Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many BIRDs-authorised traders have had authorisation (a) suspended, (b) withdrawn, (c) reviewed following compliance investigations and (d) referred to HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service since the introduction of that scheme.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC does not systematically record data on the number of BIRDs authorised traders whose authorisation has been suspended, withdrawn, reviewed following compliance activity, or referred to the Fraud Investigation Service, and this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost
HMRC does not comment on the details or outcomes of specific compliance or enforcement activity, as to do so could prejudice ongoing or future investigations.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Stockholm 3 (S3) diagnostic test for prostate cancer; and whether he will consider its inclusion within the routine NHS diagnostic pathway for prostate cancer.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice. NICE’s HealthTech programme provides the route for providing independent, evidence-based guidance on whether new technologies should be adopted in the National Health Service. Decisions on routine use in the NHS is therefore guided by NICE’s established processes and the available evidence.
In August 2022, NICE published a medtech innovation briefing on Stockholm3, which noted that the test may improve risk prediction compared with prostate-specific antigen testing alone, but also highlighted important uncertainties, including limited evidence on its effect on clinical decision-making and long-term outcomes in the National Health Service.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average milage of Motability scheme users living in (a) Ceredigion Preseli constituency and (b) Wales was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.
Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year, to align with industry norms. This change will only apply to new leases from 1 July 2026, existing leases will not be affected. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already drive 10,000 miles or fewer per year.
Motability understand that this will affect customers differently are and keeping these changes under review.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to help support people in rural areas who may be affected by the reduction to the Motability scheme mileage allowance from 20,000 miles to 10,000 miles a year.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.
Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year, to align with industry norms. This change will only apply to new leases from 1 July 2026, existing leases will not be affected. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already drive 10,000 miles or fewer per year.
Motability understand that this will affect customers differently are and keeping these changes under review.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Motability scheme users living in (a) Ceredigion Preseli constituency and (b) Wales exceeded 10,000 miles in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.
Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year, to align with industry norms. This change will only apply to new leases from 1 July 2026, existing leases will not be affected. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already drive 10,000 miles or fewer per year.
Motability understand that this will affect customers differently are and keeping these changes under review.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of Mobility Scheme users who exceeded 10,000 miles per year live in rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.
Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year, to align with industry norms. This change will only apply to new leases from 1 July 2026, existing leases will not be affected. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already drive 10,000 miles or fewer per year.
Motability understand that this will affect customers differently are and keeping these changes under review.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with (a) veterinary bodies and (b) EU counterparts on the financial implications for pet owners of the ending of EU recognition of UK pet passports.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On 22 April the EU brought in new rules affecting those travelling with pets from third countries such as Great Britain (GB) into the EU. Defra has engaged with the European Commission to understand how they are implemented, and how this impacts those travelling from GB to the EU.
Ministers have regular conversations with a variety of stakeholders, including veterinary associations, on pet travel. Ahead of the EU’s changes, Defra contacted stakeholders, including the British Veterinary Association, the British Small Animal Vets Association, and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) to update them on the changes.
The UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area. Instead of the current process of getting an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) each time they travel, pet owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU. Until an agreement with the EU is reached, owners will still need an AHC for their dog, cat or ferret(s) if they are travelling from GB to an EU country.
AHC fees are set by veterinary surgeons or veterinary practices and are a private matter between individual practices and their clients, and neither the RCVS, the UK regulator of the veterinary profession, nor Defra intervene in the level of fees charged.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Customs Declaration Service and its Bulk Import Reduced Data Set, how many entries were logged under Customs Procedure Code 0020 21V in each year since 2022.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
For the purposes of this answer, “entries” have been interpreted as customs declarations.
The table shows the number of customs declarations logged on the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) under Customs Procedure Code (CPC) 0020 21V, which is used for the Bulk Import Reduced Data Set (BIRDs).
Year | Number of declarations |
2022 | 60,000 |
2023 | 278,000 |
2024 | 368,000 |
2025 | 403,000 |
These figures represent the number of declarations submitted to CDS under CPC 0020 21V only.
It should be noted that the figures are not directly comparable across years. In 2022 and 2023 a substantial proportion of BIRDs declarations were submitted via the legacy CHIEF system, under CPCs 4900003 and 4000003, and are therefore not included in the CDS figures shown above. In 2022 around 21% of BIRDs declarations were submitted via CDS, rising to around 75% in 2023.
The figures also exclude BIRDs declarations submitted using multiple additional procedure codes and therefore do not represent total BIRDs volumes.
Number of customs declarations are rounded to the nearest thousand.
You should note that a BIRDs declaration can cover multiple consignments.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Moroccan counterpart on the UN Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council calling for the Royal Moroccan Army to refrain from building further military infrastructure west of the berm in occupied Western Sahara.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK wants to see a lasting solution to the Western Sahara conflict. In her meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Bourita on 23 April, the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed Morocco's 2007 autonomy plan as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for achieving this objective. We continue to engage with all relevant parties in support of the UN-led process to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination.