Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent steps the Government has taken to tackle the impact of rising energy costs on industry and businesses in Newport West constituency.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
The Government recognises this is a worrying time for businesses of all sizes, due to significant increases in global energy prices.
Since 2013, we have provided Energy-Intensive Industries with extensive support, with more than £2 billion to help with the costs of electricity, including over £600 million for the steel industry. This support includes electricity price relief schemes for eligible Energy Intensive Industries in sectors such as steel, chemicals, cement, ceramics, paper, and glass. We also have funds in place to support businesses with high energy use, to cut their bills and reduce their carbon emissions, including the £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of police funding for Wales on crime levels in Newport West constituency.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
I have regular discussions with my Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of subjects, including policing and criminal justice matters in Wales.
Welsh Police Forces will receive £820 million in total in 2022/23, an increase of up to £39.2 million on the 2021/22 settlement, and Gwent Police Force, which covers the Newport West constituency, will see an increase of £7.7 million in its 2022/23 funding.
Furthermore, Police forces in Wales have been allocated a combined total of 603 additional officers for years one and two of the police uplift. At 31 December, they had recruited 479 officers towards this allocation, with Gwent Police Force having recruited 93 additional uplift officers against an allocation of 124 officers.
It should be noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on the levels of crime across the country, during this reporting period. In respect of the levels of crime in Newport West, Gwent Police Force recorded a 6% drop in crime (excluding fraud) on the previous year in September 2021.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the impact of the First Minister of Northern Ireland's resignation on trade between Wales and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
The Government is monitoring and assessing these critical trade routes between Wales, Northern Ireland, and the rest of the UK. Ministers meet regularly to discuss such matters.
The decision by the Democratic Unionist Party to withdraw the First Minister from the Northern Ireland Executive is extremely disappointing. The Government’s priority is to see a strong functioning Northern Ireland Executive delivering a better, more prosperous, shared future for all the people of Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of the National Insurance contribution rise on (a) households and (b) employers in Newport West constituency.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
I have regular discussions with my Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including National Insurance contributions (NICs).
The Government is committed to responsible management of the public finances. That is why the Government has taken the tough but responsible decision to increase taxes, introducing a UK-wide 1.25% Health and Social Care Levy based on NICs, in order to fund a significant increase in permanent spending on the NHS and social care. There is a significant Union dividend for Wales within this levy, meaning that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit by around 15% more than is generated from their residents, equivalent to around £300 million every year on average.
Regarding the impact on households; NICs is progressive, the Primary Threshold means that the lowest earners do not pay any NICs. The highest earning 15% will pay over half the revenues raised by the Levy and 6.1 million people earning less than the Primary Threshold (equivalent to £9,880 a year in 2022-23) will not pay the Levy.
Regarding the impact on businesses; while it is fair that businesses contribute, as they benefit from having a healthy workforce, big businesses will pay the most. 70% of the money raised from business will come from the biggest 1% of employers (those with at least 250 employees). Just under 40% of all employers with employer NICs/Levy liabilities (630,000 employers) are expected not to pay the Levy due to the Employment Allowance. The next 42% of businesses (675,000 employers) will face an average increase of £475 per year, less than 1% of their overall wage bill.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on extending the Warm Home Discount scheme.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
I have regular discussions with my Cabinet colleagues on a range of energy related matters including on how we tackle fuel poverty. The Warm Homes Discount is a key policy in the Government’s strategy to reduce energy costs for low income and vulnerable households, which is why the Government committed to extend the scheme until 2026 in the Energy White Paper.
Since its introduction in 2011, the Warm Home Discount has provided over £3 billion in rebates worth £140 to households, in addition to other forms of support. In 2020/21, over 2.2 million households across Great Britain received a rebate, including over 135,000 households in Wales.
The Government consulted on expanding and reforming the scheme from 2022. Under the plans, the total spending will increase from around £350 million to £475 million per year and the value of the rebates will increase to £150. As a result of the additional funding, 780,000 more low-income and vulnerable households will receive rebates on their energy bills every winter, with the majority receiving the money automatically and without having to apply.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of freezing the BBC licence fee until April 2024 on the people of (a) Newport West constituency and (b) Wales.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
Under the new licence fee settlement, the fee will remain at £159 until April 2024 and then rise in line with inflation for the following four years. Television is important to people across the UK, including those in Newport West and Wales as a whole. This settlement shields licence fee payers from the current inflationary pressures for the next two years, while providing billions of pounds and secure funding for the BBC for the next six years. This settlement strikes the right balance between protecting households and allowing broadcasters to deliver their vital public responsibilities, while also encouraging them to make further savings and efficiencies.
The licence fee offers a strong settlement for S4C, providing £88.8 million per annum for the first two years, then rising in line with inflation thereafter. This includes a new commitment of £7.5 million per annum to support S4C’s digital development, ensuring S4C’s offering remains sustainable in the digital age. Overall, this settlement delivers a 9% increase in funding for S4C following a five-year funding freeze.
As the only Welsh language broadcaster, S4C is vital to the people of Newport West and Wales overall, and this settlement will enable S4C to continue to reach more Welsh language speakers, including younger audiences, and contributes to the UK Government’s commitment to support the ambition of 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on how people in (a) Newport West constituency and (b) Wales can benefit from trade agreements signed by the Government.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
I regularly meet with my ministerial colleagues to discuss a range of topics, including our future trade agreements. This includes the quarterly Inter-Ministerial Trade Advisory Groups, in addition to regular bi-lateral meetings.
Leaving the EU has given us the ability to strike our own trade deals, creating new opportunities for our excellent businesses in Wales to trade internationally. The Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is the first we have negotiated from scratch since leaving the EU and shows what we are capable of as a sovereign trading nation. This trade deal can boost Wales’ economy by around £60 million. We have further achieved an agreement in Principle with New Zealand, and through this Welsh automotive companies will benefit from the removal of tariffs of up to 10% and build on their £3.4m of exports to New Zealand in 2020.
Further trade agreements in the pipeline include agreements with India, the US, Gulf Co-Operation Council, along with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Joining CPTPP puts us into the dynamic economies of the Pacific region, with UK exports to current CPTPP countries already set to increase by 65% by 2030, equating to £37 billion for the UK as whole.
In addition to this, we are also renegotiating FTAs with Canada and Mexico later in the year to build on our existing bilateral trade relationship with these countries. These exciting trade deals will open up new markets to Welsh businesses and create exciting new export opportunities.
Businesses across Wales and the UK have the ability to seize the opportunities provided by these trade agreements, and the UK Government will continue to support businesses to achieve their trading potential. To support this vision, the UK Government has announced its new Export Strategy called ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’, with the aim of helping UK businesses hit £1 trillion in exports. This twelve-point strategy includes support for businesses through the UK Export Academy, UK Export Finance, and a new UK Tradeshow Programme, all designed to provide UK businesses with the tools they need to promote and export their products abroad, and help the UK become a nation of exporters.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to Wales of writing the Common Travel Area into domestic UK law.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an administrative arrangement between the UK and Ireland, as well as the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey.
It allows British and Irish citizens to travel freely between the UK and Ireland and reside in either jurisdiction. It also facilitates the enjoyment of associated rights and privileges including the right to work, to study and to access social security benefits and health services. We have always been clear on the shared commitment to protect the rights of our citizens in each other’s state, and this is already underpinned by domestic legislation, and will be updated as necessary, to ensure that the agreed CTA rights and privileges are properly reflected and Wales as part of the UK would continue to benefit from the CTA.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of the Welsh-based financial services company Admiral closing its Newport office on the economy of Newport West constituency.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
My ministerial colleagues and I regularly meet to discuss a range of topics, including the Welsh insuretech sector. Admiral is a household name that is founded in Wales and is very much rooted in Wales.
Like many other businesses, Admiral have made a business decision to close some of their offices to facilitate a hybrid-working model, in response to Covid-19. The UK Government will continue to support businesses, employees and families affected by Covid-19.
We have supported Welsh businesses and people throughout the pandemic, this includes the provision of £1.1 billion through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, £2.4 billion in business support loans and 474,000 employees supported through the furlough scheme.
Furthermore, the UK Government has reintroduced the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme to help small and medium-sized employers cover the cost of Covid-related sick absences, covering up to two weeks per employee.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Welsh farming industry on the effect of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on their ability to operate.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
I regularly meet with various representatives from across the farming sector in Wales. I met with the President of NFU England and Wales in December 2021 and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State attended the Royal Welsh Winter Fair in November 2021, where he met with various representatives from the farming unions in Wales.
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement maintains zero tariffs and zero quotas on trade in goods between the UK and EU. It provides for ongoing cooperation regarding public, animal and plant health, whilst limiting technical barriers to trade and maintaining full control over our domestic regimes.
With EU Exit, new trading opportunities have opened up, and the UK Government continues to support businesses – including those in the Welsh farming sector – to achieve their trading potential. The UK Government is supporting farming businesses to seize new global export opportunities and is working in lockstep with partners like the NFU and the Food and Drink Federation to deliver tailored support on the ground for Welsh farmers in the wake of EU Exit.