Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support business confidence in Wales.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Businesses can access complementary, comprehensive support services from both the Department for Business and Trade and the Welsh Government. We work closely with Welsh Government counterparts to improve trading conditions. My department will host a flagship export roadshow in Cardiff on 13 June, focused on the technology sector to help businesses grow.
Our landmark deals with the United States and India will improve Welsh business access to important markets. Our new agreement with the European Union will support businesses, backing British jobs. Welsh businesses will benefit significantly from this deal, given 61% of all Welsh goods exports went to EU destinations in 2024.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support small businesses to develop cyber security investment plans.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Adoption of technologies like cybersecurity is important to protect businesses and increase productivity.
The National Cyber Security Centre publishes a range of expert guidance, including the Small Business Guide, which contains practical and affordable advice for businesses to improve their cybersecurity. Small businesses can also benefit from advice and support from the regional Cyber Resilience Centres across England and Wales, which are a police-led collaboration with government, private sector and academia.
The industry-led SME Digital Adoption Taskforce will soon publish recommendations on ways to increase SME adoption of digital technology like cybersecurity software. These will inform our upcoming SME Strategy.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support small businesses to develop AI investment plans.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Adoption of new digital technology, including AI, can help businesses become more productive – but we know Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) sometimes need additional help and support to do so.
The AI Opportunities Action Plan set out a vision for AI to drive economic growth, including through investment. InnovateUK’s BridgeAI programme helps businesses in high growth potential sectors harness AI, offering funding opportunities and expert advice.
To go further, the industry-led SME Digital Adoption Taskforce will soon be publishing their final recommendations on ways to help SMEs adopt productivity-enhancing digital technology, which will inform our upcoming SME Strategy.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of closing the Holyhead PIP Assessment Centre on sick and disabled people in Ynys Môn.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) closed the Holyhead Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Centre (AC) as part of the Functional Assessment Services (FAS) strategy to bring together all functional health assessment services in a geographical area under one supplier. Consolidating the Holyhead PIP AC into the Work Capability Assessment & Specialist Benefit site in Bangor ensures that all health benefits will be assessed in the same building; this contributes to an easier customer experience when applying for multiple health benefits.
DWP is committed to ensuring that everyone can access our services without facing any disadvantages. We have various measures in place to make sure our assessments are accessible to all, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. DWP meets legal accessibility requirements by ensuring our services are accessible to everyone.
We consider the specific needs of individuals who require a particular assessment method due to their health condition or circumstances. At every stage of the claim process, individuals are asked to inform us of any mobility restrictions. If the assessment provider is made aware of these restrictions, they will consider arranging the most appropriate assessment channel.
As part of the FAS process, we first consider the feasibility of a paper-based assessment. If a paper-based review isn't possible, individuals will be invited to an assessment.
If a customer requires a face-to-face assessment and the journey time to the assessment centre exceeds 90 minutes, individuals may be directed to an alternative centre within the 90-minute travel time if one is available. This ensures that claimants travel no more than 90 minutes (one way) by public transport to their assessments. This 90-minute figure is the maximum, and in most cases, travel time will be much shorter. If travel time exceeds 90 minutes by public transport, we can utilise alternative channels, such as using telephone, video, or home assessments, or assisting with travel costs for taxis.
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, whether his Department is taking steps to help support community energy schemes to sell energy to local (a) households and (b) businesses.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is considering a range of reforms to unlock renewable investment and pass through the benefits of cheaper renewables to consumers. This includes potential changes to support local and community energy.
The Secretary of State previously commissioned Ofgem to explore policy and regulatory barriers to local supply, including route to market challenges. We are also learning from the responses to the Call for Evidence on barriers to community energy[1], which referenced local supply issues.
The Department continues to work with Ofgem and key stakeholders to enhance our community energy offer. We will set out further detail in due course.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/barriers-to-community-energy-projects
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, whether she plans to take steps to regulate overvaluations of properties by estate agents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous estate agents.
All estate agents are legally required to belong to one of two government-approved redress schemes; administered either by The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme. This legislation is currently enforced by local authorities and by the National Trading Standards’ Lettings and Estate Agency Team, who have the power to issue warnings and banning orders to rogue estate and letting agents.
The previous government committed to regulate the property agent sector in 2018 and asked a working group chaired by Lord Richard Best to advise them on how best to do it.
However, they failed to respond to the recommendations set out in the working group’s 2019 Regulation of Property Agents: working group report which can be found on gov.uk here.
This government will set out our full position on regulation of estate, letting and managing agents in due course.
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, with reference to the oral contribution from the Minister for Housing and Planning in response to an question from the hon. Member for Cheltenham on 28 October 2024, Official Report, col 517, when she plans to outline her plans for the regulation of letting, management and estate agents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government will set out our full position on regulation of estate, letting and managing agents in due course.
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 her policy is on whether the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will continue as a distinct funding stream beyond the current Spending Review period.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government will set out its long-term vision for local growth at the multi-year Spending Review.
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, how many people are employed (a) directly and (b) in supply chains in the nuclear industry in (i) Ynys Mon and (ii) Wales in each year since 2015.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ do not produce their own figure on the nuclear workforce in Wales.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 10 per cent tariff introduced by the United States on the level of exports from Wales to that country.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We continue to work closely with the Welsh Government to monitor the impacts, and to support Welsh exporters. Additionally on 3 April, we launched a Request for Input from businesses, to help inform the UK’s response to US tariffs.
We continue to support businesses of all sizes to grow and export globally, including to the US. Through Great.gov.uk, businesses can access export support programmes including the Export Academy, International Markets Network, Growth Hubs and Help to Grow: Management scheme.