Ruth Jones MP: written questions
342 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 5390More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made towards bringing forward regulations to give effect to the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023; and when she intends to lay such regu
Answer: As set out in the animal welfare strategy published in December 2025, Defra is continuing to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to stop the advertising of low-welfare animal activities abroad and will set out next steps in due course.
Answered 9 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordIndia: Religious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 1 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 5389More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Indian counterpart on freedom of religion or belief relating to the proposed implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Relig
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 4 June in response to Question 3945.
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMexico: Religious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 1 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 5388More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Government of Mexico on the protection of freedom of religion or belief for indigenous and rural communities affected by organise
Answer: The UK is committed to promoting freedom of religion or belief and to the freedom of expression globally. We are concerned by reports of violence against indigenous and rural communities in Mexico. Any violence against indigenous communities must be fully...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal HousingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4592More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will bring forward legislation to ban the use of enriched cages for laying hens.
Answer: A UK-wide consultation on laying hen cage reform was launched on 12 January 2026 and closed on 9 March 2026. The Government is carefully analysing the consultation responses, and the next steps will be announced when the analysis is completed.
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordUnemployment: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4530More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged 16 - 24 years were not in education, employment or training in Newport West and Islwyn constituency in each of the last six years.
Answer: With over one million young people not in education, employment and training across the UK, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into t...
Answered 1 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordUnemployment: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4529More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on reducing the number of young people not in employment, education or training in a) Newport West and Islwyn constituency and b) South Wales.
Answer: The Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one mi...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHuman TissueDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4507More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure tissue stabilisers do not reduce the need for equitable access to tissue freezing across the NHS.
Answer: NHS England has produced national sample handling guidance, including for whole genome sequencing (WGS) of solid tumours, to standardise the collection, processing, and transport of tumour samples, helping to maintain DNA quality and support access to pre...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHuman TissueDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4505More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of whether reliance on tissue stabilisers could limit patients’ future access to a) precision diagnostics, b) whole genome sequencing, c) clinical trials or d) research
Answer: NHS England has produced national sample handling guidance, including for whole genome sequencing (WGS) of solid tumours, to standardise the collection, processing, and transport of tumour samples, helping to maintain DNA quality and support access to pre...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: ShellfishHome OfficeTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4425More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps is she taking to (a) reduce the numbers of decapod crustaceans used in scientific procedures and (b) strengthen expertise of these creatures within the Animals in Science Regulation Unit.
Answer: The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 recognises decapod crustaceans as sentient beings. The Government is committed to an evidence-based and proportionate approach to their welfare, including where they are used in scientific research.The Home Office h...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsHome OfficeTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4423More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the use of informal hierarchies of animal sentience by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit in discharging its duties under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 19
Answer: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) does not operate through informal hierarchies of sentience. Instead, it statutorily requires that, wherever possible, animals with the lowest capacity to experience pain, suffering, distress and lasting ...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCoal: Soil HeapsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4412More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) extracting and b) burning of coal extracted from coal tips on the level of carbon emissions.
Answer: Local authorities are the primary authority for coal recovery schemes from tips through planning permission and enforcement which includes consideration of environmental impacts.
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCoal: Soil HeapsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4411More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration he has given to banning the extraction of coal from coal tips.
Answer: The recovery of coal from former coal tips does not require licenses from the Mining Remediation Authority, formerly the Coal Authority. The majority of coal tips are in local authority or private ownership which includes legal responsibilities for their ...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordEmployment: PetsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4410More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 122869 on Employment: Pets, what consideration he has given to measuring (a) companion animal ownership and (b) its impact on the UK labour mark
Answer: DWP has made no plans to measure companion animal ownership or its impact on the UK Labour Market. The main household surveys DWP uses, such as the Labour Force Survey, are conducted by the Independent Office for National Statistics.
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: UK Relations with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2324More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking, in the context of the UK–EU SPS negotiations, to pursue animal welfare measures, including a ban on foie gras imports, in the context of representa
Answer: This Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and is committed to delivering the most ambitious animal welfare programme in a generation as set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy. It has made clear that the production of foie ...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailway Stations: Newport WestDepartment for TransportTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2323More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on implementing the new station at Newport West announced in Spending Review 2025.
Answer: At least £445 million was set aside for rail improvements in Wales as part of the 2025 Spending Review and the UK's 10-year Infrastructure Strategy. This investment marks the beginning of a long-term UK Government commitment, announced by the Prime Minist...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordIndia: Religious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2245More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Government of India on the protection of Christian communities and other religious minorities; and what steps her Department is t
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 9 March in response to Question 116730.
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHare CoursingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1348More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to introduce legislation to create a closed hunting season for hares.
Answer: This Government committed to consider how to bring forward and introduce a close season for hares in England in its Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December 2025. In short, a close season should reduce the number of adult hares being shot in the bre...
Answered 21 May 2026
Original Parliament recordIran: Minority GroupsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 28 Apr 2026Awaiting answerUIN 130131More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a lack of access to (a) education, (b) employment and (c) public services on (a) the BaBahá'í community and (b) other
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordAnimal Products: UK Trade with EUCabinet OfficeTabled 27 Apr 2026Awaiting answerUIN 129897More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking, in the context of the UK–EU SPS negotiations, to pursue animal welfare measures, including a ban on foie gras imports, in the context of representations made by foie gras industry interests to EU institutions.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: DogsHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129280More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the level of a) pain, b) suffering, c) distress and d) lasting harm caused to dogs covered by service licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedure
Answer: All project licence applications, including service licences which use specially protected species such as dogs and non-human primates, are subject to a rigorous harm-benefit analysis (HBA), required under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASP...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: PrimatesHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129279More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of a) pain, b) suffering, c) distress and d) lasting harm caused to non-human primates recognised by service licences under Animal
Answer: All project licence applications, including service licences which use specially protected species such as dogs and non-human primates, are subject to a rigorous harm-benefit analysis (HBA), required under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASP...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129278More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the robustness of the harm-benefit analysis of service licences, under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, using a) non-human primates b) pr
Answer: All project licence applications, including service licences, are subject to a rigorous harm-benefit analysis (HBA), required under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The HBA is carried out by a trained Home Office Inspector who is a mem...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPetsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129254More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of a) companion animal ownership trends and b) recent legislative changes on local authority costs, including i) kennelling and ii
Answer: The Department engages regularly with local authority representative groups to understand pressures on their animal welfare functions, including kennelling and enforcement.
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEmployment: Carers and PetsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129253More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) informal caregiving responsibilities and (b) companion animal care on labour market participation.
Answer: I refer my Hon. friend to the answer I gave on 13th April to PQ 122869.
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEmployment: PetsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129252More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to undertake research into the potential impact of companion animal ownership on a) labour market participation, b) productivity and c) flexible working.
Answer: I refer my Hon. friend to the answer I gave on 13th April to PQ 122869.
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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