Asked by: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of international regulatory harmonisation on the speed of delivery of civil nuclear projects in the UK.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
International cooperation and regulatory harmonisation have the potential to streamline deployment for nuclear energy deployment around the world and help achieve economies of scale.
The UK continues to explore opportunities for regulatory harmonisation in nuclear to speed up the deployment of new nuclear in the UK, demonstrated by the recent Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy, which builds on existing UK-US collaboration.
ONR as the UK’s independent regulator will need to be satisfied that any design to be deployed in the UK meets UK safety standards and complies with UK law.
Asked by: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025 that increasing complexity in the regulatory system has led to a relative decline in the UK's nuclear sector.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government endorses the report’s approach and accepts the principles of all recommendations it set out.
My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has also issued a Strategic Steer which sets clear expectations for the civil, defence, and decommissioning nuclear sectors to accelerate safe and efficient delivery through proportionate regulation and stronger collaboration.
We will present a full implementation plan within three months, taking account of international obligations, national security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes.
Asked by: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to implement the recommendations of the Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government endorses the report’s approach and accepts the principles of all recommendations it set out.
My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has also issued a Strategic Steer which sets clear expectations for the civil, defence, and decommissioning nuclear sectors to accelerate safe and efficient delivery through proportionate regulation and stronger collaboration.
We will present a full implementation plan within three months, taking account of international obligations, national security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes.
Asked by: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of revising the semi-urban population density criterion on the development of civil nuclear projects in the UK.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It is recognised that there may be potential longer-term benefits for nuclear technologies to be deployed closer to denser populations, such as providing high-temperature heat to industrial plants or proximity to electricity transmission infrastructure.
Given the importance of new nuclear development and recent recommendations from the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, government will be reviewing the criterion following designation of the new nuclear planning framework.
Asked by: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have taken to boost cross-border economic growth between England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Economic growth is the central mission of the government. We work closely with the Welsh Government to ensure that Wales, like all parts of the United Kingdom, plays a full part in this mission and benefits from our modern Industrial Strategy, with higher living standards delivered across the country.
As part of this mission, the government is investing in projects that will drive growth across Wales. Alongside rail commitments announced at the last Spending Review, we have recently announced that Anglesey in North Wales will pioneer the UK’s first small modular reactors at Wylfa, with £2.5 billion of UK Government funding. This represents the most significant industrial investment in North Wales in a generation. The project is expected to support up to 3,000 jobs at peak construction and provide power for up to three million homes. Alongside this announcement, we have designated a new AI Growth Zone at the Anglesey Freeport, as well as another in South Wales.
Asked by: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether ministers have met Welsh farmers regarding the agricultural inheritance tax on working farms.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Ministers from several Government departments have met with organisations including the National Farmers’ Union, the Tenant Farmers’ Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Farmers’ Union of Wales.
Asked by: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they (1) allocated to, and (2) spent on, railways in Wales between 2010 and 2024 by fiscal period.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The table below shows the UK Government funded expenditure on operations, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of railways in Wales for each financial year, noting that we do not have data for the financial year 2010/2011.
Financial Year | 11/12 | 12/13 | 13/14 | 14/15 | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 | 21/22 | 22/23 | 23/24 |
£million | 230 | 249 | 318 | 307 | 388 | 508 | 502 | 551 | 460 | 414 | 434 | 521 | 525 |
Spending on railways in Wales by the Welsh Government, including continuing subsidy for rail services operated by Transport for Wales is not included, nor is payment made by the Department in respect of services that Transport for Wales operates wholly within England.
Asked by: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have (1) allocated to, and (2) spent on, railways in Wales since July 2024.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In financial year 2024/2025, £259m was allocated for railways in Wales, which includes UK Government funded expenditure on operations, maintenance, renewal and enhancements. This is being built on through the Spending Review settlement, which marks a significant step forward in addressing Wales’s long term infrastructure needs, with a commitment of at least £445m over the next ten years for rail enhancements in Wales. Details of funding spent since July 2024 is not available at the current time.
Asked by: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they spent on Welsh railways between 2014 and 2019, including control periods 4 and 5.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The UK Government is responsible for rail infrastructure across England and Wales. Rail in Scotland is a devolved matter. From 2014/15 until 2019/20, a total of £2.716 billion was invested on rail infrastructure in Wales. This figure includes costs to maintain and operate the network (£1.889 billion) as well as costs to enhance the network (£0.827 billion).
The continuing subsidy for rail services operated by Transport for Wales (TfW) was made part of the UK Government Block Grant to Wales in c2007. It is not separately identifiable as the amount allocated to rail from the Block Grant was a devolved matter for Welsh Ministers. Separately, the Department made payments for services that TfW operated wholly within England of c£4 million per annum (i.e. c£20 million for 2014-2019).
Asked by: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about the potential impact of its proposed visitor levy on tourism in England.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Tourism policy in the UK is devolved, but DCMS maintains regular engagement with the devolved administrations, including the Welsh Government, on a range of tourism-related matters and we are aware of the Welsh Government’s proposals to introduce a visitor levy and continue to monitor its development closely.
DCMS remains committed to understanding the potential cross-border impacts on the visitor economy, including any implications for tourism in England.
Our focus remains on supporting a thriving and competitive tourism sector across all parts of the UK, ensuring that destinations can attract visitors, support local businesses, and deliver sustainable growth.