Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what further steps they plan to take to safeguard a reliable supply of radioisotopes for use in the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The resilience of United Kingdom supply chains is a key priority, and the Department and NHS England are committed to helping to build long term supply chain resilience for medicines. We recognise the importance of ensuring a resilient and reliable supply of medical isotopes and how important that is for patients and for the National Health Service. We regularly engage with industry partners to support continued supply of medical radioisotopes to the NHS, including responding to supply disruptions. The Department is working with the NHS and other parts of the Government to better understand future needs for medical radioisotopes.
In respect to isotope production and associated research in the UK, the Government has made up to £520 million available through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to support UK manufacture of medicine and medical technology products. This includes applications looking to establish, expand, or improve UK-based manufacture of medical radioisotopes for diagnostic or therapeutic applications. In addition, last year, the Government also announced a £54 million funding package for eight innovative research and development projects, including £9.9 million earmarked for Project Alpha to explore how to make medical treatments from legacy nuclear material, something that could unlock the UK’s potential to develop promising new cancer therapies.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many overseas students have started undergraduate degrees at UK universities in each of the past 10 years.
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. This data is shared with the department and includes a wide range of information on students in UK higher education providers (HEPs), including their country of domicile.
Between 2015/16 and 2024/25, international entrants to undergraduate courses at UK HEPs have increased from 103,000 to 123,000. Year on year details are in the table below.
Academic Year | International Entrants to Undergraduate courses at UK HEPs |
2015/16 | 103,295 |
2016/17 | 104,970 |
2017/18 | 107,850 |
2018/19 | 114,470 |
2019/20 | 127,240 |
2020/21 | 124,115 |
2021/22 | 110,145 |
2022/23 | 121,915 |
2023/24 | 121,630 |
2024/25 | 123,325 |
Counts of entrants to UK HEPs by domicile are published in Table 1 of HESA’s Student Data.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK citizens currently located in Iran and neighbouring countries affected by recent military hostilities have asked the UK government for assistance in returning to the UK; how many have been promised such assistance; and how many have returned to the UK to date.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the statement Lord Collins made to the House on 19 March (Official Report, vol. 854, cols. 1121-1124), where he provided the latest details on our consular support to British nationals in the region.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they have provided in the current financial year to support chess in schools in England.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In line with my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s announcement last year, we intend to invest up to £250,000 per year for 3 years (a total of £750,000) from the 2026/27 financial year to partner with an organisation to deliver a national chess in schools programme. This programme will aim to increase pupils’ participation in chess in schools across all nine regions of England.
It will prioritise mainstream primary and secondary schools with higher proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals, as well as special schools and alternative provision settings, and will include work to improve access for girls and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the total cost of the compensation claims against the Post Office for wrongful action against sub-postmasters.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As of 27 February 2026, approximately £1.475 billion has been paid to over 11,500 claimants across the Horizon redress schemes. The Department publishes monthly reports updating this figure. Total spend to date and future commitments for victims of the Horizon scandal are estimated at £2.3 billion. In addition, over £1.6 million has been paid to claimants under the Capture redress scheme since its launch on 29 October 2025
The Government has not set a cap on either the Horizon or Capture redress schemes. The final cost will depend on how many victims come forward and the specific circumstances of their claims.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
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.