Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with the Department for Transport on improving the quality and quantity of trains on the line between Aberystwyth and Birmingham via Telford.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

I have regular discussions with the Transport Secretary on a range of issues.

Services and rolling stock on the line between Aberystwyth and Birmingham, via Telford, are the responsibility of Transport for Wales and my officials engage regularly with colleagues in Transport for Wales.

The UK Government is investing at least £445 million into Welsh rail to right years of underfunding by previous governments and unleash Wales’ economic potential.

This will mean new stations, more and faster trains across Wales, improving cross border connectivity, connecting people with the new, well-paid jobs we are creating across Wales and cross border areas.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, for the total spend on (i) LinkedIn membership fees (ii) other subscriptions by her Department in the last financial year.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

In the last financial year, the Office spent no money on LinkedIn membership fees and £3,332.48 on other subscriptions.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what is the process used to determine which neighbourhoods within Welsh local authorities will receive support under the Pride of Place programme; and when those neighbourhoods will be announced.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

Through the Pride in Place Programme, nine more communities in Wales will receive up to £20 million each over the next 10 years. Every local authority in Wales will also receive a share of £34.5 million through the Pride in Place Impact Fund. This £214 million investment will support communities to drive forward the changes they want to see and will deliver visible improvements to drive growth, break down barriers to opportunity, and restore pride and confidence in local areas.

The nine local authorities in Wales receiving funding under the Pride in Place Programme are currently in the process of identifying the places within their area that will serve as the focus for this investment. This process combines objective data on local need with engagement from the local community and strategic alignment with other investments such as the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Programme and other placemaking plans. The selected places will be confirmed early in the new year.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government regarding the construction of a plant for the production of medical radio isotopes at the Trawsfynydd nuclear site and what plans they have to collaborate with the Welsh Government to construct the plant.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK Government has regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a range of issues, including the Welsh Government’s project to establish a public sector laboratory for the supply of medical radioisotopes at the Trawsfynydd site in Gwynedd.

The UK Government continues to engage with the Welsh Government on the opportunities this proposal could create for Wales.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what Barnett consequential funding will Wales receive as a direct result of measures set out in the UK Government’s child poverty strategy published on 5 December 2025.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

The Barnett formula has been applied in the normal way to changes in UK Government Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL). Spending Review 2025 provided the Welsh Government with their largest spending review settlements in real terms since devolution. As a result of decisions at Budget 2025, the Welsh Government will receive an additional £320 million RDELex and £185 million CDEL through the operation of the Barnett formula on top of these record settlements. This means the Welsh Government’s settlement continues to grow in real terms between 2024-25 and 2028-29.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The Government is investing in the future of our children and introducing a fundamental change by removing the two-child limit on Universal Credit, benefitting 69,000 children in Wales. This comes alongside a package of measures that will drive down working poverty by raising the minimum wage, creating more secure jobs by strengthening rights at work.

The Strategy builds on the reform plans already underway across government and the important work underway in Welsh Government. We are committed to continued collaboration with the Welsh Government to tackle child poverty across Wales, particularly through the implementation phase that will now follow.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

The Wales Office Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) over the Spending Review is shown below:

The Department does not have capital programmes. The capital DEL is to cover the purchase of office equipment.

*The 2025-26 Capital DEL includes £0.945m for a change in valuation of the Departments building leases resulting from a technical accounting adjustment to comply with HM Treasury Consolidated Budgeting guidance.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in her Department.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

There are currently no direct ministerial appointments at the Wales Office.

Found: Dorset was for a time the shadow Minister for Wales, and as shadow Minister for Wales he asked the Wales Office

Found: recommendations - GOV.UK Office for National Statistics, 2024) Avoidable mortality in England and Wales - Office

Found: summed over age categories 18 to 64 (inclusive) from: Estimates of the population for England and Wales - Office

Found: See ‘Area Cost Adjustment (ACA)’ 18 Population estimates for England and Wales - Office for National

Found: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Q3 2025 Wales Office

Found:

Found: Northern Ireland Office 84 82 0 2 1 Scotland Office 57 57 0 0 0 UK Export Finance 27 27 0 0 2 Wales Office

Found: govuk-template--rebranded" lang="en">