Lord Wigley

The most recent costs of the House of Lords can be found in the Annual Report and Resources Accounts 2022-23 available on the Parliamentary website. Significant costs are incurred with running and maintaining the variety of the buildings across the World Heritage site of the Parliamentary Estate, and the associated non-cash costs (e.g. depreciation and revaluation adjustments).

For the 2022-23 financial year the costs of the House of Lords excluding estates and works expenditure and non-cash items was £104,670,000. Of this amount the costs directly relating to the Members Finance Scheme (including allowances and travel expenses) totalled £21,110,000. As at 31 March 2023 there were 776 members eligible to attend the House.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

I will deposit a copy of the dataset for employment activity rates for each region of England, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland in the House Libraries.

The Rt Hon. the Lord Wigley

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

21 December 2023

Dear Lord Wigley,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking for the latest employment activity rates for (1) each region of England (2) England (3) Wales, (4) Scotland, and (5) Northern Ireland (HL1373).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects information on respondents’ labour market status as part of the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK.

The economic activity rate is the proportion of the UK population aged 16-64 years who are engaged with the labour market, either through employment or searching for work while unemployed. The employment rate is the proportion of the UK population aged 16 to 64 years who are employed.

The latest LFS estimates available are for the period April to June 2023. Due to increased uncertainty in LFS estimates from May to July 2023, the latest LFS estimates are not being released. To give users a more considered view of the labour market, we have applied growth rates from administrative data (HMRC PAYE RTI (Pay As You Earn Real Time Information) for employment and Claimant Count for unemployment) to April to June 2023 LFS data to produce adjusted employment, unemployment, and economic inactivity estimates.

Table 1 shows estimates of economic activity and employment rates using LFS data from March to May 1992 to April to June 2023, and experimental adjusted estimates from May to July 2023 to August to October 2023.

As the data are quite extensive, a copy of Table 1 has been placed in the House of Lords Library.

Yours sincerely,

Sir Ian Diamond

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Rt Hon. the Lord Wigley

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

11 December 2023

Dear Lord Wigley,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking for the latest annual figures for gross value added per head of population for (1) England, (2) Wales, (3) Scotland, and (4) Northern Ireland (HL898).

The latest available annual figures are for the calendar year 2021, published on 25 April 2023 as part of the regional economic activity by gross domestic product UK: 1998 to 2021 [1] release. Although the headline statistics in this release focus on gross domestic product (GDP), the published tables also include gross value added (GVA) estimates, which differ from GDP only in that they exclude the effect of taxes (less subsidies) on products.

The GVA per head figures you have requested are as follows:

(1) England, £31,138 per person

(2) Wales, £22,380 per person

(3) Scotland, £27,361 per person

(4) Northern Ireland, £24,007 per person

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossvalueaddedgva/datasets/nominalregionalgrossvalueaddedbalancedperheadandincomecomponents

The Cabinet Office is not aware of any plans to introduce legislation preventing departments from responding with a "no reply" email.

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The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Rt Hon. the Lord Wigley

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

11 July 2023

Dear Lord Wigley,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking for an estimate of how many UK citizens emigrated in each of the last five years for which figures are available (HL9085).

The figures for British nationals emigrating out of the UK for the last five years are shown in Table 1 which is sourced from Figure 2 of our Long-term international migration, provisional: year ending December 2022 bulletin [1] which was released in May.

Table 1: Number of British nationals emigrating out of the UK, between 2018 and 2022

Source: Office for National Statistics

Please note that these are currently our best estimates but are subject to change. This is because in September 2023 we will be updating our migration estimates across the previous decade as part of rebased population estimates to align with Census 2021. For more information, please see our Provisional plans for publishing the latest population and migration estimates [2].

When accessing any of our files you may find it useful to read the 'notes, terms and conditions' contained within them.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingdecember2022#emigration-out-of-theuk

[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/statementsandletters/provisionalplansforpublishingthelatestpopulationandmigrationestimates

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Noble Lord’s Parliamentary Question of 10th May is attached in the answer.

The Rt Hon. the Lord Wigley

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

17 May 2023

Dear Lord Wigley,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what the average income per head in the latest financial year for which figures are available was in each of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the regions of England (HL7765).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not produce average income per head estimates of this nature. However, the Effects of Taxes and Benefits on UK Household Income is routinely produced at household-level, in line with international recommendations [1]. This is done so under the assumption that household income is the optimum measure of economic well-being and living standards on individuals given the likelihood that household members share resources.

Table 1 provides UK household disposable income at the International Territorial Level 1 (ITL1) for financial year ending 2021. A more detailed breakdown of income components is available at the ITL1 region is available as part of the ONS’ annual release of Effect of Taxes and Benefits on UK Household Income [2]. Published data currently covers up to financial year ending 2021, with financial year ending 2022 provisionally scheduled for June 2023.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1] https://unece.org/statistics/publications/canberra-group-handbook-household-income-statistics-2ndedition

[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwea lth/bulletins/theeffectsoftaxesandbenefitsonhouseholdincome/financialyearending2021/relateddata

Table 1: Average household disposable income by Region, financial year ending 2021, UK

Source: Office for National Statistics, Effects of Taxes and Benefits

The Critical Minerals Strategy committed to collate UK geoscientific data and identify areas of geological potential for critical mineral extraction. The Department for Business and Trade commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake the study, “Potential for Critical Raw Material Prospectivity in the UK”, delivered by the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC) and was published in 2023. It is a preliminary assessment of geological factors only, and its findings do not mean prospective areas identified will necessarily be targeted for exploration and mining. Mineral planning policy is also a devolved matter.

Areas of potential geological prospectivity for critical minerals were identified in both Scotland and Wales. Regarding the geological prospectivity for lithium, the report identified two areas in Scotland and no areas in Wales.

As announced on the 15th of September 2023, Tata Steel is investing £1.25 billion, including a UK Government grant worth up to £500 million, in a new Electric Arc Furnace. This support is expected to save at least 5,000 jobs in the company, and thousands more in the supply chain.

Where staff are affected by the transition to an Electric Arc Furnace, Tata has a legal obligation to consult staff in a meaningful way, and this process is underway, led by the company. Whilst this is a process for the company to lead on, Ministers and officials are meeting regularly with both Tata Steel and Union representatives, and will continue to hold Tata to account during the consultation process.

Regardless of the outcome of the consultation, we are working with Tata Steel to provide up to £100 million of funding for a dedicated Transition Board, with membership including representatives of the Welsh Government, to support impacted employees and the local economy. Tata has also announced that they will provide a £130 million comprehensive support package for affected employees.

The Government is providing a grant worth up to £500 million, as part of a wider £1.25 billion investment by Tata Steel. This will not only modernise Port Talbot but protect the majority of jobs for the long term.

Tata has a legal obligation to consult staff in a meaningful way, and this process is underway, led by the company. Whilst this is a process for the company to lead on, Ministers and officials are meeting regularly with both Tata Steel and Union representatives and will continue to hold Tata to account during the consultation process.

Regardless of the outcome of the consultation, we are working with Tata Steel to provide up to £100 million of funding for a dedicated Transition Board, with membership including representatives of the Welsh Government, to support impacted employees and the local economy. Tata has also announced that they will provide a £130 million comprehensive support package for affected employees.

The Critical Minerals Strategy committed to collate UK geoscientific data and identify areas of geological potential for critical mineral extraction. The Department for Business and Trade commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake the study, “Potential for Critical Raw Material Prospectivity in the UK”, delivered by the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC) and was published in 2023. It is a preliminary assessment of geological factors only, and its findings do not mean prospective areas identified will necessarily be targeted for exploration and mining. Mineral planning policy is also a devolved matter.

Areas of potential geological prospectivity for critical minerals were identified in both Scotland and Wales. Regarding the geological prospectivity for lithium, the report identified two areas in Scotland and no areas in Wales.

Between 2018 and 2022 the UK exported between 1.5 and 2.2 kilotonnes of cheese to Canada each year, worth between £11 million and £18.7 million.

Prior to 1 January 2024, UK exporters could export cheese to Canada through a Canadian importer with a licence for Canada’s “EU” World Trade Organisation quota. As of 1 January 2024, the Canadian importer must have a licence for Canada’s “non EU” World Trade Organisation quota to import UK cheese.

A range of sources of generation contribute to system flexibility, especially when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining. In the case of nuclear, Great British Nuclear is running a Technology Selection Process for Small Modular Reactors. The Government’s aim is to run the fastest competition of its kind in the world, to identify technologies with the potential to deliver projects in the mid-2030s.

In the immediate term, to maintain security of electricity supply, a limited amount of new gas capacity is needed as the main mature technology capable of providing sustained flexible capacity.

Trawsfynydd could be a candidate for new nuclear in future and is one of a number of potential sites that could host new civil nuclear projects, subject to National planning policy, regulatory approvals and technical assessments.

As a first step towards developing a new nuclear National Policy Statement, Government is consulting on a proposed policy for determining how new nuclear power stations will be sited beyond 2025, including the potential for Small Modular Reactors and other advanced nuclear technologies.

Whilst no decision on sites has been taken, Great British Nuclear is working with Government to support access to potential new nuclear sites, and is open to discuss potential opportunities with site owners.

As part of the Network Options Assessment (NAO) which accompanied the Holistic Network Design (HND), the Electricity System Operator (ESO) identified the need for a new network reinforcement between North and South Wales. National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) is responsible for delivery of the required infrastructure. NGET is currently undertaking a detailed design phase to determine the exact route.

The timing of judicial reviews is a matter for the Court. The Investment Security Unit in the Cabinet Office is responsible for monitoring Nexperia’s compliance with the Final Order issued under the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

We are unable to identify the country of origin for steel used in the UK manufacturing industry specifically.

In 2020, the UK consumed 9.0mt of finished steel (World Steel Association report, copy attached). According to the International Steel Statistics Bureau, 50% was sourced from UK producers. The remaining 50% was imported from foreign producers. Based on import data, we estimate the following proportions for the regions below:

1. The EU: 35%
2. The Rest of the World: 15%

According to the Future Capacities and Capabilities of the UK Steel Industry (attached), c.20% of the demand for finished steel products in 2015 was for manufacturing (defined as automotive, machinery & engineering, and packaging).

The Government notes growing local and regional interest in a number of sites for further nuclear development, including at Trawsfynydd and Wylfa. A new National Policy Statement for nuclear electricity generation infrastructure deployable after 2025 will be developed to reflect the changing policy and technology landscape for nuclear and support the transition to net zero. This will be consulted on in the usual manner, in due course.

The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for tidal range projects in British bays and estuaries, provided that such proposals can demonstrate energy system benefits, plausible environmental impact mitigation strategies, and value for money in the context of other forms of low carbon generation. The Government engages regularly with the Welsh Government on matters of common interest.

The Government works closely with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), the UK’s fusion research organisation based in Oxfordshire. UKAEA is widely recognised as a global leader in fusion R&D and is critical to the delivery of the UK’s Fusion Strategy, which was published last year. Since 2017 the Government has committed around £500m towards new UKAEA research programmes and facilities and will continue to support fusion research over the new Spending Review period with £708m allocated to UKAEA within the Government’s £39.8bn R&D budget for 2022-2025. This will help to keep the UK in pole position to commercialise fusion energy, which would be low-carbon, sustainable and secure.

The most recent data (Energy Trends, December 2021) for the 9 months to September 2021 shows 60.4 per cent of our energy needs was met from indigenous production. Of the remaining 37.4 per cent (with stock changes accounting for the residual difference), 20 per cent of our net imports was for primary oil and oil products and 64 per cent for gas. The vast majority of our gas imports came from reliable suppliers such as Norway.

His Majesty’s Government works to promote the whole United Kingdom as a destination for tourists, both domestic and international, working with the devolved governments and administrations across the UK.

VisitBritain promotes the UK abroad by running advertising and promotional campaigns in prospective markets. It generates a return on investment of £21 for every £1 spent; as a result of its activity, international visitors spent an additional £34 million in Wales in 2019–20 alone.

Visit Wales leads on the development of a tourism brand specifically for Wales, while VisitBritain works with Visit Wales to ensure that these brand values are reflected in the broader GREAT Campaign, which highlights a number of the many wonderful destinations and experiences on offer across Wales.

The British Museum operates independently of His Majesty's Government, and decisions relating to the care and management of its collections are a matter for the Museum’s trustees.

The British Museum, as well as some other national museums, is prevented by law from removing objects from its collections, with a limited number of exceptions, none of which apply in this case. The Government has no plan to change the law.

As the former Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, recounts in his A History of the World in 100 Objects (2010), it is thanks to the work of the British Museum over more than a century that so many fragments of the Mold Gold Cape have been reunited, following their dispersal shortly after it was discovered at Bryn-yr-Ellyllon in 1833.

In 2022, overseas residents made an estimated 31.2 million visits to the UK according to the Office for National Statistics. The ONS estimated a total of 686,000 visits to Wales for the same year.

In 2018 HM Government announced that £120 million would be made available for UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK.

HM Treasury provided £98.3 million to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport for the programme, and the remainder was provided to the devolved administrations via the Barnett formula.

On 5 July, the government announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of sectors, including performing arts and theatres, museums and galleries, heritage sites, live music venues and independent cinemas.

The package will include a £1.15 billion support pot for cultural organisations in England, delivered through a mix of grants and loans. This will be made up of £270 million of repayable finance and £880 million grants.

The department does not collect this information. However, schools are free to teach whichever languages they choose to suit the needs of their pupils.

Responsibility for keeping buildings safe and well-maintained lies with schools and their responsible bodies. Where the department is alerted to significant safety issues with a school building, that cannot be managed within local resources, it provides additional support on a case-by-case basis. The department provides immediate advisory support in all cases.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are responsible for setting the policy and regulations for schools on asbestos management and compliance.

The department follows the HSE’s advice that, provided asbestos-containing materials are in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed, it is generally safest to manage them in place. Where asbestos-containing materials are likely to be disturbed by maintenance works or daily use of the building and cannot be easily protected, schools should have them removed. The department has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 to support this work, including £1.8 billion committed for 2023/24

The department has published bespoke guidance on asbestos management for schools in 2020 and is working with HSE and the sector to look at further ways to help them and build on existing guidance and support.

Data published by British Council and Ecorys acting as the UK National Agency for the 2014/20 Erasmus+ Programme, is available at: https://erasmusplus.org.uk/results-and-statistics.html.

This data indicates that the amount of funding received by applicants in Wales in 2014, 2015 and 2016 was €5,134,268.50, €6,796,296.50, and €8,979,210 respectively. This funding covered Key Action 1: Learner and Staff Mobility in Higher education, Vocational education and training, Schools, Adult education, and Youth, as well as Key Action 2: Strategic Partnerships and Key Action 3: Youth Structured Dialogue.

Applicants in Scotland received €12,216,190 in 2014, €14,347,139 in 2015 and €15,099,037.80 in 2016 under the EU Erasmus+ Programme. This funding covered Key Action 1 and Key Action 2 only between 2014 and 2016 as no applicants from Scotland received funding for Key Action 3 during this period.

It is up to schools to decide which languages are taught as part of their curriculum at secondary phase.

The Welsh language is a valuable part of our nation’s heritage and is an important aspect in fostering UK wide cohesion. When deciding which languages to offer their pupils, state funded secondary schools in England are likely to consider the needs of the communities that they serve and may decide to offer Welsh.

The government recognises that the current special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system does not consistently deliver the outcomes we want and expect for children and young people with SEND, their families, or the people and services who support them. This was highlighted by a SEND Money Survey conducted by Let Us Learn Too and the Disabled Children’s Partnership.

The department is conducting a review of SEND provisions in England. This is to ensure that children and young people with SEND get the right support, in the right place, at the right time, to improve outcomes and experiences within a financially sustainable system. The department has met with representatives and organisations, including Let Us Learn Too and the Disabled Children’s Partnership.

On 1 February 2022, the government announced more than £45 million of continued targeted support for families and parents of children and young people with SEND over the next three financial years. Additionally, councils will be provided with £30 million to set up more than 10,000 additional respite placements, helping to provide positive opportunities for children and young people with SEND.

In March 2021, the government published the mental health recovery action plan. It is backed by an additional £500 million of targeted investment to ensure that there is support in place for this financial year. This support includes £79 million to expand support in children and young people’s mental health services.

Education policy is devolved. Therefore, arrangements covering SEND policy and provision in Wales are a matter for the Welsh Government.