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1717997

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Email
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the use of e-mail to communicate with his Department's customers.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	26076
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2024 answer text <p>DWP utilises technology which allows encryption with most providers of personal email services, such as Gmail or Outlook, helping this stay secure. As such, email communication with customers is currently permitted in certain circumstances, for example, where the customer has a reasonable adjustment in place.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is keen to utilise the benefits provided by email communication, as part of its work in modernising customer contact channels to deliver modernised services. The department is currently exploring a number of specific possibilities to expand its use of outbound email to communicate with customers, recently testing sending of notifications via email to overseas customers in areas where the postal system is unreliable.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 17/05/2024 12:09:44 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1715334

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration: Translation Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department has issued on the provision of culturally appropriate oral and written professional translation when communicating with (a) applicants for asylum, (b) people in immigration detention, (c) people appealing application decisions and (d) people identified for deportation to Rwanda.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	24398
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office aims to provide interpreter and translation services for refugees and asylum seekers at public expense whenever and wherever necessary. Interpreters are engaged by the Home Office to act on its behalf. They are not Home Office employees and undertake freelance work commissioned by the Home Office. In some circumstances interpreting services are provided by commercial partners.</p><p>Interpreters/translators engaged are required to operate to a high standard on a range of protection-based and human rights topics including (though not limited to) religious conversion, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), sexuality and gender-based claims, all types and forms of persecution, medical (physical and mental health) and political activity.</p><p>The Home Office also works with other commercial providers and public sector bodies which provide interpreters and linguists to ensure the best sector-wide standards are applied.</p><p>Guidance on the use of interpretation and translation services, Detention Services Order ‘Interpretation Services and use of Translation Devices’, was published in July 2022. This guidance sets out the provisions, including interpretation services and translation devices, available for individuals held in immigration detention and the circumstances in which these should be used.</p> answering member constituency Mid Dorset and North Poole answering member printed Michael Tomlinson grouped question UIN 24399 question first answered 07/05/2024 12:49:50 answering member 4497 label Biography information for Michael Tomlinson
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1715335

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration: Translation Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what culturally appropriate oral and written professional translation services are provided by his Department when communicating with (a) applicants for asylum, (b) people in immigration detention, (c) people appealing application decisions and (d) people identified for deportation to Rwanda.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	24399
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office aims to provide interpreter and translation services for refugees and asylum seekers at public expense whenever and wherever necessary. Interpreters are engaged by the Home Office to act on its behalf. They are not Home Office employees and undertake freelance work commissioned by the Home Office. In some circumstances interpreting services are provided by commercial partners.</p><p>Interpreters/translators engaged are required to operate to a high standard on a range of protection-based and human rights topics including (though not limited to) religious conversion, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), sexuality and gender-based claims, all types and forms of persecution, medical (physical and mental health) and political activity.</p><p>The Home Office also works with other commercial providers and public sector bodies which provide interpreters and linguists to ensure the best sector-wide standards are applied.</p><p>Guidance on the use of interpretation and translation services, Detention Services Order ‘Interpretation Services and use of Translation Devices’, was published in July 2022. This guidance sets out the provisions, including interpretation services and translation devices, available for individuals held in immigration detention and the circumstances in which these should be used.</p> answering member constituency Mid Dorset and North Poole answering member printed Michael Tomlinson grouped question UIN 24398 question first answered 07/05/2024 12:49:50 answering member 4497 label Biography information for Michael Tomlinson
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1714945

	registered interest
	date	30/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Repatriation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was for the conclusion of an application for a voluntary return through the Voluntary Returns Service in (a) Wales and (b) the UK, in the most recent period for which data is available.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	24199
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>Information on processing times for voluntary return applications is not held centrally and is not currently captured in a publishable form.</p><p>Our priority is to consider applications as efficiently and fairly as possible. There may, however, be circumstances which delay the progression of a case, for example waiting for evidence that is of importance in deciding an application, or a need to obtain documentation to enable travel. In these circumstances, regular reviews are undertaken at appropriate intervals, dependant on the reason why the application cannot be progressed.</p> answering member constituency Mid Dorset and North Poole answering member printed Michael Tomlinson grouped question UIN 24200 question first answered 07/05/2024 12:55:59 answering member 4497 label Biography information for Michael Tomlinson
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1714946

	registered interest
	date	30/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Repatriation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the (a) financial and (b) other impacts of delays in assessing voluntary return applications by the Voluntary Returns Service on applicants remaining in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	24200
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>Information on processing times for voluntary return applications is not held centrally and is not currently captured in a publishable form.</p><p>Our priority is to consider applications as efficiently and fairly as possible. There may, however, be circumstances which delay the progression of a case, for example waiting for evidence that is of importance in deciding an application, or a need to obtain documentation to enable travel. In these circumstances, regular reviews are undertaken at appropriate intervals, dependant on the reason why the application cannot be progressed.</p> answering member constituency Mid Dorset and North Poole answering member printed Michael Tomlinson grouped question UIN 24199 question first answered 07/05/2024 12:55:59 answering member 4497 label Biography information for Michael Tomlinson
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1700947

	registered interest
	date	15/04/2024
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Israel and Palestinians: Aid Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the safety of aid workers operating in (a) Israel and (b) Palestine.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	21568
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary has called on Israel to reform its deconfliction mechanism to ensure the safety of aid workers and to make progress on the UN's minimal operating requirements, including more visas and driver approvals granted, as well as more trucks permitted to cross into Gaza.</p><p>The Prime Minister set out the need for more aid to enter Gaza in his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 2 April, and that far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives.</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell grouped question UIN 21569 21570 question first answered 18/04/2024 16:18:49 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1700948

	registered interest
	date	15/04/2024
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to help implement effective deconfliction in Gaza in order to facilitate the safe delivery of humanitarian aid.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	21569
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary has called on Israel to reform its deconfliction mechanism to ensure the safety of aid workers and to make progress on the UN's minimal operating requirements, including more visas and driver approvals granted, as well as more trucks permitted to cross into Gaza.</p><p>The Prime Minister set out the need for more aid to enter Gaza in his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 2 April, and that far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives.</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell grouped question UIN 21568 21570 question first answered 18/04/2024 16:18:49 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1700950

	registered interest
	date	15/04/2024
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of reports that a UNICEF humanitarian convoy was hit by live ammunition in northern Gaza on 9 April 2024.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	21570
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary has called on Israel to reform its deconfliction mechanism to ensure the safety of aid workers and to make progress on the UN's minimal operating requirements, including more visas and driver approvals granted, as well as more trucks permitted to cross into Gaza.</p><p>The Prime Minister set out the need for more aid to enter Gaza in his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 2 April, and that far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives.</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell grouped question UIN 21568 21569 question first answered 18/04/2024 16:18:49 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1700079

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Knives: Sales
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the enforcement of regulations on the sale of bladed items (a) to and (b) by persons under the age of 18.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	20903
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £5 million of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit in Wales (known as the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU)) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. Over the same period, we have invested c.£3.5 million (including c.£535k in 2023/24) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in South Wales. In 24/25, we are providing c.£4.4 million of funding to all force areas in Wales under the Hotspot Response fund to deliver high-visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods worst affected by serious violence and Anti Social Behaviour.</p><p>The Wales VPU is tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the VPU is funding local interventions including A&amp;E Navigators, delivering advice, support and guidance to patients of any age who have experienced violence with injury, with the aim of engaging with those injured whilst they are in hospital to help break the cycle of violence at the point of crisis. The VPU is also funding youth workers to deliver sessions to young people within both education and community settings covering issues such as knife crime. Additionally, just under £1m was awarded in 2023/24 to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty across Wales.</p><p>We have also introduced new legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will ban zombie-style knives and machetes from 24 September 2024. Through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.</p><p>It is an offence to sell bladed articles to people under the age of 18 and with measures in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 we strengthened the requirements for age verification, and made it an offence to send bladed articles to residential addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place with the delivery company to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18. This legislation is enforced by Trading Standards and the police. The Home Office does not hold enforcement data in relation to breaches of this legislation.</p><p>The Online Safety Act 2023 has finished its parliamentary passage and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The Government's intention is to have the regime operational as soon as possible.</p><p>Ofcom published the first draft codes of practice on illegal content for consultation on 9 November 2023. The Government expects these to be finalised in late 2024. These codes of practice will set out the steps companies can take to fulfil the duties for illegal content. In scope services will either need to follow these codes, or show their approach is equally effective. Tech companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker.</p><p>Schedule 7 of the Act sets out a series of priority offences which includes the sale of weapons. Companies will need to take particularly robust action to prevent the proliferation of this content online and ensure that their services are not used for offending. This means companies will need to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity or to share this illegal content, to design their services to mitigate the risk of this occurring and to remove any content that does appear as soon as they are made aware of it.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 20904 question first answered 17/04/2024 15:22:25 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1700080

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Knives: Wales
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle (a) knife crime by and (b) the online sale of bladed weapons to people under the age of 18 in Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	20904
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £5 million of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit in Wales (known as the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU)) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. Over the same period, we have invested c.£3.5 million (including c.£535k in 2023/24) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in South Wales. In 24/25, we are providing c.£4.4 million of funding to all force areas in Wales under the Hotspot Response fund to deliver high-visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods worst affected by serious violence and Anti Social Behaviour.</p><p>The Wales VPU is tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the VPU is funding local interventions including A&amp;E Navigators, delivering advice, support and guidance to patients of any age who have experienced violence with injury, with the aim of engaging with those injured whilst they are in hospital to help break the cycle of violence at the point of crisis. The VPU is also funding youth workers to deliver sessions to young people within both education and community settings covering issues such as knife crime. Additionally, just under £1m was awarded in 2023/24 to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty across Wales.</p><p>We have also introduced new legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will ban zombie-style knives and machetes from 24 September 2024. Through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.</p><p>It is an offence to sell bladed articles to people under the age of 18 and with measures in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 we strengthened the requirements for age verification, and made it an offence to send bladed articles to residential addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place with the delivery company to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18. This legislation is enforced by Trading Standards and the police. The Home Office does not hold enforcement data in relation to breaches of this legislation.</p><p>The Online Safety Act 2023 has finished its parliamentary passage and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The Government's intention is to have the regime operational as soon as possible.</p><p>Ofcom published the first draft codes of practice on illegal content for consultation on 9 November 2023. The Government expects these to be finalised in late 2024. These codes of practice will set out the steps companies can take to fulfil the duties for illegal content. In scope services will either need to follow these codes, or show their approach is equally effective. Tech companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker.</p><p>Schedule 7 of the Act sets out a series of priority offences which includes the sale of weapons. Companies will need to take particularly robust action to prevent the proliferation of this content online and ensure that their services are not used for offending. This means companies will need to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity or to share this illegal content, to design their services to mitigate the risk of this occurring and to remove any content that does appear as soon as they are made aware of it.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 20903 question first answered 17/04/2024 15:22:25 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1698508

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	UNRWA: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Government plans to resume funding for UNRWA following the decisions of (a) Canada, (b) Australia, (c) Sweden and (d) Finland to resume their funding for that organisation.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	20201
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>We are appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. We have paused any future funding of UNRWA.</p><p>We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it, including through other UN agencies and British charities.</p><p>Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General. We want UNRWA to give detailed undertakings about changes in personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never happen again.</p><p>We are working with allies to try to bring this situation to a rapid conclusion, not least because UNRWA has a vital role to play in providing aid and services in Gaza.</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell question first answered 15/04/2024 12:07:11 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1698510

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that Israel allows the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to provide humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	20202
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister have underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza, open a crossing in northern Gaza and increase capacity inside Gaza, as well as fully enable the UN's minimal operating requirements, including by allowing visas, telecommunications equipment, armoured vehicles, trucks and personal protective equipment.</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell question first answered 15/04/2024 12:49:41 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1690823

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2024
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	UNRWA: Staff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2023 to Question 13364 on UNRWA: Finance, what progress his Department has made on its review into the allegations concerning the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	15024
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>We are pressing the UN Office of Internal Oversight and Catherine Colonna to produce a rapid interim report. We want UNRWA to give detailed undertakings about changes in personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never happen again.</p><p>We are working with allies to try to bring this situation to a rapid conclusion - not least because UNRWA have a vital role to play in providing aid and services in Gaza.</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell question first answered 26/02/2024 17:42:20 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1688224

	registered interest
	date	07/02/2024
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Dental Services: Wales
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much Barnett Consequential funding the Welsh Government will receive from spending announced in the NHS Dental Recovery Plan for England.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	13514
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>This is a fully funded £200 million plan, and the National Health Service spending totals will be set at the budget, in the usual way. As with all England-only health funding, anything related to this plan will be subject to Barnett Consequential funding in the usual manner within the block grant.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 19/02/2024 14:04:06 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1687921

	registered interest
	date	06/02/2024
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Childcare: Wales
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2023 to Question 2098 on Childcare: Finance, how much the Welsh Government will receive in Barnett Formula consequential funding for (a) the roll out 15 hours of free childcare for working parents of two-year-olds from April 2024 in England and (b) extending 15 hours of free childcare to all children from the age of nine months from September 2024 in England.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	13261
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The Barnett formula applies to all increases or decreases to Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL).</p><p /><p>The Department for Education received additional funding for these programmes at Spring Budget 2023, and the Barnett formula was applied in the usual way.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Laura Trott question first answered 19/02/2024 09:28:39 answering member 4780 label Biography information for Laura Trott
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1687013

	registered interest
	date	02/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	ASW: Workplace Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the real-terms change as a result of inflation in the value of pension payments that were not index linked for Allied Steel and Wire pensioners under the FAS since 2007.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	12793
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2024 answer text <p>The information required to carry out such an assessment is not readily available and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. The Department has therefore made no such assessment and does not intend to do so, at this time.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 07/02/2024 12:17:52 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1687014

	registered interest
	date	02/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of index linking pension payments of failed pension schemes under the (a) Financial Assistance Scheme and (b) Pension Protection Fund.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	12794
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2024 answer text <p>While all pensions legislation is kept under review as a matter of course, there are currently no plans to amend (a) the Financial Assistance Scheme rules on indexation or (b) the Pension Protection Fund rules on indexation. These are complex matters and require careful consideration before any changes are made.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 07/02/2024 12:20:34 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1686402

	registered interest
	date	31/01/2024
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Command Paper entitled Safeguarding the Union, published on 31 January 2024, CP 1021, what discussions she has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Welsh Government on the potential impact of the decision to replace the Green Lane with a UK Internal Market system on the ability of goods to travel from Wales to Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	12341
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2024 answer text <p>The Cabinet has engaged with these new measures which have been collectively agreed in the usual way. On 31 January 2024, I wrote to the First Ministers of Wales and Scotland regarding the Government’s work to secure a restored Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly and on the Safeguarding the Union command paper (CP 1021).</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Daventry answering member printed Chris Heaton-Harris question first answered 05/02/2024 11:47:00 answering member 3977 label Biography information for Chris Heaton-Harris
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1685582

	registered interest
	date	29/01/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Cold Weather Payments: Eligibility
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using alternative methods of determining eligibility for cold weather payments.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	11694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2024 answer text <p>The Department continually monitors Cold Weather Payment policies and procedures to identify opportunities to improve the scheme's effectiveness. This includes working with the Met Office, who review the scheme each year to assess whether the linkages between postcode areas and weather stations remain the best available.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 01/02/2024 16:33:49 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1685263

	registered interest
	date	26/01/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Email
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of offering secured e-mail as a communications option for his Department's customers upon request.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	11583
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2024 answer text <p>DWP utilises technology which allows encryption with most providers of personal email services, such as Gmail or Outlook, helping this stay secure. As such, email communication with customers is currently permitted in certain circumstances, for example, where the customer has a reasonable adjustment in place.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is keen to utilise the benefits provided by email communication and is currently exploring the possibilities of expanding its use of email to communicate with customers.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 31/01/2024 14:38:52 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1685315

	registered interest
	date	26/01/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Uniforms
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of replacing real bear fur bearskin hats with faux fur bearskin hats for use in the military.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	11584
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2024 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 January 2024 to Question 10427 to the hon. Member for Bristol East (Ms McCarthy).</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge question first answered 05/02/2024 14:41:06 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge attachment 1 file name UIN 10427.docx title King's Guards: Uniforms
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1676572

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of raising the earnings threshold for family visas to on the human rights of (a) UK citizens and (b) foreign partners of UK citizens.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	5947
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2023 answer text <p>The family Immigration Rules contain a provision for exceptional circumstances, including a breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, where there would be unjustifiably harsh consequences for the applicant, their partner, a relevant child, or another family member, if their application were to be refused.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 14/12/2023 13:17:44 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1676580

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Married People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of raising the earning threshold for family visas on people who intend to marry a foreign partner (a) before and (b) after Spring 2024 whose salary does not meet this threshold.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	5948
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2023 answer text <p>Analytical work has been undertaken across Government to support decision making in this process, and an Impact Assessment will be developed in due course.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 5949 question first answered 14/12/2023 13:15:06 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1676654

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of trends in the number of applications for spouse and family visas in the period before the implementation of the proposed higher earnings threshold.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	5949
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2023 answer text <p>Analytical work has been undertaken across Government to support decision making in this process, and an Impact Assessment will be developed in due course.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 5948 question first answered 14/12/2023 13:15:06 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1672749

	registered interest
	date	23/11/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Prescriptions: Wales
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Back to Work plan, published on 16 November 2023, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on whether measures to restrict the eligibility to free prescriptions of benefit claimants who are subject to sanctions will apply to claimants in Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	3442
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2023 answer text <p>We are not restricting eligibility to free prescriptions of benefit claimants who are subject to sanctions. Claimants may still be entitled to access those passported benefits through other means.</p><p> </p><p>At Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced that we will be closing claims for people who refuse to engage in employment support following a sanction decision and in receipt of a nil award for a period of 6 months or longer. As always, if entitlement to passported benefits is reliant solely on a Universal Credit claim to establish eligibility, that will cease if the claim is closed.</p><p> </p><p>DWP has a well-established relationship with the Welsh Government, ensuring that we work together on devolved and reserved areas effectively. Universal Credit is reserved, and as such once the proposal is in legislation it will apply in England, Scotland and Wales.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 28/11/2023 16:58:13 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams