Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions has she had with representatives from Welsh Government on the results of its automatic voter registration pilots.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Welsh Government’s automatic voter registration pilots are discussed when Ministers from across the UK attend the regular meetings of the Interministerial Group (IMG) for Elections and Registration. The meetings are led by the ministers with election policy in their portfolios and meeting reports are then published by the government. Updates on the work relating to the Welsh pilots are a regular agenda item, with the most recent discussion taking place in February.
UK Government and Welsh Government officials are also in regular contact on a range of electoral conduct and registration topics, including the Welsh Government’s pilots on automatic electoral registration.
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, when she plans to bring forward legislation to ban the importation of hunting trophies.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. The department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban. Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is determined.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report entitled Tenure change: turning existing dwellings and buildings in social homes, published by the Bevan Foundation and Shelter Cymru in March 2026; and, in that context, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of VAT on a) general refurbishment works and b) renovation of empty dwellings on the number of empty properties being brought back into use for social housing in Wales.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
To support the re-use of existing buildings for new homes, conversions of buildings from a commercial to residential use, the renovation of properties that have been empty for two or more years, and conversions from one residential use to another all benefit from a reduced 5% rate of VAT.
General refurbishment works are subject to the standard 20% VAT rate, which applies to most goods services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
The Government is supporting the delivery of new social housing through the VAT system by preparing to consult on a zero rate of VAT for the sale of land intended for new social housing. This is specifically intended to simplify and accelerate the construction of social housing.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of digital piracy and intellectual property infringement on the creative industries.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK Government recognises the challenges that digital piracy creates for intellectual property (IP) owners, creators and businesses within the creative industries. We work closely with law enforcement partners, rights holders, consumers, and industry to understand where and how this is taking place.
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has conducted research into the scale of digital piracy, and IP infringement more broadly across multiple sectors. For example, two IPO consumer surveys published in 2025 demonstrated that digital piracy continues to be a challenge in the UK. In 2024, 29% of UK residents aged 12+ (around 17.2 million) had recently accessed online content that infringed IP rights. This activity can have a negative impact on businesses, including the creative industries. These impacts include, but are not limited to, lost sales and the costs related to monitoring and enforcement.
This information is used, along with other data we collect on online infringement (e.g., use of counterfeit goods) to help design measures that can affect consumer behaviour and provide cost-effective, targeted enforcement procedures
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps is she taking to engage with technology platforms whose devices or services are used to facilitate illegal streaming; and what steps is she taking to reduce such misuse.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to protecting IP rights for UK businesses and safeguarding consumers from those who seek to profit from intellectual property infringement, including in the online environment. The UK addresses online IP infringement through a multi‑layered approach that brings together law enforcement, engagement with online platforms, and consumer education. This work is coordinated primarily by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
The IPO has published user-friendly guidance on the tools available through online marketplaces and e-commerce platforms to address intellectual property infringement. It also engages regularly with e-commerce platforms to help ensure that robust policies and procedures are in place to tackle infringing activity. In addition, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), hosted by the City of London Police and funded by the IPO in conjunction with DSIT, is one of the UK’s specialist units responsible for tackling online piracy and large‑scale counterfeiting.
Alongside criminal enforcement, rights holders can pursue civil remedies for online infringement, including injunctions against infringing websites or intermediaries, website‑blocking orders and claims for damages
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues from a) the Home Office, b) HM Treasury and c) the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on coordinated action to tackle online piracy.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
While the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has policy responsibility for protecting intellectual property (IP), IP crime and infringement, including online piracy, is a serious, cross-cutting issue that affects many sectors. Tackling this issue requires a co-ordinated approach which is why DSIT works closely with the Home Office, HM Treasury, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, as well as others across government to tackle online piracy
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of digital piracy and intellectual property infringement on UK businesses.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK Government recognises the challenges that digital piracy creates for intellectual property (IP) owners, creators and businesses. We work closely with law enforcement partners, rights holders, consumers, and industry to understand where and how this is taking place.
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has conducted research into the scale of digital piracy, and IP infringement more broadly across multiple sectors. For example, two IPO consumer surveys published in 2025 demonstrated that digital piracy continues to be a challenge in the UK. In 2024, 29% of UK residents aged 12+ (around 17.2 million) had recently accessed online content that infringed IP rights. This activity can have a negative impact on businesses. These impacts include, but are not limited to, lost sales and the costs related to monitoring and enforcement.
This information is used, along with other data we collect on online infringement (e.g., use of counterfeit goods) to help design measures that can affect consumer behaviour and provide cost-effective, targeted enforcement procedures.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he intends to announce the five technical excellence colleges linked to defence skills competition being run by his Department and the Department for Education.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy skills package, we announced the establishment of five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges in England. The competition to select these has now closed, and applications will now be assessed, with successful colleges announced thereafter.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps is his Department taking to support a resilient supply of semiconductors to support sovereign defence capabilities.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is working closely with Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, The Department for Business and Trade and the Ministerial chaired Semiconductor Advisory Panel, alongside UK industry and allied partners, to ensure assured long-term access to both commercial and specialist semiconductor technologies essential to defence capability.
In addition to this, the Department is strengthening the resilience and sovereignty of semiconductor supply by improving visibility of lower tier dependencies and strengthening our ability to understand and influence the supply chain, supported by strong lifecycle and diversification measures.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support semiconductor research relevant to defence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is working closely with Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, The Department for Business and Trade and the Ministerial chaired Semiconductor Advisory Panel, alongside UK industry and allied partners, to ensure assured long-term access to both commercial and specialist semiconductor technologies essential to defence capability.
In addition to this, the Department is strengthening the resilience and sovereignty of semiconductor supply by improving visibility of lower tier dependencies and strengthening our ability to understand and influence the supply chain, supported by strong lifecycle and diversification measures.