Written questions by Lake.

What assessment has she made of the potential impact of the Government's plans to abolish NHS England on the future amounts of health related consequential funding that the Welsh Government will receive under the Barnett formula.

The Barnett formula is applied when departmental budgets change – not when departments announce changes in policy. The Department for Health and Social Care are working through the implications of abolishing NHS England and will provide further details in due course. For any funding implications, the Barnett formula will apply in the usual way as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy. A full breakdown of devolved government funding is set out in the Block Grant Transparency, the next iteration of which will be published in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has considered taking steps to help ensure that (a) Eritrean and (b) other non-Ethiopian federal forces honour the terms of the Ethiopia-Tigray Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, signed on 2 November 2022.

The full implementation of the 'Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities' in Pretoria in November 2022 is key to peace and stability in Northern Ethiopia. The UK continues to be at the forefront of diplomatic and development efforts to sustain the agreement and encourage political dialogue. We regularly engage the parties to the agreement and the African Union guarantors to reiterate the importance of full implementation. We most recently issued a statement to this effect on 13 March alongside the US, EU, and 22 other countries. Furthermore, we are supporting the African Union Monitoring Verification and Compliance Mechanism.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to prevent conflict in Tigray.

The UK is working with partners to prevent a return to conflict and preserve stability in the region by supporting the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. In the context of a rise in tensions in Tigray, we are actively engaging all parties to encourage de-escalation and dialogue. On 13 March we issued a joint statement alongside the US, EU, and 22 other countries to this effect.

What steps his Department is taking to protect consumers from the impact of the recent increase in the energy price cap; and whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that utility companies reflect falls in wholesale prices in consumer energy costs.

The energy price cap will rise for the period 1 April to 30 June 2025 due to an increase in international gas prices. The Government believes the only way to protect consumers permanently is to speed up the transition towards homegrown clean energy. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. We continue to monitor energy prices and the price cap and are working to ensure bills are affordable for consumers in the long-term, including through our work with Ofgem to reform standing charges, and through our Warm Homes Plan which will upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure the interests of viewers in Wales are represented in her Department's future of TV distribution stakeholder forum.

The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a range of broadcasters active in Wales, including the Welsh-language broadcaster S4C, the BBC and ITV. The forum also benefits from the perspectives of a number of groups representing the interests of Welsh and UK-wide audiences, such as Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Digital Poverty Alliance and Silver Voices.

Whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the future of terrestrial TV distribution in Wales.

I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of matters.DCMS, as the lead department, are seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. As part of this process, DCMS has established a stakeholder forum which will take views on this topic from a range of broadcasters active in Wales, including S4C, the BBC and ITV. The forum also benefits from the perspectives of a number of groups representing the interests of Welsh and UK-wide audiences, such as Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Digital Poverty Alliance and Silver Voices.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the (a) arrest and (b) detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya in Israel.

We are concerned by the reports of the detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and others. I have raised this case with both Israel's Ambassador to the UK, and Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Haskel. Israel must allow medical staff to carry out their work unimpeded, and to travel around Gaza as needed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on upholding the human rights of healthcare workers from Gaza detained in Israel.

The UK has consistently raised concerns about the impact of this conflict on Gaza's healthcare systems and medical staff, including reiterating the requirement for all parties to uphold International Humanitarian Law. We are also deeply concerned by reports of the mistreatment of Palestinian detainees in Israel. I raised our concerns about healthcare workers in Gaza with Israel and urged Israel to clarify the reasons for detention of medical staff from Gaza who are detained in Israel, including cases such as Dr Hussam Abu Safiya. We have consistently called on Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities and will continue to do so.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on allowing independent monitors to access detention centres housing prisoners from Gaza.

We are deeply concerned by reports of the mistreatment of detainees. The UK has raised this with the Israeli Government as a priority and continues to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities. We believe it is critical that the ICRC is given regular access to detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

Upon what evidential basis she will deem it sufficient to lift the temporary pause on the processing of Syrian asylum seeker claims.

Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Home Office has withdrawn the Country Policy Information Notes and Guidance relating to Syria and has temporarily paused all asylum interviews and decisions for Syrian nationals. However, we continue to register new claims from Syrians in the UK who wish to claim asylum and when there is a clear basis upon which to make decisions on Syrian claims, we will resume the processing of them.

Whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in the Welsh Government on the application of the Barnett formula to agriculture funding in Wales from the 2025-26 financial year.

I regularly engage with Welsh Government ministerial colleagues. Engagement takes place at the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee (which is next due to meet on the 27th of February) and bilaterally, as well as through regular correspondence, on issues relating to devolved government funding including the application of the Barnett formula. Agriculture and fisheries funding from 2024-25 has been added to the devolved governments’ baseline funding from 2025-26 which means the funding amount will be maintained in cash terms. Funding is no longer ringfenced and the devolved governments can choose how to spend this in devolved areas. In future, the Barnett formula will apply in the normal way to agriculture and fisheries funding provided to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England.

What steps her Department is taking to improve truck stop facilities for HGV drivers.

The Department and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade truckstops across England. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities along the strategic roads network. This investment is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.

Whether her Department plans to extend full expensing to leased vehicles to support the road haulage industry in Wales.

The UK has one of the most generous and competitive capital allowances regimes in the world and is the only major economy with permanent full expensing.The government recognises the case to extend full expensing to leasing and will explore making this change when fiscal conditions allow.

What plans her Department has to support the Welsh road freight industry.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses, by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned inflation increase for 2025-26. This maintains fuel duty rates at the levels set on 23 March 2022 for an additional 12 months, and represents a saving for drivers next year of overall around £3 billion. Vans will see an average saving of £126 and heavy goods vehicles will see an average saving of nearly £1,100. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of public finances. It is for the Welsh Government to allocate funding in devolved policy areas, including to support the Welsh road freight industry; they are accountable to the Senedd for those decisions. The Welsh Government will receive funding through the Barnett formula for any changes to UK Government department budgets in the usual way. This is the normal operation of the funding arrangements as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.

What steps her Department is taking to improve recruitment of HGV drivers.

To improve working conditions for HGV drivers, the Department and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade truckstops across England. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities along the strategic roads network. This funding is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.In addition, the Department has been working with the insurance and road haulage trade associations to raise awareness of fleet insurance policies that can provide cover for newly qualified drivers without higher premiums.To support drivers in returning to the sector, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has introduced more flexible Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) requirements for those driving in the UK. The requirement removes the need to complete 35 hours of training prior to a return to driving and replaces it with a 7-hour ‘return to driving’ training module, and a requirement to complete the 28 hours of other CPC training within 12 months.The Department for Transport is also a strong supporter of the Generation Logistics campaign. Led by the industry, this initiative aims to raise awareness and enhance perceptions of careers in logistics, particularly among young people and underrepresented groups.

How many and what proportion of (a) Paying Parents and (b) Receiving Parents using the Child Maintenance Service disclosed domestic abuse in 2023-24.

Child Maintenance Service (CMS) did not capture the data requested on proportion of (a) Paying Parents and (b) Receiving Parents using the Child Maintenance Service who disclosed domestic abuse in 2023-24. Therefore, this information is not readily available to provide. To extract this data would involve the manual review of all CMS cases, at a significant cost to the department and taxpayer. The Department is assessing how it can provide statistics on domestic abuse now the application fee exemption statistics are no longer published. The Department's Chief Statistician will oversee the development of these statistics to make sure they meet the Code of Practice for Statistics.

How many and what proportion of child maintenance service cases are being dealt with by the specialist domestic abuse caseworker team.

The Child Maintenance Service takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring victims of abuse get the help and support they need to access and use the service safely and securely.CMS caseworkers are provided with domestic abuse training to ensure they understand, recognise and respond safely and appropriately to customers who are experiencing domestic abuse, or are survivors of domestic abuse. In July 2024, the training was updated with input from external stakeholders, and covers different types of abuse, including economic, post-separation, coercive and controlling behaviour.Specialist Case Team is one of the measures CMS have introduced to manage cases with the most challenging or complex domestic abuse concerns. This has minimised the need for parents to recount their history of domestic abuse and caseworkers to deliver support to some of the most vulnerable customers. As of February 2025, the volume of cases in the Specialist Case Team was 301, this equates to 0.04% of CMS total customer caseload.

Media and Sport, if she will make a comparative assessment of the potential impact of (a) external lottery managers, (b) bookmakers and (c) other gambling providers on the (i) forms and (ii) levels of gambling harms.

The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) collects data from its respondents on the gambling activities they participate in and the types of consequences they experience. Rates of gambling harm, measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), are reported by type of gambling activity (such as lotteries or betting), rather than by supplier (such as external lottery manager or bookmaker).The PGSI nonetheless captures a range of harms experienced among those who gamble. The GSGB 2023 annual report found that 4.7% of respondents who had participated in society lotteries had a PGSI score of 8+ (representing ‘problem gambling’ by which a person will have experienced adverse consequences from gambling and may have lost control of their behaviour.) This captures society lotteries run by charities themselves and through external lottery managers. The equivalent rate for other gambling providers varies significantly, from 4.2% to 41.2%.

Of the inquests launched in Ceredigion in each of the past ten years, how many were concluded within 6 months.

The requested information is set out in the table below or can be extrapolated from the data published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coroners-statistics-2023.YearNumber of inquests openedNumber of inquests concluded within 6 monthsAverage length of inquest process (in weeks) CeredigionCarmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire*CeredigionCarmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire*CeredigionCarmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire*20231217041021434202222210610635302021151438183822202032126727363220193214521106232820184114718127 20172816121148 20163322136221 20153722637204 201419109970 * The Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire coroner area includes both the Carmarthenshire County Council and Pembrokeshire County Council areas, and it is not possible to provide information for Pembrokeshire only.

Of the inquests launched in Pembrokeshire in each of the past ten years, how many were concluded within 6 months.

The requested information is set out in the table below or can be extrapolated from the data published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coroners-statistics-2023.YearNumber of inquests openedNumber of inquests concluded within 6 monthsAverage length of inquest process (in weeks) CeredigionCarmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire*CeredigionCarmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire*CeredigionCarmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire*20231217041021434202222210610635302021151438183822202032126727363220193214521106232820184114718127 20172816121148 20163322136221 20153722637204 201419109970 * The Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire coroner area includes both the Carmarthenshire County Council and Pembrokeshire County Council areas, and it is not possible to provide information for Pembrokeshire only.