Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish a timeline for subsequent House of Lords reform after the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill has concluded.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Alongside the passage of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, the government has been engaged in a dialogue with the House on how we can best implement the Government’s other manifesto commitments. I look forward to continuing that dialogue and considering how to approach it in a more structured way.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will review the right of Church of England bishops to sit in the House of Lords.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is supportive of the inclusion of individuals from all backgrounds in the House of Lords and believes the second chamber is enriched by members who bring diverse experience. This includes the Lords Spiritual.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office on 6 February (HC Deb col 964), what is the breakdown by department of the "nearly 70 direct engagements" held between UK Ministers and their EU counterparts since July 2024.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Responsibility for UK-EU Relations lies with the Cabinet Office and the Paymaster General and Minister for the Constitution and EU Relations Nick Thomas-Symonds, who has spoken with his counterpart Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič seven times. The Prime Minister has spoken with Commission President von der Leyen seven times and with Council President Costa three. Ministers across Government also regularly engage with their EU counterparts, including meetings held by FCDO, DSIT, DBT, DESNZ, HMT, HO, DEFRA, DCMS and others.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office on 6 February on EU–UK relations (HC Deb cols 963–4), what is the breakdown by department of the 70 direct engagements between UK ministers and EU counterparts.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Responsibility for UK-EU Relations lies with the Cabinet Office and the Paymaster General and Minister for the Constitution and EU Relations Nick Thomas-Symonds, who has spoken with his counterpart Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič seven times. The Prime Minister has spoken with Commission President von der Leyen six times and with Council President Costa twice. Ministers across Government also regularly engage with their EU counterparts, including meetings held by FCDO, DSIT, DBT, DESNZ, HMT, HO, DEFRA, DCMS and others.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what impact the planned reduction in civil service personnel will have on relevant employees based in Wales.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Prime Minister’s announcement of longer term reductions in Civil Service numbers is a reiteration of the policy announced by the Chancellor in October 2023. The longer term reductions will build on the shorter term headcount cap put in place through to March 2025. The detail of how individual organisations will be affected by the return to pre-pandemic numbers will form a key part of the next comprehensive spending review.