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 assessment he she made of the potential impact of (a) the Coalfield Regeneration Trust and (b) other charities on community wealth building in Welsh coalfield communities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I recognise the excellent work being carried out by a range of charities, including the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, in support of coalfield communities across Wales.
This Government is committed to ensuring that communities across Britain, including coalfield communities, can build stronger, brighter futures.
Through our Pride in Place Programme, 244 neighbourhoods will receive up to £20 million in funding and support over 10 years. Nine Local Authorities in Wales will benefit from Phase 2 of the programme, such as Carmarthenshire and Caerphilly, which have proud coalmining histories. These areas will join five Phase 1 communities where work is already underway, taking the total to fourteen local authorities across Wales sharing £280 million. Pride in Place boards are provided with a list of pre-approved interventions and will be given the autonomy to pursue the changes that their community want to see.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Naturewatch Foundation's report entitled Policing Wildlife Crime: Make Wildlife Count, published om 9 September 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of wildlife crimes being recorded under other miscellaneous crimes rather than according to its own dedicated recording standard on the (i) quality and (b) reliability of crime statistics.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
To improve transparency around wildlife crime and to better identify these offences in national crime statistics the Home Office has already established a standalone classification which appears in the official statistics on crime published by the Office for National Statistics. These offences were previously hidden within the broader category of Miscellaneous Crimes against Society.
There are no plans currently to make all wildlife crimes notifiable and include in the official crime statistics. Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.
This Government recognises the importance of tackling wildlife crime, which is why, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.
The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to the police and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime. This includes supporting cases referred by Border Force to the National Crime Agency or to individual forces. The NWCU is also the UK policing focal point for EUROPOL and INTERPOL wildlife crime activity. The NWCU uses this information to produce strategic and tactical assessments of wildlife crime across the UK.
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 she has made of the potential merits of facilitating the creation of a silicon photonics pilot line.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy recognises the opportunity to capitalise on our strength in photonics, chip design, and advanced technologies. To deliver this, DSIT is considering infrastructure needs as recommended by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s quantum infrastructure review.
The UK already has strengths in photonics including Scotland’s photonics cluster, supported by centres like the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre and the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics. UK universities, such as Southampton and Cambridge, contribute to European photonics pilot lines with DSIT funding. The DSIT-funded Innovation and Knowledge Centre at Cornerstone focuses on commercial translation of silicon photonics research.
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 she is taking to support the creation of new pilot lines for photonics.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy recognises the opportunity to capitalise on our strength in photonics, chip design, and advanced technologies. To deliver this, DSIT is considering infrastructure needs as recommended by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s quantum infrastructure review.
The UK already has strengths in photonics including Scotland’s photonics cluster, supported by centres like the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre and the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics. UK universities, such as Southampton and Cambridge, contribute to European photonics pilot lines with DSIT funding. The DSIT-funded Innovation and Knowledge Centre at Cornerstone focuses on commercial translation of silicon photonics research.
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, what steps her Department is taking to support the development of covered (a) tennis, (b) padel and (c) multi-sport facilities to help facilitate (i) year-round and (ii) all-weather participation.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport in England through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.
The majority of grassroots sport policy is devolved. The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with Welsh counterparts to discuss the importance of sport and tackling physical inactivity.
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to give wildlife crime notifiable status.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.
There are no plans currently to make all wildlife crimes notifiable. Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to police can be investigated 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, with reference to Naturewatch Foundation's report entitled Policing Wildlife Crime: Make Wildlife Count, published on 9 September 2025, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of wildlife crimes which result in no further action.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver their ‘Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy 2025-2029’. This is published by the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), accessed here:
The Home Office, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, directly funds the NWCU. The NWCU assists police forces and other law enforcement agencies in investigating wildlife crime.
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of wildlife crime offences, and their investigative outcomes, recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis. The latest information, to the year ending March 2025, is available here:
Information to the year ending June 2025 will be published on 23 October.
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, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government about the (a) economic and (b) cultural contribution of indoor tennis to Wales.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport in England through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.
The majority of grassroots sport policy is devolved. The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with Welsh counterparts to discuss the importance of sport and tackling physical inactivity.
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, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government about the (a) economic and (b) cultural contribution of padel to Wales.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport in England through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.
The majority of grassroots sport policy is devolved. The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with Welsh counterparts to discuss the importance of sport and tackling physical inactivity.
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, how much of the £400m funding for grassroots sports facilities will be allocated to (a) tennis and (b) padel facilities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport in England through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.
The majority of grassroots sport policy is devolved. The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with Welsh counterparts to discuss the importance of sport and tackling physical inactivity.