Written questions by Antoniazzi.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Minister for Women and Equalities on taking steps to prevent people being sexually exploited on websites advertising prostitution in Gower constituency.

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out an unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this.We continue to work closely with law enforcement to ensure there is a relentless pursuit of prolific perpetrators, including through operational intensification initiatives.We are also clear that online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation and must be responsible and accountable for content on their sites, including taking proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment, or face significant penalties.Home Office Ministers regularly meet with ministerial colleagues from other departments, as well as stakeholders, including NGOs and law enforcement partners, to promote the better identification and prosecution of perpetrators who pose a risk to women and girls, and to enhance support for victims who are being sexually exploited.

Whether her Department holds data on Welsh prisoners by (a) sex, (b) ethnicity, (c) socio-economic background, (d) offence type, (e) sentence type and (f) local authority.

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) cannot identify Welsh prisoners because English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish nationalities are not captured separately on the central data system. UK nationals are all recorded as British.HMPPS can provide data on prisoners with an address in Wales, broken down by sex, ethnicity, offence type, sentence type and local authority. We do not hold data on offenders’ socio-economic background.Around 97% of prisoners have addresses that are recorded on the central data system. If no address is given, an offender’s committal court address is used as a proxy for residence. Prisoners with no recorded origin are typically foreign nationals, or those recently received into custody where no address has yet been assigned.It is important to note that someone with an address, for example in London, may consider themselves to be Welsh, while someone with an address in Wales may not. It is not possible to infer from an address in Wales that an individual considers themselves to be Welsh.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls entitled Violence against women and girls in sports, published on 27 August 2024.

We note the UN Special Rapporteurs's report and support the aim of promoting safe sporting environments for women and girls. We are dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport.The Government has been clear that sporting bodies have a responsibility to protect the integrity and fairness of women's sport and the safety of all participants, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.With respect to eligibility, National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions, and rules for international competitions are set by International Federations. To help, in the UK, our Sports Councils have produced guidance, which is clear that inclusion, fairness and safety cannot be balanced in gender-affected sport.

What assessment she has made of the merits of the application of the Barnett formula in Wales, in the context of HS2 spending.

The Barnett formula is simple, efficient and provides a clear and certain outcome. This is why it has stood the test of time.The result of Barnett formula is that the Welsh Government is receiving at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK. That translates into over £4 billion more in 2025-26.HS2 is a heavy rail programme. The UK Government is responsible for heavy rail infrastructure across England and Wales, so spends money on this in Wales rather than funding the Welsh Government to do so through the Barnett formula. This approach is consistent with the funding arrangements for all other policy areas reserved in Wales, as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy. The Government remains committed to heavy rail schemes in Wales, by providing funding for both operations, maintenance and infrastructure, and enhancement schemes such as modernising Cardiff Central Station.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on young people in Gower constituency of differences in the level of regulation of pornographic content accessed (a) online and (b) offline.

The Online Safety Act imposes duties on user-to-user services and publishers of pornography to prevent children encountering pornographic content online.Ofcom can enforce duties on publishers of pornography from early 2025. The age assurance duties for user-to-user services will come into effect by summer 2025.Additionally, the Independent Pornography Review will assess the effectiveness of pornography legislation, regulation and enforcement, including online and offline regulation. We expect that the independent review will finalise towards the end of this year.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on taking steps to help prevent people being sexually exploited on websites advertising prostitution in Gower.

Ministers have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, including protecting people from illegal activity online. The Online Safety Act gives online platforms new duties to tackle illegal content and activity on their services. Sexual exploitation offences are ‘priority offences’ within the Act; service providers need to take proactive steps to search for, remove and limit people’s exposure to this harmful kind of illegal content. Firms will need to start risk assessing for illegal content by the end of the year and the illegal content duties will be fully in effect by Spring 2025.

How many people have been convicted of an offence under Section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in Gower since that Act was introduced.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of defendants convicted under Section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.This can be obtained by selecting HO offence code ‘16702 – Paying or promising to pay a person to provide sexual services, where that person is subject to exploitative conduct to induce or encourage them to provide those services’ in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2023.Data is not available separately for Gower, however, there have been no convictions for this offence at any courts in Wales (including Gower) since the offence was introduced.

If she will make an estimate of the number of women who are being advertised for sexual exploitation on websites advertising prostitution in Gower.

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this ambition. We have not estimated the number of women being advertised on websites advertising prostitution in Gower, but the Government recognises that adult service websites are the most significant enabler of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Online platforms need to be responsible and accountable for content on their sites and take proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and sites, including adult service websites, will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.In addition, the Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational intensifications to target perpetrators. The Government will continue to keep policies to tackle sexual exploitation under review.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the harmful effects of pornography in Gower constituency.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content including extreme pornography. The Act requires services in scope to understand risks from illegal content online and take mitigating action.Separate to provisions in the Online Safety Act, the Independent Pornography Review, led by Independent Lead Reviewer Baroness Gabby Bertin will explore the effectiveness of regulation, legislation and the law enforcement response to pornography. The government expects the Review to present its final report by the end of the year.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Gower.

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all of the levers available to us to deliver this.The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational intensifications to target perpetrators, and we are working closely with the voluntary and community sector to help victims. We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that in 2023, sexual exploitation accounted for 10% (1,679) of all referrals, a 2% increase from the previous year, with 9% (1,470) of referrals relating to women. The Home Office does not hold data specific to Gower. However, between January and June 2024, there were 7 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM who reported (either part or whole) sexual exploitation which was disclosed as occurring in West Glamorgan.To help support people at risk of being sexually exploited, Changing Lives has received £1.36m from the Home Office over three years (2022-2025) for their Net-Reach project, which provides online outreach, early intervention and intensive support for women and girls at high-risk of exploitation and abuse.In addition, the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. This support includes a support worker to help them access support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure vulnerable people are able to access financial support with energy bills.

The Government is committed to ensuring energy bills are affordable for all consumers, especially the most vulnerable. The Government is continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides a £150 rebate off energy bills to eligible low-income households. I recently met with suppliers and encouraged them to build on the Voluntary Debt Commitment from last year and go further in supporting vulnerable customers this winter. The Government has also extended the Household Support Fund for an additional six months until 31 March 2025 with an extra £500 million in funding, and I encourage any vulnerable individual who is struggling to pay their bills contacts their local authority to see if they are eligible for this support.

What support is available for vulnerable people who meet the financial threshold for the Warm Home Discount but are not the named bill payer.

The Warm Home Discount is a rebate on energy bills, usually paid into the bill payer’s account. Where an individual is not named on the bill, the rebate may still be paid if their partner or legal representative is named. The scheme also funds wider support, including a grant scheme for occupiers of park homes and programmes providing energy efficiency advice and measures. Those not benefiting from the rebate may be eligible for other government programmes, current schemes include the Energy Company Obligation, the Great British Insulation Scheme, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, and the Home Upgrade Grant.

What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of availability of the Warm Home Discount to named account holders only.

The Warm Home Discount is a rebate on energy bills received by over 3m households where an eligible individual, their partner or their legal representative is named on the energy account. To provide support on this scale, it is paid directly into energy accounts in the majority of cases. Those who are not eligible for the Warm Home Discount may be eligible for support from other government schemes or the wider support offered through the Warm Home Discount.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the PNC system in apprehending wanted individuals at airports.

This Government has been clear that we will strengthen our border security, undertaking thorough checks to prevent serious criminals from entering the UK. Border Force and Police work closely together to protect UK security, and our border systems identify individuals wanted on the PNC.

Whether he plans to provide £400 million for (a) employment support and (b) resources for (i) musculoskeletal and (ii) mental health services.

Long-term sickness continues to be the most common reason for economic inactivity among the working age population, now standing at 2.8 million. The two main causes contributing to sickness absence are mental health and musculoskeletal conditions, with the latter responsible for an estimated 23.4 million days of sickness absence in 2022.Improving health and good work outcomes for people who live with musculoskeletal and mental health conditions forms a key part of the Government’s missions to kickstart economic growth and build a National Health Service fit for the future.The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, with a range of support available to enable individuals to get into and remain in work. Measures include joining up health and employment support around the individual through WorkWell, Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care, as well as support from Work Coaches, Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres, and Access to Work grants.

Whether he plans to provide £400 million for scaling up musculoskeletal hubs.

Improving health and good work outcomes for the 20 million people in the United Kingdom who live with musculoskeletal l conditions forms a key part of the Government’s missions to kickstart economic growth and build a National Health Service fit for the future.The Government is currently exploring options to support these missions and those who experience musculoskeletal conditions. Decisions on the scaling up of musculoskeletal hubs will be taken as the work of the missions progresses and through the usual Spending Review processes.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making Proleukin available for motor neurone disease patients on the NHS.

We have made no assessment. It is critical that medicines used in the United Kingdom are safe and effective and as such, medicines cannot be marketed in the UK without a marketing authorisation. These are granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) which assesses all medicines with regard to their quality, safety, and effectiveness. Proleukin (interleukin-2, Aldesleukin) has not been licensed by the MHRA as a treatment for motor neurone disease. It is the responsibility of the company to apply to the MHRA for a relevant marketing authorisation. Should an application for it be received, the MHRA will consider this accordingly.In England, newly licensed medicines are also appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to determine whether they represent a clinically and cost-effective use of National Health Service resources. If the manufacturer of Proleukin seeks a licence from the MHRA for the treatment of motor neurone disease, then the NICE may consider it through the Technology Appraisal programme.

What assessment her Department has made of the role of websites advertising prostitution in facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has committed to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we use all our levers to deliver this. The advertising of sexual services has increasingly moved online, and we know that adult service websites are now the most significant enabler of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Online platforms need to be responsible and accountable for content on their sites and take proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment. We must ensure law enforcement use every tool to pursue perpetrators and that victims are supported to recover from this horrendous abuse. The Government is working closely with policing and others to help tackle the drivers, including through operational intensifications to target perpetrators. Prostitution more broadly is an extremely complex issue and there are a wide range of potential approaches. We are committed to making our streets safer by tackling the harm and exploitation which can be associated with it and ensuring that people who want to leave are given every opportunity to find routes out. Home Office Ministers and officials have not had any meetings with Vivastreet since the General Election on 4th July 2024. There are no plans to publish minutes or other written records of previous meetings with Vivastreet as these meetings were informal in nature and no minutes or records were taken.This government will ensure adult sexual exploitation is part of our VAWG.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of people who would be deterred from paying for sex if it was outlawed.

Sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has committed to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we use all our levers to deliver this. The advertising of sexual services has increasingly moved online, and we know that adult service websites are now the most significant enabler of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Online platforms need to be responsible and accountable for content on their sites and take proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment. We must ensure law enforcement use every tool to pursue perpetrators and that victims are supported to recover from this horrendous abuse. The Government is working closely with policing and others to help tackle the drivers, including through operational intensifications to target perpetrators. Prostitution more broadly is an extremely complex issue and there are a wide range of potential approaches. We are committed to making our streets safer by tackling the harm and exploitation which can be associated with it and ensuring that people who want to leave are given every opportunity to find routes out. Home Office Ministers and officials have not had any meetings with Vivastreet since the General Election on 4th July 2024. There are no plans to publish minutes or other written records of previous meetings with Vivastreet as these meetings were informal in nature and no minutes or records were taken.This government will ensure adult sexual exploitation is part of our VAWG.

If she will publish the (a) minutes and (b) other contemporaneous written records made by officials of all meetings between her Department and Vivastreet since 2017.

Sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has committed to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we use all our levers to deliver this. The advertising of sexual services has increasingly moved online, and we know that adult service websites are now the most significant enabler of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Online platforms need to be responsible and accountable for content on their sites and take proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment. We must ensure law enforcement use every tool to pursue perpetrators and that victims are supported to recover from this horrendous abuse. The Government is working closely with policing and others to help tackle the drivers, including through operational intensifications to target perpetrators. Prostitution more broadly is an extremely complex issue and there are a wide range of potential approaches. We are committed to making our streets safer by tackling the harm and exploitation which can be associated with it and ensuring that people who want to leave are given every opportunity to find routes out. Home Office Ministers and officials have not had any meetings with Vivastreet since the General Election on 4th July 2024. There are no plans to publish minutes or other written records of previous meetings with Vivastreet as these meetings were informal in nature and no minutes or records were taken.This government will ensure adult sexual exploitation is part of our VAWG.