Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between John Lamont and Nia Griffith(2 weeks, 5 days ago)
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John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Dame Nia Griffith)
The UK Labour Government have announced the largest nuclear building programme in a generation, investing £14.2 billion in Sizewell C and selecting Rolls-Royce SMR to build the UK’s first small modular reactors. The memorandum of understanding between the Welsh Government and Sizewell C Consortium could bring £900 million-worth of jobs into the Welsh nuclear supply chain. The Government also recognise Wylfa as one of the UK’s top sites for future nuclear development.
John Lamont
I thank the Minister for that answer. Nuclear must be an important part of our energy security strategy. It is both clean and reliable, and creates good jobs for local communities. What more can the Secretary of State do to encourage and incentivise new nuclear power in Wales and across all parts of the United Kingdom?
Dame Nia Griffith
As the hon. Gentleman will know, Great British Energy Nuclear has confirmed that, subject to final Government approvals and contract signature, it has selected Rolls-Royce SMR to build the UK’s first small modular reactors. No decisions have yet been taken on siting. We will be setting out our plans in due course. Further to that, as I have already mentioned, the project at Sizewell C will create enough power for 6 million homes and in the peak of construction support 10,000 jobs. It will boost supply chains across the UK. Some 70% of the construction value is predicted to go to 3,500 British suppliers, including companies such as William Hare Group in south Wales, supporting new jobs in construction, welding and hospitality.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between John Lamont and Nia Griffith(3 months ago)
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John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Dame Nia Griffith)
Just this morning I had the pleasure of visiting the Carmarthenshire Day exhibition in the Jubilee Room, which I strongly recommend as a real display of Welsh farming and food produce. The Government are steadfastly committed to the farming sector. We protected the farm budget at its current level and allocated £337 million to the Welsh Government at the autumn Budget. The Welsh Government, in their budget, have used that to maintain the basic payment scheme, providing much-needed support for farmers across Wales—a budget that, as the hon. Lady knows, Tory and Plaid Cymru Senedd Members tried to block.
Dame Nia Griffith
Just picking up on the point about national insurance contributions, as the hon. Lady will know, many farmers employ one or two people, so they will come under the category of some of the smallest businesses. We have made sure that we protect them by doubling the employment allowance to £10,500, meaning that over half of small and microbusinesses will pay less or no national insurance contributions at all. Her Senedd colleagues voted against the budget for Welsh farmers in the Senedd only a few weeks ago.
John Lamont
The Minister seems to have no grasp whatsoever of the constant struggle facing our family farms in Wales and across the United Kingdom, because of the lack of support in both Labour’s spring statement and Labour’s family farm tax. Farming families are not multimillionaires—they are striving to make a profit, with many earning less than the minimum wage. Will the Minister finally accept that farms are crucial to the UK’s food security, and that the Government should support them and scrap the vindictive family farm tax?
Dame Nia Griffith
We applaud the work that farmers do—they are vital to our food security. As the hon. Gentleman will know, there are many ways in which we have supported farmers, including the £337 million given to them in the Budget this year and passed on by Welsh Government Ministers to our farmers in Wales. He brings up inheritance tax. I remind him that we are maintaining significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest free.