Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on (a) Holyhead and (b) Pembroke Docks of the plan to have lower tariffs on goods entering the UK via Northern Ireland rather than via other UK ports.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The UK Government is clear that the proposed approach is temporary. The re-routing of supply lines is therefore unlikely. Diverting goods through the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland solely to avoid tariffs and tariff rate quotas would be unlawful.
In a no-deal scenario, we are committed to entering into discussions urgently with the European Commission and the Irish Government to jointly agree long-term measures to avoid a hard border.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many times he has met with trade unions in Wales since July 2016.
Answered by Alun Cairns
I have held two specific official trade union roundtable meetings since July 2016.
I have also regularly engaged with the farming unions in Wales including through my Expert Panel, which has met 11 times since it was established in September 2017.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps his Department is taking to promote green energy production in Wales.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The UK Government supports a range of renewable energy schemes in Wales through the Renewables Obligation and Feed-in Tariffs schemes, and has supported 192 MW of renewable energy generation in Wales through the Contracts for Difference (CfD) Scheme. The Government plans to open a further CfD allocation round by May 2019, and Welsh stakeholders were invited to contribute to the consultation process at an event in Cardiff on 20 February 2018.
The Government is investing in Wales to support its low carbon generation targets through initiatives such as the Pembroke Dock Marine project in the Swansea Bay City Deal. Furthermore, we are in negotiations with local partners in North Wales about the inclusion of a Smart Energy Networks project within the North Wales Growth Deal, and have included the Morlais Marine Energy Infrastructure Project in the Department for International Trade’s Capital Investments Energy Portfolio.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the total value of UK Government funded renewable energy projects that have been cancelled in Wales in the last three years.
Answered by Alun Cairns
On 19 October 2018, the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) announced that it had terminated the contract for difference awarded to Station Yard CFD 1 during the second Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round in 2017. Station Yard is a 0.05MW Advanced Conversion Technology with Combined Heat and Power project located in Llangadog, Carmarthenshire. The project’s contract was terminated because it failed to make sufficient progress towards meeting its milestone requirement to demonstrate a commitment within one year of signing a CfD to deliver the project. It is estimated that had Station Yard been commissioned it would have received support of less than £70,000 (in 2017/18 prices) for electricity generated over the 15-year period of its contract.
A CfD is a private law contract between a generator and the LCCC, a government-owned company. CfDs are managed independently by the LCCC and decisions as to whether a generator has met its milestone requirement are for the LCCC. The milestone requirement is a contractual requirement. Failure to meet this requirement may result in a CfD being terminated.
The Government is not aware of any other renewable energy projects in receipt of funding from CfDs or other UK Government schemes that have been cancelled in Wales during this time period.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment his Department has made of the value of investment lost to Wales by the cancellation of Wylfa Newydd project.
Answered by Alun Cairns
Hitachi made the commercial decision to suspend, not to cancel, the Wylfa Newydd project. We will continue to work with Hitachi to decide what the next steps will be for the project and the site. Nuclear has a strong history in North Wales, and Wylfa Newydd is an attractive option for new nuclear projects.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the free flow of goods at the ports of Holyhead and Pembroke in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Alun Cairns
Officials in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales and colleagues across Government meet regularly with the Welsh Government, port authorities and other maritime stakeholders in Wales to support the smooth and orderly implementation of any new arrangements required as a result of the UK’s exit from the European Union.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many meetings he has had with the First Minister of Wales since the Welsh Assembly voted to reject the Withdrawal Agreement on 4 December 2018.
Answered by Alun Cairns
I have had a number of discussions with the First Minister since 4 December 2018 on matters affecting Wales, most recently on 16 January 2019.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department plans to tender to private contractors any work relating to prepartions for leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Nigel Adams
No.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to the White Paper, The UK’s future skills-based immigration system, published on 19 December 2018, what discussions his Department has had with the Home Secretary on the effect of the proposed minimum salary requirement of £30,000 for skilled migrants on the Welsh economy.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The independent Migration Advisory Committee recommended retaining the existing £30,000 salary threshold for skilled workers.
The Government agrees with the Migration Advisory Committee’s view that the salary thresholds should ensure that migrants are raising the level of productivity in the UK, making a positive contribution to public finances and are not putting downward pressure on earnings. This salary threshold is an important control to ensure migration is managed at sustainable levels. However, before confirming the level of a future salary threshold the Government will engage extensively with businesses and employers, consider wider evidence of the impact on the economy, and take into account current pay levels in the UK economy.
The Government currently maintains a Shortage Occupation List which is used to give priority to individuals within the highly-skilled route cap, and to exempt migrants from minimum salary thresholds required for settlement if they are in a shortage occupation. The Home Secretary has asked the Migration Advisory Committee to review the current Shortage Occupation List.
The Migration Advisory Committee will be commissioned to provide an annual report on key aspects of the UK’s immigration system, including to advise on whether detailed arrangements such as the levels of salary thresholds, and the Shortage Occupation List, need to be revised in light of economic and social circumstances, and any emerging or longer-term trends that may impact the labour market. The Government will also invite the Migration Advisory Committee to examine the case for a Wales specific Shortage Occupation List.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of funding it requires to plan for the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and if he will place any documentation on such estimates in the Library.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Work to prepare for a successful EU exit is a key priority for the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales. The work is funded from the Office’s £4.6 million budget for 2018-19. In addition, the Office was allocated £0.3 million in EU exit funding for this financial year.