Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to review the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rates for employees who use their own vehicles for work purposes, in the context of trends in the level of (a) fuel and (b) maintenance costs.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle.
The rates for cars are 45 pence per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25 pence per mile thereafter. These rates are arrived at after considering a range of factors including:
• the costs of motoring per business mile for a range of cars and mileages;
• the transport needs of business;
• the cost to the Exchequer of changing the rate; and
• the overall fiscal position
The AMAP rates are not mandatory, and employers can choose to pay more or less than the AMAP rate. It is therefore ultimately up to employers to determine the rate at which they reimburse their employees.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the VALOUR support system is accessible to veterans in (a) rural and (b) remote areas.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
VALOUR is a new commitment to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support. It will ensure easier access to essential care and support is available, wherever they live in the UK.
This regional approach, based on a network of VALOUR support centres providing multiple services in one place, together with regional field officers coordinating the provision of local services, will ensure that services are designed to meet the needs of their local communities.
The detailed structures and processes that will underpin VALOUR will be designed in collaboration with relevant partners and further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support manufacturers of (a) 44-tonne and (b) all weights of volumetric concrete mixers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has supported the transition of volumetric concrete mixer (VCM) operators and manufacturers by providing a 10-year temporary weight exemption, allowing time to adapt to compliant vehicles.
The temporary arrangement will conclude in 2028. Existing VCMs will be able to continue operating, but only within the applicable weight limits.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) launch a further review into and (b) consider the potential merits of (i) recognition and (ii) redress for people affected by the historic use of Primodos.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is sympathetic to the families who believe that they have suffered because of using hormone pregnancy tests.
An Expert Working Group of the Independent Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) reviewed the available scientific evidence in 2017 and concluded that the evidence does not support a causal association between the use of hormone pregnancy tests during early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Following a review of the more recent evidence, the CHM concluded in November 2024 that it does not provide any new scientific evidence demonstrating that the medicinal components of hormone pregnancy tests could disrupt a pregnancy.
It is not currently the Government’s intention to review the findings of the Expert Working Group, however we are committed to reviewing any new scientific evidence which may come to light.
Because a causal link between hormone pregnancy tests and adverse outcomes in pregnancy has not been demonstrated, the previous administration did not ask the Patient Safety Commissioner to look at redress for hormone pregnancy tests as part of the Hughes Report.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase in defence spending on the economy in Wales.
Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
At the Spring Statement, the Chancellor increased the defence budget by £2.2 billion in 2025-26. This will boost the Welsh economy and our thriving defence sector, where the Ministry of Defence is already supporting 7,700 jobs across the length and breadth of the country.
Earlier this month, I visited Qioptic and Wagtail in North Wales, just two of the wide range of companies in Wales who play a vital role in defending the UK.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
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.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
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.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
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.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
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.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
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.