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Written Question
Police: Training
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release entitled Overhaul of criminal justice system delivers significant improvement for rape victims, published on 10 July 2023, how many extra police officers have been trained in investigating rape and sexual offences.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

We recognise that specialist skills and knowledge is critical to ensuring rape and sexual offence cases are progressed and managed effectively.

We are supporting the College of Policing to improve the learning and development offer available to officers on rape and sexual offences. This includes developing new, academic-informed, training for investigators and officers likely to make initial contact with victims.

In July, we also announced that 2,000 officers will complete new specialist training on investigating these crimes by April, which will mean more officers building stronger cases and placing victims at the heart of their response. The College of Policing are confident that this commitment will be met and we will provide a further update shortly.


Written Question
Police: Training
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of police officers working in Child Abuse Investigation Teams had completed training in rape and sexual offences investigations by 12 March 2024, broken down by police force.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government recognises that having police officers with the right skills is critical in ensuring child abuse investigations are progressed and managed effectively. Given policing is operationally independent, it is the responsibility of Chief Constables to manage the allocation of officers to different crime types and to ensure they are appropriately trained and equipped to undertake investigations. The Home Office therefore does not hold the specific information requested.

The Government continues to invest in a range of work to strengthen law enforcement capacity and capability to tackle child sexual abuse, including developing and delivering an effective and victim-focused response. This includes funding policing’s Vulnerability, Knowledge and Practice Programme which aims to improve and coordinate police practice in protecting vulnerable people, including identifying and sharing best practice across police forces, as well as improving partnership responses.

Additionally, the College of Policing has developed the Specialist Child Abuse Investigators: Development Programme (SCAIDIP) - a specialist course aimed at developing investigators working within the child abuse investigation arena.

And in July 2023, the Government also announced that 2,000 officers will complete new specialist training on investigating rape and serious sexual offences by April this year. This will mean more officers building stronger cases and placing victims at the heart of their response. The College of Policing is confident that this commitment will be met.


Written Question
Children: Literacy
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of having subtitles switched on as a default for children's television programmes and films on children's literacy levels.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The department has recently made an assessment of the evidence behind the Turn on the Subtitles campaign and the current evidence is inconclusive as to whether turning on the subtitles improves children’s reading. It is the choice of parents and carers whether their child watches television with the subtitles on.

The government is committed to continuing to raise literacy standards, ensuring all children can read fluently. There is a supportive package of measures in place which aims to benefit the most disadvantaged pupils and is a key step in our mission to level up education standards in England. This includes the £67 million English Hubs programme which is now in its sixth year of delivery. It also incorporates the updated Reading Framework, an updated list of validated phonics programmes, funding for the purchase of phonics programmes and the National Professional Qualification in Leading Literacy.


Written Question
Migrants: Domestic Violence
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals claimed indefinite leave to remain through the Destitute Domestic Violence Concession in each year between 2018 and 2023.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

We do not routinely publish the requested information on the concession or immediate settlement for migrant victims of domestic abuse in a reportable format.


Written Question
Migrants: Health Services
Monday 29th January 2024

Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the draft Immigration (Health Charge) Amendment Order 2023, what his planned timetable is for the implementation of the immigration health surcharge.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2024 will come into force on 6 February.


Written Question
Immigration: Artificial Intelligence
Friday 10th November 2023

Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department has used to train AI systems used in immigration decision-making; and if she will publish that data.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

In the areas of immigration, immigration intelligence and immigration enforcement, we do not use machine learning or other forms of artificial intelligence to make decisions on whether to grant or refuse leave, or to take immigration enforcement action.

Where such algorithmic tools are used within business processes, they will be typically trained on the data used in the business process itself.

To safeguard our operations, we do not routinely publish the data that is used and for external providers it will depend on their development processes.


Written Question
Visas: Wrestling
Wednesday 6th September 2023

Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications were (a) received and (b) granted for people seeking an (i) International Sportsperson visa and (ii) Creative Worker (Temporary Work) visa so they could participate in wrestling performances in each year since 2010.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office publishes data on visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on international sportspersons and temporary worker visas are published in tables ‘Vis_D01’ for applications and ‘Vis_D02’ for outcomes of the Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets, as part of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to year ending June 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Wrestling in the UK is governed by the British Wrestling Association and holders of International Sports Persons visas may enter the UK to coach and compete in competitions.

Those performers appearing in the UK in professional exhibitions may apply under the Creative Worker (Temporary Worker) visa route.

However, the published data does not record the applicant’s sport.


Written Question
Welsh National Opera: Finance
Tuesday 11th July 2023

Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)

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 Arts Council England on the potential impact of the reduction in funding on the Welsh National Opera.

Answered by John Whittingdale

It is important that people across the country have access to a diverse range of cultural opportunities. Arts and cultural bodies receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including through Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Welsh National Opera will receive £4 million of public funding through Arts Council England’s 2023–26 Investment Programme, and was also successful in its application to the Arts Council’s ‘Transform Programme’ through which it will receive an additional one-off payment of £3.25 million. This means the Welsh National Opera will receive over £15 million of public funding between 2023 and 2026.

The decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, is a decision taken wholly by Arts Council England independently of HM Government. This is in accordance with the well established process, which is published on the Arts Council’s website and made clear in the guidance for applicants. How the Welsh National Opera chooses to spend its grant funding with respect to staffing, touring, and community work are matters for the organisation itself.

Cultural organisations such as the Welsh National Opera are also benefiting from the two-year extension to the higher rates of theatre, orchestra, museums and galleries exhibition tax reliefs announced at the last Budget. This extension will continue to offset ongoing pressures and boost investment in our cultural sectors. They will incentivise investment in productions in the UK, support them to tour, drive economic growth, and allow the sector to maintain its international competitiveness and reputation.


Written Question
Welsh National Opera: Finance
Tuesday 11th July 2023

Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in funding from Arts Council England on the Welsh National Opera.

Answered by John Whittingdale

It is important that people across the country have access to a diverse range of cultural opportunities. Arts and cultural bodies receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including through Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Welsh National Opera will receive £4 million of public funding through Arts Council England’s 2023–26 Investment Programme, and was also successful in its application to the Arts Council’s ‘Transform Programme’ through which it will receive an additional one-off payment of £3.25 million. This means the Welsh National Opera will receive over £15 million of public funding between 2023 and 2026.

The decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, is a decision taken wholly by Arts Council England independently of HM Government. This is in accordance with the well established process, which is published on the Arts Council’s website and made clear in the guidance for applicants. How the Welsh National Opera chooses to spend its grant funding with respect to staffing, touring, and community work are matters for the organisation itself.

Cultural organisations such as the Welsh National Opera are also benefiting from the two-year extension to the higher rates of theatre, orchestra, museums and galleries exhibition tax reliefs announced at the last Budget. This extension will continue to offset ongoing pressures and boost investment in our cultural sectors. They will incentivise investment in productions in the UK, support them to tour, drive economic growth, and allow the sector to maintain its international competitiveness and reputation.


Written Question
Welsh National Opera: Finance
Tuesday 11th July 2023

Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in funding from Arts Council England on the (a) staffing, (b) touring and (c) community work of the Welsh National Opera.

Answered by John Whittingdale

It is important that people across the country have access to a diverse range of cultural opportunities. Arts and cultural bodies receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including through Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Welsh National Opera will receive £4 million of public funding through Arts Council England’s 2023–26 Investment Programme, and was also successful in its application to the Arts Council’s ‘Transform Programme’ through which it will receive an additional one-off payment of £3.25 million. This means the Welsh National Opera will receive over £15 million of public funding between 2023 and 2026.

The decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, is a decision taken wholly by Arts Council England independently of HM Government. This is in accordance with the well established process, which is published on the Arts Council’s website and made clear in the guidance for applicants. How the Welsh National Opera chooses to spend its grant funding with respect to staffing, touring, and community work are matters for the organisation itself.

Cultural organisations such as the Welsh National Opera are also benefiting from the two-year extension to the higher rates of theatre, orchestra, museums and galleries exhibition tax reliefs announced at the last Budget. This extension will continue to offset ongoing pressures and boost investment in our cultural sectors. They will incentivise investment in productions in the UK, support them to tour, drive economic growth, and allow the sector to maintain its international competitiveness and reputation.