Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of profits from the Crown Estate in Wales being paid directly into the Welsh Consolidated Fund.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Crown Estate's revenue account profits are returned to the UK Consolidated Fund and support public services across the United Kingdom, including in Wales. Any transfer of Crown Estate revenues to the Welsh Consolidated Fund would need to be considered alongside the Welsh Government's wider funding arrangements, including the operation of the fiscal framework and any associated block grant adjustment, to avoid a double benefit.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration her Department gives to (a) the age of housing stock, (b) the proportion of off-grid properties and (c) average standing charges in Wales when designing energy support for households and businesses in Wales.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government considers the impacts of different housing types and consumer circumstances across Great Britain when designing energy support schemes.
Energy efficiency is largely devolved in Wales, and the Welsh Government is responsible for its own fuel poverty and home upgrade programmes, while the UK Government continues to engage closely with Welsh Ministers and officials on areas of shared interest.
UK-wide support available in Wales includes the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, where the grant level for off-gas gid homes by oil or LPG was recently increased to £9,000.
The Government is investing £15 billion through the Warm Homes Plan and support is targeted towards households most at risk of fuel poverty, underpinned by the Fuel Poverty Strategy, which ensures extra funding goes to those on lower incomes and living in less energy-efficient homes.
Standing charges are regulated by Ofgem, which is responsible for decisions on their structure and level.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the increase in the energy price cap from October 2026 on poverty in Wales.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As Fuel Poverty is a devolved issue, the Welsh Government is responsible for measuring fuel poverty in Wales. The Government recognises that any rise in the price cap will worry households in Wales and across Great Britain. Ofgem’s October 2026 cap has been limited by Government action, including removing VAT from domestic electricity bills from 1 October, expected to reduce the cap by around £45 a year, alongside £150 of costs taken off bills earlier this year.
These measures particularly support poorer households, who spend a higher share of income on energy. Around 6 million eligible households across Great Britain will also receive the £150 Warm Home Discount every winter for the rest of the decade. The Government is also investing £15 billion through the Warm Homes Plan to cut energy use, lower bills and improve homes, including in Wales.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the difference between additional employer National Insurance costs and funding provided to meet those costs for public sector bodies in Wales.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The UK Government agreed to provide funding to support the public sector with the additional costs associated with changes to employer National Insurance Contributions policy.
The Welsh Government received funding through the Barnett formula for additional support provided to UK Government departments in 2025-26 as a result of this policy change.
It is for the Welsh Government to estimate its own pressures and determine how to allocate its funding across devolved public services.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the impact of the capital/revenue split in the Local Growth Fund on local authorities in Wales.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Local Growth Fund represents a significant change in the UK Government’s approach to local growth investment, with a greater focus on long-term capital investment to support economic growth. MHCLG has worked closely with the Welsh Government on the design and implementation of the Fund, through which Wales will receive £546.5 million during this Spending Review period to support transformational projects and create lasting jobs and opportunities across Wales.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of delays by the Valuation Office Agency in undertaking tax band valuations for holiday let accommodation in Wales on the amount of Council Tax charged on these properties.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
Since the legislative changes introduced on 1 April 2023, the Valuation Office (VO), which is part of HMRC, has seen a sustained increase in case volumes.
The VO are working hard to bring response times down and clear cases within 90 days. Additional resources have been allocated to self-catering cases, including the centralisation of the team to improve efficiency and processing times. The VO have also dedicated resources to look at the most challenging cases and requests where customers are experiencing financial hardship. Additionally, as part of HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap update 2026 The VO have pledged to reduce the average time for the VO to make a decision on self-catering properties to one month by October 2027
The VO is responsible for assessing properties for Council Tax and business rates purposes, whereas local councils are responsible for billing. As this is devolved to the Welsh Government, it would be for their Ministers to comment on any impact made on the amount of Council Tax that has been collected.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to address delays by the Valuation Office Agency in undertaking tax band valuations for holiday let accommodation in Wales.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
Since the legislative changes introduced on 1 April 2023, the Valuation Office (VO), which is part of HMRC, has seen a sustained increase in case volumes.
The VO are working hard to bring response times down and clear cases within 90 days. Additional resources have been allocated to self-catering cases, including the centralisation of the team to improve efficiency and processing times. The VO have also dedicated resources to look at the most challenging cases and requests where customers are experiencing financial hardship. Additionally, as part of HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap update 2026 The VO have pledged to reduce the average time for the VO to make a decision on self-catering properties to one month by October 2027
The VO is responsible for assessing properties for Council Tax and business rates purposes, whereas local councils are responsible for billing. As this is devolved to the Welsh Government, it would be for their Ministers to comment on any impact made on the amount of Council Tax that has been collected.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment has her department made of the potential merits of moving policy costs from domestic energy bills into general taxation.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
At last year’s Budget, the Chancellor took the decision to fund 75% of the domestic share of the Renewables Obligation through the Exchequer and ended the levy-funded Energy Company Obligation. These decisions took on average £150 of costs off household energy bills and are forecast to reduce inflation by over 0.2 percentage points in 2026/27.
The government keeps all taxes under review and is introducing a new framework to subject levies to enhanced scrutiny and ensure they are affordable, reflect good value for money, and do not impose unnecessary costs.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Children and Families during the debate on Universities: Statutory Duty of Care of 13 January 2026, Official Report, column 302WH, what the evidential basis is for the statement that introducing a statutory duty of care in higher education “risks becoming a ceiling rather than a floor” in institutional standards.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The government recognises the importance of ensuring that higher education (HE) providers maintain high standards of student safety and wellbeing. The department’s position is that HE providers already owe a general duty of care to deliver educational and pastoral services to the standard of an ordinarily competent institution and, in carrying out these services, they are expected to act reasonably.
Such a duty of care may already arise in certain circumstances, depending on the facts of individual cases.
The department has considered a range of evidence on variation in student support, including official statistics, coroners’ reports, case reviews, and engagement with providers, students and experts, as well as the National Review of Higher Education Student Suicide Deaths.
This evidence, alongside stakeholder and legal input, has informed concerns about potential unintended consequences of a statutory duty, including increased legal uncertainty, more risk averse practice, and unclear responsibilities between HE providers and other services.
The department recognises that statutory duties of care operate in other sectors, such as health and schools, but differences in context, particularly that HE students are adults, and the unique settings of universities, limit direct comparability. The government continues to strengthen protections through the existing regulatory framework, including work by the Office for Students to develop a Statement of Expectations covering disability and mental health.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative analysis of sectors subject to statutory duties of care has been undertaken to support her Department’s assessment of the likely impact of such a duty in higher education.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The government recognises the importance of ensuring that higher education (HE) providers maintain high standards of student safety and wellbeing. The department’s position is that HE providers already owe a general duty of care to deliver educational and pastoral services to the standard of an ordinarily competent institution and, in carrying out these services, they are expected to act reasonably.
Such a duty of care may already arise in certain circumstances, depending on the facts of individual cases.
The department has considered a range of evidence on variation in student support, including official statistics, coroners’ reports, case reviews, and engagement with providers, students and experts, as well as the National Review of Higher Education Student Suicide Deaths.
This evidence, alongside stakeholder and legal input, has informed concerns about potential unintended consequences of a statutory duty, including increased legal uncertainty, more risk averse practice, and unclear responsibilities between HE providers and other services.
The department recognises that statutory duties of care operate in other sectors, such as health and schools, but differences in context, particularly that HE students are adults, and the unique settings of universities, limit direct comparability. The government continues to strengthen protections through the existing regulatory framework, including work by the Office for Students to develop a Statement of Expectations covering disability and mental health.