Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs on ensuring effective delivery of the Single Trade Window.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
HM Treasury has worked closely with HMRC on the design and delivery of the new Single Trade Window and the timetable for its implementation. Further details on the delivery of the service, and its role in supporting trade and the wider economy, is set out in the Border Target Operating Model, published on 5 April 2023.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish his Department's rationale for instigating the development of a Royal Mint non-fungible token.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Royal Mint is not proceeding with the launch of an NFT at this time but will keep this proposal under review.
The Royal Mint operates as a commercial business and any cost associated with developing the project was met entirely out of the Royal Mint’s own revenues. No taxpayer money has been directly used to fund the project.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the Treasury spent in total on the creation of a Royal Mint non-fungible token.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Royal Mint is not proceeding with the launch of an NFT at this time but will keep this proposal under review.
The Royal Mint operates as a commercial business and any cost associated with developing the project was met entirely out of the Royal Mint’s own revenues. No taxpayer money has been directly used to fund the project.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 4.152 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC1183, published on 15 March 2023, what assessment he has made of the impact of the budget's measures on helping people into employment on labour shortages in the retrofit sector.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
At Spring Budget 2023 the Government announced a comprehensive package to help increase employment through tackling inactivity, removing barriers that prevent people from working, and supporting them into the labour force.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expects this package to result in 110,000 more individuals in the labour market by the end of the forecast period in 2027/28. Helping more individuals into employment will help address labour shortages across all UK sectors and industries.
Also in March, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced a new £5 million Heat Training Grant to support 10,000 trainees over the next 2 years to become low carbon heating experts.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Government on ensuring adequate levels of funding for public services in Wales; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Welsh Government is well-funded to deliver public services in Wales. The 2021 Spending Review set the largest annual block grants, in real terms, of any spending review settlement since the devolution Acts. This provided £18 billion per year for the Welsh Government. This settlement is still growing in real terms this year, and over the three-year spending review period, despite inflation being higher than expected.
In addition, Autumn Statement decisions are increasing Welsh Government funding by around £1.2 billion over 2023-24 and 2024-25. This means the Welsh Government is receiving around 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK. The Welsh Government also has its own tax powers if it wants to increase spending further.
The Welsh Government and HM Treasury regularly discuss funding issues throughout the year. I have met with the Welsh Government’s Minister for Finance and Local Government three times since I have been in post, most recently on Thursday 17 November.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to provide financial support to women's refuges in Newport West constituency with the cost (a) food, (b) fuel and (c) energy.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This year the government has announced the Energy Price Guarantee, to support household with their energy bills over the winter, and a further £37 billion of support for the cost of living. Next year, vulnerable households in Great Britain will see their benefit payments rise by 10.1% from April 2023.
When people face higher bills in winter, when usage is higher, additional Cost of Living Payments will be made available across the UK in autumn 2023-24 to over 8 million of the most vulnerable households. The government is also providing another £1 billion funding to enable an extension to the Household Support Fund over 2023-24, which will continue to support English Local Authorities in delivering local welfare to vulnerable households.
The UK Government has provided significant support this year to help non-domestic consumers across the UK, including public sector organisations and voluntary sector organisations, such as women’s refuges, with rising energy costs through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS).
Through the EBRS, the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 to provide them with the certainty they need to plan through the acute crisis this winter.
An HMT-led review of the scheme will determine support beyond 31 March 2023. Results of the review will be published by the end of this year, with further support to be targeted at those most affected.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the Welsh Government on the effect of rising costs of (a) food, (b) fuel and (c) energy on (i) church and (ii) mosques in Newport West constituency.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
HMT continues to engage regularly with the devolved administrations. The Chancellor met with the devolved administration First Ministers Mark Drakeford MS and Nicola Sturgeon MSP on Thursday 10 November where discussion included cost of living and rising energy costs and the First Ministers had the opportunity to set out their priorities to the Chancellor.
I also met with the Welsh Government’s Finance Minister Rebecca Evans MS on Monday 14 November and also on Thursday 17 November to provide an overview of the current economic situation in the UK and to hear her priorities for the people of Wales.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help reduce the impact of rising food costs on people living in Newport West constituency.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government understands that people across the UK are worried about the rising cost of food.
That is why the Government has announced £37 billion of support for the cost of living this financial year. This includes support for over 8 million lower income households through a one-off Cost of Living Payment of £650, with extra support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits.
In addition to this package, the Government has introduced the Energy Price Guarantee to support millions of households with rising energy bills this winter, which will help ease cost of living pressures more generally.
In England, the Government has helped vulnerable people with the cost of food and other essentials through the temporary Household Support Fund, which is administered by local authorities. In parallel, the devolved administrations, including the Welsh Government, have received funding through the Barnett formula. It will be for the Welsh Government to decide how to allocate this additional funding.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2025 to Question 64319 on Development Aid, whether the latest fiscal forecasts allow him to plan to restore the UK's Official Development Assistance budget to 0.7 percent of its GNI.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government remains committed to the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 and to spending 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) once the fiscal situation allows.
In July 2021 the former Chancellor set out the fiscal circumstances under which the UK will make the return to spending 0.7% of its GNI on ODA. This is set out in detail in a written ministerial statement, here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-07-12/hcws172.
Each year, the Government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely and will review and confirm, in accordance with the Act, whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecasts.