Nia Griffith

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.

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.

The Tradeshow Access Programme ceased operation on 31 March 2021.

The Tradeshow Access Programme ceased operation on 31 March 2021.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), in the Cabinet Office, has established a programme to support departments managing legacy IT. CDDO has agreed a framework to identify 'red-rated' systems, indicating high levels of risk surrounding certain assets within the IT estate. Departments have committed to have remediation plans in place for these systems by next year (2025). It is not appropriate to release sensitive information held about specific red-rated systems or more detailed plans for remediation within the FCDO's IT estate, as this information could indicate which systems may be at risk, and may highlight potential security vulnerabilities. FCDO are actively managing their legacy estate via their existing change plans through system upgrades and migration to public cloud.