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, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 99252 on Motability, will he undertake an Equality Impact Assessment of changes to the Motability scheme to incorporate financial analysis of the potential impact of changes on different scheme users.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
The Motability Scheme will continue to offer a choice of vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit. Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment or adaptations for a vehicle, or a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) through the Scheme.
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 quantitative analysis has been undertaken to assess the potential financial impacts of changes to the Motability scheme on users of the scheme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
The Motability Scheme will continue to offer a choice of vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit. Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment or adaptations for a vehicle, or a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) through the Scheme.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) diplomatic steps is her Department taking to assist in (i) locating and (ii) rescuing the remaining girls kidnaped from Chibok on 14 April 2014, and (b) what recent discussions has she had with the Nigerian Government about this.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government strongly condemns the abduction and continued captivity of children by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) in North East Nigeria, and has repeatedly called for their release. This includes the 2014 kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls, around 90 of whom are understood still to be missing. On 11 November the Foreign Secretary held a meeting in London with Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar where the ongoing insecurity in Nigeria was discussed. The UK Government will continue to work closely with the Nigerian Government to prevent the future abduction of children in Nigeria.
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 action his Department is taking to ensure that 85 per cent of breast cancer patients start treatment within 62 days of urgent referral.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. The Government is investing an extra £26 billion in the NHS and is opening up community diagnostic centres at evening and weekends, to help catch cancer earlier, including breast cancer.
The NHS has exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, having now delivered over five million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment. Between October 2024 to September 2025, approximately 139,000 more patients were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days compared to the previous 12 months.
To ensure that the most advanced treatment is available to the patients who need it, and so that patients can be treated sooner, the Government has invested £70 million of central funding to replace outdated radiotherapy machines.
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 steps his Department is taking to increase clinic capacity to help ensure that urgent breast referrals meet the 28 day Faster Diagnosis Standard.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. The Government is investing an extra £26 billion in the NHS and is opening up community diagnostic centres at evening and weekends, to help catch cancer earlier, including breast cancer.
The NHS has exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, having now delivered over five million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment. Between October 2024 to September 2025, approximately 139,000 more patients were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days compared to the previous 12 months.
To ensure that the most advanced treatment is available to the patients who need it, and so that patients can be treated sooner, the Government has invested £70 million of central funding to replace outdated radiotherapy machines.
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, when NHS England will publish the breast screening uptake improvement plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2026, NHS England is planning to publish a Breast Screening Programme Uptake Improvement Review to help improve uptake and address inequalities.
They aim to publish a review of actions taken at a national level by the NHS Breast Screening Programme so far, as well as setting out where the focus will be going forward, to support local services to drive uptake even further.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Motability Foundation on the the potential impact of her Department's changes to (a) VAT and (b) Insurance Premium Tax for the Motability Foundation on (i) funding for the Mobility Foundation and (ii) the ability of the Foundation to cross-subsidise its work to support the most vulnerable residents.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Prior to announcing tax changes to the Motability Scheme at Budget 2025, the Government engaged with the Motability Foundation to understand how tax changes would impact the Motability Scheme and their customers.
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. In 2024/25, these grants totalled £59.3 million, supporting over 10,000 customers.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to consult on his Department's proposals to replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As a first step in reform of the House of Lords, the Government has introduced legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.
The Government is committed to delivering further reform. The House of Lords has now agreed to establish a dedicated select committee to look at how best to implement the manifesto commitments on a retirement age and participation requirement.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2025 to question 94838, what impact enacting HSE proposals to change GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging will have on divergence between EU and GB mandatory hazard classifications for the same substance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive’s assessment is that the proposed changes to the GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation will not lead to greater divergence of the mandatory classification and labelling of individual substances between GB and the EU.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the £400m announced by her Department for grassroots sports facilities will apply to Wales and whether Barnett Consequentials will be provided.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s announcement of £400m of investment into grassroots sports over the next four years will ensure that we continue to deliver high-quality multi-sport facilities in communities that need them across the UK, including Wales, in order to increase participation and allow people to be active.
We are working on our plans for future grassroots sports funding and we will continue to engage the Welsh Government and our local partners in Wales on this matter. We will provide an update soon.