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.
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.
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 adequacy of the amount of transition funding offered by Arts Council England’s to 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.
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 steps her Department is taking to support the Welsh National Opera; and if she will make a statement.
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.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of polygraph testing in high-risk domestic abuse cases.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Prior to polygraph testing being rolled out across the Probation Service in 2014, an evaluation of its effectiveness with high-risk sex offenders on licence was undertaken and a report published in 2012. The report is publicly available here: The evaluation of the mandatory polygraph pilot (publishing.service.gov.uk).
In July 2021 the Ministry of Justice commenced a three-year pilot of polygraph examinations with high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators on licence. The aim of the pilot is to evaluate the efficacy of polygraph in managing high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators using a randomised control trial which is being independently evaluated by the Cambridge Centre for Evidence Based Policing. The pilot also includes a process evaluation and, as part of that, we will seek the views of external stakeholders, including victim and survivor groups, about the use of polygraph testing with this group.
At the end of the pilot, the evaluation report will be laid before both Houses and will be used to make a decision whether to roll it out across probation nationally. Once the evaluation has been completed it will be published on gov.uk.
Due to it currently being piloted, the polygraph policy framework does not currently cover testing of domestic abuse perpetrators. However, the policy sets out the general requirements for how probation practitioners must liaise with partner agencies when a sex offender or terrorist offender is subject to polygraph testing. They are required to inform relevant partner agencies that someone has a polygraph testing condition on their licence and of the outcomes of any tests which take place, including any significant disclosures the person makes. The polygraph policy framework is publicly available here: Polygraph examination policy framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of sharing the results of polygraph testing in high-risk domestic abuse cases with (a) multi-agency partners and (b) specialist services to inform risk assessment and safety planning.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Prior to polygraph testing being rolled out across the Probation Service in 2014, an evaluation of its effectiveness with high-risk sex offenders on licence was undertaken and a report published in 2012. The report is publicly available here: The evaluation of the mandatory polygraph pilot (publishing.service.gov.uk).
In July 2021 the Ministry of Justice commenced a three-year pilot of polygraph examinations with high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators on licence. The aim of the pilot is to evaluate the efficacy of polygraph in managing high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators using a randomised control trial which is being independently evaluated by the Cambridge Centre for Evidence Based Policing. The pilot also includes a process evaluation and, as part of that, we will seek the views of external stakeholders, including victim and survivor groups, about the use of polygraph testing with this group.
At the end of the pilot, the evaluation report will be laid before both Houses and will be used to make a decision whether to roll it out across probation nationally. Once the evaluation has been completed it will be published on gov.uk.
Due to it currently being piloted, the polygraph policy framework does not currently cover testing of domestic abuse perpetrators. However, the policy sets out the general requirements for how probation practitioners must liaise with partner agencies when a sex offender or terrorist offender is subject to polygraph testing. They are required to inform relevant partner agencies that someone has a polygraph testing condition on their licence and of the outcomes of any tests which take place, including any significant disclosures the person makes. The polygraph policy framework is publicly available here: Polygraph examination policy framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to review the minimum income requirement threshold for Family visas.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We keep all our immigration routes under review.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the number of student visas issued by the Home Department on the economy.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Assessments are made when there are policy changes. An Impact Assessment was produced at the time the Student Route was opened by the Home Office, and it assesses the potential impacts (costs and benefits) of the policy, including the fiscal impact to the Exchequer.
The Student Route Impact Assessment is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/916601/IA_-_students.pdf
However, the HM Treasury and the Home Office continue to work closely together in monitoring the performance of visa routes.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the fiscal impact of the Graduate visa on the UK economy.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Graduate Route was launched on 1 July 2021. It allows international students to stay in the UK for two years (or three years with a PhD or other doctoral qualification) after successfully completing a course in the UK.
An Impact Assessment was produced at the time by the Home Office, and it assesses the potential impacts (costs and benefits) of the policy, including the fiscal impact to the Exchequer.
The Graduate Route Impact Assessment is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/966659/Graduate_Route_Impact_Assessment.pdf
HM Treasury and the Home Office continue to work closely together in monitoring evaluating the performance of visa routes.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to review the length of Graduate visas.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We keep our immigration policies under constant review.