Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to his correspondence of 19 February 2021 to the chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, what (a) discussions and (b) support his Department provided the pharmaceutical company in question; and when engagement with that company began.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
Officials in my Office had several discussions with the company, including in regard to difficulties the company was experiencing in exporting medicines to the EU after the Transition Period ended. Officials from several government departments offered the company advice, guidance and expertise to help resolve these difficulties.
My officials first contacted the company directly on 12 January. Discussions had taken place earlier via business representative organisations.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions has he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for sheep farmers after the transition period in the event of the UK not reaching a deal with the EU.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
The UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement honours the instruction of the British people - expressed in the 2016 referendum and the 2019 General Election - to take back control of our laws, borders, money, trade and fisheries.
The Agreement ensures tariff free and quota free access to the EU market for Welsh farmers. It also provides continued protection in the EU for world-renowned Welsh products such as Welsh lamb, Welsh laverbread and Traditional Welsh Caerffili and establishes a mechanism for protecting future geographical indications in both the EU and the UK.
The Government is also focused on enabling Welsh farming to seize the opportunities of the UK once again being an independent trading nation. We will open new export markets for UK sheepmeat, including Welsh lamb, to provide a profitable and sustainable future for our sheep farmers. As part of our recently signed Trade Agreement with Japan, Welsh lamb is among fifteen world-class Welsh products that could be protected in Japan for the first time.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on that Government’s borrowing limit.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
We have provided the Welsh Government with the tools to manage its budget, including £500m of resource borrowing powers and a £350m Wales Reserve. The Welsh Government can also borrow up to £1 billion for capital investments, up to £150m each year, so far the Welsh Government has only borrowed £65m. Within the agreed limits, there are no restrictions about how the Welsh Government can use its capital borrowing powers to deliver its devolved responsibilities.
We have provided the Welsh Government with a record £5 billion funding guarantee to help tackle coronavirus. However, it has been reported that the Welsh Government are yet to allocate £1.8 billion of this.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Wales Office:
What recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the application of the Barnett formula to Wales.
Answered by David T C Davies
The Barnett formula delivers for Wales. It guarantees that funding per head remains at least fifteen percent higher than corresponding funding in England. The Government has provided the Welsh Government with a five billion pounds additional funding guarantee this year and an additional 1.3 billion pounds next year.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Welsh farm payments prior to the 2020 Spending Review.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
I had regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a wide range of subjects prior to Spending Review 2020, including future agriculture funding.
This Government stood on a clear manifesto commitment to guarantee the current annual budget to farmers in every year of this Parliament. We fulfilled this commitment for 2021-22 in the Spending Review. We have provided new Exchequer funding on top of the remaining £97 million of EU funding to ensure that £337 million of support continues to go to Welsh farmers this year. We remain committed to our manifesto pledge for the remainder of this Parliament.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the potential role of Wales in the UK's hydrogen strategy; and what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the UK's hydrogen strategy.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
I regularly discuss a range of issues with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. BEIS ministers and I met earlier this month with companies looking to expand hydrogen production in Wales. Last month I also visited the hydrogen car manufacturer, Riversimple in Powys.
Wales has the potential to lead in hydrogen generation technology and the UK Government is committed to ensuring that Wales plays its full part in delivering the UK’s future energy mix. For instance, the South Wales Industrial Cluster which is being supported by UK Research and Innovation’s £170m Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge is looking at options for decarbonising the region’s industrial base, including the use of hydrogen.
The Government aims to consult on a preferred business model for low-carbon hydrogen production in 2021. This will be key to stimulating the deployment of hydrogen across the UK, including in Wales.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on support for those businesses in Wales that will remain under covid-19 lockdown restrictions for the longest time period.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
The Chancellor has announced a host of measures to help businesses across the UK through the crisis, including £330bn worth of loans and the Job Retention Scheme (JRS) to help businesses retain their employees. The Government has been flexible and responsive to the needs of business, extending the JRS to October and modifying its structure to enable eligible employees to work part-time from August.