Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the availability of practical car driving tests in Monmouthshire.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country.
Further information on these actions and progress on the DVSA’s plan, which was set out last year, can be found on GOV.UK.
DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns for new driving examiners (DE) and is in the final processes of the most recent campaign.
From recent recruitment in Monmouthshire, DVSA has two new DEs starting in Llantrisant, who will start testing this week, and has another awaiting an upcoming training course. There are also two potential new DEs currently in training for Newport and Cardiff driving test centres.
DVSA’s next campaign, which will include driving test centres in the area, is due to launch shortly.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the regulatory efficacy of the Financial Conduct Authority.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The government monitors the performance of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in a number of ways.
For example, the FCA is required to respond annually to the letter of recommendation sent by the Chancellor which sets out aspects of the government’s economic policy to which the FCA must have regard. The government scrutinizes this response, as well as other publications such as the FCA’s annual report.
The FCA publishes data against a range of metrics which support the government in monitoring its performance. The FCA is also developing new metrics to monitor its performance as part of its 2025-30 Strategy. This provides opportunities to assess how effectively the FCA is carrying out its role.
The Regulation Action Plan, published in March 2025, committed the government to holding regular performance reviews with relevant regulators. I have held the first meeting with the FCA, and the minutes of this meeting will be made publicly available. The government will use these meetings to build on its already extensive engagement with the FCA and other regulators, to hold them to account for their performance against their statutory duties, their work to reduce administrative costs, and alignment with government priorities.
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 actions he is taking to mitigate the potential impact of the built environment on bat populations.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All bats, including their breeding sites and resting places, are protected under UK and international law.
This strict legal protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure, or kill bats; to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place; or to obstruct access to a resting or sheltering place. Local Planning Authorities require a bat survey to be completed if a proposed development is likely to negatively affect bats or their habitats. Appropriate measures must be taken by developers to avoid, mitigate and, as a last resort, compensate for any negative effects on bats that could be caused by any proposed development. An example of a compensatory measure could be the erection of a bat box, whilst a mitigation measure could include carrying out works to a summer roost site in the winter when bats are not present.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework we published in December expects developments to minimise impacts on and provide net gains for biodiversity, including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures and through incorporating features that support priority or threatened species such as bats.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of making changes to Ukraine visa schemes to facilitate routes to settlement.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are committed to standing with Ukraine and providing stability for those we have welcomed to the UK and who still need our sanctuary.
The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, provides up to an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK for those with existing Ukraine Scheme permission.
We keep the Ukraine schemes under continuous review in line with the ongoing conflict and the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. This is why the Ukraine Schemes are temporary and do not lead to settlement in the UK. Similarly, time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.
There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements, such as work routes and family routes. These routes are published on GOV.UK at: Work in the UK - GOV.UK (opens in a new tab) and Family in the UK - GOV.UK (opens in a new tab).
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of HMRC phone line performance.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
HMRC publish monthly performance data, including information on their telephony service, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports.
A key part of this plan is expanding HMRC’s digital services. Improving day-to-day performance is one of the Government’s key priorities for HMRC.
A key part of this plan is expanding HMRC’s digital services. More than 6 million customers now use the HMRC app, which allows people to manage their tax affairs quickly and easily.
This summer, HMRC will publish a transformation roadmap. Setting out further steps to improve the customer experience for taxpayers, agents, and businesses.
This will reduce pressure on phone lines, freeing up HMRC advisors to help those who are digitally excluded, have complex tax affairs, or find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK ODA spending supports women and girls internationally.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to supporting women and girls around the world. We are strengthening the integration of gender equality across the full breadth of FCDO work and will use our convening power and diplomacy to maximise our impact, including through encouraging multilateral organisations to deliver on their commitments to women and girls.
Following the Spending Review, detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of ongoing resource allocation processes. We will publish the FCDO final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts in July.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the availability of (a) HGV driving test slots and (b) HGV driving test examiners.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of 30 June 2025, there were 15,918 vocational practical driving tests booked and 1,216 tests available in the 10-week booking window
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is seeing some of the highest demand for car practical driving tests it has ever seen.
Whilst DVSA are continuing to deploy examiner resource to vocational testing, it needs to ensure this is done in a way which balances all of the demands on DVSA’s examiner resource.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on issuing payments under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) launched in December of 2024, and as of 9 June 2025, 44 applicants have received payment. We have been prioritising payment to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the scheme going live to these prioritised groups. Some cases are more complex and require additional time due to the unique and individual circumstances involved. We envisage the scheme speeding up once the most complex cases are delt with.
The Scheme continues to make progress with applications, with process capacity expected to increase in the coming months. The FRS is continually looking for opportunities to automate processes where possible, to streamline processing and to work as efficiently as possible processing applications, taking account of the complexity and need for careful consideration.
Payments made by the FRS are not compensation payments and do not seek to compensate for any pecuniary losses or attempt to place personnel in a financial position they could have been in, had the ban not existed.
There is no predetermined target for the number of claims that will be assessed at each sitting of the Independent Panel for the FRS. The volume of claims reviewed at each sitting will vary depending on the length and complexity of individual cases, so it is not possible to confirm in advance how many cases will be considered in any given meeting. The Department expects to increase the frequency of Independent Panel sittings, with the aim of holding up to two sittings per week.
No formal assessment has been made of trends in waiting times for the assessment of claims under the Scheme. However, the Department is currently working on how we can simplify the process to update applicants. Applicants can contact the Restorative Action Team at the following email address: lgbt-frscheme@mod.gov.uk
The Department will continue to keep resourcing under close review to ensure the FRS is fully supported. This includes assessing whether additional staff are required to manage demand and maintain the timely assessment of claims. The Department continues to monitor the overall progress of claims and remains committed to ensuring the scheme is delivered as efficiently and fairly as possible.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on increasing economic growth in Wales.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
Growth is the number one mission of this government. We are creating tens of thousands of jobs in every corner of Wales through our Freeports, Investment Zones, support for steelworkers, inward investments and our thriving green industries.
I have also established the Welsh Economic Growth Advisory Group, which brings together business, industry, university and trade union leaders to plan how we unleash Wales’s economic potential.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the recent Report on the Call for Evidence about the Financial Conduct Authority, published by the APPG on Investment Fraud & Fairer Financial Services, whether she plans to introduce the recommended legislative changes.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
I noted the report with interest, and I recognise the difficulties faced by those who have lost out. Many of the issues explored in the report have already been extensively reviewed, and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has made significant changes in response. The government has no plans to make the legislative changes recommended in this report.
I regularly engage with the FCA to ensure that it continues to learn from these experiences and is effectively delivering on its objectives.