Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Secretary of State for Transport's Oral Statement of 24 March 2025 on Road Maintenance, whether she has made an estimate of the Barnett consequential funding for Wales of the additional £500 million highway maintenance funding.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
At Phase 1 of the 2025 Spending Review, an additional £500 million was allocated to the Department for Transport to fund local highways maintenance in 2025-26. The Barnett formula was applied in the usual way to changes in the Department for Transport’s Delegated Expenditure Limit (DEL) budget.
At Spending Reviews, the Barnett formula is applied to changes to each UK Government department’s overall DEL budget, rather than to individual programmes.
The Welsh Government’s Spending Review settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any Welsh Government settlement since devolution. The Welsh Government is receiving at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in England. That translates into over £4 billion more in 2025-26 and includes £1.7 billion through the operation of the Barnett formula.
The Block Grant Transparency publication breaks down all changes in the devolved governments’ block grant funding from the 2015 Spending Review up to and including Main Estimates 2023-24. The most recent report was published in July 2023. An update to Block Grant Transparency to include Autumn Budget 2024 changes will be published in due course:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/block-grant-transparency-july-2023
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the roll-out of facial recognition surveillance in Cardiff on (a) residents and (b) visitors.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
All police forces must comply with legislation and published guidance when they use facial recognition technology. This includes carrying out their Public Sector Equality Duty. South Wales Police has published equality and data protection impact assessments on live facial recognition technology on their website.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has issued guidance to South Wales Police on the roll-out of facial recognition surveillance in a city-wide CCTV network.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
All police forces are expected comply with existing legislation and published guidance when they use facial recognition technology. In particular, when forces use live facial recognition, they must comply with the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice. Its use must always be justified and pass the tests of necessity, proportionality and use for a policing purpose.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will bring forward proposals for a furlough scheme for parents of chronically ill children.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the important role parents and carers play in looking after disabled people and people with health conditions, including chronically ill children. Significant support is available to support disabled people and their families and carers, such as Disability Living Allowance for children worth up to £184.30 per week, and Carer’s Allowance worth up to £81.90 per week.
This Government is going further to give carers greater flexibility to work and increase their financial security by raising the Carer’s Allowance Weekly Earnings Limit to the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage from 6th April 2025. This will be the largest increase to the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976.
We are also strengthening the right to request flexible working arrangements through the Employment Rights Bill, enabling parents and carers to better balance work around their caring commitments.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure (a) that the rollout of digital quarterly submissions for tax returns under MTD for ITSA does not lead to penalties for non-compliance and increased stress for vulnerable groups who do not have the digital skills or digital access to meet the new requirements and (b) that measures are in place for people without digital access or digital skills to continue to submit manual books where necessary.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax is designed to make it easier for users to get their tax right and keep on top of their affairs. Taxpayers will use software to keep digital records and send simple quarterly updates to HMRC; in turn, this will help to finalise their Income Tax position after the year end.
A new fairer penalty regime will also be introduced to support taxpayers submitting more frequent updates under MTD. They will not be penalised for occasionally missing a deadline. Instead, they will receive a penalty point towards a points threshold. They will only receive a financial penalty once that threshold is met.
The government recognises that not everyone is able to interact with HMRC digitally. Digitally excluded taxpayers will be able to apply for an exemption from MTD and will continue to file using existing processes. HMRC will set out further information on the exemption process when it opens later in 2025.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many people in Wales will be impacted by welfare reform.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information already published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found here Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK.
There are currently 347,100 Universal Credit claimants in Wales, with 267,100 claimants of Personal Independence Payments. 89,000 claimants in Wales are receiving both Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit. Overall, 15% of working age people in Wales receive a disability or incapacity benefit and around a quarter are neither in work nor looking for work.
To raise living standards in every corner of our country, we need to unleash the talents of people across the UK wherever they live. However, the system we inherited has left millions of people trapped on benefits, without the support they need to build a better life.
We know many sick and disabled people want to work, with the right help and support. They deserve the same rights, chances and choices to get good jobs as anybody else. That is why the government is fixing the social security system so that it gives those who could work the help they need, and those who can’t work the dignity and security they deserve.
The Department for Work and Pensions will continue to work with the Welsh government and other devolved governments, which will include looking at Welsh specific impacts to help support people back into work if they are able to, but also protect those who rely on our social security system.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Northern Powerhouse Rail is designated as an England and Wales project.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Funding for heavy rail infrastructure is reserved in Wales, meaning that the UK Government, rather than the Welsh Government, is directly responsible for funding heavy rail infrastructure projects, including those in Wales. Consequently, any heavy rail project that the Department delivers is designated as an England and Wales project. This designation would apply to Northern Powerhouse Rail. This is consistent with the funding arrangements for all other policy areas that are reserved in Wales.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) raising the annual capital borrowing cap for the Welsh Government and (b) introducing a mechanism where it rises with inflation.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
We remain committed to working in partnership with the Welsh Government to ensure the Fiscal Framework continues to deliver value for money while upholding our shared commitment to fiscal responsibility. Discussions regarding the Welsh Government’s request to amend the budget management tools outlined in the Framework are ongoing.
As set out in the Welsh Government Fiscal Framework agreed in 2016, a full review is triggered if the Welsh Government’s relative funding falls below 115% of equivalent UK Government spending per head in the rest of the UK.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has considered inviting Canada to contribute to the Global Combat Air Programme.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
All three Global Combat Air Programme nations have highlighted an openness to working with other nations, while keeping us on track with the programme delivery schedule and helping us deliver future military capabilities.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with (a) Canada, (b) Australia and (c) New Zealand on establishing a formal diplomatic alliance between those countries and the UK.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has not held any discussions about establishing a new diplomatic alliance with these countries. However, Australia, Canada and New Zealand are among the UK's closest and most-valued allies, and we continue to deepen our partnership, including through established alliances and initiatives such as the Commonwealth, 5EYES, NATO, AUKUS and G7. The Foreign Secretary speaks with his Australian, Canadian and New Zealand counterparts regularly.