Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether the Government plans to exempt people living in the UK from its proposed earned settlement reforms; and what assessment it has made of the potential impact of those proposals on the security and wellbeing of people who have established their lives in the UK.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
On 2 November 2026, the Home Secretary announced the Government’s final approach to earned settlement, following a 12-week public consultation which received more than 200,000 responses. The new framework will ensure that the time it takes to qualify for settlement reflects an individual’s character, contribution, integration and residence.
The Government has set out that the Earned Settlement reforms will apply to most people who are already in the UK who have not yet settled. Targeted transitional arrangements will apply to specified care workers and public-sector workers who were already in the UK before the publication of the Immigration White Paper in May 2025. These are one-off arrangements for clearly defined existing cohorts and do not provide a wider exemption for everyone already in the UK.
The Government recognises the importance of settlement to those who have established their lives in the UK. More than 200,000 responses to the consultation were considered in developing the final framework, which includes targeted protections for vulnerable and transitional cohorts.
We also remain committed to publishing economic, equality and child impact assessments ahead of implementation. We will also publish further guidance, setting out additional technical and operational detail, informed by continued engagement with affected groups and stakeholders.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what models of funding she is considering for BBC funding following its charter renewal in 2027.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government has been clear that the BBC must be funded by a model that is sustainable and fair. Through Charter Review, we are looking at a range of options, including how the BBC can operate more efficiently, generate more commercial revenue, and how the licence fee could be reformed. We are keeping an open mind on the future of the BBC’s funding model and no final decisions have been taken. Decisions on the BBC’s next Charter will be set out in a White Paper which will be published in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the evaluation of mandatory folic acid fortification will separately assess people with a current or previous cancer diagnosis, including effects on cancer progression, recurrence and survival, as distinct from cancer incidence in the general population; what evidence it will use on interactions with cancer treatments, including antifolate chemotherapy; and whether the findings will be published.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 21 October in response to Question 32843. The evaluation will focus on outcomes assessed across the general population and stratified by pregnancy, age, ethnicity, and deprivation, where applicable. The evaluation on cancer incidence will use publicly available information, such as cancer registry data.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, following the cyber attack on Manchester Airports Group, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen the protection of personal data held by organisations.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
UK GDPR and Cyber Assessment Framework principles already require organisations to implement appropriate measures to ensure the security and resilience of personal data, and all organisations have responsibilities under UK GDPR to keep personal data secure and design their processing activities with privacy and security in mind. This includes a requirement to report any personal data breach that poses a risk to people to the Information Commission without undue delay, and where feasible within 72 hours of becoming aware of it.
The Information Commission also has a range of enforcement powers at its disposal to protect personal data, such as requiring organisations to address non-compliance or imposing fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of an organisation’s global turnover (whichever is higher) for the most serious infringements. Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, the Commission can now require organisations to provide technical reports about an alleged breach and compel witnesses to attend interviews.
The Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill will enable the government, after appropriate consultation, introduce new security and resilience requirements that regulated entities must meet, including transport networks. The proposals to be consulted on will cover personal and non-personal data that underpin the provision of regulated services, including securing critical data and minimising unnecessary data collection. We propose that these requirements should focus on the security and resilience of critical data assets and complement existing principles.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking to improve take-up of Pension Credit and Housing Benefit among eligible pensioners in Wales; and what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government and local authorities on coordinating efforts to increase take-up of those benefits and Council Tax Reduction.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
Maximising Pension Credit take-up is a key Government priority. The Government has been running its biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign across Great Britain, encouraging pensioners and their families to check their eligibility and make a claim.
This has been reinforced through the autumn campaign and Pension Credit Week of Action from 12 October, including advertising across television, radio, print and social media, supported by media partnerships and social media influencers.
Around 660,000 leaflets are also being distributed to selected households across Great Britain, and DWP continues to work closely with partners and local authorities to support the campaign.
DWP is also bringing together the administration of pensioner Housing Benefit and Pension Credit to deliver a more joined-up service, improve access to financial support and help ensure that more pensioners receive all the benefits to which they are entitled. Council Tax Reduction is devolved in Wales.
My department continues to engage with the Welsh Government and relevant partners to ensure that reserved and devolved support works effectively for people in Wales.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help protect pensioners from financial exploitation by people acting under a power of attorney; and what measures are in place to identify, investigate and prevent the misuse of those powers.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) are private legal arrangements which allow a person to choose who they trust to make decisions on their behalf should they lose capacity. Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, a donor must have capacity when making an LPA and is entitled to make their own decisions about who they trust to act on their behalf. The LPA framework therefore reflects the importance of donor choice and autonomy. There are statutory eligibility requirements and safeguards which mean some people cannot be appointed as attorneys.
The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) can and does investigate concerns raised about an attorney's conduct and, where appropriate, apply to the Court of Protection to remove attorneys who are not meeting their duties under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Anyone can report a concern if they are worried about the behaviour of an attorney, including family members or friends, professionals, or members of the public.
In addition, OPG works closely with the financial services sector, including through its engagement with UK Finance, to ensure financial institutions understand when and how to report suspected fraud, financial abuse and other safeguarding concerns involving attorneys and deputies. Financial institutions are able to raise concerns with OPG through established reporting routes, so that concerns about an attorney's conduct can be investigated.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to use former military sites for asylum accommodation; and whether any sites in or near Wrexham are being considered for that purpose.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
We agree with the public that all asylum hotels need to close. However, the Home Office must ensure that we have enough secure, safe and sustainable accommodation so that we can continue to meet our obligation in a fair and equitable manner.
Accommodation on former military sites is designed to be largely self‑sufficient, with essential services being provided on site to minimise impacts on the local community and upon local services and offer better longer-term value for money. They reduce pressure on communities whilst also giving us greater oversight and control at critical points in the asylum decision making process.
The Home Office is not currently considering any ex-military sites in the Wrexham area for the purpose of asylum accommodation.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to tackle illegal waste dumping.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to tackling illegal waste dumping. The Waste Crime Action Plan is ensuring we pursue offenders and clean-up the most egregious illegal waste sites. This includes reforms to the waste carrier regime, the introduction of digital waste tracking and strengthened enforcement activity to identify and act against waste criminals.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that specialist powered wheelchairs and essential adaptations are recognised and funded as essential medical equipment.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services based on the needs of their local population, including specialist powered wheelchairs.
NHS England supports integrated care boards to commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs such as offering personal wheelchair budgets. The framework is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/wheelchair-quality-framework/
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to promote the safe and responsible use of electric bicycles, including tackling illegally modified e-bikes that do not comply with speed and power restrictions.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has published advice for consumers on the safe use of legally compliant e-bikes. This guidance has recently been updated to refer to the industry-led "E-Bike Positive" campaign.
Where e-bikes have been modified to overcome the power and speed restrictions set out in the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations, they are motor vehicles and must therefore be registered, taxed and insured. The rider must also wear a safety helmet and hold a driving licence. The Department has published further advice making this clear, and ultimately the police can seize such e-bikes where they are used on the road without being properly registered as motor vehicles.