Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will take steps to purchase the Wylfa site land from Hitachi.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Wylfa is a candidate for new nuclear and one of a number of potential sites that could host civil nuclear projects.
As a first step towards developing the new nuclear National Policy Statement, the Government is consulting on a proposed way forward for determining how new nuclear developments might be located. Separately, Great British Nuclear is working with Government to support access to potential sites for new nuclear projects.
Given the NPS consultation and any discussion regarding sites would be commercially sensitive, it is too early to say more on any approach to specific sites.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will take steps to acquire the Intellectual Property for the proposed advanced boiling water reactor development at Wylfa from Hitachi.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Wylfa is a candidate for new nuclear and one of a number of potential sites that could host civil nuclear projects.
As a first step towards developing the new nuclear National Policy Statement, the Government is consulting on a proposed way forward for determining how new nuclear developments might be located. Separately, Great British Nuclear is working with Government to support access to potential sites for new nuclear projects.
Given the NPS consultation and any discussion regarding sites would be commercially sensitive, it is too early to say more on any approach to specific sites.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if her Department will undertake a valuation of the land Hitachi owns at Wylfa.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Wylfa is a candidate for new nuclear and one of a number of potential sites that could host civil nuclear projects.
As a first step towards developing the new nuclear National Policy Statement, the Government is consulting on a proposed way forward for determining how new nuclear developments might be located. Separately, Great British Nuclear is working with Government to support access to potential sites for new nuclear projects.
Given the NPS consultation and any discussion regarding sites would be commercially sensitive, it is too early to say more on any approach to specific sites.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the (a) membership and (b) remit is of the place and regeneration sub-group of the Tata Steel and Port Talbot Transition Board.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
(a) Membership
The Place and Regeneration sub-group membership will include a wide range of people including Tata Steel representatives, business leaders, employees of the UK Government and the Welsh Government, employees of Neath Port Talbot Council and community representatives, including a regional Member of the Senedd. Trade Union representatives will also be invited.
(b) Remit
The Place and Regeneration sub-group will provide the Transition Board with advice on how to protect and grow the economic environment as a result of Tata Steel UK’s decarbonisation transition. They operate beneath the Transition Board, to coordinate activity at a local level and report progress and challenges and make recommendations to the Transition Board.
The Place and Regeneration sub-group will develop a Local Economic Action Plan that will provide the Transition Board with advice on how to ensure regeneration and economic growth for the local area for the next decade.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether the Tata Steel and Port Talbot Transition Board has undertaken its review of the group’s terms of reference.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board reviewed and agreed the terms of reference at the inaugural Board meeting on Thursday 19 October 2023.
The Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board has been established to provide advice on how to protect and grow the economic environment and to support and mitigate the impact on those workers, businesses and communities directly affected by Tata Steel UK decarbonisation transition.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether representatives from trade unions were invited to attend the two meetings of the Tata Steel and Port Talbot Transition Board.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
I invited Community, Unite and GMB trade union representatives to both of the Tata Steel and Port Talbot Transition Board meetings that have taken place so far. There have been trade union representatives in attendance at both meetings.
I also met with the trade unions outside of the Transition Board and will continue to engage interested parties from trade unions, business and the communities affected.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent estimate he has made of when the Tata Steel and Port Talbot Transition Board will receive recommendations on investment from the sub-groups.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Tata Steel and Port Talbot Transition Board will start to receive recommendations on investments from the sub-groups after the formal consultation on the transition has begun. Decisions on investment will happen once the consultation has concluded and there is an understanding of what the impact of Tata Steel’s decarbonisation plans will be.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 9003 on Broadband: Voucher Schemes, of the applications received by Building Digital UK since December 2022 how many have been (a) made by and (b) granted to businesses and individuals in Wales.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Since December 2022, 4190 vouchers have been requested on behalf of businesses and residential premises in Wales under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, all of which were approved by BDUK.
33 of these vouchers were approved under phase two of the voucher scheme and the other 4157 vouchers were approved under the previous phase.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the (a) membership and (b) remit is of the people, skills and business sub-group of the Tata Steel and Port Talbot Transition Board.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
(a) Membership
The People, Skills and Business sub-group membership will include a wide range of people including Tata Steel representatives, business leaders, officials in the UK Government and the Welsh Government, employees of Neath Port Talbot Council and community representatives, including a regional Member of the Senedd. Trade Union representatives will also be invited.
(b) Remit
The People, Skills and Business sub-group is being established to provide immediate support for the people, businesses and communities directly affected by Tata Steel UK’s decarbonisation transition. The sub-group will operate beneath the Transition Board, to coordinate activity at a local level and report progress and challenges and make recommendations to the Transition Board.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many gigabit broadband scheme vouchers have been (a) applied for and (b) granted as part of phase two of that scheme.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Overall, under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and previous iterations, over 108,000 vouchers have been used to connect rural premises to a gigabit-capable connection.
Phase two of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was implemented on 5 December 2022. As part of this phase, we increased the maximum voucher value available for homes and businesses to £4,500.
Since December 2022, Building Digital UK (BDUK) has received applications for over 12,800 vouchers, of which over 12,000 have been approved and issued to date.