Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of indexing payments from the Financial Assistance Scheme for pensions accrued before 1997 by Allied Steel and Wire members.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are committed to consider what we have heard on this issue. I have heard first hand all the challenges facing ASW workers and others with pre-1997 accrued pensions. However any change in this area has significant implications on public finances for the taxpayer funded Financial Assistance Scheme.
We will continue to work through these important issues with the Pension Protection Fund. The PPF has recently reviewed, and made publicly available, its assessment of the potential impacts of addressing pre-1997 indexation for all the schemes within its remit.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on implementing the Defence Industrial Strategy 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We are progressing the implementation plan for the Defence Industrial Strategy. I am happy to report to the House that I spoke with the Welsh Government about the roll out of a Defence Growth deal for Wales and how Wales will benefit from the £250 million fund allocated.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent progress he has made on setting out a roadmap for carbon capture utilization and storage projects in south Wales.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to supporting the deployment of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) across the UK, including in South Wales by allocating £9.4 billion in capital budgets over the Spending Review period.
As part of the CCUS Programme, we are working with the South Wales Industrial Cluster to assess viable decarbonisation pathways, including CCUS enabled solutions. The Cluster has received support through the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge and is being considered under the Track-1 expansion process. This work is helping to inform a roadmap for CCUS deployment in the region, including options for non-pipeline transport and storage. We continue to engage with industry and local stakeholders to ensure that South Wales is well positioned to benefit from future CCUS investment and infrastructure development.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help ensure that dispersed industrial sites in south Wales can access (a) onshore and (b) offshore non-pipeline transport storage capacity solutions.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the importance of enabling dispersed industrial sites in South Wales to access carbon storage solutions. Through the Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Programme, we are exploring non-pipeline transport (NPT) options including road, rail, and shipping to support onshore and offshore storage access for sites not connected to pipeline infrastructure.
The South Wales Industrial Cluster has received support through the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge and Track-1 expansion process, helping to assess viable NPT pathways. We continue to engage with industry and local stakeholders to develop a roadmap for CCUS deployment in the region, including storage capacity solutions that reflect the unique geography and industrial profile of South Wales.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of devolving (a) probation and (b) youth justice services in Wales.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice and Welsh Government regularly discuss justice matters in Wales and are developing a programme of work to consider administrative options on youth justice delivery and partnership arrangements on probation services. This work is currently underway.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) existing jobs are protected and (b) investor confidence is maintained in the South Wales Industrial Cluster.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The South Wales Industrial cluster is home to many longstanding and globally recognised businesses. Our modern Industrial Strategy has already set out further support for key growth sectors including foundational sectors such as chemicals.
This government sees the transition to net zero as the economic opportunity of the century. This is a chance to create good jobs, to drive investment to all parts of the UK and protect our energy security, while also ensuring fairness for workers across the country including in South Wales. We will set out further details of our plans to decarbonise industry and help them seize the opportunities of the transition in the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan in October.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the future delivery of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage projects in the South Wales Industrial Cluster.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is working to create a CCUS industry and provide increased support to UK CCUS by allocating £9.4 billion in capital budgets over the Spending Review period.
South Wales Industrial Cluster was awarded approximately £20 million in grant funding between 2019 and 2024 as part of the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, helping projects develop comprehensive plans to achieve net-zero emissions and deploy low carbon technologies.
Government is actively engaging industry on non-pipeline transport costs, risk allocation and economic licensing, aiming to publish a consultation later this year. A Call for Evidence is also planned for Q3 2025 on network strategy.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) heat batteries as low-carbon heating systems and (b) including those batteries in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 30 April, the Government launched a consultation on potential changes to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, including proposals to support air-to-air heat pumps and alternative electric heating technologies such as heat batteries. The consultation closed on the 11 June, and a government response will be set out in due course.
The Department will continue to review our position on heat batteries, and other alternative electric heating technologies, as the supporting evidence base develops.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to increase levels of consumer choice in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is always considering how to improve access to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) to boost deployment and support more property owners to transition to low carbon heating.
On 30 April, the Government launched a consultation on potential changes to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, including proposals to support air-to-air heat pumps and alternative electric heating technologies such as heat batteries. The consultation closed on the 11 June, and a government response will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Legal Aid Agency is taking to engage with local legal aid providers to increase legal aid provision.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It is vital that those who need legal aid—some of the most vulnerable people in our society—can access it wherever they live.
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) monitors provider numbers in each procurement area and across all categories of law. It takes operational action where it can, to respond to market pressures that may arise.
At a local level, LAA hold market engagement events to understand challenges to service delivery for particular categories of law, considering how it can remove any barriers or manage concerns which could deter providers from bidding for a legal aid contract.
The LAA consults with provider representative bodies on any proposed contractual changes, with the aim of incentivising legal aid work. Acting on feedback the LAA has made changes to reduce perceived barriers to holding contracts such as increasing the use of remote working, amending supervisor standards and introducing greater flexibility in office requirements.
Legal aid contracts are now offered on an ‘always on’ basis, meaning providers can apply at any time, not just during a fixed bidding window as before. This flexible approach lets new organisations join when ready and allows providers to grow their services. It removes strict deadlines and helps ensure services are widely available. The new crime contract lasts ten years, twice as long as before, making it easier for firms to plan ahead and reducing paperwork. These changes were brought in following considerable market engagement and have been widely welcomed.
The LAA works closely with the Ministry of Justice on policy solutions concerning the supply of legal aid. The Department recently closed a consultation on uplifts to civil legal aid fees. Once implemented, these changes would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year, and is currently consulting on funding of up to £92 million more a year for criminal legal aid solicitors.