Asked by: Lord Murphy of Torfaen (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet with the Welsh Government to discuss the relief of traffic congestion on the M4 around Newport.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales regularly engages with the Welsh Government on a wide range of transport matters.
The Welsh Government’s continued opposition to the M4 Relief Road is holding the Welsh economy back, which is of great disappointment and only serves to project that Wales is closed for business. In rejecting the case for the M4 Relief Road, the Welsh Government are going against the findings of their own £150 million report, which recommended that the M4 Relief Road be built. The UK Government urges the Welsh Government to reconsider the impact of their roads policy on the long-term prosperity of Wales.
While decisions around the M4 in Wales remain a devolved matter, the UK Government is committed to playing its part in delivering better connectivity in reserved areas – including funding a study to develop options for new stations and services on the South Wales Main Line.
Asked by: Lord Murphy of Torfaen (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations the Wales Office has received concerning cuts to the Welsh National Opera by Arts Council England.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales received email correspondence from the Welsh National Opera in February 2023 requesting a meeting with the Secretary of State to discuss this matter.
Further information was sought and once it is received we will progress the matter further.
Asked by: Lord Murphy of Torfaen (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Wales will meet with the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to discuss reductions to the budget of the Welsh National Opera resulting from decisions made by Arts Council England.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In November 2023, Arts Council England (ACE) announced the outcome of its 2023-2026 Investment Programme. This will support 985 organisations, including the Welsh National Opera’s (WNO) activities in England. The decisions made by ACE about the allocation of funding for this Investment Programme were taken at arm’s length from the Government. This is in accordance with the well-established process, which is published on ACE’s website and made clear in the guidance for applicants. As such, central government does not review individual decisions.
The WNO will still receive £4 million per year during the 2023-2026 Investment Programme. They are also receiving a one-off investment of £3.25 million as part of ACE’s Transform Programme.
Asked by: Lord Murphy of Torfaen (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Secretary of State for Wales last met the First Minister of Wales to discuss cost of living issues.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
The Secretary of State for Wales last met with the First Minister of Wales on 23rd March in a meeting led by the Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, during which the cost of living was raised.
The UK Government recognises the challenges people are facing and we have provided a range of support to tackle the rising cost of living. For example, we have provided a £200 energy bill discount for households across the whole of the UK, including Wales. We have also provided an additional £180 million in Barnett to the Welsh Government to recognise the Council Tax Energy rebate in England. This is part of a support package worth around £20 billion over this financial year and next.
In addition to this we have increased the National Living Wage to £9.50, which means an extra £1,000 per year in gross wages for a full-time worker. We expect this increase to the National Living Wage, along with rises to the National Minimum Wage, to give a pay rise to around 120,000 workers in Wales.
Furthermore, the Government have reduced the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55% and are increasing Universal Credit work allowances by £500 per annum. These together will see some households keep on average around £1,000 per year and is essentially providing a tax cut for the lowest paid in society UK wide worth around £2.2 bn in 2022-23.
Asked by: Lord Murphy of Torfaen (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Secretary of State for Wales intends to meet Welsh Ministers to discuss the M4 relief road around Newport.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
The Secretary of State for Wales would be happy to meet Welsh Government Ministers and the Noble Lord to discuss the development of the M4 relief road.
As it stands, the Welsh Government have a moratorium on new road building and have ruled out a M4 relief road. The UK Government continues to urge the Welsh Government to reconsider its position to enable congestion to be unblocked around the Newport area.
Asked by: Lord Murphy of Torfaen (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any extra funding has been allocated to the Welsh Government to deal with recent flooding in Wales.
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales and others are determined to ensure that all of those affected by flooding are supported in the best way possible. Flood response in Wales is a devolved matter. It was announced in March Budget that the UK Government will fund assistance for flood relief. For 2020-21, the Welsh Government will receive an additional £17m in Barnett consequentials from additional spending on flood prevention in England. If the Welsh Government matches our spending per head on flood prevention then this would see over £300m spent in Wales by 2026-27.
Asked by: Lord Murphy of Torfaen (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Wales has met the First Minister of Wales to discuss the provision of financial help for flood victims in Wales.
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Flood response in Wales is a devolved matter. The First Minister and the Secretary of State for Wales met at the start of the flooding, on 24 February, and have been in regular contact since. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales will work with the Welsh Government to ensure that all of those affected by flooding are supported in the best way possible, including consideration of any request from the Welsh Government for additional support and finances for assistance for flood relief.
Asked by: Lord Murphy of Torfaen (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about the provision of financial help to recent flood victims in Wales.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
Flood response in Wales is a devolved matter. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales will work with the Welsh Government to ensure that all of those affected by flooding are supported in the best way possible, including consideration of any request from the Welsh Government for additional support and assistance for flood relief, including additional finances.