Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department spent on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Wales Office did not spend any money on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what was the total cost of facility time to the department in (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26; and what was the headcount number of facility time staff in each; how many were 100% facility time; and whether funding was provided for trade union activities in each of those years.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The department has one trade union representative who undertakes union-related duties as part of their role. The headcount of staff undertaking facility time was one in each of the years. No staff were engaged on 100% facility time during this period. The department does not provide funding for trade union activities.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many departmental Senior Civil Service away days have taken place in calendar year 2026 to date; in what specific venues; at what cost; and if there was any associated social or team-building activity at public expense.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

There has been one departmental Senior Civil Service (SCS) away day in calendar year 2026 to date. The away day was held in a meeting room at the UK Government Hub in Cardiff. There was no venue hire or event cost associated with the away day. There was no associated social or team-building activity at public expense.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the percentage of desks provided for staff is as a proportion of the total number of assigned staff in his Department's (a) Welsh and (b) London headquarters.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Wales Office currently has 25 civil servants assigned to its Cardiff Office and 23 assigned to its London Office. The number of desks provided as a proportion of assigned staff is 60% in Cardiff and 121% in London.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department (a) uses or (b) plans to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Department occupies premises owned, leased and managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), who are responsible for building assets, including the installation and use of rooftop solar panels.

Funding support for public bodies to install solar panels has been available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) with a total of over £3 billion made available up 2028. Great British Energy (GBE) also supports public sector decarbonisation and the GBE Solar programme is investing £255 million to fund around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and around 15 military sites to install solar panels across the country.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department monitors the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Department does not monitor the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month. The Department's offices are located in buildings managed by the Government Property Agency and HM Revenue & Customs, which provide facilities management services and are responsible for monitoring and recording food waste generated within those buildings.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what response they have given, or propose to give, to the Welsh Government’s request for its borrowing powers to be made equivalent to those available to the Scottish Government.

Answered by Lord Katz - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Spending Review 2025 provided the Welsh Government with its largest real-terms Spending Review settlement since devolution, with nearly £6.5 billion of additional spending power over the Spending Review period. At Autumn Budget 2025, the Government announced changes to the Welsh Fiscal Framework, including a 10% increase in annual and cumulative capital borrowing limits and Wales Reserve limits from 2026-27, with annual indexation from 2027-28.

The Fiscal Frameworks for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been agreed separately with each devolved government to reflect the different needs of each nation.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what changes, if any, have been made to the terms of reference or the responsibilities of the Wales Office.

Answered by Lord Katz - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

There have been no changes to the terms of reference or the responsibilities of the Wales Office.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department were on permanent home working contracts in 2025.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

No civil servants in my Department were on permanent home working contracts in 2025.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many meetings he has held with the Welsh Government since his appointment on 26 July 2026 to discuss its proposal to close junctions on the M4, on what dates those meetings took place, and what the outcomes of those meetings were.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

I have held discussions with Welsh Government counterparts on a range of issues since my appointment in July 2026.

On 6 October 2026, the Welsh Government announced an 18-month programme of work to develop road-based and engineering solutions for the M4, including consideration of the potential closure of junctions in the Newport area. Decisions relating to the M4 are devolved and are therefore a matter for the Welsh Government, but I am deeply concerned by these proposals and their impacts.

The UK Government recognises the need to address congestion on the M4. The Burns Commission recommended five new stations in South East Wales as part of a wider network of transport alternatives intended to ease congestion, improve journey time reliability and deliver economic benefits across South Wales.

At Spending Review 2025, £95 million was allocated to the Burns Stations, with an ambition to bring two stations into construction by 2029. This investment forms part of the UK Government's wider commitment of £445 million for rail enhancements in Wales.

In addition, the Prime Minister has committed to delivering Transport for Wales's vision document, which includes projects with an estimated value of up to £14 billion. These proposals would strengthen connectivity between communities and key employment centres, support new jobs and housing, and drive economic growth across Wales. By enabling more frequent, reliable and integrated public transport services, they would also provide people with a genuine alternative to the car and encourage modal shift from road to rail.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what representations he has made to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero in respect to the Parc Adfer CCS project as part of the Government’s ongoing HyNet Project Negotiation List Review.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

I regularly engage with Ministers in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on a range of matters, including industrial decarbonisation in Wales. I am eager to ensure that industries across North Wales are well placed to benefit from the HyNet Cluster, which is critical to decarbonising the region and securing high-quality jobs.

The UK Government remains committed to securing the maximum value from the HyNet cluster and is undertaking a holistic assessment against a range of factors, including affordability, value for money, maturity, deliverability, strategic contribution, and network capacity. Government appreciate the industry’s need for clarity on the HyNet Project Negotiation List Review and will provide further updates as soon as they are available.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department spent on hotel accommodation for (a) staff and (b) Ministers broken down by (i) UK stays and (ii) overseas stays in the 2024-25 financial year.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Wales Office spent £29,614 on hotel accommodation in 2024-25. The spend is broken down as follows:

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department spent on interpreters and related translation services in 2025.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Wales Office spent £9,060.98 in financial year 2025-6 on translation services. This expenditure related to the translation of documents into Welsh. No expenditure was incurred on interpreting services.

We think the Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 guidance is unsafe for trans youth and should be reviewed. For example, mandating active parental involvement in most cases, setting a binary criteria & requiring provision of single-sex toilet facilities unless self-contained individual toilets.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2026 to Question 19165 on Defence: Space Technology, what progress his Department has made on gaining approval for the town planning application that was submitted to the local planning authority in March 2026.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The planning application for the proposed Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability site at Cawdor Barracks was submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council in March 2026.

On 21 July 2026, Welsh Ministers called in the application for their determination under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The application will therefore be determined by Welsh Ministers rather than Pembrokeshire County Council. The Ministry of Defence continues to engage with the Wales Office and the Welsh Government to support the timely determination of the application.

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