Submit Evidence (by 8 May 2024)

In Wales, the number of bank and building society branches fell from 695 in 2012 to just 435 in 2022, and already 22 high street bank branch closures have been announced for 2024.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what guidance his Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales

All Departments in central government, including arms-length bodies apply the published guidance: Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business published by Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in central government (ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers). The Wales Office uses the central guidance and has applied it since March 2023.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the average level of staff attendance has been at the UK Government hub in Cardiff, Tŷ William Morgan in each month since December 2022.

Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales

The Wales Office does not hold data on average levels of staff attendance for UK Government departments and agencies, and other public bodies, based in the UK Government hub in Ty William Morgan, Cardiff.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Answered by Fay Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)

The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales (OSSW) produced the following reports during the last three years.

*The Department outsources its printing and the invoices received do not split the costs between printing and distribution.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential application of new geographical indications for Welsh food and drink products in Japan.

Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales

As Secretary of State for Wales, I am proud to promote protected Welsh products, and was delighted to celebrate Single Malt Welsh Whisky on a recent visit to India.

I was also pleased to see that on 29 February 2024, 37 Geographical Indications received protected status in Japan, including famed products such as Welsh Lamb, Anglesey Sea Salt, Conwy Mussels, Pembrokeshire Early Potatoes, Traditional Welsh Caerphilly, Welsh Beef, Welsh Laverbread and Welsh Wine joining the seven GIs already protected in our agreement.

The UK Government is continuing work to secure protection for further products. The GI additions have been split into two tranches running in parallel to aid processing time, and officials will continue work to finalise the completion of UK and Japanese processes for the second and final tranche.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales

The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year, it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cross-government-fraud-landscape-annual-report-2022). This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.

There has been no reported or detected fraud and error in the Department during the last three financial years.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 19 December 2019.

Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales

As per paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code, it is not possible to disclose whether Law Officers have or have not provided advice on such matters. Paragraph 2.13 states: “The fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised, and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority”.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many domestic overnight visits were undertaken by Ministers within his Department in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of these visits.

Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales

The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals). But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what directives or guidelines they have issued to the Welsh Government in relation to overseas initiatives on matters related to devolved responsibilities.

Answered by Lord Harlech - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The FCDO remains fully committed to working collaboratively with the Welsh Government and other Devolved Administrations on overseas initiatives which may support the delivery of devolved policy objectives. The FCDO has developed internal guidance to ensure that the foreign affairs reservation is respected, including requiring a UK Government official to be present at meetings between devolved ministers and ministers of foreign governments.

Since April 2023, the FCDO has supported over 15 overseas visits by Welsh Government Ministers. International activity undertaken by each of the Devolved Administrations will continue to be supported appropriately by Posts.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the future of the steelmaking industry in Wales?

Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales

I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of subjects, including steelmaking in Wales.

This Government is investing £500 million into steelmaking at Port Talbot. This will protect 5,000 steel jobs and thousands more in the supply chain whilst increasing our economic security.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent assessment he has made of the strength of the Union.

Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales

Our United Kingdom has never been stronger.

This Government is championing the Welsh contribution to our shared strength and prosperity, including announcing two Investment Zones for Wales, worth £160 million each. They will boost productivity, support high-priority jobs and level up the economy in Wrexham and Flintshire Cardiff and Newport.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to UIN 17534 on 13 March 2024.

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.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Harlech on 6 March (HL3092), on how many occasions in the past 12 months has the Government failed to provide an official to attend a meeting arranged between (1) Welsh Ministers and (2) ministers of foreign governments; and whether the meetings were permitted to go ahead in those circumstances.

Answered by Lord Harlech - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Between March 2023 and March 2024, Welsh Ministers have conducted over 20 overseas visits. Close engagement between FCDO and Welsh Government officials ensured that Welsh Ministers were effectively supported on each visit. This included FCDO officials accompanying Welsh Ministers in their meetings with ministers of foreign governments, as appropriate. FCDO officials attended all such meetings.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had in the past 12 months with Welsh Ministers on issues relating to the trawling of the sea bed for rare minerals within territorial waters of the Welsh coast.

Answered by Lord Harlech - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

UK Government Ministers have regular discussions with Welsh Government Ministers on a wide range of issues. In addition, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs engages regularly at official level with the Welsh Government on areas of shared interest, including marine licensing.

The licensing regime for mineral extraction from the seabed within Welsh waters is a devolved matter for the Welsh Government, and therefore the responsibility of Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

Found: -0.2 BCT out to FCDO for the Trade Faculty Contribution -0.2 0.0 -0.2 0.0 0.0 -0.2 BCT out to the Wales

Found: -0.2 BCT out to FCDO for the Trade Faculty Contribution -0.2 0.0 -0.2 0.0 0.0 -0.2 BCT out to the Wales

Found: Robinson: There is no representation there of the Northern Ireland Office, the Scotland Office or the Wales

Found: Northern Ireland Office has had a much greater role and is much larger than the Scotland Office and the Wales

Found: A job for the Scotland Office, and indeed for the Wales Office, is to help focus the UK Government

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate he has made of the number of serious child abuse offences committed in the last 12 months.

Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)

The term child abuse covers a broad range of offences including, but not limited to, sexual offences, violence against the person and cruelty and neglect. It is not possible to identify all child abuse offences recorded in official data.

In January 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published experimental analysis which looked at a range of indicators from different data sources to enable understanding of child abuse. This report can be found here:

Child abuse in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk).

As the Home Secretary stated in his written statement of 10 January 2024, we are working with the ONS to explore whether a new survey could more effectively measure the current scale and nature of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse. The ONS is currently developing the questionnaire and safeguarding procedures for the proposed survey, which will then be piloted.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with (a) the Department for Health and Social Care, (b) the Northern Ireland Office, (c) the Scotland Office and (d) the Wales Office on providing financial support for (i) cancer patients aged up to 25 and (ii) their families undertaking cross-border travel within the UK to receive treatment.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Ministers from the Department for Transport have not engaged with the Department for Health and Social Care or the Territorial Offices listed on the two matters listed above.

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Found: Drug misuse in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics .

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Found: the Legal Services Corporation. 41 England and Wales Estimates of the population for England and Wales

Found: methodological note ‘Presentational changes to National Statistics on police recorded crime in England and Wales

Found: Drug misuse in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics .

Found: Export Finance 28/06/2023 30/06/2022 United Kingdom Supreme Court 09/11/2023 12/07/2022 Wales

Found: Statistics (ONS) (2024) Crime in England and Wales: year ending September 2023 Crime in England and Wales

Found: Kingdom Debt Management OfficeUlster Supported Employment LimitedVictims and Survivors Service LtdThe Wales

Found: post. 1 Crime in England and Wales, ONS, 202 4 [CSEW Appendix tables: A 1] 2 Crime in England and Wales