Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Kinnock, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Lord Kinnock has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Lord Kinnock has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The National School of Government was closed in 2012 by the previous administration.
We are currently considering what approach to training will best ensure the civil service has the skills needed to support the delivery of the government’s priorities.
We are currently finalising grant terms and conditions with Port of Cromarty Firth, following the subsidy control process. We intend to submit a subsidy control assessment for ABP Port Talbot’s proposal soon.
We are considering the recommendations set out in the Competition and Markets Authority report on the Port of Cromarty Firth FLOWMIS grant proposal. We intend to submit a subsidy control assessment for ABP Port Talbot’s proposal soon.
2024 has been a remarkable year for our bilateral relationship, with many successful joint engagements commemorating 120 years of the Entente Cordiale. These include the joint ceremonial events at Buckingham Palace and the Élysée Palace on 8 April, the Prime Minister and President Macron marking Armistice Day, and the inaugural Entente Littéraire Prize. Minister Doughty celebrated Bastille Day with the French Ambassador and met his counterpart in Paris for the Olympics. The Foreign Secretary also welcomed his counterpart to Carlton Gardens, near the Free French Headquarters established after the proposal for a Franco-British Union. We have no plans to mark this but look forward to further strengthening ties with France in 2025, including through the next bilateral Summit.
An evaluation of the venture capital schemes was undertaken in 2022. These were published on gov.uk 1.
The Government is committed to ensuring early-stage, innovative companies have access to the investment they need to grow and develop. These schemes provide a range of tax reliefs to encourage investment in higher-risk, early-stage companies which face the biggest challenges in accessing growth capital.
The Government legislated on 3 September to extend the UK venture capital tax relief sunset clause, from April 2025 to April 2035.
HS2 is a heavy rail programme. The UK Government is responsible for heavy rail infrastructure across England and Wales, so spends money on this in Wales rather than funding the Welsh Government to do so through the Barnett formula. This approach is consistent with the funding arrangements for all other policy areas reserved in Wales, as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.
The Government remains committed to heavy rail schemes in Wales, by providing funding for both operations, maintenance and infrastructure, and enhancement schemes such as modernising Cardiff Central Station.
Conversely, Crossrail is a local transport project. Since local transport is devolved to the Welsh Government, the Barnett formula is applied in the usual way when the Department for Transport is allocated additional funding for Crossrail.