Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to support financial provision for hospices.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have provided a £125 million capital funding boost for eligible adult, and children and young people’s, hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

We are also providing £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices in England over the next three financial years, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. We will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements as part of our MSF. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting integrated care boards to commission more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.  Officials are working closely with a number of stakeholders from the hospice sector in the development of the MSF.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the awards made under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 during the 2024–25 financial year were to (1) claimants suffering from pneumoconiosis, (2) claimants suffering from diffuse mesothelioma, and (3) other categories of claimants.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2024/25 there were 2,300 awards to sufferers under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979. The breakdown by medical condition is:

*Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the awards under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 were made to claimants in Wales in the 2024–25 financial year.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Between April 2024 and March 2025, 90 awards were made to claimants in Wales under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Holyhead Port Authorities regarding the cause of the closure of the port for passenger ships from Ireland on 7 and 8 March; and what steps they are taking to prevent this happening in the future.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has had no such discussions with Holyhead Port Authorities; however, we understand that the closure was the result of a technical issue with a vessel, which blocked a key berth and prevented other vessels from operating. As transport in Wales is devolved, it is for the Welsh Government to decide what steps may be necessary. In 2025 the Welsh Government established the Irish Sea Resilience Taskforce, and the Department for Transport continues to engage with and support the taskforce’s work alongside the port to strengthen resilience and operational readiness.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with ministers in the Welsh Government concerning proposals to re-establish a Welsh Development Agency.

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

The re-establishment of a Welsh Development Agency is a matter which falls within the remit of the Welsh Government. The Wales Office is heavily engaged in supporting a coordinated approach toward investors between UK Government, Welsh Government, Corporate Joint Committees, and local authorities in Wales.

In 2024-2025, 65 new Foreign Direct Investment projects in Wales created 2,470 new jobs - an increase of 30% on the previous year in terms of new jobs created. Wales now lands nearly 5% of all inward investment projects in the UK, up from 3.4% in 2023/2024. The Wales Office recently launched a new programme of activity which will further improve coordination of how Wales is marketed to the world.

Economic Growth is the number one mission of this Government and our Industrial Strategy is delivering that for Wales – from Freeports and Investment Zones, to Artificial Intelligence (AI) Growth Zones and a Defence Growth Deal, we are creating the right conditions for business to grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many military bases operated by the government of the USA are located in the UK, and how many (1) military, and (2) civilian, personnel are employed at these bases.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The United States Visiting Forces (USVF) are present in the UK at the invitation of His Majesty’s Government. The USVF operate eleven RAF bases across the UK. There are approximately 12,300 United States Military and Civilian Defence personnel in the UK at various defence sites.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received from former Allied Steel and Wire workers who lost part of their pension entitlement, and what response, if any, have they made.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

My hon. Friend the Minister for Pensions has met with representatives of Financial Assistance Scheme members, including former Allied Steel and Wire workers, and has heard first-hand how they have been affected by their scheme qualifying for the Financial Assistance Scheme. These meetings follow correspondence from these members, parliamentarians and from members of the Welsh Assembly.

We know that the pension compensation system and the safety net it offers needs to work harder for members. That is why we have brought forward legislation to introduce annual increases on compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme based on pensions built up before 6 April 1997. These increases will be CPI-linked (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively (i.e. to payments going forward) for members.

I am happy to confirm that former members of Allied Steel and Wire will benefit from these changes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of undergraduate students from Wales undertaking degree courses at universities in England.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education sector. These data are shared with the department and include a wide range of information on student courses.

Figure 7 of HESA’s ‘Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2024/25’ reports the number of enrolments for UK providers based on student permanent address prior to study. According to Figure 7, in the academic year 2024/25, there were 25,820 undergraduate student enrolments with a Welsh permanent address at Higher Education providers in England.