Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide education and training in Welsh at Berwyn Prison for inmates whose first language is Welsh.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

All learners at HMP Berwyn are entitled to access their education through the medium of Welsh should they choose to do so and are asked their language preference on arrival at the prison, and during their education induction. Although take up is historically low, this is facilitated through translated course materials, opportunities to complete assessments in Welsh, and classroom support provided by Welsh speaking staff working within the Education team. Welsh language courses are available to all prisoners on request, alongside a bilingual course on Welsh traditions and customs.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their target date for the first supply of electricity to the grid from UK-based small modular reactors.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) has selected Rolls-Royce SMR as its preferred bidder to partner with to develop the UK's first small modular reactors (SMRs), subject to final government approvals and contract signature, which will be sited at Wylfa on Anglesey in North Wales.

With the aim of deploying to the grid in the mid-2030s, the project is expected to provide around 1.5GW of low carbon electricity, powering the equivalent of around 3 million of today’s homes.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many Chinese-owned businesses there were in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales and (4) Northern Ireland on the latest date for which information is available.

Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)

Statistics on foreign owned businesses are published separately by each of the devolved nations. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 and cover registered businesses only.

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency:

Northern Ireland Business: Activity, Size, Location, and Ownership 2025 | Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

• around 5 Chinese owned businesses in Northern Ireland in 2025

Scottish Government:

Businesses in Scotland: 2025 - gov.scot

• around 15 Chinese owned businesses in Scotland in 2025

Welsh Government:

Ad-hoc statistical requests: 3 to 14 November 2025 | GOV.WALES

• around 10 Chinese owned businesses in Wales in 2024

There are no statistics published for Chinese owned business in England.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes statistics for the UK which show that in 2022 there were 349 Chinese-owned businesses in the UK.

Inward foreign affiliates statistics, UK, 2018 to 2022 - Office for National Statistics

The ONS statistics are compiled from a different source and are not comparable to the statistics published by the devolved nations.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to establish grants or tax incentives to convert existing empty buildings into emergency housing for homeless people.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government wants to see more empty homes brought back into use across the country.

We are allocating £950 million of capital for the fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) for councils in England to increase their supply of better-quality temporary accommodation for homeless people and resettlement accommodation for people on the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP). MHCLG gives local authorities flexibility to shape their delivery of LAHF according to local circumstances. This can include purchasing empty homes and conversion of other vacant properties to provide more homelessness accommodation.

Local authorities have strong powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. They have discretionary powers to charge additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. As we outlined in the English Devolution White Paper, we intend to strengthen the ability of local authorities to take over the management of empty homes. Further details will follow in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many claims for payment under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 were made in 2025, or the most recent 12-month period available; how many of these claims were (1) accepted or (2) rejected; and what was the total paid to applicants during the period.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In the period between October 2024 and September 2025, 3,850 decisions were made relating to new claims received under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979. 2,510 of these claims were accepted and 1,350 were rejected. Across the same period, £38m was paid to claimants under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979.

The rejected claims data supplied is based on bespoke analysis of departmental datasets, and has not been certified as National Statistics or Official Statistics. It may be subject to revision in future.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to support financial provision for hospices.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have provided a £125 million capital funding boost for eligible adult, and children and young people’s, hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

We are also providing £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices in England over the next three financial years, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. We will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements as part of our MSF. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting integrated care boards to commission more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.  Officials are working closely with a number of stakeholders from the hospice sector in the development of the MSF.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the awards made under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 during the 2024–25 financial year were to (1) claimants suffering from pneumoconiosis, (2) claimants suffering from diffuse mesothelioma, and (3) other categories of claimants.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2024/25 there were 2,300 awards to sufferers under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979. The breakdown by medical condition is:

*Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the awards under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 were made to claimants in Wales in the 2024–25 financial year.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Between April 2024 and March 2025, 90 awards were made to claimants in Wales under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Holyhead Port Authorities regarding the cause of the closure of the port for passenger ships from Ireland on 7 and 8 March; and what steps they are taking to prevent this happening in the future.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has had no such discussions with Holyhead Port Authorities; however, we understand that the closure was the result of a technical issue with a vessel, which blocked a key berth and prevented other vessels from operating. As transport in Wales is devolved, it is for the Welsh Government to decide what steps may be necessary. In 2025 the Welsh Government established the Irish Sea Resilience Taskforce, and the Department for Transport continues to engage with and support the taskforce’s work alongside the port to strengthen resilience and operational readiness.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with ministers in the Welsh Government concerning proposals to re-establish a Welsh Development Agency.

Answered by Lord Katz - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The re-establishment of a Welsh Development Agency is a matter which falls within the remit of the Welsh Government. The Wales Office is heavily engaged in supporting a coordinated approach toward investors between UK Government, Welsh Government, Corporate Joint Committees, and local authorities in Wales.

In 2024-2025, 65 new Foreign Direct Investment projects in Wales created 2,470 new jobs - an increase of 30% on the previous year in terms of new jobs created. Wales now lands nearly 5% of all inward investment projects in the UK, up from 3.4% in 2023/2024. The Wales Office recently launched a new programme of activity which will further improve coordination of how Wales is marketed to the world.

Economic Growth is the number one mission of this Government and our Industrial Strategy is delivering that for Wales – from Freeports and Investment Zones, to Artificial Intelligence (AI) Growth Zones and a Defence Growth Deal, we are creating the right conditions for business to grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many military bases operated by the government of the USA are located in the UK, and how many (1) military, and (2) civilian, personnel are employed at these bases.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The United States Visiting Forces (USVF) are present in the UK at the invitation of His Majesty’s Government. The USVF operate eleven RAF bases across the UK. There are approximately 12,300 United States Military and Civilian Defence personnel in the UK at various defence sites.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received from former Allied Steel and Wire workers who lost part of their pension entitlement, and what response, if any, have they made.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

My hon. Friend the Minister for Pensions has met with representatives of Financial Assistance Scheme members, including former Allied Steel and Wire workers, and has heard first-hand how they have been affected by their scheme qualifying for the Financial Assistance Scheme. These meetings follow correspondence from these members, parliamentarians and from members of the Welsh Assembly.

We know that the pension compensation system and the safety net it offers needs to work harder for members. That is why we have brought forward legislation to introduce annual increases on compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme based on pensions built up before 6 April 1997. These increases will be CPI-linked (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively (i.e. to payments going forward) for members.

I am happy to confirm that former members of Allied Steel and Wire will benefit from these changes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of undergraduate students from Wales undertaking degree courses at universities in England.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education sector. These data are shared with the department and include a wide range of information on student courses.

Figure 7 of HESA’s ‘Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2024/25’ reports the number of enrolments for UK providers based on student permanent address prior to study. According to Figure 7, in the academic year 2024/25, there were 25,820 undergraduate student enrolments with a Welsh permanent address at Higher Education providers in England.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the total cost of the compensation claims against the Post Office for wrongful action against sub-postmasters.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As of 27 February 2026, approximately £1.475 billion has been paid to over 11,500 claimants across the Horizon redress schemes. The Department publishes monthly reports updating this figure. Total spend to date and future commitments for victims of the Horizon scandal are estimated at £2.3 billion. In addition, over £1.6 million has been paid to claimants under the Capture redress scheme since its launch on 29 October 2025

The Government has not set a cap on either the Horizon or Capture redress schemes. The final cost will depend on how many victims come forward and the specific circumstances of their claims.

Found: Letter dated 03/03/2026 from Lord Stockwood of Great Grimsby & Cleethorpes to Lord Wigley regarding a