Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what investigations have been undertaken into allegations of dumping of dangerous substances by the former Monsanto chemical company.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities are primarily responsible for regulating contaminated land in England, while the Environment Agency (EA) regulates designated special sites. The EA has provided technical support for past and current local authority investigations into alleged Monsanto dumping sites, but none have been designated as special sites to date.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in securing the manufacture of the radio-isotopes required by the NHS for cancer diagnostics and treatment from sources within the UK.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Medical radioisotopes used for cancer diagnostics and treatments rely on diverse supply chains from domestic and international suppliers. The United Kingdom has a comprehensive network of cyclotrons used for diagnostics. These cyclotrons tend to be based close to where the medical radioisotopes will be used due to the very short half-life of these products. Other medical radioisotopes are manufactured in reactors, and the UK does not have a suitable reactor for this manufacture, therefore we import these from a number of international suppliers.
The reliable supply of medical radioisotopes for diagnosing and treating cancer and other conditions remains a priority for the Government and when there are shortages, the Department works with suppliers and clinical leads to support the return of supplies and to limit the impact on patients during the shortage.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of more generous provision in law for paternity leave.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government recognises that the current parental leave and pay system could do more to support dads and partners who want to be more actively involved in supporting their partner and children.
We have already taken steps to make this easier. Through the Employment Rights Act, dads and partners are now eligible for Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave from their first day of employment.
We are also undertaking a Review of the Parental Leave and Pay system. All existing parental leave and pay entitlements are within scope, including paternity leave and pay. The Review will conclude in early 2027.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what figures they have on the amount of illegal tobacco seized by trading standards offices in the past 12 months; whether they plan to publish them; and what plans they have to publish comparable figures for each of the three preceding years.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
HMRC publish information on enforcement activity through the Annual Outputs for tackling tobacco smuggling publication. The 25/26 publication shows Trading Standards seized over 35 million illicit cigarettes and more than 8,000kg of illicit hand-rolling tobacco in 2025/26, preventing revenue losses of over £25m. HMRC intend to continue publishing this information annually and previous publications also contain information on Trading Standards activity.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of businesses that delisted from the London Stock Exchange in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We have already delivered an ambitious set of ongoing reforms to boost the UK’s capital markets to ensure the UK is the best place for firms to start, scale, list and stay.
Our stock markets are showing signs of renewed momentum, with over £26.8 billion raised since the start of 2025 through IPOs and follow-on issuances.
The government has also established the Listings Taskforce to ensure the UK attracts the best and brightest businesses from the UK and around the world, to list on UK markets.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of businesses were assessed as being in critical financial distress in the second quarter of this year in (1) Wales, (2) England, (3) Scotland, and (4) Northern Ireland; and how these figures compare with those recorded in each of the preceding four quarters.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
Official data on business vulnerability is not published by the Department.
Growth is this government’s number one mission and our plan is to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business, with a culture that supports entrepreneurship in every community and high street. The Small Business Plan was launched in July 2025 and contains 200 targeted actions which will make a real difference to the operations of small businesses and help them grow. With a £4bn finance boost to increase access to finance for entrepreneurs, the British Business Bank promotes the provision of better access-to-finance information for UK SMEs. The Growth Guarantee Scheme helps businesses access loans up to £2 million per business group to be used for any business purpose, including growth and investment or working capital.
On 14th July 2026, the Chancellor announced access-to-finance measures through supporting:
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Wales regarding restructuring accountability for the police service in Wales.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has held discussions with the Welsh Government on police reform in Wales, including options for police governance and accountability following the planned abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners.
These discussions have taken place through ministerial and official-level engagement, Police Governance Reform working groups, and established forums such as the Policing Partnership Board for Wales. The Government will continue to engage with the Welsh Government as proposals are developed and taken forward through the Police Reform Bill.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of the UK's support to the government of Ukraine in the current financial year.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine poses a direct threat to UK and European prosperity and security. We are proud to be a leading partner in providing vital support to Ukraine since the onset of the war in 2022, and we will continue to do so.
This calendar year, the UK has provided up to £5.6bn to date in support to Ukraine. We track support across a calendar year rather than the financial year to align with Ukrainian budget timescales. Ukrainians are defending their country against Russian aggression at immense personal cost, and their fight is in our national security interests. Supporting Ukraine helps to deter further Russian aggression across Europe, and protect the security and prosperity of the United Kingdom.
In total, the UK has committed up to £25bn for Ukraine since Russia’s illegal invasion: this includes £16bn in military support, £3.5bn cover limit in UK export finance and up to £5.6bn in non-military support including bilateral assistance, humanitarian and fiscal support.
This Government has pledged to sustain £3 billion a year in military aid to Ukraine until 2030 to 2031 and for as long as it takes until a just peace is achieved.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total cost of payments arising from clinical negligence in England during the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The total value of payments for clinical negligence claims in 2025/26, as reported in NHS Resolution annual Report and accounts: 2025 to 2026, published on 9 July 2026, was £3.2 billion, for all clinical schemes. This includes payments for damages, National Health Service legal costs, and claimant legal costs on both open and settled claims.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the amount of additional water required to the meet the needs of AI and associated industries and services; and whether they have targets for additional supply of water for each of the regions of England.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, works with DEFRA, the Environment Agency and others to ensure that AI-enabled data infrastructure does not compromise public water supply resilience. Water resource planning in England is undertaken through statutory Water Resources Management Plans prepared by water companies, regional water resources plans, and the Environment Agency's National Framework for Water Resources.
The Government supports the adoption of efficient cooling technologies (closed-loop systems) and alternative sources like rainwater harvesting. National planning policy embeds consideration of sustainable water use and resource efficiency in decision making. In 2025, a techUK–Environment Agency survey found that 51% of surveyed sites use closed loop cooling systems, and 64% use less than 10,000m³ of water per year. This is small compared to other sectors.