Baroness Smith of Llanfaes

The Kings Speech included the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill which has now been introduced into the House of Commons. Other proposed reforms include the appointment process, retirement and participation. I have already started engaging with colleagues around the House and welcome their input. I look forward to continuing this dialogue. As outlined in our manifesto, in the longer term the Government will consult on further reforms to ensure that an alternative second chamber is more representative of the nation and regions.

The Government believes that every party standing for elections to the House of Commons, the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd has a duty to demonstrate progress towards better representation. Commencement of section 106 is one way of achieving that and we will set out our plans for this area in due course.

This Government's manifesto committed £2.5 billion to rebuild the steel sector, in addition to £500 million already earmarked for Port Talbot steelworks. This funding will harness public and private investment to secure jobs and boost growth in Wales and the UK. We are working closely with Tata and Unions to ensure a better deal.

At the most recent meeting of the Transition Board (11 July), chaired by the Secretary of State for Wales, the Board agreed it would move into a delivery phase to support those affected staff and the local area. The Transition Board will meet again in August to consider next steps.

On 14^th November 2024 the Government announced its intention to change coal extraction policy through primary legislation to restrict future licensing of all new coal mines. The Government anticipates this will involve measures to amend the Coal Industry Act 1994 which will be introduced when Parliamentary time allows.

Whilst it would not be appropriate for Ministers to intervene directly in funding decisions by arm’s-length bodies such as Arts Council England or in the operation of the Welsh National Opera, and whilst arts policy in Wales is devolved, Minister Bryant has held a series of very productive meetings with the Wales Office, Welsh Government, Arts Council England, and Welsh National Opera to understand the challenges it faces in more detail and to see how, within the parameters of the arm’s length principle, we can best help ensure a strong, secure and sustainable future for the WNO.

The core point of agreement across all these meetings and across all partners was a recognition of the value of the Welsh National Opera and its work - for the people of England as well as for the people of Wales. It was clear that all partners are keen to achieve a positive long-term future for the organisation, and are working towards that goal. We look forward to the new leadership at the WNO coming up with a practicable plan in the near future.

Old Oak Common station is a crucial enabler for the Government’s growth mission. During its construction there will be periods of full line closures and some periods, generally weekends, when the closure of some lines means fewer services will be able to operate. During full line closures, most services from Carmarthen to London are expected to be diverted into London Euston, maintaining direct access for passengers into Central London. This Government will continue working with industry partners to ensure that disruption for passengers using the Great Western Main Line is kept to a minimum.

For each transfer into DfT Operator Ltd, there will not be any immediate changes to the timetable specification and there are no immediate plans to change the way future timetable adjustments will be managed. My Department has regular discussions with Great Western Railway to review the level of service provision, including in relation to late evening services, to ensure that the timetable meets passenger demand, is resilient, and provides value for money for taxpayers.

The meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport in Wales is planned to take place in August. The meeting will include the parties agreeing how any reporting from the meeting will take place afterwards. The Secretary of State has already met with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport in Wales.

In the Budget, the Chancellor provided funding to the public sector to support them with the additional cost associated with changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions.

The Welsh Government will receive funding through the Barnett Formula in 2025-26 for any changes to UK Government department budgets, including support for Employer National Insurance Contributions. This is the normal operation of the funding arrangements as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.

This funding will be in addition to the Welsh Government’s record Spending Review settlement for 2025-26, which is the largest in real terms of any settlement since devolution.

The UK Government has had no discussions with the Welsh Government on devolving the Crown Estate.

The Crown Estate has played a significant role in attracting international investment into Wales to support the UK’s net zero target and will continue to do so through future leasing rounds for offshore wind developments, including floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea. They work closely with the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales in support of shared priorities, ensuring that these resources are sustainably managed for the long term.

Introducing a new entity would fragment the market, complicate existing processes, and likely delay further development offshore, undermining investment in Welsh waters.

The Government will set out its long-term vision for local growth beyond 2025-26 at the multi-year spending review in the Spring. This will end the approach of local authorities and MCAs being forced to compete against each other for growth funds; target funding where it is most needed; and empower local leaders to create jobs, improve wages and get Britain building.

The Government is consulting on proposals for Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) asset pools, including the Wales Pension Partnership, to meet the following minimum standards:

• Administering authorities would remain responsible for setting an investment strategy for their fund, and would be required to fully delegate the implementation of that strategy to the pool;
• Administering Authorities would be required to set out their high-level objective on local investment and to take account of local growth plans in their investment strategies (or local priorities in areas not covered by local growth plans), as well as including a target range for local investment. In Wales, Administering Authorities would be required to take account of the priorities and plans of the relevant Corporate Joint Committee or Committees;
• Administering authorities would be required to transfer legacy assets to the management of the pool;
• Administering authorities would be required to take principal advice on their investment strategy from the pool;
• Pools would be required to be established as investment management companies authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, with the expertise and capacity to advise on and implement investment strategies;
• Pools would be required to develop the capability to carry out due diligence on local investments and to manage such investments.

The Government is currently consulting on proposals relating to asset pooling in the Local Government Pensions Scheme (LGPS) England and Wales. The consultation text can be found at Gov.uk: Local Government Pension Scheme (England and Wales): Fit for the future - GOV.UK.

The proposals in the consultation apply to both England and Wales. They would require the Wales Pension Partnership to make changes to their pooling model in order to meet the minimum standards for pooling, and for all LGPS assets to be under pool management. The consultation recognises that the Wales Pension Partnership operates within a devolved nation and that it may make sense for the Welsh LGPS administering authorities to continue to operate a separate asset pool.

This Government will lower the voting age to 16 during this Parliament. This measure will strengthen our democracy and empower young people to participate in it, and we will develop plans for outreach and engagement with the newly enfranchised to encourage them to make the most of their new rights.

The Electoral Commission is the independent electoral regulator and will be reporting on the administration of the May local elections and the recent General Election. We anticipate publication of their initial findings on voter ID in September and their full election report later in the year.

The Elections Act 2022 included a requirement for the Secretary of State to publish an evaluation of the implementation and impact of the Voter ID policy on the next local and next two UK Parliamentary General Elections. Work has already begun on the evaluation of the July 2024 election, and we will publish in due course.

Both of these reports will inform the wider work officials are doing to thoroughly review voter ID.

We are committed to supporting the Welsh Government in ensuring disused coal tips are safe. That is why we allocated £25 million of funding in 2025/6 for essential work being undertaken by the Welsh Government to keep disused coal tips maintained and safe. It is for the Welsh Government to allocate funding and as confirmed in their draft budget, the Welsh Government will do this by expanding the Coal Tip Safety Grant. The Welsh Government, in administering this fund, will work with local authorities in Wales to determine exactly which tips get the money.

As set out in our manifesto, the Government is committed to devolving employment support funding to the Welsh Government, to working with the Welsh Government to consider the devolution of youth justice, and to conducting a strategic review of probation governance, which will include considering the benefits of devolved models.

The Government recognises that the Welsh Fiscal Framework is out of date and is committed to working in partnership with the Welsh Government to ensure that it delivers value for money. We will also restore decision-making over the allocation of structural funds to the representatives of Wales. The Secretary of State for Wales will work closely with HM Treasury and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in taking these commitments forward.

The UK Government is resetting its relationship with the devolved governments to strengthen the UK through greater respect. This stronger intergovernmental working will be spearheaded by a new Council of the Nations and Regions, bringing together the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Wales and Scotland, the First and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Mayors of Combined Authorities in England, to enable greater collaboration on shared challenges and opportunities.

The Government is fully committed to strengthening the Sewel Convention by setting out a new memorandum of understanding outlining how the nations will work together for the common good. We will work closely with the devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, to reach consensus on matters regarding legislation in service of people across the United Kingdom.