Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of funding disparities on the growth potential of female-led and minority-led businesses; and what steps he is taking to work with public investment institutions to close that gap.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
According to data from research firm Beauhurst, the proportion of equity finance to female-led teams was stark at 2% in the first half of 2024, in comparison to 86% for all-male teams. To directly increase this, the government-backed Invest in Women Taskforce has launched a £255 million fund to invest in female entrepreneurs through female investors.
To help increase the availability of funding to minority-led businesses, the British Business Bank launched the Community ENABLE Funding programme in November 2024, expected to issue loans worth up to £150 million over the next 2 years.
Further, the Small Business Access to Finance call for evidence, launched on 13 March 2025, considers the difficulty of accessing finance for female and minority-led businesses. We will take forward further work in those areas once we have properly considered the results of the call for evidence.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when her Department plans to introduce the proposed Hillsborough Law, including a legal duty of candour for public servants.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Our thoughts remain with those affected by the Hillsborough disaster and we will get them the justice they deserve. Having consulted with these groups over the past few weeks, we believe more time is needed to draft the best version of a Hillsborough Law.
We remain fully committed to bringing in this legislation, which will include a legal duty of candour for public servants and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply. Our engagement with victims, families and survivors is essential to getting this right for them, and work with them will only increase in the weeks ahead.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve communication and information sharing between (a) South Wales and Gwent and (b) other regional probation services in the management of high-risk offenders.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Offenders assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm are subject to increased levels of oversight and are a priority focus for the Probation Service.
The Probation Service consistently shares information within and across regions to effectively manage risks and support individuals. This involves collaboration between probation, police, and other agencies to ensure comprehensive support and management of offenders to reduce reoffending and enhance public safety.
Wales Probation Service share information about the risks during case transfers through conversations between senior leaders and middle managers. This ensures effective communication and support for managing risks and individuals during transfer. Additionally, there is ongoing information sharing between South Wales, Gwent and other probation delivery units and regions to enhance the management of high-risk offenders and ensure comprehensive support across regions.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve managerial oversight in the Probation Service.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We know that effective management oversight contributes to the best outcomes, and ensures probation is able to reduce reoffending and protect the public. The Chief Probation Officer has set management oversight as one of her key priorities for the year 2025/2026.
In February 2025, HMPPS launched a new management oversight framework in the Probation Service which allows for a more responsive and targeted approach. The aim is to ensure that management oversight is sought and provided where it is most needed and in particular this means an increase in management oversight for new and inexperienced staff.
Managers within the Probation Service have undergone training to enable the successful adoption of this framework. Staff and managers work together proactively to secure effective management oversight which is responsive to the unique demands of an individual case, and the skills, knowledge and experience of the probation practitioner.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the impact of missed probation appointments by high-risk offenders on public safety; and what steps she is taking to ensure consistent enforcement of breach protocols.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Probation service was left on its knees after 14 years of Conservative Government. The Probation Service that this Government inherited from the previous administration has struggled under increased workloads. It was a service that the previous Conservative Government privatised and then partly renationalised putting our Probation Service officers, who do vital work every single day, under significant strain.
This Lord Chancellor has recently announced a number of changes to the probation service to prioritise where they focus and ensure more time can be spent managing high risk offenders.
A primary aim of the probation service is to protect the public through the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders. Those assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm are subject to increased levels of oversight and are a priority focus for the Probation Service, as reaffirmed by the Lord Chancellor in her speech on 12 February.
Probation supervision appointments are essential for the monitoring and the management of offenders.Any failure to comply could indicate an increased risk of harm and will result in swift enforcement action in line with HM Prison & Probation Service enforcement policy, this could include sanctions on the offender and even recall to prison. The Probation service employs a case management system to track and manage attendance alongside which Probation regional Performance and Quality teams work to ensure that the expected enforcement standards are consistently applied.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support the allocation of a greater share of defined contribution pension capital into UK productive assets, in the context of the Mansion House reforms.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government published the Interim Report of its Pensions Investment Review at the Mansion House event on 14 November. This Report puts forward ambitious proposals to reform the UK pension system which could unlock productive investment while boosting savers’ pension pots.
The government is currently considering whether further interventions may be needed by the government to ensure that these reforms are benefiting UK growth.
The final report of the Pensions Investment Review will be published in the Spring, ahead of the introduction of the Pension Schemes Bill.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of embedding financial literacy more systematically across the national curriculum to support long-term household financial resilience and informed retail investment.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Financial education currently forms a compulsory part of the national curriculum for mathematics, at key stages 1 to 4, and citizenship, at key stages 3 and 4, which together cover personal budgeting, saving for the future, managing credit and debt and calculating interest. Primary schools are free to teach financial education within citizenship. The non-statutory primary citizenship programme of study at key stages 1 and 2 equip pupils to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that equips young people with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive in life and work.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on (a) the long-term sustainability of Welsh National Opera’s full-time orchestra and (b) ensuring the continuation of its touring programme across England and Wales.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
On behalf of the Secretary of State, last year I held a series of productive meetings with the Wales Office, Welsh Government, Arts Council England, and Welsh National Opera (WNO) to understand the issues in more detail and to see how, within the parameters of the arm’s length principle, DCMS can best help ensure a strong and secure future for the WNO.
Across all these meetings there was a recognition of the value of the WNO and its work - both for the people of Wales, and for people elsewhere in the UK. It was clear that all partners were keen to achieve a positive long-term future for the organisation.
Everyone wants to sustain the WNO, and so I was pleased to see additional funding of £755,000 allocated by the Arts Council of Wales to WNO last December. Funding decisions are of course for the Arts Council of Wales and Arts Council England, however, I welcome the tenure of the new joint CEOs and General Directors at WNO, and I am confident that they are now in a strong place to succeed.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the views of (a) victims and (b) the families of victims affected by serious offences committed by offenders on probation are considered in the criminal justice system.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
All victims and bereaved family members are entitled under the Victims’ Code to have their voices heard in the criminal justice process by making a Victim Personal Statement. This enables victims to explain in their own words how the crime has affected them, which will be considered by the court when determining the sentence.
Victims who are eligible for, and have opted into, the Victim Contact Scheme can make representations about victim related licence conditions and submit a Victim Personal Statement to the Parole Board. These enable victims to help the Parole Board to understand what the impact of the crime on them has been and provide information about requested licence conditions to protect the victim where there is a decision to release the offender.
When an offender on probation supervision is charged with a serious further offence, including murder, manslaughter and rape, the Probation Service will complete a serious further offence review and victims can meet with a senior probation manager to discuss the findings of the review and receive a copy.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to reduce friction in the UK’s payments infrastructure.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The National Payments Vision, published at Mansion House 2024, sets out the government’s ambition for a trusted, world-leading payments ecosystem delivered on next generation technology, where consumers and businesses have a choice of payment methods to meet their needs. It sets out two key foundations to deliver the government’s vision: a clear, predictable and proportionate regulatory framework, and resilient payments infrastructure that supports innovation.
The Vision established a Payments Vision Delivery Committee, which is chaired by HM Treasury and attended by senior representatives from the Bank of England, Payment Systems Regulator and Financial Conduct Authority, to drive forward key outputs over the course of this year, including on payments infrastructure.
The Committee, through work led by the PSR and the Bank of England, will set out an approach for the development and delivery of the UK’s retail infrastructure needs and the required governance and funding model to achieve it.