Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, upon what evidential basis she will deem it sufficient to lift the temporary pause on the processing of Syrian asylum seeker claims.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Home Office has withdrawn the Country Policy Information Notes and Guidance relating to Syria and has temporarily paused all asylum interviews and decisions for Syrian nationals. However, we continue to register new claims from Syrians in the UK who wish to claim asylum and when there is a clear basis upon which to make decisions on Syrian claims, we will resume the processing of them.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in the Welsh Government on the application of the Barnett formula to agriculture funding in Wales from the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
I regularly engage with Welsh Government ministerial colleagues. Engagement takes place at the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee (which is next due to meet on the 27th of February) and bilaterally, as well as through regular correspondence, on issues relating to devolved government funding including the application of the Barnett formula.
Agriculture and fisheries funding from 2024-25 has been added to the devolved governments’ baseline funding from 2025-26 which means the funding amount will be maintained in cash terms. Funding is no longer ringfenced and the devolved governments can choose how to spend this in devolved areas. In future, the Barnett formula will apply in the normal way to agriculture and fisheries funding provided to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England.