Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many and what proportion of digital posts in his Department are vacant.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
There are currently no vacant digital posts in the Wales Office.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether any non-executive directors employed in his Department are non-domiciled.
Answered by Fay Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
Non-executive’s personal data, including those relating to personal taxation or status, are protected by the UK General Data Protection Regulation. Collection of personal data on non-dom status is not routinely collected and is generally not required for making public appointments. If any such data was held it could only be published if doing so was in compliance with data protection law.
Non-executive board members are not employees of the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales and act in an advisory capacity.
Data relating to public appointments are covered by the Public Appointments Privacy Statement found here https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/privacy.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department has (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on software updates to legacy computer systems in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Fay Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
Nothing. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales does not have any legacy computer systems.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many posts there are for (a) press, (b) media and (c) other communications staff in his Department; and what the salary band is for each post.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Wales Office Communications team is made up of eight employees, two of whom make up the Press and Media team.
Roles range from grades Executive Officer (EO) to Senior Civil Service (SCS1) and have salaries between £27,223 - £28,613 and £75,000 - £117,800.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether all (a) buildings and (b) workplaces staff from their Department occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
All buildings and workplaces occupied by staff from my Department have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 in place.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to his oral contribution of 23 January 2024 during the debate on Protecting Steel in the UK, Official Report, column 265, whether his Department has undertaken or commissioned an independent assessment of the potential merits of the multi-union plan for steel production at Port Talbot.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
Tata Steel are now conducting a formal consultation period with staff regarding the company’s proposed £1.25bn project to transition to greener steelmaking at Port Talbot.
Prior to this, Tata Steel have been discussing Union’s alternative proposals with them for several months. Ultimately, this is a commercial decision for Tata Steel and engagement with trade unions has always been a process that must be led by the employer.
We are working with Tata Steel to provide up to £100m funding for a dedicated Transition Board, which I chair and includes members from the Welsh Government, to support both affected employees and the local economy.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since taking office the Prime Minister has met the First Minister of Wales; and whether the Prime Minister plans to meet the current First Minister before the latter’s retirement.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave to question HL1907 on 1 February 2024. I also refer the Noble Lord to my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister’s comments about the First Minister’s retirement at Prime Minister’s Questions on 13 December 2023. Details of the Prime Minister’s future official meetings and visits will be announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
None.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the Welsh Government on the levels of public awareness of (a) the role and (b) competencies of physician associates in the NHS in Wales.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
I have regular discussions with Welsh Government Ministers on a wide range of issues. As a devolved matter, it is for the Welsh Government to consider the operational deployment of the role of physician associates (PAs) within the NHS workforce in Wales.
The UK Government greatly values the work of physician associates (PAs) and is introducing regulation as part of our commitment to the roles and to their place in the multi-disciplinary workforce.
The regulation of PAs which is a reserved matter has been subject to extensive public consultation over several years. Throughout the project, UK Government officials have engaged thoroughly with stakeholders including regulators, the devolved administrations, the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, representative bodies and service users in developing the policy behind this legislation. This engagement has been crucial in shaping both UK Government policy intention and the resultant legislation, to ensure that it remains a practical piece of legislation for the benefit of patient safety and registrants.
Regulation will give the GMC responsibility and oversight of PAs, allowing it to take a holistic approach to education, training, and standards. Once regulation commences, GMC guidance will apply to PAs.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister last visited Senedd Cymru, and on how many occasions during 2023 he had discussions in person with the First Minister of Wales.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Prime Minister visits all parts of the United Kingdom regularly.
Details of official visits can be found on the gov.uk website as part of the government’s transparency agenda. The Prime Minister also undertakes party political visits across the United Kingdom.
The Secretary of State for Wales, the Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and the Prime Minister undertake constructive engagement with the Welsh Government and the Senedd Cymru, with relevant meetings as appropriate. Details of future official visits will be announced in the usual way.