Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received from Welsh Ministers and the Welsh Language Commissioner in relation to the Private Parking Code of Practice to be published under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The proposed Private Parking Code of Practice will not set out any stipulations regarding the use of the Welsh language. The proposed Code of Practice will provide a single set of standards for the parking industry that will deliver fairness for motorists across Wales, as well as in England and Scotland.
The Government recently conducted a Call for Evidence to help ensure that our forthcoming consultation on capping parking charges and debt recovery fees is as well as informed as possible. Some members of the Welsh Parliament provided contributions to this Call for Evidence and their submissions were reviewed as part of our analysis of the Call for Evidence responses.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the latest version of the Private Parking Code of Practice due to be issued shortly will include requirements on the use of the Welsh language in relation to Wales.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The proposed Private Parking Code of Practice will not set out any stipulations regarding the use of the Welsh language. The proposed Code of Practice will provide a single set of standards for the parking industry that will deliver fairness for motorists across Wales, as well as in England and Scotland.
The Government recently conducted a Call for Evidence to help ensure that our forthcoming consultation on capping parking charges and debt recovery fees is as well as informed as possible. Some members of the Welsh Parliament provided contributions to this Call for Evidence and their submissions were reviewed as part of our analysis of the Call for Evidence responses.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about devolving the Crown Estate.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK Government has had no discussions with the Welsh Government on the devolving the Crown Estate, and has no plans to transfer responsibility of the Crown Estate to the Welsh Government.
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.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about devolving broadcasting and communication.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about devolving justice and policing.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to commence section 106 of the Equality Act 2010 relating to political party candidate information; and if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government continues to keep section 106 of the Equality Act 2010 under review but remains of the view that political parties should lead the way in increasing diverse electoral representation through their own approaches to the selection of candidates.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money the Treasury has collected in speeding fines imposed in Wales for each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury does not hold data on flows into the consolidated fund from speeding fines specifically, or receive any management information on fines across local areas.
Fixed penalty notices for motoring offences are overseen and administered by local police forces.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have closed the Welsh language provision of the Department for Work and Pensions bereavement service; and, if so, when and why.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Welsh language provision of DWP’s Bereavement Service has not been closed down.
The Bereavement Service includes:
Bereavement teams within Regional Pension Centres (RPCs) provide this service. A Welsh team in Swansea Pension Centre supports the Welsh language service. This can be accessed by calling 0800 731 0453.
Those reporting a death, who have a Tell Us Once Reference Number, provided by the Registrar, can report a death on-line through the Tell Us Once service, which is also available in Welsh [Beth i'w wneud ar ôl i rywun farw: Dywedwch Wrthym Unwaith -GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)] or by calling 0800 085 7308 and selecting option 1 to speak to someone in Welsh. For those without a Tell Us Once Reference Number, the death can be reported by calling the Welsh Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 731 0453.
The Bereavement Support Payment can also be claimed online in Welsh [Taliad Cymorth Profedigaeth: Sut i wneud cais - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)].
Information relating to Bereavement can be found on GOV.UK in both Welsh and English.
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 - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many workers across the hospitality, leisure and services sectors in Wales will be affected by the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023; and how much additional money they estimate workers in Wales will take home.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government published an impact assessment for the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3197/publications. The impact assessment estimates that around 2 million workers in the hospitality, leisure and services sectors across the UK will benefit by having their tips protected.
Of those, around 1 million workers are estimated to benefit from an increase in gross pay of around £200 per year on average. The Government has not published regional breakdowns, but the number of workers in tipping industries in Wales can be obtained through the Nomis website at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk.