Asked by: Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when the border control facility at Parc Cybi will be (a) completed and (b) opened.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
Decisions regarding the Border Control Post at Parc Cybi are a matter for the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on plans for cross-border healthcare.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
I meet with the First Minister of Wales regularly to discuss a range of issues, including health. We are working in a spirit of genuine collaboration to do everything possible to cut waiting lists and build an NHS fit for the future.
A good example of our two Governments working together on health is the Interministerial Group (IMG) for Health and Social Care, which met on 30 April, chaired by the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. The IMG brought together Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Devolved Governments to discuss shared priorities across health in the UK.
I welcome the news that waiting lists, including long waits, have fallen in recent months. These improvements come after we provided the Welsh Government with an additional £1.7 billion to invest in public services like the NHS at the Autumn Budget. An extra £600 million in funding has now been announced by the Welsh Government for health and social care in their Budget for 2025/26. Furthermore at the Spending Review last week, we announced a record £22.4 billion per year on average for the Welsh Government between 2026-27 and 2028-29, to invest in public services and drive down waiting lists. This is the largest budget settlement in the history of devolution.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether her Department has updated guidance on the use of single-sex facilities in response to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
We will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements. We aim to ensure appropriate facilities are available for all staff.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much funding the Welsh government requested from her Department for coal tip safety and remediation work as part of the Spending Review 2025.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
At the Spending Review, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that HM Treasury would provide the Welsh Government with the funding it requested to continue its vital coal tip safety work. Ensuring coal tips across Wales remain safe is of the upmost importance and this is why the UK Government is committing £118 million over the three years of the Spending Review period (over financial years 2026/27-2028/29). This is in addition to the £25m provided at Autumn Budget last year, bringing the total UK Government investment in coal tip safety to over £140m. This is another example of how two governments working in partnership are delivering for the people of Wales.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many staff network events took place in her Department in May 2025; and what the names of those events were.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
No staff network events took place in my Department in May 2025.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
No permanent Civil Servants in my Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the 2022-23, 2023-24, or 2024-25 financial years.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve transport links between Wales and the rest of the UK.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
We are investing an historic £445 million into Welsh rail to right years’ of underfunding by previous governments and unleash Wales’ economic potential.
This new investment will improve transport links, including for Padeswood on the Borderlands Line through Wrexham, and between Cardiff and Bristol.
This will mean new stations, enable more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales, connecting people with the new, well-paid jobs we’re creating across Wales.
This announcement also includes providing £48 million over four years to the Welsh Government to continue to upgrade the Core Valleys Lines.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on family farms in Wales.
Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
The Government is steadfastly committed to family farms in Wales. That is why we protected the farm budget at its current level and allocated £337 million to the Welsh Government at the Autumn Budget.
Furthermore, at the UK-EU Summit on the 19th of May, the Prime Minister announced that the UK would deliver a new agri-food deal with the European Union. This will make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cut costs and red tape for Welsh producers and retailers, and help keep prices down and increase choice in the shops.
Asked by: Josh MacAlister (Labour - Whitehaven and Workington)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the steel industry in Wales.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
Welsh steel has a bright future under this government. Our improved deal with Tata Steel UK has delivered £1.3 billion investment and protected over 5,000 jobs.
We have committed a further £2.5 billion for steel over the course of this Parliament with our Steel Strategy due to be announced soon.
Steel communities are the heart of Wales. I have allocated over £70 million Transition Board funding to help people, businesses and communities with retraining, business support and growth, and regeneration.
Asked by: Lauren Sullivan (Labour - Gravesham)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on improving rail connectivity in Wales.
Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
We are working with Welsh government on a range of shared priorities, which includes rail connectivity.
We are investing an historic £445 million into Welsh rail to right years’ of underfunding by previous governments and unleash Wales’ economic potential.
This will mean new stations, enable more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales, connecting people with the new, well-paid jobs we’re creating across Wales.