Baroness Smith of Llanfaes

The Kings Speech included the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill which has now been introduced into the House of Commons. Other proposed reforms include the appointment process, retirement and participation. I have already started engaging with colleagues around the House and welcome their input. I look forward to continuing this dialogue. As outlined in our manifesto, in the longer term the Government will consult on further reforms to ensure that an alternative second chamber is more representative of the nation and regions.

The Government believes that every party standing for elections to the House of Commons, the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd has a duty to demonstrate progress towards better representation. Commencement of section 106 is one way of achieving that and we will set out our plans for this area in due course.

This Government's manifesto committed £2.5 billion to rebuild the steel sector, in addition to £500 million already earmarked for Port Talbot steelworks. This funding will harness public and private investment to secure jobs and boost growth in Wales and the UK. We are working closely with Tata and Unions to ensure a better deal.

At the most recent meeting of the Transition Board (11 July), chaired by the Secretary of State for Wales, the Board agreed it would move into a delivery phase to support those affected staff and the local area. The Transition Board will meet again in August to consider next steps.

The meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport in Wales is planned to take place in August. The meeting will include the parties agreeing how any reporting from the meeting will take place afterwards. The Secretary of State has already met with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport in Wales.

The UK Government has had no discussions with the Welsh Government on devolving the Crown Estate.

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.

The Government is currently consulting on proposals relating to asset pooling in the Local Government Pensions Scheme (LGPS) England and Wales. The consultation text can be found at Gov.uk: Local Government Pension Scheme (England and Wales): Fit for the future - GOV.UK.

The proposals in the consultation apply to both England and Wales. They would require the Wales Pension Partnership to make changes to their pooling model in order to meet the minimum standards for pooling, and for all LGPS assets to be under pool management. The consultation recognises that the Wales Pension Partnership operates within a devolved nation and that it may make sense for the Welsh LGPS administering authorities to continue to operate a separate asset pool.

This Government will lower the voting age to 16 during this Parliament. This measure will strengthen our democracy and empower young people to participate in it, and we will develop plans for outreach and engagement with the newly enfranchised to encourage them to make the most of their new rights.

The Electoral Commission is the independent electoral regulator and will be reporting on the administration of the May local elections and the recent General Election. We anticipate publication of their initial findings on voter ID in September and their full election report later in the year.

The Elections Act 2022 included a requirement for the Secretary of State to publish an evaluation of the implementation and impact of the Voter ID policy on the next local and next two UK Parliamentary General Elections. Work has already begun on the evaluation of the July 2024 election, and we will publish in due course.

Both of these reports will inform the wider work officials are doing to thoroughly review voter ID.

The Government is fully committed to strengthening the Sewel Convention by setting out a new memorandum of understanding outlining how the nations will work together for the common good. We will work closely with the devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, to reach consensus on matters regarding legislation in service of people across the United Kingdom.

The UK Government is resetting its relationship with the devolved governments to strengthen the UK through greater respect. This stronger intergovernmental working will be spearheaded by a new Council of the Nations and Regions, bringing together the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Wales and Scotland, the First and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Mayors of Combined Authorities in England, to enable greater collaboration on shared challenges and opportunities.

The Government recognises that the Welsh Fiscal Framework is out of date and is committed to working in partnership with the Welsh Government to ensure that it delivers value for money. We will also restore decision-making over the allocation of structural funds to the representatives of Wales. The Secretary of State for Wales will work closely with HM Treasury and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in taking these commitments forward.

As set out in our manifesto, the Government is committed to devolving employment support funding to the Welsh Government, to working with the Welsh Government to consider the devolution of youth justice, and to conducting a strategic review of probation governance, which will include considering the benefits of devolved models.

The UK Government is resetting its relationship with the Devolved Governments to strengthen the UK through greater respect and collaboration.

We look forward to working closely with the Welsh Government to agree how we devolve employment support and ensure this complements existing provision and planned reforms to Jobcentre Plus services.