Nia Griffith Portrait

Nia Griffith

Labour - Llanelli

First elected: 5th May 2005

Shadow Minister (International Trade)

(since December 2021)

Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office)

(since September 2023)

Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill
7th Sep 2022 - 18th Oct 2022
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
6th Apr 2020 - 29th Nov 2021
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
6th Oct 2016 - 6th Apr 2020
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
14th Sep 2015 - 27th Jun 2016
European Scrutiny Committee
15th Jul 2015 - 9th Nov 2015
Shadow Minister (Wales)
7th Oct 2011 - 14th Sep 2015
Welsh Affairs Committee
28th Nov 2011 - 30th Mar 2015
European Scrutiny Committee
26th Jul 2010 - 30th Mar 2015
Shadow Minister (Business, Innovation and Skills)
8th Oct 2010 - 7th Oct 2011
Welsh Affairs Committee
12th Jul 2010 - 22nd Nov 2010
Welsh Affairs Committee
17th Jul 2005 - 6th May 2010
Draft Marine Bill (Joint Committee)
9th May 2008 - 22nd Jul 2008
Human Rights (Joint Committee)
17th Jul 2006 - 6th Nov 2007
European Scrutiny Committee
28th Jun 2005 - 6th Nov 2007
Draft Climate Change Bill (Joint Committee)
18th Mar 2007 - 3rd Aug 2007


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Nia Griffith has voted in 787 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Nia Griffith Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Simon Hart (Conservative)
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
(38 debate interactions)
David T C Davies (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Wales
(12 debate interactions)
Nusrat Ghani (Conservative)
Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
(12 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Cabinet Office
(53 debate contributions)
Wales Office
(44 debate contributions)
Department for International Trade
(20 debate contributions)
Ministry of Defence
(19 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Nia Griffith's debates

Llanelli Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

A new offence should be created and legal sanctions should be introduced to stop MPs intentionally or recklessly misleading the public. This could restore a degree of trust in the UK's political system.

The Government should introduce legislation to make lying in the House of Commons a criminal offence. This would mean that all MPs, including Ministers, would face a serious penalty for knowingly making false statements in the House of Commons, as is the case in a court of law.

The Government must exercise its power under s.23 of the Gender Recognition Act to modify the operation of the Equality Act 2010 by specifying the terms sex, male, female, man & woman, in the operation of that law, mean biological sex and not "sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate"

It has been reported that the Government may amend the Equality Act to "make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender." The Government has previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so.

Ensure any ban fully includes trans people and all forms of conversion therapy.


Latest EDMs signed by Nia Griffith

22nd June 2021
Nia Griffith signed this EDM on Tuesday 22nd June 2021

GKN Automotive alternative plan

Tabled by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
That this House is alarmed by GKN Automotive’s decision to close its Birmingham factory next year, with the loss of over 500 highly skilled jobs and work transferred to continental Europe; notes that GKN’s origins trace back to the industrial revolution, with over 260 years of history that include making …
68 signatures
(Most recent: 27 Apr 2022)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 60
Independent: 5
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
Alba Party: 1
4th June 2020
Nia Griffith signed this EDM on Wednesday 24th June 2020

Legal Aid and Advice

Tabled by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 515), dated 15 May 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on 18 May 2020, be annulled.
138 signatures
(Most recent: 11 Feb 2021)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 110
Liberal Democrat: 9
Independent: 8
Scottish National Party: 4
Plaid Cymru: 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Green Party: 1
Alba Party: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Alliance: 1
View All Nia Griffith's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Nia Griffith, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Nia Griffith has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Nia Griffith has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Nia Griffith has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Nia Griffith has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
7 Other Department Questions
21st Jan 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy on legal consent of the policies of the recently enacted Canadian legislation on sexual orientation and gender identity conversion therapy in Canada.

The Government has been liaising with Territorial Offices and the devolved administrations including the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on this important issue. It is positive to note that developments in all four parts of the UK are such that there is work underway, at different stages, to end conversion practices often known as conversion therapy.

Officials will continue to work with their counterparts to discuss the UK Government’s proposals for England and Wales and share advice and progress on the approach to banning conversion therapy practices. We will share responses to our current public consultation relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland with relevant officials and we look forward to receiving further details of the Scottish Expert Advisory Group’s findings once they are developed. We have also provided the Scottish Parliament with written evidence on our plans to ban conversion therapy.

We are engaging with a wide range of international jurisdictions including Canada, France, New Zealand and Malta to understand the approaches they have taken or are developing to ban conversion therapy and to share our own developments too.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
21st Jan 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the (a) Scottish Government and (b) Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that legislation banning sexual orientation and gender identity conversion therapy will provide the same level of protections for all LGBT+ people in the UK.

The Government has been liaising with Territorial Offices and the devolved administrations including the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on this important issue. It is positive to note that developments in all four parts of the UK are such that there is work underway, at different stages, to end conversion practices often known as conversion therapy.

Officials will continue to work with their counterparts to discuss the UK Government’s proposals for England and Wales and share advice and progress on the approach to banning conversion therapy practices. We will share responses to our current public consultation relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland with relevant officials and we look forward to receiving further details of the Scottish Expert Advisory Group’s findings once they are developed. We have also provided the Scottish Parliament with written evidence on our plans to ban conversion therapy.

We are engaging with a wide range of international jurisdictions including Canada, France, New Zealand and Malta to understand the approaches they have taken or are developing to ban conversion therapy and to share our own developments too.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
20th Jan 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Health and Social Care on assessing the potential impact of introducing consent for talking conversion therapy on the regulation of other psychologically harmful treatments.

Our proposals to ban conversion practices often known as conversion therapy are robust and comparable to other bans in place, or currently under development, around the world.

We are engaging with a wide range of international jurisdictions including France, Canada, New Zealand and Malta and will continue to work with a wide range of domestic stakeholders as our policy develops.

The existing criminal law is clear that a person cannot consent to serious harm and we do not propose to change this. We are working closely with colleagues in the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that the proposals will complement existing laws, including the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and that they will not interfere with existing professional obligations and regulatory frameworks.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
20th Jan 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions her Department has had with the Home Office on assessing the potential impact of introducing consent as a defence for abuse in a conversion therapy ban on other areas of legislation relating to abuse including the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Our proposals to ban conversion practices often known as conversion therapy are robust and comparable to other bans in place, or currently under development, around the world.

We are engaging with a wide range of international jurisdictions including France, Canada, New Zealand and Malta and will continue to work with a wide range of domestic stakeholders as our policy develops.

The existing criminal law is clear that a person cannot consent to serious harm and we do not propose to change this. We are working closely with colleagues in the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that the proposals will complement existing laws, including the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and that they will not interfere with existing professional obligations and regulatory frameworks.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
20th Jan 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recently enacted legislation to ban sexual orientation and gender identity conversion therapy in France and the exclusion of a provision to allow informed consent in that legislation.

Our proposals to ban conversion practices often known as conversion therapy are robust and comparable to other bans in place, or currently under development, around the world.

We are engaging with a wide range of international jurisdictions including France, Canada, New Zealand and Malta and will continue to work with a wide range of domestic stakeholders as our policy develops.

The existing criminal law is clear that a person cannot consent to serious harm and we do not propose to change this. We are working closely with colleagues in the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that the proposals will complement existing laws, including the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and that they will not interfere with existing professional obligations and regulatory frameworks.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
10th Feb 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans Parliament has to mark LGBT history month.

The UK Parliament has a range of activities and events taking place over LGBT History month. These include:

Pride at Parliament LGBT+ history tours. 75 minute guided tour highlighting the significant part played by LGBT+ people at UK Parliament as leaders, legislators, activists, lobbyists and monarchs.

Evening event for LGBT+ History Month. Combines a themed guided tour and a visit to the Parliamentary Archives for a talk and to view historic artefacts.

General Tours of Parliament including school visits. Tours are adapted to have an LGBT+ focus; this includes tailored content and the use of examples to explain the work of Parliament within the context of LGBT+ history.

Social media. Content will include a story quiz on historical LGBT+ people and laws in UK Parliament, historical landmarks, legislation, a range of artworks and online content and comms relating to Jez Dolan’s artwork Wolfenden. There will also be chamber coverage of relevant business and profiles of and quotes from MPs.

Talk and panel discussion celebrating parliamentary achievements in progress for LGBT+ rights.

Your Story, Our History Films – Promote series of films with focus on three individuals – who share their experiences of how lgbt+ legislation passed by the UK Parliament has affected their lives.

House Magazine Various Op-ed from staff about LGBT+ History month Lord Cashman event – ‘From Albert Square to Parliament Square’ and followed by an audience Q+A.

ParliOUT Open Art Exhibition: being your authentic LGBT+ self. Artwork from membership shown digitally across the Estate.

Lego Suffragette hosted by Pride Cymru in the Welsh Assembly for their LGBT History Month programme. Culminates with a lecture on Baroness Rhondda, a famous local Suffragette and women's rights advocate on 29th February.

BAME & LGBTQ Trailblazers exhibition. In Richmond House Business Lounge, showcasing the stories and work of LGBT activists from BAME backgrounds.

UK BAME LGBTQ Life after Stonewall Lunch and Learn – A one-hour lunch and learn with Veronica McKenzie of Harringay Vangard.

11th Mar 2024
To ask the Attorney General, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to UIN 17533 tabled on Wednesday 13 March 2024.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
7th Mar 2024
To ask the Attorney General, how many domestic overnight visits were undertaken by Ministers within her Department in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of these visits.

The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals).

But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Attorney General, what estimate she has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by her Department in each of the last three financial years.

There have been no incidents of money lost to fraud and error by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in each of the last three financial years.

Information relating to detected fraud and error for the AGO is published in the HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Reports and Accounts (HMPGTS Accounts). The HMPGTS Accounts for the financial years 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 are available on GOV.UK at the following links: 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23. The HMPGTS Accounts contain information relating to the AGO, Government Legal Department, and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year, it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report which is available on GOV.UK: Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020-21 Report was published in March 2023.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
5th Mar 2024
To ask the Attorney General, what guidance her Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

All departments in central government, including arms lengths bodies apply the published guidance: Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business published by Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in central government (ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers). The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) uses the central guidance and has applied it since March 2023.

Please note that I am responding on behalf of the AGO only, and not the departments superintended by myself and the Attorney General (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Government Legal Department, and Serious Fraud Office).

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Attorney General, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO). Reports and guidance that the AGO has published can be found on GOV.UK at Search - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Please note that I am responding on behalf of the AGO only, and not the departments superintended by the Attorney General and I (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Government Legal Department, and Serious Fraud Office).

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
28th Feb 2024
To ask the Attorney General, how much funding her Department (a) allocated for (b) spent on magazine subscriptions in each of the last three financial years.

The Attorney General’s Office’s (AGO) paid subscriptions to magazines provide AGO officials with a valuable resource of public discourse on topics relevant to the Department.

The AGO’s allocated budget and spend on magazine subscriptions in each of the last three financial years is set out in the table below.

Please note that figures for the allocated budget include magazine and other subscriptions (e.g., newspapers and online journals), whereas spend is for magazine subscriptions only.

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

Allocated budget

£8,000.00

£8,000.00

£8,000.00

Spend on magazine subscriptions

£152.50

£145.00

£145.00

Please note that I am responding on behalf of the AGO only, and not the departments superintended by the Attorney General and I (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Government Legal Department, and Serious Fraud Office).

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
27th Feb 2024
To ask the Attorney General, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals her Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.

The Attorney General’s Office’s (AGO) paid subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, and online journals provide AGO officials with a valuable resource of public discourse on topics relevant to the Department.

The AGO’s paid subscriptions for the last three financial years are set out in the table below.

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

Newspapers

Financial Times; Telegraph

Financial Times; Telegraph

Financial Times; Sunday Times; Telegraph

Magazines

Critic Magazine; Counsel Magazine

Counsel Magazine

Counsel Magazine

Online journals

N/A

Thomson Reuters; Joshua Rozenberg

Thomson Reuters; Joshua Rozenberg

Please note that I am responding on behalf of the AGO only, and not the departments superintended by the Attorney General and I (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Government Legal Department, and Serious Fraud Office).

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
26th Feb 2024
To ask the Attorney General, how many and what proportion of digital posts in her Department are vacant.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) does not have any Digital and Data (DDaT) posts.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the AGO’s shared IT service provider. The total number of vacant DDaT posts in the CPS is 32, 10.5% of DDaT posts in the CPS.

As part of the 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data, all government departments made a commitment to reduce their digital and data vacancies to under 10% of total Government Digital and Data headcount by 2025. Overall good progress has been made, with total vacancies now at 15%.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
23rd Feb 2024
To ask the Attorney General, how much funding her Department has (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on software updates to legacy computer systems in each of the last three financial years.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is responsible for the provision and management of up-to-date IT infrastructure and applications for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).

The CPS does not currently maintain any legacy IT infrastructure on behalf of the AGO.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
19th Dec 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of GovPass.

The GovPass project is rationalising the provision of security passes across the government estate; it will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of these arrangements, including in support of interoperability as departments increasingly share space. GovPass has been developed in conjunction with the national technical authorities and the Government Property Agency. Business cases for the project have been taken through appropriate governance, and deployment is being managed incrementally to ensure best value. It would not be appropriate to provide more detail of these protective security arrangements.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
19th Dec 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his planned timetable is for the rollout of GovPass to all civil servants.

The GovPass project is rationalising the provision of security passes across the government estate; it will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of these arrangements, including in support of interoperability as departments increasingly share space. GovPass has been developed in conjunction with the national technical authorities and the Government Property Agency. Business cases for the project have been taken through appropriate governance, and deployment is being managed incrementally to ensure best value. It would not be appropriate to provide more detail of these protective security arrangements.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
19th Dec 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent on the development of GovPass as of 19 December 2023.

The GovPass project is rationalising the provision of security passes across the government estate; it will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of these arrangements, including in support of interoperability as departments increasingly share space. GovPass has been developed in conjunction with the national technical authorities and the Government Property Agency. Business cases for the project have been taken through appropriate governance, and deployment is being managed incrementally to ensure best value. It would not be appropriate to provide more detail of these protective security arrangements.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
29th Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) current and (b) former government ministers have been interviewed by the (i) National Crime Agency, (ii) Serious Fraud Office and (iii) National Investigation Service as part of investigations relating to covid-19 (A) procurement and (B) fraud as of 29 November 2023.

This information is not held by the Cabinet Office. I can, however, reassure the Honourable Lady that the Government will always assist with any investigations these agencies may be undertaking.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
26th Nov 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether safety and security declarations will be required for each post and parcel consignment travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland after the transition period.

As set out in the Command Paper published in May, the UK is committed to implementing the Protocol in a pragmatic and practical way that minimises the impact on both businesses and consumers. Further guidance will be set out in due course on post and parcel movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
29th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including individuals who were employed by a franchise organisation of the Post Office and who were impacted by the Horizon scandal in the compensation schemes.

The Government wants everyone affected by the Horizon scandal to come forward to get the compensation they deserve.

With reference to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, which is still open to late applications, claimants must have, or have previously had, a contract directly with the Post Office to be eligible for compensation. The full eligibility criteria are published on the Post Office website.

The Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme is limited to those who participated in the 2019 Group Litigation Order legal action against the Post Office and did not have a Horizon-related conviction.

Compensation is also available to individuals who have had their convictions relating to Horizon shortfalls overturned.

The Government has no current plans to extend the scope of these schemes further.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
29th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she make an assessment of the potential merits of including Post Office clerks who were impacted by the Horizon scandal in the compensation schemes.

The Government wants everyone affected by the Horizon scandal to come forward to get the compensation they deserve.

With reference to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, which is still open to late applications, claimants must have, or have previously had, a contract directly with the Post Office to be eligible for compensation. The full eligibility criteria are published on the Post Office website.

The Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme is limited to those who participated in the 2019 Group Litigation Order legal action against the Post Office and did not have a Horizon-related conviction.

Compensation is also available to individuals who have had their convictions relating to Horizon shortfalls overturned.

The Government has no current plans to extend the scope of these schemes further.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
6th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the average timescale is for the approval of an application to the Trade Access Programme.

The Tradeshow Access Programme ceased operation on 31 March 2021.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
6th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many applications to the Trade Access Programme over the past twelve months have been (a) received and (b) successful.

The Tradeshow Access Programme ceased operation on 31 March 2021.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
6th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support her Department has provided in the last three months to increase exports in the British automotive industry.

The Department for Business and Trade is working across Whitehall and with industry to secure export led investment in the transition to zero-emission vehicles.

Our trade deals will benefit automotive businesses and vehicle manufacturers across the UK by enabling new export opportunities, tariff removal, flexible rules of origin, and efficient customs procedures.

We have dedicated export support complemented by our network of International Trade Advisers. The automotive industry continues as the country’s biggest single exporter of goods, exporting nearly 80% of production.

In the last three months UK Export Finance provided working capital support to three automotive manufacturing companies exporting globally: Bamford Bus; RLE International Product Development Ltd; and LSN Diffusion Ltd.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
21st Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help energy intensive industries to decarbonise.

The Government has committed up to £20 billion to support early deployment of carbon capture, usage and storage, and up to £500 million for the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to help industry decarbonise, for which phase 3 opened last month.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
9th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to tackle online disinformation disseminated by (a) hostile states and (b) people acting on behalf of hostile states.

The Government takes the issue of information threats to national security very seriously, including disinformation and misinformation.

The Online Safety Act, which received Royal Assent in October 2023, has added the Foreign Interference Offence as a priority offence. This will mean that platforms will have a legal duty to take proactive, preventative action to identify and minimise their users’ exposure to state-sponsored disinformation and other types of state-backed influence operations aimed at interfering with UK society. The offence will capture conduct which has been carried out for, on behalf of, or with the intent to benefit, a foreign power.

My officials and I also meet regularly with a range of social media platforms and international partners to aid our understanding of the spread of disinformation online and work underway to address this.

Saqib Bhatti
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
6th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many projects had been completed through the Green Deal in Llanelli Constituency as of 31 October 2022.

BEIS estimates that in Llanelli constituency, 17 projects are live (all measures installed but not yet paid off) and seven projects have been completed (all measures installed and paid off).

Data covers the period from May 2013 to October 2022.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of imported items bearing the CE quality mark which will need to be certified with the UKCA mark by 1 January 2023; and what plans his Department has to ensure that work is completed.

The UKCA marking becomes mandatory for most goods from 1 January 2023. Products requiring the UKCA marking are valued at approximately £110bn of UK imports


BEIS is continuing to support industry through an extensive programme of engagement, publication of enhanced business guidance, and working closely with the Conformity Assessment Body sector and the UK Accreditation Service to support sufficient capacity to test and certify products to UKCA requirements.

26th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the total allocation of funding is for local growth deals in 2020-21.

Levelling up is central to the Government’s agenda and we are working with local leaders to ensure that every region, city, and town will effectively recover from Covid-19.

As part of this, £1,243,604,030 is being allocated through the Local Growth Fund for local growth deals in 2020 to 2021.

27th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to facilitate the immediate export to the EU of Welsh non-depurated shellfish from class B waters from wild stock.

We notified the industry in October and December 2020 that the EU would not accept non-depurated, live, bivalve molluscs from class B waters harvested from wild stock from 1 January 2021.

Since then, we have heard that the EU Commission additionally has concerns about the trade from registered aquaculture production businesses. We have not however had a formal notification setting these out.

We are rapidly working to identify any scientific or legal basis that might undermine the trade so that it may continue to operate on a secure footing. This work includes discussions with EU Member States and the European Commission.

We understand the importance of this trade for Welsh shellfish businesses and others in the UK.

Live bivalve molluscs such as oysters, mussels, clams, cockles and scallops can continue to be exported to the EU if they are harvested from class A waters, have been cleaned or have cleared end product testing in GB.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
10th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving licence applications are outstanding as of 10 January 2023.

On 10 January 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) had 61,766 non-medical and 134,292 medical driving licence applications currently being processed. This is within the normal volume of applications being processed by the DVLA at any one time and applications are being processed within normal turnaround times.

It is important to note that the length of time taken to deal with a driving licence application where medical enquiries must be carried out very often depends on whether further information is required from a driver or their medical practitioners. The DVLA is often wholly reliant on receiving information from third parties, including doctors, before it can make a licensing decision. Currently, around half of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated are awaiting further information from the applicant’s doctor or the applicant themselves before the DVLA can take any further action.

The DVLA has made changes to the way licensing decisions have been made for drivers with certain medical conditions. The DVLA has also changed the law to allow medical professionals other than doctors to provide the information required for the DVLA to be able to progress these applications.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
10th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the efficiency of the DVLA when processing driving licence applications for individuals (a) without and (b) with a medical condition.

On 10 January 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) had 61,766 non-medical and 134,292 medical driving licence applications currently being processed. This is within the normal volume of applications being processed by the DVLA at any one time and applications are being processed within normal turnaround times.

It is important to note that the length of time taken to deal with a driving licence application where medical enquiries must be carried out very often depends on whether further information is required from a driver or their medical practitioners. The DVLA is often wholly reliant on receiving information from third parties, including doctors, before it can make a licensing decision. Currently, around half of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated are awaiting further information from the applicant’s doctor or the applicant themselves before the DVLA can take any further action.

The DVLA has made changes to the way licensing decisions have been made for drivers with certain medical conditions. The DVLA has also changed the law to allow medical professionals other than doctors to provide the information required for the DVLA to be able to progress these applications.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
28th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving test examiners work at Llanelli Driving Test Centre as on 28 June 2022.

As of 28 June 2022, there are 606 car practical driving tests booked at Llanelli driving test centre (DTC).

As of 27 June 2022, the average weekly waiting time for a car practical driving test at Llanelli DTC is 3 weeks. The national average weekly waiting time for car tests is 15.1 weeks.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is committed to increasing the availability of practical driving tests at Llanelli DTC by recruiting more driving examiners (DE). The latest recruitment campaign closed on 20 June and applications are being reviewed. Currently, three DEs conduct driving tests at Llanelli DTC.

To be safe and competent, learner drivers need a broad range of driving experience in different areas and on different roads. A full driving licence allows a driver to use any roads, not just those they are familiar with. Candidates can choose to also take their test at the following nearby DTCs, both of which have waiting times below the national average and offer out of hours testing:

  • Carmarthen - 3 week wait as of 27 June 2022
  • Swansea - 8 week wait as of 27 June 2022

28th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of driving test examiners in Llanelli.

As of 28 June 2022, there are 606 car practical driving tests booked at Llanelli driving test centre (DTC).

As of 27 June 2022, the average weekly waiting time for a car practical driving test at Llanelli DTC is 3 weeks. The national average weekly waiting time for car tests is 15.1 weeks.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is committed to increasing the availability of practical driving tests at Llanelli DTC by recruiting more driving examiners (DE). The latest recruitment campaign closed on 20 June and applications are being reviewed. Currently, three DEs conduct driving tests at Llanelli DTC.

To be safe and competent, learner drivers need a broad range of driving experience in different areas and on different roads. A full driving licence allows a driver to use any roads, not just those they are familiar with. Candidates can choose to also take their test at the following nearby DTCs, both of which have waiting times below the national average and offer out of hours testing:

  • Carmarthen - 3 week wait as of 27 June 2022
  • Swansea - 8 week wait as of 27 June 2022

28th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average waiting time for a test at Llanelli Driving Test Centre.

As of 28 June 2022, there are 606 car practical driving tests booked at Llanelli driving test centre (DTC).

As of 27 June 2022, the average weekly waiting time for a car practical driving test at Llanelli DTC is 3 weeks. The national average weekly waiting time for car tests is 15.1 weeks.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is committed to increasing the availability of practical driving tests at Llanelli DTC by recruiting more driving examiners (DE). The latest recruitment campaign closed on 20 June and applications are being reviewed. Currently, three DEs conduct driving tests at Llanelli DTC.

To be safe and competent, learner drivers need a broad range of driving experience in different areas and on different roads. A full driving licence allows a driver to use any roads, not just those they are familiar with. Candidates can choose to also take their test at the following nearby DTCs, both of which have waiting times below the national average and offer out of hours testing:

  • Carmarthen - 3 week wait as of 27 June 2022
  • Swansea - 8 week wait as of 27 June 2022

14th Apr 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to publicise the recent changes to the Highway Code.

The changes to The Highway Code to help improve road safety are being communicated in two phases:

  • A factual awareness raising campaign ran in February and March, alerting road users to the changes as they came into effect.
  • A broader behaviour change campaign will launch later this year, to align with seasonal increases in active travel, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the new guidance.

Both phases of the campaign include a significant media spend, utilising channels such as radio, digital audio, video on demand and social media advertising.

Communications activity also includes media engagement with supporting stakeholder comment and an extranet to share both static and video assets with stakeholders to amplify our messages.

More information on the campaign can be found at: www.think.gov.uk/campaign/highway-code-changes/

30th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to expand testing capacity at Llanelli Driving Test Centre to tackle the backlog of tests since March 2020.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.

The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.

These include:

  • offering a national recovery allowance and annual leave buy back to examiners;
  • asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests;
  • conducting out of hours testing, such as on public holidays and weekends; and
  • asking recently retired driving examiners to return to testing.

As of 31 March 2022, driving test waiting times at Llanelli is 3 weeks.

The DVSA has a live recruitment campaign covering Llanelli, and has recently completed a campaign to recruit Welsh speaking driving examiners. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.

30th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of covid-19 restrictions on learner drivers since March 2020.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.

The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.

These include:

  • offering a national recovery allowance and annual leave buy back to examiners;
  • asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests;
  • conducting out of hours testing, such as on public holidays and weekends; and
  • asking recently retired driving examiners to return to testing.

As of 31 March 2022, driving test waiting times at Llanelli is 3 weeks.

The DVSA has a live recruitment campaign covering Llanelli, and has recently completed a campaign to recruit Welsh speaking driving examiners. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.

10th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the inflation-based rise to Universal Credit was paid to claimants in their April benefit payment.

Increases in Universal Credit come into force from the start of the first assessment period beginning on or after the first Monday of the tax year.

As Universal Credit is a calendar monthly assessed benefit that is paid monthly in arrears, a claimant will receive their uprated benefit award in payments due from 16 May.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
1st Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of benefits for disabled people in the context of increases in the cost of living.

PIP is designed to provide help with extra costs arising from disability. Alongside the £9.1 billion Energy Bills Rebate announced on 3 February, the Government is providing £12 billion of support over this financial year and next to ease cost of living pressures, with help targeted at working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable.

17th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been affected by the underpayment of benefits after transitioning from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance in the Llanelli constituency.

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

15th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans her Department has to make this winter's Covid-19 vaccine available for purchase.

There are no plans to make the COVID-19 vaccines the Government holds for National Health Service use available for purchase. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), a body of independent experts, advises the Government on who should be offered vaccination through the national programme for COVID-19. Vaccination for COVID-19 through the NHS is free for those eligible and there are no plans to introduce charges.

Current COVID-19 vaccines offer good protection against serious outcomes but only short-lived protection from mild symptomatic disease. The aim therefore is to offer vaccination to those the JCVI advises are at higher risk of hospitalisation and death. This risk is strongly linked to older age and some specified clinical conditions.

All vaccines that have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for use in the UK may be prescribed by physicians privately as well as through the NHS. Currently COVID-19 vaccines are not available privately but as is the case for many other vaccines, manufacturers and providers are able to set up a private market alongside the NHS offer when they consider this viable and appropriate. The Government is supportive of the emergence of a private market for COVID-19 vaccines. Supply of vaccines for such a market would be, as with all other vaccines, a matter for the private providers working with manufacturers to obtain through the open market.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
23rd Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will respond to Question 107516 tabled on 18 January 2022 by the hon. Member for Llanelli on Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome in the NHS.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question 107516.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
19th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome in the NHS.

Following the first reports of paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS) cases in London in April 2020, the former Public Health England initiated enhanced prospective national surveillance of PIMS cases with symptom onset between 1 March and 15 June 2020. NHS England used a rapid consensus exercise to develop national clinical management guidance on the condition.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that clinicians follow guidance from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, which directs critically ill children to acute care facilities. Training for paediatricians on PIMS has been supported by webinars for clinician decision makers and regular updates to paediatric critical care networks. Children with PIMS are identified, including appropriate treatment pathways, supported by seven specialised disease centres co-ordinating treatment advice.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
26th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support African leaders in responding to the conflict in Sudan.

We are pursuing all diplomatic avenues to bring about a cessation of violence and pave the way for meaningful talks.The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, senior officials and myself have engaged frequently with counterparts in the region with partners such as Kenya, Djibouti and Egypt.

Andrew Mitchell
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)