Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Motability Scheme in providing access to wheelchair accessible vehicles for disabled people.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Changes to the Motability Scheme were announced as part of the Autumn Budget. An Equality Impact Assessment including consideration of the impact on affected individuals was undertaken and published by HMT as part of the Autumn Budget and can be found here: Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs - GOV.UK.
Vehicles substantially designed for, or adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users will continue to benefit from VAT reliefs on advance payments and the Insurance Premium Tax exemption, in recognition of the additional costs associated with these vehicles. Moreover, Motability Foundation - an independent charitable organisation with oversight of the Motability Scheme - and Motability Operations - an independent commercial company which delivers the Scheme - will continue to ensure the provision of Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles, while continuing to cover the cost of standard adaptations (such as pedal extensions and steering aids). For customers who cannot afford essential costs or need more complex adaptations, the Motability Foundation will continue to provide means-tested grants to those most in need of financial help.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2026 to Question 109591 on Responsible Dog Ownership Working Group, what the timetable is for receipt by her Department of the a) findings and b) recommendations from the Responsible Dog Ownership taskforce.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Responsible Dog Ownership taskforce is in the process of finalising its report. We look forward to receiving its findings and recommendations in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about the role (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) Border Force will have in verifying compliance with the vaping product registration and testing regime at the point of import.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Officials in the Department regularly meet with officials from other departments, including HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force, to share intelligence and ensure a coordinated approach to the enforcement of our rules on vaping products. This coordinated approach to enforcement will continue once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill becomes law.
We are strengthening the enforcement of vape regulations through the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. We are also investing £30 million of new funding in total for enforcement agencies in 2025/26, including Trading Standards, HM Revenue and Customs, and Border Force. This increase in investment will help to stamp out criminal activity by boosting enforcement against illicit tobacco and illicit vapes.
We are also introducing a new Vaping Products Duty in October 2026 which will provide civil and criminal powers for HM Revenue and Customs to assess for duty and seize products and equipment used to produce or transport illicit products. HM Revenue and Customs will collaborate with agencies such as Border Force and Trading Standards, who will have enhanced their capabilities around vaping by the time the duty is introduced. We are working closely with colleagues in HM Revenue and Customs to understand how the new product registration scheme can work effectively with the Vaping Products Duty to increase compliance. We expect to consult on policy proposals later this year.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his proposed timetable is for introducing the vaping product registration scheme under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill including indicative dates for (a) consultation, (b) publication of regulations, and (c) commencement.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) have been in discussions to explore whether OPSS, as the Government's primary product safety regulator, would be suitable to oversee the future product registration scheme for tobacco, vape, and nicotine products.
We launched a call for evidence in October 2025 which sought further detail on the existing product notification schemes and where registration could go further than current requirements. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses. We expect to consult on proposals later this year. Our objective is to have the new registration scheme live as soon as possible.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce minimum testing standards for vaping product testing.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill allow us to establish a new testing regime to ensure vape, nicotine, or tobacco products that are sold on the United Kingdom’s market do not contain harmful ingredients or metals, or breach other regulations, for instance on packaging.
We launched a call for evidence in October 2025 which sought further detail on the existing product notification schemes and where a future registration scheme could go further than current requirements, including testing requirements. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses. We will consult on policy proposals based on the evidence provided in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of resources required by Trading Standards to enforce the registration and testing regime for vaping products since the regime was introduced.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill allow us to create a new product registration scheme, as well as a new testing regime, for tobacco, vape, and nicotine products. As the bill is not yet enacted, the new scheme has not yet been established and the current notification scheme for nicotine vapes, managed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, remains in place for the time being.
Once established, the new product registration system will support enforcement agencies, giving Trading Standards better information to help them remove non-compliant products from the shelves quickly and efficiently. This will also give retailers greater confidence that the products they stock and sell are lawful.
We launched a call for evidence in October 2025 which sought further detail on the existing product notification schemes and where registration could go further than current requirements, including testing requirements and fees. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses. We will consult on policy proposals based on the evidence provided in due course.
Furthermore, in 2025/26 we are investing £30 million of new funding for enforcement agencies, including Trading Standards, Border Force, and HM Revenue and Customs, to tackle the illicit and underage sale of tobacco and vapes and to help enforce the law. As part of this, the Government is investing £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 in Trading Standards. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by hiring 94 new apprentices across England. This will increase Trading Standards’ capacity to enforce the new measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, including the product registration scheme once established.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review the effectiveness of enforcement of wildlife crimes as part of plans to a) review and b) strengthen penalties for cruelty against wildlife.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There are currently no plans to make wildlife crimes notifiable (which would result in them being included in the national crime statistics).
Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to the police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider i) increasing the number of wildlife crimes which are notifiable and ii) improving the consistency of the recording of wildlife crime by police forces.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There are currently no plans to make wildlife crimes notifiable (which would result in them being included in the national crime statistics).
Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to the police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.