Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about a new devolution deal.

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

Labour is the party of devolution in Wales and Westminster. The Secretary of State for Wales and her Cabinet colleagues engage with Welsh Ministers frequently on a wide range of issues, including the future of devolution in key policy areas. This engagement is part of our reset relationship with the Welsh Government based on co-operation and partnership, through which we can achieve and deliver more for people in Wales.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the devolved administrations about changes to the allocation of funding across the UK on reserved matters.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The UK and devolved governments have regular discussions about changes to the allocation of funding across the UK, including on reserved matters.

The UK Government remains committed to ensuring that funding across the UK is allocated in line with the Statement of Funding Policy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the cross-departmental ministerial group will next meet to discuss the violence against women and girls strategy action plan; and how that group plans to report its work to Parliament.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Ministerial Board met on Tuesday 27^th January and will continue to meet regularly.

Home Office Ministers look forward to engaging with Parliament on the working of the government in implementing our Strategy ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse’, our supporting Action Plan, and our ambition to halve VAWG within a decade. This will include annual progress reports which will be published.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to Freedom from violence and abuse volume 2: action plan, published on 18 December 2025, what actions they have taken, or plan to take, to deliver the commitment to working with employers on domestic abuse.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls’, published on 18 December 2025, sets out our commitment to improving the employer response to violence against women and girls (VAWG). Work is underway to encourage employers to maximise employment opportunities and provide support for those experiencing domestic abuse in the workplace. This includes:

• Updating existing guidance for employers on workplace support for domestic abuse victims and survivors and expanding it to cover all VAWG victims and survivors.
• Encouraging employers to ensure that their staff receive sufficient training on VAWG and to implement robust policies and processes on responding to victims and survivors, and perpetrators of VAWG, in the workplace.
• Encouraging employers to become members of expert networks such as the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse and the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant.
• Conducting an annual survey of employers’ policies and training on VAWG.

We are working across government to deliver commitments on employers’ response to domestic abuse, including through a cross-government Ministerial Group that has shaped the development of the Strategy and will oversee its implementation.

This is further supported by a Strategy Advisory Board of external expert stakeholders who will help to hold the Government to account on delivery.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government regarding changes to how police forces are governed in Wales.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are working closely with the Welsh Government, Welsh local government, police forces and other partners to ensure new governance arrangements provide strong and effective local governance for Wales, recognising the distinct nature of local and regional arrangements. The Policing Minister regularly speaks to the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, and attended the Policing Partnership Board for Wales on 18 December.

We have established a specific transition working group to consider future governance arrangements in Wales as part of our Police Governance Reform project, and we will continue to work collaboratively with Welsh stakeholders on the design and implementation of these arrangements.

Found: Letter dated 05/02/2026 from Lord Katz to Baroness Smith of Llanfaes regarding the responsibilities of