical assessment can also be found in the impact on individuals section.The assessment of the effect on different organisations by size and sector can be found in the small and micro business assessment section of the IA. here (particularly, Table 14, 24, 25, 26 & 34).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce knife crime; and what recent discussions she has had with South Wales Police on community-based interventions (a) Barry and (b) the wider Vale of Glamorgan.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s mission to make our communities safe. We are taking a range of steps to realise this ambition.

We recently announced “Ronan’s Law”, a range of measures which will include stricter rules for online sellers of knives; increased penalties for illegal sales of knives; and consultation later this year on a registration scheme for online sellers of knives. We have also implemented the ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes and created a new Young Futures programme, which will establish Prevention Partnerships across England and Wales, bringing partners together to intervene earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime.

On Monday 24 February, I met with the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt MS CBE (MS for Vale of Glamorgan). At the meeting I set out our ambitions to keep communities safe and to take a preventative approach to tackling knife crime. On Monday 10 March, I met with Emma Wools, along with the other PCCs for Wales.

Over £1m has been made available in 24/25 to the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VRU), for violence prevention activity in South Wales. This funding is delivering a range of interventions to divert young people from a life of crime. In addition, we are providing up to £3.4m toward the Youth Endowment Fund’s Trauma-Informed Practice Grant Round – an innovative intervention to help frontline workers recognise and respond to trauma in the young people they work with. One of the projects participating in this important evaluation is the Relationship Building Together Project, run in Bridgend.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on strengthening international cooperation to tackle organised immigration crime; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of such cooperation on communities in South Wales.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Strengthened international cooperation is essential to tackle the gangs who facilitate organised immigration crime (OIC) and this Government is providing a step change in leading the international community’s approach.

We have signed a series of landmark agreements including with Iraq, Germany, Italy as well as deepening our relationship with France, and this week the UK hosted a landmark international summit to tackle the shared threat of OIC and protect our collective border security.

We expect this to have a positive impact on tackling organised immigration crime to the benefit of the whole of the UK, including South Wales.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure international climate finance reaches children in communities impacted by climate change.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Our international climate finance continues to prioritise support to the most vulnerable communities who are experiencing the worst impacts of climate change, including children. In addition, we are committed to amplifying the voices of the most marginalised, empowering them as decision-makers, advocates, and leaders in the climate response, ensuring gender and inclusion characteristics are a key part of our policy and programming. Through our policy and programming in health, we are promoting climate resilience, sustainable and equitable systems for health, including for children. The UK is also supporting the Global Partnership for Education in a new initiative partnering with the Green Climate Fund to provide co-financing to support countries to build the resilience of their education systems to climate shocks.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the views of (a) victims and (b) the families of victims affected by serious offences committed by offenders on probation are considered in the criminal justice system.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

All victims and bereaved family members are entitled under the Victims’ Code to have their voices heard in the criminal justice process by making a Victim Personal Statement. This enables victims to explain in their own words how the crime has affected them, which will be considered by the court when determining the sentence.

Victims who are eligible for, and have opted into, the Victim Contact Scheme can make representations about victim related licence conditions and submit a Victim Personal Statement to the Parole Board. These enable victims to help the Parole Board to understand what the impact of the crime on them has been and provide information about requested licence conditions to protect the victim where there is a decision to release the offender.

When an offender on probation supervision is charged with a serious further offence, including murder, manslaughter and rape, the Probation Service will complete a serious further offence review and victims can meet with a senior probation manager to discuss the findings of the review and receive a copy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to reduce friction in the UK’s payments infrastructure.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The National Payments Vision, published at Mansion House 2024, sets out the government’s ambition for a trusted, world-leading payments ecosystem delivered on next generation technology, where consumers and businesses have a choice of payment methods to meet their needs. It sets out two key foundations to deliver the government’s vision: a clear, predictable and proportionate regulatory framework, and resilient payments infrastructure that supports innovation.

The Vision established a Payments Vision Delivery Committee, which is chaired by HM Treasury and attended by senior representatives from the Bank of England, Payment Systems Regulator and Financial Conduct Authority, to drive forward key outputs over the course of this year, including on payments infrastructure.

The Committee, through work led by the PSR and the Bank of England, will set out an approach for the development and delivery of the UK’s retail infrastructure needs and the required governance and funding model to achieve it.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help children maintain access to essential public services in countries impacted by climate change.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing children around the world. We know that children are disproportionately at risk from the effects of climate change, and children and young people will be at the forefront of shaping a resilient, sustainable future. The UK-led Glasgow Climate Pact urges Parties and stakeholders to ensure meaningful youth participation and representation in multilateral, national and local decision-making processes. We championed this approach at COP29, with the former Minister of State for Development meeting youth climate activists from developing countries, and UK Special Representative for Climate Rachel Kyte attending events alongside universities and the UN Youth Office to highlight the critical role of youth in climate action. I have also met with young people to discuss the impacts of climate change during my first to our overseas territories in the Caribbean.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to increase retail investor participation in UK capital markets.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government wants to see more consumers participate in capital markets and benefit from the long-term financial security that investing can provide.

The Financial Services Growth & Competitiveness Strategy Call for Evidence, which closed on 12 December, asked how increasing retail participation in capital markets could support long-term sustainable growth within the sector and the wider economy. The call for evidence welcomed further evidence on how to improve consumer engagement with investing, and the Government is considering the feedback provided.

At Spring Statement 2025, the Government announced it is looking at options for reforms to ISAs that get the balance right between cash and investing, to earn better returns for savers, boost the culture of retail investment in capital markets, and support the growth mission.

More broadly, the Government is committed to boosting our capital markets to deliver growth across the UK and is pursuing ambitious reforms to make our markets even more competitive. For example, reforms to the Prospectus rules will give investors, including retail investors, access to better quality information and so participate more easily in the capital raising process. The Government is also working with the FCA to review the boundary between financial advice and guidance, to ensure consumers get the support they need to make decisions about their finances.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on (a) the long-term sustainability of Welsh National Opera’s full-time orchestra and (b) ensuring the continuation of its touring programme across England and Wales.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

On behalf of the Secretary of State, last year I held a series of productive meetings with the Wales Office, Welsh Government, Arts Council England, and Welsh National Opera (WNO) to understand the issues in more detail and to see how, within the parameters of the arm’s length principle, DCMS can best help ensure a strong and secure future for the WNO.

Across all these meetings there was a recognition of the value of the WNO and its work - both for the people of Wales, and for people elsewhere in the UK. It was clear that all partners were keen to achieve a positive long-term future for the organisation.

Everyone wants to sustain the WNO, and so I was pleased to see additional funding of £755,000 allocated by the Arts Council of Wales to WNO last December. Funding decisions are of course for the Arts Council of Wales and Arts Council England, however, I welcome the tenure of the new joint CEOs and General Directors at WNO, and I am confident that they are now in a strong place to succeed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of embedding financial literacy more systematically across the national curriculum to support long-term household financial resilience and informed retail investment.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Financial education currently forms a compulsory part of the national curriculum for mathematics, at key stages 1 to 4, and citizenship, at key stages 3 and 4, which together cover personal budgeting, saving for the future, managing credit and debt and calculating interest. Primary schools are free to teach financial education within citizenship. The non-statutory primary citizenship programme of study at key stages 1 and 2 equip pupils to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that equips young people with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive in life and work.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve managerial oversight in the Probation Service.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We know that effective management oversight contributes to the best outcomes, and ensures probation is able to reduce reoffending and protect the public. The Chief Probation Officer has set management oversight as one of her key priorities for the year 2025/2026.

In February 2025, HMPPS launched a new management oversight framework in the Probation Service which allows for a more responsive and targeted approach. The aim is to ensure that management oversight is sought and provided where it is most needed and in particular this means an increase in management oversight for new and inexperienced staff.

Managers within the Probation Service have undergone training to enable the successful adoption of this framework. Staff and managers work together proactively to secure effective management oversight which is responsive to the unique demands of an individual case, and the skills, knowledge and experience of the probation practitioner.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the impact of missed probation appointments by high-risk offenders on public safety; and what steps she is taking to ensure consistent enforcement of breach protocols.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Probation service was left on its knees after 14 years of Conservative Government. The Probation Service that this Government inherited from the previous administration has struggled under increased workloads. It was a service that the previous Conservative Government privatised and then partly renationalised putting our Probation Service officers, who do vital work every single day, under significant strain.

This Lord Chancellor has recently announced a number of changes to the probation service to prioritise where they focus and ensure more time can be spent managing high risk offenders.

A primary aim of the probation service is to protect the public through the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders. Those assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm are subject to increased levels of oversight and are a priority focus for the Probation Service, as reaffirmed by the Lord Chancellor in her speech on 12 February.

Probation supervision appointments are essential for the monitoring and the management of offenders.Any failure to comply could indicate an increased risk of harm and will result in swift enforcement action in line with HM Prison & Probation Service enforcement policy, this could include sanctions on the offender and even recall to prison. The Probation service employs a case management system to track and manage attendance alongside which Probation regional Performance and Quality teams work to ensure that the expected enforcement standards are consistently applied.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve communication and information sharing between (a) South Wales and Gwent and (b) other regional probation services in the management of high-risk offenders.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Offenders assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm are subject to increased levels of oversight and are a priority focus for the Probation Service.

The Probation Service consistently shares information within and across regions to effectively manage risks and support individuals. This involves collaboration between probation, police, and other agencies to ensure comprehensive support and management of offenders to reduce reoffending and enhance public safety.

Wales Probation Service share information about the risks during case transfers through conversations between senior leaders and middle managers. This ensures effective communication and support for managing risks and individuals during transfer. Additionally, there is ongoing information sharing between South Wales, Gwent and other probation delivery units and regions to enhance the management of high-risk offenders and ensure comprehensive support across regions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when her Department plans to introduce the proposed Hillsborough Law, including a legal duty of candour for public servants.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Our thoughts remain with those affected by the Hillsborough disaster and we will get them the justice they deserve. Having consulted with these groups over the past few weeks, we believe more time is needed to draft the best version of a Hillsborough Law.

We remain fully committed to bringing in this legislation, which will include a legal duty of candour for public servants and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply. Our engagement with victims, families and survivors is essential to getting this right for them, and work with them will only increase in the weeks ahead.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of funding disparities on the growth potential of female-led and minority-led businesses; and what steps he is taking to work with public investment institutions to close that gap.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

According to data from research firm Beauhurst, the proportion of equity finance to female-led teams was stark at 2% in the first half of 2024, in comparison to 86% for all-male teams. To directly increase this, the government-backed Invest in Women Taskforce has launched a £255 million fund to invest in female entrepreneurs through female investors.

To help increase the availability of funding to minority-led businesses, the British Business Bank launched the Community ENABLE Funding programme in November 2024, expected to issue loans worth up to £150 million over the next 2 years.

Further, the Small Business Access to Finance call for evidence, launched on 13 March 2025, considers the difficulty of accessing finance for female and minority-led businesses. We will take forward further work in those areas once we have properly considered the results of the call for evidence.

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