Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration she has given to reviewing the funding formula for policing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to ensuring that policing has the resources it needs and the allocation of funding to police forces remains an important consideration.
The Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years. As with previous years, decisions on police force funding allocations for 2026-27 will be set out at the forthcoming police funding settlement.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of granting Cardiff capital city status to enable the city to receive additional funding for policing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Cardiff has been the capital city of Wales since 1955 and is one of the four capital cities in the UK.
A National and International Capital City (NICC) grant is paid to the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police to reflect the unique demands of policing in London. The NICC grant is partially funded from a reallocation of the core funding for all police forces in England and Wales and as such, decisions on the level of the funding must consider its impact on wider policing.
South Wales Police will receive up to £441.7 million in 2025-26, an increase of up to £32.6 million when compared to 2024-25. Decisions on the allocation of NICC funding are taken at the time of the Police Settlement and as with previous years, more details on force funding allocations for 2026-27 will be made via the provisional police funding settlement later in the year.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what policy changes her Department is considering to improve the use of the apprenticeship levy within police forces in Wales.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to collaborating with the Devolved Governments on skills policy, to share best practice and support growth and opportunity throughout the UK.
We have allocated £2.4m as part of the police settlement for 2025/26 to reimburse the amount paid by Welsh forces in their levy contribution for police constable degree apprenticeships.
In addition, funding for Welsh forces is up to £1.0 billion in 2025-26, an increase of up to £57.4 million compared to 2024-25 (6.0% in cash terms).
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will publish the Police Reform White Paper.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Secretary is committed to publishing a Police Reform White Paper this year. More information on the White Paper and the future of Policing in England and Wales will be shared with Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made with Cabinet colleagues of how many (a) prison service, (b) DWP and (c) general civil service staff members with Skilled Worker visas will lose their visa eligibility due to changes to immigration rules from 22 July 2025.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Under the current transitional arrangements, existing Skilled Worker visa holders are exempt from the changes to the skills threshold introduced on 22 July and can continue to extend in their current occupations.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a separate resettlement route for people in Gaza to join families in the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 13 March to Question 35970.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the ban on employment for women seeking asylum on levels of gender-based violence and exploitation.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 3 June to Question 53862.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the work ban for people seeking asylum on future employment opportunities.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our primary responsibility remains to crack down on illegal working, and ensure that those employers and employees who play by the rules are not undercut by those who are not.
Asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, can currently apply for permission to work in jobs on the Immigration Salary List (ISL). The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration and asylum system under regular review, and recently published a White Paper setting out the Government’s plans for reform in relation to the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers, and a wide range of other areas.
The Home Office also continues to invest in a programme of transformation to speed up asylum decision making and therefore reduce the time people spend in the asylum system. This approach will ensure that genuine asylum seekers can be accepted quickly and gain access to the labour market, and those who are not can be removed to their home country.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of routes available to people in Gaza to join families in the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 13 March to Question 35970.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of visa uncertainty on employment opportunities for Ukrainians in the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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. It is important our approach respects these wishes.
The Ukraine Permission Extension scheme provides the same rights and entitlements to access work, benefits, healthcare and education as the current Ukraine schemes.
The Home Office continues to engage with our stakeholders and partners to ensure employers are fully informed and can continue to support Ukrainians. We have also updated the online guidance for employers with details of the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, which is available on GOV.UK.