15 Former APPG memberships
Argentina, Catalonia, Chess, EU Relations, Future of UK Freight and Logistics, Heart Disease, Hydrogen, Intensive Care, Ireland and the Irish in Britain, Latin America, Learning Disability, Media Freedom, Nuclear Energy, Slovenia, WaterDivision Voting information
Debates during the 2024 Parliament
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
(5 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(10 debate contributions)
(3 debate contributions)
(2 debate contributions)
(1 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(4,726 words contributed)
Lords initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Lord Wigley, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
6 Bills introduced by Lord Wigley
A Bill to provide that powers devolved to Senedd Cymru must not be amended or withdrawn without a super-majority vote of its elected members; and for connected purposes
Monday 26th June 2023
A Bill to transfer responsibility for the Crown Estate in Wales to the Welsh Government; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to make provision for a review of access for people with learning disabilities to healthcare and other services; to make provision for a review of the provision of learning disability services across government; to make associated provision for the reform of such services; to provide a statutory code of practice on the public sector equality duty for public bodies for matters relating to learning disabilities; and for connected purposes
A bill to make provision to ensure that the police forces in England and Wales have sufficient resources to deliver police services; and for connected purposes
A Bill to require the Secretary of State to introduce proposals to halve the disability employment gap; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to Make provision to ensure that the terms and conditions of employment offered by employers do not put workers who are permanently domiciled in the United Kingdom at a disadvantage through offering any bonus or payment in kind; and for connected purposes.
Tuesday 10th June 2014
Lord Wigley has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Latest 17 Written Questions
(View all written questions)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 November 2024
Dear Lord Wigley,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what are the latest figures for employee activity rates for (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland (HL2370).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects information on the labour market status of individuals through the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK. The responses allow us to estimate how many people are in employment, and how many of those are in employment as employees, as opposed to other forms of employment such as self-employed.
Due to the current smaller sample sizes being achieved by the LFS, recent estimates are showing increased volatility and should be treated with additional caution.
The latest available estimates (June to August 2024) of the rates of employees for people aged 16 to 64 years, determined as the percentage of the population in employment as an employee, resident in each of the UK’s four nations, are presented in Table 1.
Table 1: Rates of employees, people aged 16 to 64 years, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, not seasonally adjusted.
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland |
June to August 2024 | 66.5% | 65.0% | 62.7% | 62.2% |
Source: Labour Force Survey
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Since the introduction of the Inquiries Act 2005, there have been three inquiries which include matters which are partly or wholly devolved to Wales: the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Infected Blood Inquiry, and the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As announced in October, the Government has decided to introduce an investment support scheme for long duration electricity storage (LDES) assets, including pumped storage hydro (PSH). This scheme will be delivered by Ofgem. We expect it to open for applications in 2025.
As the scheme has not yet opened, there are currently no formal proposals for Ofgem to consider. The Government is aware of interest in Welsh PSH and the potential for there to be some Welsh project applications in due course.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
All projects in Great Britain that met the eligibility criteria were able to apply into Allocation Round 6 (AR6). Eligible projects competed in an auction, run independently by National Grid ESO, designed to bring forward the most cost-effective projects in each delivery year. The scheme is geographically neutral and does not award contracts to projects based on regional quotas.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Contracts for Difference scheme is geographically neutral and does not award contracts to projects based on regional quotas. All projects in Great Britain that met the eligibility criteria were able to apply into Allocation Round 6 (AR6). Eligible projects competed in an auction, run independently by National Grid ESO, designed to bring forward the most cost-effective projects in each delivery year.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists as we shift care from hospital to the community.
Now that the budget for Government has been set, we will shortly be resuming our consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding the funding arrangements.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Crown Estate Commissioners are a public appointment made by The King on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. All Commissioner appointments are governed by the Code for Public Appointments.
As of October 2024, none of the current Commissioners declare a primary residence in Wales.
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The End Year Flexibility fund was replaced by the Budget Exchange mechanism in 2011. For the Welsh Government, this was then replaced by the Wales Reserve in 2016 to continue to allow Welsh Government to move funding between years. The Wales Reserve limit is £350 million.
Underspends that the Welsh Government are unable to manage within the Wales Reserve are returned to the Exchequer, as set out in the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance.
The Welsh Government receives around 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in England. That translates to £3.5 billion more per year on average for the Welsh Government. It is for the Welsh Government to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit.
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Section 1 of the Crown Estate Act 1961 provides that the Chancellor of the Exchequer may direct the Commissioners as to the discharge of their functions under the Act, but in doing so must have regard to the general statutory duties of the Commissioners.
Neither the Treasury nor The Crown Estate have any known record of the power of direction in section 1 of the Crown Estate Act 1961 being used since the 1961 Act came into force.
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Land owned in the UK by private companies is leased at market rates. The Crown Estate is an organisation that operates in the market, competing directly with the private sector, and as such their land is leased at market rates.
The Crown Estate received £2,826 total revenue from Welsh Government for the financial year 2023-24.
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Land owned in the UK by private companies is leased at market rates. The Crown Estate is an organisation that operates in the market, competing directly with the private sector, and as such their land is leased at market rates.
The revenue to The Crown Estate from leases of National Parks for Wales for the financial year 2023/24 is £21,304 from Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises there is a public interest in transparency in relation to how public money is managed. However, in this case, disclosure of information would be likely to prejudice The Crown Estate’s position in relation to future business negotiations with other water companies.
If The Crown Estate is unable to obtain best value, this could have a detrimental effect on the amount of money The Crown Estate returns to the public purse. On that basis, the Government believes the public interest weights in favour of withholding this information at this point in time.
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Land owned in the UK by private companies is leased at market rates. The Crown Estate is an organisation that operates in the market, competing directly with the private sector, and as such their land is leased at market rates.
The Crown Estate total revenue of private leases of assets located in Wales for the financial year 2023/24 was £58,721.
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
During the financial year 2023-24, the Ministry of Defence paid £2,805 to the Crown Estate in relation to its activities in Wales.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
1 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Questions
(View all Lord Wigley's MHCLG questions)His Majesty’s Government does not hold the information in the format requested to answer question and it could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Wales Office has regular engagement with the Farmers Union of Wales as well as other farming union stakeholders in Wales. The Parliamentary Under Secretary for Wales met the Farmers Union of Wales on 11 September where challenges facing farmers in Wales were discussed. Furthermore, on 5 November the Secretary of State for Wales and the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Wales held a virtual meeting with farming unions to discuss the Budget and its effects on farmers in Wales.
The Secretary of State for Wales also hosted a farming unions roundtable event at the Royal Welsh Show on the 22 July.
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)