Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she made of the potential merits of including provisions for a statutory Independent Child Exploitation Advocate, modelled on section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act, in the Crime and Policing Bill.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The government is not currently exploring separate exploitation advocates as the Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) service exists as an independent source of advice, advocacy and support for potential child victims of modern slavery, exploitation and human trafficking in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).

In line with Section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Government is committed to providing a national ICTG service in England and Wales.

The ICTG service was initially introduced in 2017 and a staggered approach to rollout was taken to allow time to trial an effective model of delivery. This has enabled the Home Office to test and evaluate different models of service delivery, expanding and adapting as necessary to develop a model that is suitable for national provision. In September 2025, the invitation-to-tender for the national contract was launched, which will expand the current service coverage from two-thirds of local authorities to all child victims referred into the NRM in England and Wales. The tender process is now underway and updates to legislation are currently being considered.

Statutory first responders must refer all potential victims of modern slavery, trafficking and exploitation into the NRM to ensure they are appropriately identified and provided with support. Whilst local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area, referring a child potential victim into the NRM ensures that child potential victims of exploitation, modern slavery and human trafficking in the NRM will also get support from the ICTG service.

Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) also play a critical role in supporting victims and survivors and their families. We have commissioned a rapid assessment of the current ISVA support service and resource landscape, specifically for children and young people who are victims of grooming gangs, including technology-facilitated abuse.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department made of the potential impact in Wales of increasing the threshold of Agricultural Property and Relief and Businesses Property Relief to £2.5 million.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government announced that the allowance for 100 per cent rate of relief will be increased from £1 million to £2.5 million. This means a couple will now be able to pass on up to £5 million of agricultural or business assets tax-free between them, on top of the existing allowances such as the nil-rate band.

Information from claims is not recorded to enable constituency, regional or national breakdowns of the number of estates expected to be affected. However, compared to Budget 2025, the expected number of estates across the UK claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, forecast to pay more inheritance tax in 2026-27 halves from 375 to 185. Around 85 per cent of estates across the UK claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27, including those that also claim for business property relief, are forecast to pay no more inheritance tax on their estates under these changes.

Excluding estates only holding shares designated as ‘not listed’ on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, the reforms are also now expected to result in up to 220 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. This is a reduction from up to 325 such estates forecast to pay more at Budget 2025. This means just over 80 per cent of such estates making claims are forecast to not pay any more inheritance tax.

A tax information and impact note has been published in the normal way for UK wide changes to the tax system. This is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-changes.

St David’s Day (Dydd Gwyl Dewi)

Harm caused by exposure to sodium valproate

Horse and rider road safety

Gambling harms

UK digital sovereignty strategy

Public health campaign on tackling stigma towards suicide

Big Garden Bird Watch 2026

Essentials Guarantee

Dolly Parton's birthday

Crown Estate (Wales) Bill [Lords]

Situation of Kurdish people in Syria

Changes to Right To Protest in the Public Order Act 2023

Report on conditions and treatment at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre

Deregistration of international non-governmental organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Iran protests

Situation in Iran

Grok AI generation and dissemination of sexually explicit and non-consensual images of women and children on X

Sinking of SS Tilawa

Commemoration of Terry Yorath

Use of UK bases by the United States and international law in relation to Greenland

Abermaw Repair Café

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Jones (Chair); Ann Davies; Gerald Jones; Ben Lake; Llinos Medi