Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a UK Maternity Commissioner.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to appoint a Maternity Commissioner. The Government has commissioned an independent National Investigation into maternity and neonatal care, chaired by Baroness Amos, which is expected to make recommendations this spring. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will chair the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to address the recommendations and develop a new national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure newly qualified paramedics can access appropriate NHS job opportunities.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions on the employment of newly qualified paramedics are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, and educators to improve transition into the workforce.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help protect STEM jobs in Wales.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy is protecting and expanding STEM jobs in Wales by backing future industries and Wales’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and life sciences. North Wales will pioneer the UK’s first Small Modular Reactor programme, supporting up to 3,000 new jobs. Two Welsh AI Growth Zones are unlocking more than 8,000 technology roles across the country, while the UK Government’s £500 million investment in an electric arc furnace at Port Talbot, and continued support for the compound semiconductor cluster, further strengthens Wales’s industrial and STEM employment base.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with Capita on ensuring newly retired civil servants receive pensions on time.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The Civil Service Pension Scheme transferred to Capita on 1 December 2025 and is experiencing significant performance issues in delivering services to members. The delays facing some civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions is unacceptable.
Both Ministers and senior officials are meeting regularly with Capita leaders to track progress against agreed recovery plans. The recovery plan includes specific milestones and accountability targets. It includes commitments to deal with priority cases as quickly as possible, restore service levels for all, deploy additional resources, and improve communication with affected members.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support recovery from flooding caused by Storm Claudia in Wales.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
I saw first-hand the devastating impact of Storm Claudia in Monmouthshire when I visited on 20 November with my hon. Friend. My thoughts, and I’m sure those of the whole house, remain with affected residents.
I went to Monmouth to thank emergency responders and local residents who have all rallied together to support the community, and the Mayor of Monmouth, Jacqui Atkin who has raised a substantial sum to help with the clean-up operation.
Both the Welsh and UK Governments will do whatever it takes to support the people and businesses of Monmouthshire to recover in the weeks and months ahead.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
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 help reduce insurance premiums for homes at high risk of flooding.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Flood Re is a joint Government and industry flood reinsurance scheme established specifically to help UK households at high risk of flooding to access affordable insurance through their insurance provider.
In 2024/25, Flood Re provided cover for over 346,000 household policies. 650,000 properties have benefitted since the scheme’s launch. Notably, prior to Flood Re’s inception, the average home insurance quote for a householder with a flood claim was about £4,400. As of December 2024, the average was c. £1,100. Additionally, 99% of householders at high risk of flooding can now obtain quotes from 10 or more insurers.
I met with senior leaders from the insurance industry this month. We discussed how the industry can support their customers both to secure relevant and affordable insurance, and at the point of claim.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure victims of sex trafficking are adequately safeguarded from being trafficked in the future.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this ambition.
The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through law enforcement activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats and targeting prolific perpetrators. We will also work closely with the voluntary and community sector to help sexually exploited people and ensure that those who want to exit prostitution are able to.
To support victims to escape and recover from their exploitation, the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of exploitation and trafficking in England and Wales. This support includes safe accommodation where necessary, financial support and a support worker to help them access wider support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.
The Home Office is also providing £475,000 to Changing Lives from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, to address the current gaps in evidence around the levels and types of online abuse and exploitation that are happening, and to help us better understand the pathways that are needed to improve support.
We recently ran a public Call for Evidence on how the Government can improve the process of identifying victims of modern slavery, including for victims who have been trafficked for sexual exploitation. Following analysis of the responses from this Call for Evidence, we will consider whether any future policy changes are needed.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help support Universal Credit claimants to become self-employed.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit supports self-employment where it is the best route for customers to become financially independent.
Work Coaches can signpost customers to national and local support where available, such as business advice, mentoring or training. Depending on the customers circumstances, this may also include connecting them with other government support including:
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure patients living near the England-Wales border receive timely care after a cross-border referral.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that patients across the United Kingdom continue to wait lengthy periods for treatment and it is imperative that the elective waiting list is a top priority.
We have committed to closer working with the Welsh Government as a step towards sharing more insights and practice so that we can cut waiting lists across the UK and build a National Health Service that is fit for the future.
There are special cross-border arrangements for patients who live on the English-Welsh border to make sure they receive healthcare without confusion or delay, and that patient data can be accessed by relevant professionals. We will continue to ensure these arrangements support high-quality care for patients in both England and Wales.
To support these arrangements, NHS England and the Welsh Government have also published two sets of data on cross-border care as a starting point for greater transparency and closer working relations across the Devolved Governments.
Together we aim to deliver faster, improved and more equitable health outcomes for all patients across the UK, helping patients to get the care they need, in a timely manner.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the use of cash intensive businesses for money laundering.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Cash intensive businesses can be exploited by criminals who seek to launder their cash enabling them to profit from their illegal activities. Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, law enforcement may seize cash of £1,000 or more if they reasonably suspect it is derived from or intended for use in criminal activity, even without a criminal charge or conviction. In the financial year ending March 2024, £49.5 million in cash was seized.
Driving down money laundering is critical to this Government’s key missions to deliver safer streets and economic growth. Addressing cash-based money laundering is therefore one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), which sits within the National Crime Agency (NCA).
In March, the NECC, coordinated a three-week crackdown against barbershops and other cash intensive business across England and Wales involving 19 different police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units, as well as HMRC, Trading Standards and Home Office Immigration Enforcement. In total, 380 premises were visited across the three-week operation, with officers securing freezing orders over bank accounts totalling more than £1m, executing 84 warrants and arrested 35 individuals. Officers also seized more than £40,000 in cash, 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, over 8,000 illegal vapes and two vehicles.
This is the first phase of targeted action against criminals and organised crime groups who use high-street businesses to launder criminal monies. The Government is committed to working with the NCA and partners to reduce this threat.