Oral Answers to Questions

Ann Davies Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd September 2026 Commons Chamber

The Prime Minister was asked—

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 2 September.

[The Prime Minister (Andy Burnham)]

It was good to be back at this Dispatch Box yesterday for the first time in 16 years, and I understand that I broke records on my first day back for the longest statement in modern history. Thanks for your help with that, Mr Speaker.

On my engagements, this evening I will join Their Majesties the King and Queen and President Macron at the British Museum to celebrate the arrival of the Bayeux tapestry. The loaning of the tapestry is a great example of French-British co-operation—the same co-operation that has helped us reduce summer small boat crossings to a seven-year low. This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I will have further such meetings later today.

[Ann Davies]

May I first welcome the Prime Minister to his place? I also welcome his exemption of offences including death by dangerous driving from early prison release, but this comes after months of anguish for bereaved families, including my constituent Lisa Jones, whose husband Aaron was killed on 23 December 2024. Will the Prime Minister now apologise to victims and their families who have been put through significant distress throughout this process? Can he also assure them that, unlike the Labour precedent, there will be no Government U-turn on this?

[The Prime Minister]

Can I start by paying tribute to the hon. Lady for the way in which she has represented the Jones family? I understand their anguish, and that of the many other families who found themselves in their position. I listened to what they were saying, and I came in and asked for changes to the early release scheme. We excluded rape, grooming and child sex offences, but on hearing those voices, I was not satisfied and I pushed the system to go further. As a result of that, we are going further and excluding death by dangerous driving and other manslaughter offences, so I hope she can now give that certainty to the family and that she will also give them my best wishes. I believe we are coming to the right position, and I can assure her that the Justice Secretary will be on top of this situation so that we ensure we are never in this position again.

Rewiring the State

Ann Davies Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Louise Haigh]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. I encourage him to raise it with the Leader of the House so that we have proper time in the Chamber to debate the issue.

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

Diolch yn fawr, Madam Dirprwy Lefarydd. It is great to see the powers being devolved to England to drive economic growth, yet the most minimal powers are not being considered for Wales. The promise made by the UK Government in February to jointly consult with the Welsh Government on the devolution of the vacant land tax has stalled. Will the First Secretary of State say what conversations she has had with the Treasury on that matter, and tell us when the consultation will be published?

[Louise Haigh]

As the hon. Lady knows, the Prime Minister said yesterday that we will be hosting a National Economic Council with the First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in order to discuss devolution at length, and the decisions around devolution that she has described will be made from there.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ann Davies Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Anna McMorrin]

I thank my hon. Friend for pointing that out. The UK and Welsh Labour Governments’ £14 billion plan for rail unlocks and delivers the transport network that Wales needs and deserves, bringing 12,000 jobs, boosting our economy and making journeys faster and more frequent. The plan contains 43 projects for every corner of Wales, including Burns stations in the south-east, electrification to Holyhead, the Swansea metro and the Marches line. While opposition parties want to put those plans on hold, the reality is that our two Labour Governments are working together to deliver transformational change for the people of Wales.

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

Labour’s Senedd manifesto makes no mention of the billions of High Speed 2 funding owed to Wales. Welsh Labour has given up on the argument, as the Secretary of State did after she took office. Her words were, “HS2 no longer exists.” Will the Minister please explain why Wales is not having fair funding for rail?

[Anna McMorrin]

I do not know if the hon. Member heard my answer just now: I talked about a £14 billion commitment across Wales. I am sure that she does not agree with her party’s plan to rip up that £14 billion commitment to rail, robbing Wales and our communities of a generation of rail investment, connecting communities and delivering jobs right across Wales.

Defending Democracy Taskforce

Ann Davies Excerpts

Thursday 12th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dan Jarvis]

My hon. Friend is right to raise her concerns in the way that she has done. Hopefully, she will have heard my earlier remarks, which respond to her specific point. We are working very closely with law enforcement, and we are seeking to work more closely with the tech companies, to make sure that we have all the right protections in place for the elections. If there is more that she thinks we should be doing, I would be very grateful to discuss it with her.

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

I welcome the Minister’s statement and everybody’s commitment to keep us all as safe as possible. Just a few months ago, the Housing Secretary called the Russian interference within the Reform party

“a stain on our democracy”.—[Official Report, 16 December 2025; Vol. 777, c. 776.]

Since then, members of the Welsh Labour party have been investigated for their connections with the Chinese state. With the Senedd Cymru election a mere two months away, what assurances can the Minister give that the defending democracy taskforce will help to defend our elections in Wales from foreign influence and interference?

[Dan Jarvis]

I can give the hon. Lady the assurance that she seeks, and I am grateful to Welsh colleagues for their attendance at the defending democracy taskforce yesterday. She is right to raise the threats and challenges that we face. We are making sure that our response to them is proportionate.

Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address Motion

Ann Davies Excerpts

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Chris Ward]

I think it is safe to say that there are a number of things that we regret around this issue. As I have said, the key point is that we will comply with the Humble Address fully, transparently and as quickly as possible.

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

Public confidence is so important, and the ministerial code requires that Ministers, including the Prime Minister, uphold the highest possible standards of propriety. Given that the evidence clearly shows what the Prime Minister knew, the appointment of Mandelson did not meet those standards. Can the Minister confirm whether the Prime Minister will refer himself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards?

[Chris Ward]

The Prime Minister has strengthened the powers of the independent adviser—and rightly so. The independent adviser now has a more central role in compliance with standards. But I am afraid that the question does not quite relate to what is in the Humble Address.

Standards in Public Life

Ann Davies Excerpts

Monday 9th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

We in Wales know how this story ends. The former Welsh First Minister, Vaughan Gething, was forced to resign following a serious error of judgment; the Prime Minister had expressed full confidence in him. The Prime Minister then went on to appoint Peter Mandelson, despite his association with a convicted paedophile being a matter of public record. What lessons, if any, does the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister draw from this pattern of poor judgment at the very top of Government?

[Darren Jones]

As I have repeated to the House, there must be rules that apply in all circumstances, to all people, in respect of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and to appointments to such roles, as well as clear consequences for people who lie or breach those rules. Those are the reforms that the Government are bringing forward.

Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration

Ann Davies Excerpts

Wednesday 4th February 2026 Westminster Hall

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

Diolch yn fawr, Ms Lewell; it is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. I thank the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Fleetwood (Lorraine Beavers) for securing the debate.

My corner of west Wales, Caerfyrddin, is no different. Multiple constituents have come to me with unacceptable experiences of trying to access their civil service pensions, as administered by Capita. Among them is Steve Dawkins, who retired this month after 24 years as a civil servant. Steve followed all the procedures and submitted his formal notice of retirement, but he has not received a formal acknowledgment of his pension claim, nor an indication of when his lump sum or monthly pension payments might be expected. His salary has stopped and he is not eligible for his state pension until September. I have sent a letter to Capita, outlining Steve’s case and urging action. I have had an acknowledgment but no action.

Rhiannon Davies-Laughlin, another constituent, has contacted Capita multiple times to request pension details but has not received a response. She also requested an annual benefit statement and was told to wait to hear within 10 days. She never did. She had to resign from her job and was due to finish work yesterday. She was intending to retire, but still does not know her pension position. I have written to Capita; I have not received a response.

We could go on to talk about many more cases, but we will finish with Sarah Rees. Last February, Sarah applied to receive her pension early because of ill health. That application was lost. The situation was similar to what the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Fleetwood (Lorraine Beavers) described. Sarah submitted the application again in July, and in November she was told that all the necessary paperwork had been received, but she did not hear back until last week. When I raised Sarah’s case during a business statement, it seemed to catch Capita’s attention, as Sarah has finally received a response, and a lump sum. But the sum was miscalculated, so I have had to write to Capita again, and you have guessed it: no response.

This is just not good enough. It is inexcusable that more than 8,000 people who retired more than 12 months ago still have not received their pension payments. Retired and retiring civil servants left in this position should seek, and have, compensation. I join the PCS Union’s call for a bespoke compensation scheme that takes account of interest on overdue payments and the financial implications of delays, as well as the distress that this scandal has caused them.

I urge the Minister and the Department, once the backlog of 90,000 cases is rectified, all pension payments have been issued and a compensation scheme has been set up, to act on the Public Accounts Committee’s report and consider bringing civil servants’ pensions back in-house to help prevent such a scandal from ever happening again.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ann Davies Excerpts

Wednesday 21st January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Jo Stevens]

I simply say what I have already said to the right hon. Lady, which is that we inherited these schemes; they had well-documented problems, and that is why we have taken decisive action to end them. She will have seen our announcement today on the warm homes plan and the £15 billion fund to help people across the country.

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

2. What discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on funding for railways.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Jo Stevens)]

I hold a range of discussions with Ministers in the Welsh Government, including about our crucial investment in the Welsh rail network. We are investing at least £445 million in Welsh rail to right years of underfunding by previous Tory Governments. That will mean new stations, and more and faster trains on the key lines in north and south Wales and into England to improve cross-border connectivity, create jobs and boost economic growth.

[Ann Davies]

Diolch yn fawr, Mr Llefarydd. The Treasury has confirmed that Northern Powerhouse Rail will again be classified as an England and Wales project, again depriving Wales of £1 billion in funding. Instead, we are being asked to celebrate £445 million being spent over 10 years in east Wales. This decision means no electrification beyond Cardiff, no new station for St Clears, even though it was promised through the levelling-up fund, and no upgrades for Carmarthen station. What influence can the Secretary of State bring to bear on the Treasury, so that the 1.5 million people who live outside the investment area, who are excluded, get the funding that they deserve?

Oral Answers to Questions

Ann Davies Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jo Stevens]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise the ideology of the nationalists. Nationalists in Scotland turn their back on nuclear jobs for Scots, while nationalists in Wales are desperately trying to hide the cavernous split in their party on whether they support new nuclear. This Labour Government are absolutely clear that we want economic opportunities for all parts of the UK, and we want jobs and skills opportunities—including nuclear skills—for people across the UK. Those parties that are hellbent on breaking our country apart are simply exposing the fact that they are willing to put their ideology before jobs, opportunities and economic benefits for the people and communities of these isles.

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

In order to secure rural economic growth in Wales, we need to ensure that our agricultural sector is supported. Every pound spent on agriculture generates £9 by supporting farm workers, vets, feed merchants, machinery sales and repairs, and local shops—I could go on and on. What is the Wales Office doing to support all those who live and work in rural Wales?

[Jo Stevens]

The hon. Lady will know that the Welsh Government have put extra money into farming this year through their Budget. Her party in the Senedd voted against that Budget. We are renegotiating the sanitary and phytosanitary standards deal with the EU, following our deal in May, and we are protecting farmers and food manufacturers across Wales.

G20 and Ukraine

Ann Davies Excerpts

Tuesday 25th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is an incredible champion for Derby. It was incredible to be in Johannesburg, sitting in a train that had been made in Derby. It is significant that countries around the world want to do deals with the United Kingdom because of the quality, professionalism and commitment of our workforce, whether they are in Derby in her particular case, or in other places across the country. Those particular trains will be used for the run to the airport and back, so they will be heavily relied upon in South Africa. I am proud that other countries are saying that it is the UK they want to do deals with, whether that is in relation to frigates, submarines or trains. She should be very proud of the workforce in Derby. If she could pass on my thanks to them for allowing us to do this work, I would be grateful.

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

I thank the Prime Minister for his statement. The draft deal states:

“It is expected that Russia will not invade neighboring countries”.

To say it is “expected” is wholly inadequate, given that we cannot place our trust in the words of leaders such as Vladimir Putin. What steps is the Prime Minister taking to ensure that this agreement includes clear, enforceable safeguards? What measures are being implemented to strengthen the UK’s resilience against Russian interference?

[The Prime Minister]

On the security guarantees, planning has taken place with the coalition of the willing. That needs to be put together with the US guarantee to ensure that it is not an expectation that Putin does not invade Ukraine again, but that there is an absolutely clear message that if he does, there will be consequences. It is only if that is in place, with strong guarantees and credibility, that we will be able to deter Putin. Without those guarantees, he will, as we have seen in the past, simply breach any agreement that was reached in due course. We need to bear down on Russian interference in our democracy, and we will continue to do so.