Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the impact of potential job losses at Tata on the (a) wider supply chains and (b) economy in South Wales.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
This Government is supporting Tata Steel with £500 million towards building of the electric arc furnace, securing the future of steelmaking at Port Talbot. This will protect 5,000 steel jobs and thousands more in the supply chain. The Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board has been set up to support those affected by Tata Steel’s decarbonisation transition, backed by a £100 million fund. Of that funding, £80 million is provided by the UK Government and £20 million will be provided by Tata.
The Transition Board has commissioned the development of a Local Economic Action Plan to assess the economic impact in South Wales, as well as provide the Transition Board with advice on how to support and grow the local economy. The full impact of Tata Steel’s transition on the wider supply chains and the South Wales economy depends on the outcome of the formal consultation, which remains underway.
This Government acknowledges the need for immediate as well as long-term support, especially in the wake of the announcement on 18 March that Tata Steel UK will cease operation of coke ovens at their Port Talbot site. This decision, while primarily an operational matter for Tata Steel UK, shows again why the UK government is right to step in with one of the largest support packages in our history to secure the future of the Welsh steel industry.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
What recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on financial support for people in Wales affected by the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
I have regular discussions with my Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on our financial support to people affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. The Government has provided £9.3bn of additional support UK-wide through the welfare system for people affected by COVID-19 including a £20 per week increase to Universal Credit.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking to ensure a joint package of financial and other support between the UK and Welsh Governments for the steel industry in Wales.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
I am involved in ongoing discussions with steel companies in Wales to understand how UK Government can best support the industry during this crisis. I am working closely with the Under-Secretary of State for Industry, the Member for Stratford-upon-Avon, and Welsh Government to discuss support for the steel sector to mitigate the impacts of Covid-19. The Under-Secretary of State for Industry, the Member for Stratford-upon-Avon, has been holding weekly calls with the Devolved Administrations and regular calls with the steel sector, including individual steel companies, trade unions and representatives of the Welsh & Scottish Governments.
The Government will continue to work closely with the Welsh & Scottish Government to support the steel industry throughout the UK, to ensure it can maintain safe production at this time, and ensure they can access the comprehensive package of support made available. The Government has announced an unprecedented financial package to support businesses and has committed to do whatever it takes to get our nation through the impacts of this coronavirus pandemic.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many Welsh-based companies are supplying personal protective equipment and other medical supplies to (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) Scotland in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
My Department does not hold this information. The Secretary of State for Health has previously written to all Members (23 April) to outline that the UK Government has had over 8,000 offers of PPE since the outbreak began. Approximately 1,000 of these offers have been taken forward.
New offers of support to the UK Government should go through https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-support-from-business. Offers of support to the Welsh Government should go through https://gov.wales/provision-of-personal-protection-equipment.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to paragraph 1.161 on page 50 of the 2020 Budget Red Book, if he will publish a detailed breakdown by individual Budget 2020 policy announcement of the consequential funding being made available to the Welsh Government totalling £360 million.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
The following provides a summary of some of the key drivers of Barnett consequentials, and outlines a selection of the main elements.
Measure – WG (£m) | Category | 2020-21 |
Building Safety Fund (MHCLG) | CDEL | 58.9 |
Business rates measures (Local Gov) | RDEL | 45.1 |
DHSC capital funding (DHSC) | CDEL | 40.2 |
Nurse recruitment, training and retention (DHSC) | RDEL | 37.6 |
Potholes Fund (DfT) | CDEL | 29.4 |
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to paragraph 1.161 on page 50 of the 2020 Budget Red Book, whether the additional funding allocated to deal with the covid-19 outbreak will result in consequential funding for the Welsh Government and NHS in addition to the £360 million announced for the Welsh Government; and when that funding will be made available.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
The covid-19 outbreak is an ongoing situation. The Government will make an announcement shortly in relation to further funding for the Welsh Government to deal with the outbreak.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on cross-border rail services on the Great Western Railway line.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
I am due to meet the Secretary of State for Transport in the next few weeks. We will discuss how we build upon the additional 15,000 weekday seats between South Wales and London and the new SuperFast services, which have brought the journey time between Cardiff and Paddington down to 1 hour 42 minutes, saving 17 minutes on the previous fastest times.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many visits he has made to businesses in Wales in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Alun Cairns
I positively engage with businesses in Wales via regular meetings, literature and phone calls organised by my Department. I regularly meet with business stakeholders at roundtables, seminars, fairs and other such events and have restructured my department to ensure we put stakeholders at the heart of everything we do and are responsive to their interests and needs. I also routinely meet with my EU Exit Expert Implementation Panel of Stakeholders.
In each of the last 12 months, myself and Minister Bebb have made the following number of visits to individual businesses in Wales. In addition to the below, members of the UK Government cabinet regularly visit businesses across Wales.
December 2016 | 5 |
January 2017 | 4 |
February 2017 | 7 |
March 2017 | 5 |
April 2017 | 1 |
May 2017 | Purdah |
June 2017 | 3 |
July 2017 | 3 |
August 2017 | Summer Recess - 1 |
September 2017 | 8 |
October 2017 | 6 |
November 2017 | 4 |
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what proportion of legislation currently in force applies to Wales only.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The Government has made no assessment of the proportion of legislation currently in force that applies to Wales only.
The quantum of law made by the National Assembly for Wales is, and will remain, small compared to the body of law that is common to England and Wales.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the potential financial benefits to Wales arising from holding the NATO Summit in Newport and Cardiff.
Answered by Stephen Crabb
The NATO Summit has shown the world that Wales is an excellent location to invest, set up a business or host world-class events. Many Welsh businesses, including those in the tourism and hospitality sectors, have benefitted from Wales’s successful hosting of the Summit.
A recent report from Barclays that looked at the NATO Summit and its impact on Wales concluded that, “A successful Summit will create direct and indirect business opportunities for Welsh companies for many years to come”.
I want to build a lasting legacy for Wales following the Summit. As part of this, the Celtic Manor will host a UK investment summit in November which will showcase Wales as a great place to invest.