Gerald Jones

The CPS is working closely with partner agencies across the criminal justice system to reduce the current backlog of cases created by the Covid-19 outbreak. This includes both internal measures to deal with larger live caseloads in CPS Areas and working closely with partners to ensure maximum throughput of cases at court.

Considerable progress is being made. In the honourable member’s constituency, Merthyr Magistrates’ Court has now reduced its backlog to pre-COVID levels.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

There is already robust legislation in place that protects consumers when purchasing goods and services online. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets out the rights consumers enjoy while shopping online and in store. Online consumers have additional rights over and above on-premises rights, and are able to cancel orders for any reason and seek a full refund.

The Department recently consulted on advancing online consumer rights in its “Reforming Competition and Consumer Policy” consultation. A copy of the consultation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-competition-and-consumer-policy. The consultation closed on 1 October and the Department will publish a response in due course.

The Government has outlined an unprecedented package of measures to protect millions of people’s jobs and incomes as part of the national effort in response to Coronavirus.

A new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be set up to help pay people’s wages. Employers will be able to contact HMRC, who will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. This will apply to members of the workforce who remain on businesses’ payroll, but are temporarily unable to work due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

This government recognises the importance of the UK’s creative and cultural industries, not only to the economy and international reputation of the United Kingdom, but also to the wellbeing and enrichment of its people. We want musicians and performers to be able to tour abroad easily.

We have worked with the sector and directly with Member States, to provide clarity on what creative workers need to do. We have confirmed that, in many areas, arrangements are much more workable than has at times been reported. For example, the vast majority of Member States offer visa and work permit free routes for musicians and creative performers, including most of the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. This also includes Spain, who in November 2021, following engagement by the UK Government and the sector, introduced 90 day visa and work permit free touring for artists. We continue to work with the few remaining EU Member States that do not allow visa and permit free touring, such as Greece and Portugal, to encourage them to make touring easier.

We have also confirmed that portable musical instruments, carried or in a vehicle, can be transported cost-free and should not require ATA Carnets, and that small ‘splitter vans’ are not subject to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement limits around cabotage and cross trade for the creative sectors. We have also launched an Export Support Service (ESS), where UK businesses, including touring professionals, can get answers to practical questions online and by telephone.

A reply was issued on 10 March 2022.

The Government is in regular contact with the major fixed and mobile operators, technology providers and Ofcom regarding the current situation. Discussions relating to measures and options to mitigate and inform on the impacts of Covid-19 are ongoing with industry stakeholders and relevant parties.

The UK has a high degree of food security. Last year, we published the Food Security Report which includes a section on food security at a household level. The latest statistics point to an increase in household food security between 2019 and 2020. There are undoubtedly going to be pressures on food prices as a result of increased input costs – including gas, fuel and fertiliser. That will have to be passed through the system, but the Government is providing an additional £500 million to help provide targeted cost of living support for households most in need.

The Government recognises the importance of maintaining flood defence assets. Investment in Environment Agency asset management in England will be £178 million in 2021-22, an increase on the previous year. The Government will continue to review the future requirements for flood defence maintenance investment as part of future Spending Reviews.

We have set out the potential impacts of Free Trade Agreements in our published Scoping Assessments for the US, Australia, New Zealand and CPTPP. An Impact Assessment has also been published on the recently signed agreement with Japan, which shows that it goes beyond the existing EU deal, providing a long-run boost to the UK economy of around £1.5bn, compared to a situation without the deal. Output in the North West and Wales could increase by £64 million and £34 million respectively.

We have taken decisive action to address the acute HGV driver shortage, with 30 specific measures taken by the Government already. These include providing support and training for new HGV drivers, expanding HGV driver testing capacity and improving licencing processes. We are also investing £32.5 million in improving roadside facilities for hauliers. We will continue to encourage the road haulage industry to make employment as an HGV driver more attractive.

The exchange of HGV licences for a UK equivalent is dependent on training, testing and licensing standards in the issuing country being equivalent to those in the UK. Applications for recognition are subject to assessment of testing and licensing standards, public consultation, introduction of legislation and agreement of reciprocity. Currently only EU/EEA, Swiss, Crown Dependency and Gibraltar HGV licences are recognised for exchange in the UK.

Our points-based immigration system makes clear that employers should focus on investing in our domestic workforce, rather than relying on labour from abroad.

The Department for Transport does not hold this information.

The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a candidate’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.

It is important road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point a person drives unsupervised for the first time. Those with theory test certificates expiring now will have taken their test in early 2019. Since then, they have been unable to take lessons and practice for long periods of time, and not at all during recent lockdowns. It is difficult to maintain knowledge and understanding of driving theory at the level required during that time without being able to put it into practice. Research suggests that this would be particularly harmful for hazard perception skills, a key factor in road safety.

Ensuring new drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the preparation of new drivers, who are disproportionality represented in casualty statistics. Learners will therefore need to pass another theory test if their certificate expires.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) online services, including renewals for drivers over 70 are available and have continued to operate as normal throughout the pandemic.

DVLA is currently working with reduced staff on its site in Swansea to meet social distancing requirements. Paper applications are therefore taking longer to process as they must be dealt with in person.

As healthcare professionals are rightly focused on their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DVLA is experiencing delays where information is needed from medical professionals in order to make a licensing decision where a driver has declared a medical condition.

The Department for Transport is in regular contact with airlines, airports and unions to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on the sector and its workers. However, we do not comment on discussions held with individual companies, as this information is commercially sensitive.

DWP contacted the office of Gerald Jones Labour MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney on Friday 13 May 2022, to provide a response in relation to his constituent’s enquiry.

A reply was sent to the hon. Member by the Minister for Welfare Delivery, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 17 March 2022.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19^th January to question number 104377.

This information is not collated as a matter of normal business under this, or previous governments and is only available at disproportionate cost to the Department.

The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.

Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; we have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job; and introduced Restart which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year. Our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.

We recognise that some people continue to require extra support, which is why we have introduced a £421 million Household Support Fund to help vulnerable people in England with essential household costs over the winter as the economy recovers. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.

The Cold Weather Payment scheme also helps vulnerable people in receipt of certain income-related benefits to meet the additional costs of heating during periods of severe cold weather. Cold Weather Payments are targeted at those in receipt of eligible benefits with a pension element or disability component or where there is a child under five in the household.