Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many nests of Asian hornets have been discovered and destroyed in England in the past 10 years; and what discussions they have had with (1) the National Bee Unit, and (2) the NHS, about new initiatives to combat the threats posed by Asian hornets.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Since 2016 the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) have been taking action against incursions of Yellow-Legged Hornets (YLHs) also known as Asian hornet. During this time a total of 270 YLH nests were found and destroyed. Defra remains committed to taking action against YLH and the NBU stand ready to respond to reports of YLH in 2026. Defra have not engaged with the NHS about how to combat the threats posed by YLHs.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much money they have allocated for use by Senedd Cymru in 2026–27.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Spending Review 2025 confirmed that the Welsh Government is receiving an average of £22.4 billion per year between 2026-27 and 2028-29. This is the Welsh Government’s largest spending review settlement in real terms since devolution in 1998.

As a result of decisions at the Budget in November 2025, the Welsh Government will receive an additional £505m in Total Departmental Expenditure Limit (TDEL) through the operation of the Barnett formula over the Spending Review period, on top of the record settlement provided at Spending Review 2025.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to designate the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station site as a nuclear research site for developing and producing radioisotopes for medical purposes.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) through Nuclear Restoration Services, are decommissioning the legacy facility and own the land at Trawsfynydd. The NDA engages parties to explore maximising national and local value with the land that it owns.

The responsibility for the supply of medical radioisotopes sites with the Department of Health and Social Care. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero provides support to other government department’s exploring nuclear medicine projects.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the government of Wales about devolving responsibility for the Crown Estate's activities in Wales to Senedd Cymru.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The UK Government has regular discussions with the Welsh Government at official and ministerial level on a range of issues. This has included a request from the Welsh Government that the UK Government considers devolution of the management of The Crown Estate in Wales.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure that all new contracts for wind farms at sea include clauses to ensure that the developer and operator must specify before a contractual agreement how the development will benefit the adjacent coastal communities.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recognises that communities hosting clean energy infrastructure should benefit from doing so. While community benefits for offshore wind are currently delivered voluntarily, Government is exploring the introduction of a mandatory community benefit scheme across low‑carbon technologies. The offshore wind industry has well-established community benefit schemes providing funds for coastal communities.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff are employed at each of the prisons in Wales; and how many of those staff are Welsh speakers.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The number of staff and self-reported Welsh language speakers in each Welsh prison can be found in the table below:

Headcount of staff in post on 30 September 2025.

Whether staff can speak Welsh is a self-reported variable, with the vast majority of staff not reporting this information, so the true numbers of Welsh speakers is likely to be higher.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the gross domestic product per capita was in (1) Wales, (2) England, (3) Scotland, (4) Northern Ireland, and (5) the United Kingdom, in (a) 2000, (b) 2005, (c) 2010, (d) 2015, (e) 2020, and (f) 2025.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter below from the Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics.

Lord Wigley

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

28 January 2026

Dear Lord Wigley,

As Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what the gross domestic product per capita was in (1) Wales, (2) England, (3) Scotland, (4) Northern Ireland, and (5) the United Kingdom, in (a) 2000, (b) 2005, (c) 2010, (d) 2015, (e) 2020, and (f) 2025 (HL13812).

The figures requested, shown in Table 1, are taken from the Regional economic activity by gross domestic product, UK 1998 to 2023 release, which is the latest annual publication of regional gross domestic product (GDP) estimates. We are unable to provide figures for 2025 currently, so we have given estimates for 2023 instead.

All the estimates in our regional GDP release are consistent with those for the UK published in the preceding UK National Accounts, the Blue Book. The current edition is consistent with Blue Book 2024, and for comparability we have reported UK figures from that edition in this response. Please note that more recent estimates for the UK have subsequently been published by the UK National Accounts, but those estimates will lack direct comparability with the estimates we have for nations of the UK.

GDP per capita is calculated by dividing the total GDP for a nation by its total resident population, using the ONS mid-year population estimates. GDP for the UK includes some activity that cannot be assigned to any region, which we call extra-regio. This activity includes offshore oil and gas extraction, the activities of UK embassies abroad and UK armed forces posted overseas. For direct comparability with estimates for individual UK nations we advise use of GDP per capita for the UK less extra-regio, which removes this unallocated element of UK GDP.

Yours sincerely,

Darren Tierney

Table 1: Gross domestic product per capita (£ pounds)

Source: ONS, Gross domestic product per capita in current market prices

1. https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/regionaleconomicactivitybygrossdomesticproductuk/1998to2023

2. GDP for the UK includes some activity that cannot be assigned to any region, which we call extra-region.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK citizens are permanently resident in Greenland.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

There is no general requirement for British travellers or residents to register with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) when they go overseas, and the FCDO does not therefore collect data on the number in each location.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people were (1) killed, or (2) seriously injured, in road traffic accidents in England in the most recent year for which statistics are available; and what the comparable figures were for (1) 5 years, and (2) 10 years, earlier.

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

Data on road collisions involving personal injury are reported to the Department by police forces in Great Britain via the STATS19 system. The latest year for which data is available is 2024.

The number of killed or seriously injured casualties in reported road traffic collisions in England are shown in the table:

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) the Welsh Government, and (2) the Scottish Government, about restricting or banning children from accessing social media; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which that ban in Wales and Scotland is the responsibility of those devolved administrations.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The majority of the Online Safety Act extends and applies to the whole of the United Kingdom, and most measures in the government’s consultation on children’s use of social media will too. The Government wrote to the devolved administrations ahead of the consultation announcement to inform them of the upcoming consultation and to welcome their views.

The consultation will be accompanied by a national conversation, and we want to hear from children and parents right across the UK, including in the devolved administrations. Every voice matters in shaping what comes next.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total annual expenditure on coastal protection against erosion by the sea, broken down by how much was spent in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Coastal erosion risk management is a devolved responsibility; therefore, this response applies only to England.

Between April 2024 and March 2026, around £609 million will be invested in schemes that reduce risk from coastal erosion, sea flooding, and tidal flooding. Approximately £102 million of this is allocated to projects where coastal erosion is the primary risk, £56 million for 2024/2025 and £46 million for 2025/2026. Some projects reduce risk from multiple risk sources, so there may be some projects with coastal benefits that may not be included in these figures.

Further to this, on 28 January, the Government announced £30 million for Coastal Adaptation Pilots which will deliver advanced adaptation actions such as selective property purchases and the development of long-term financing solutions in East Riding of Yorkshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The funding will also deliver smaller adaptation actions, such as relocating or adapting community buildings, and early warning systems in other places facing coastal erosion across England.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the Welsh Government about the devolution of responsibility for the police service in Wales to Senedd Cymru; and on what dates they received those representations.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Secretary of State for Wales and her Cabinet colleagues engage with Welsh Ministers frequently on a wide range of issues, including the future of devolution in key policy areas. Established intergovernmental mechanisms also provide ongoing opportunities for the UK and Welsh Governments to engage on matters relating to policing, and to ensure that Welsh priorities are fully considered within the existing devolution settlement.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the speech by the First Minister of Wales on 22 January about devolution, what consideration they have given to introducing a constitutional reform bill to define the responsibilities of the Welsh Government in law.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK Government has regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a range of issues, including the Welsh devolution settlement. It is in our shared interests that the settlement clearly defines the responsibilities of our respective governments and that it delivers for the people of Wales.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Russia about the death of reporter Ryan Evans.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

We remain deeply saddened by the death of Mr Ryan Evans in Ukraine in 2024 following a Russian strike. The UK Government continues to support efforts to ensure accountability for crimes committed in Ukraine. This includes supporting the independent investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the situation in Ukraine, as well as providing assistance to Ukrainian domestic investigations and prosecutions of core international crimes.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the current surplus in the Pension Protection Fund; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that surplus to meet the demands on the fund.

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

As of 31 March 2025, the PPF has built up a reserve of around £14.1 billion. This is a reserve and not surplus funds. While the risks that the PPF faces are lower given improved Defined Benefit (DB) scheme funding levels, this reserve provides security for its current 8.6 million members and the taxpayer. The reserve is crucial to managing future challenges and enabling the PPF to fulfil its role as the ultimate backstop to the near £1 trillion of liabilities in DB schemes.

This Government has brought forward improvements to the level of indexation it pays and introduced greater flexibility to adjust the levy it collects in line with its funding strategy. The PPF will continue to build its reserves through investment returns, while keeping its approach to funding under regular review, prudently balancing the needs of members and levy payers. This will increase security for its current and future members and, further reduce the risk of needing to call on levy payers in the future.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about restructuring funding of railways and train services that (1) operate in Wales, or (2) serve Wales.

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

The UK Government has held constructive discussions with the Welsh Government throughout the development of the UK Railways Bill, focusing on restructuring governance and funding arrangements for rail services in Wales and on cross‑border routes. This work includes jointly developing a Memorandum of Understanding to classify devolved responsibilities, funding structures, and shared objectives for the Wales and Borders rail network.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the latest value of annual imports of lamb and lamb products from New Zealand; and how that value compares with the value in each of the past three years.

Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)

In the 12 months to November 2025 imports of New Zealand-origin sheepmeat were £234.3 million, this was £45.2 million higher than the 12 months to November 2024, £98.0 million higher than the 12 months to November 2023 and £37.5 million lower than the 12 months to November 2022. However, sheepmeat imports from New Zealand fell during the pandemic and are still below their value in 2018 (£264.6 million).

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the latest estimate they have made of the volume of beef imports from (1) Australia, and (2) the United States of America, in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how those volumes compare to each of the previous three years.

Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)

In the 12 months to November 2025, imports of Australian-origin beef reached 13.9 thousand tonnes, an increase of 8.7 thousand tonnes compared to the same 12 months in 2024, and 12.2 and 12.9 thousand tonnes higher than the same periods in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Meanwhile, EU beef imports declined by 14.5 thousand tonnes from the 12 months to November 2022 to the 12 months to November 2025.

US-origin beef imports in the year to November 2025 stood at 99.4 tonnes, marking a reduction of 201.6 tonnes from 2024, 145.5 tonnes from 2023, and 247.5 tonnes from 2022.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the conviction handed out at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court on 6 January, what steps they are taking against Tesla Financial Services for failing to identify the driver of cars on long-term leases where the vehicle was speeding.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Under Section 172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, the registered keeper of a vehicle must identify the driver when requested by the police. Where a hire company fails to do so, it is liable to prosecution, and the enforcement action taken by police and the courts demonstrates that the existing legislative framework is functioning as intended.

The Government keeps road traffic enforcement powers under review, but individual prosecutions are operational matters for local police forces in conjunction with the Crown Prosecution Service.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Wales about (1) the adequacy of the two existing bridges over the Menai Strait to meet potential increased traffic arising from the construction of nuclear electricity generating facilities at Wylfa, and (2) whether the construction of those facilities will require a third bridge.

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

Responsibility for roads and highways matters in Wales is devolved and therefore this a matter for the Welsh Government to consider.

My department continues to engage positively with the Welsh Government on a range of cross-UK transport matters and remains willing to explore ways in which we can collaborate, support and share best practice.