Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
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 Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
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)
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 Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
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)
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 Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
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)
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 Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
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)
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 Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
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)
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 Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
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.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of free TV licences for people aged over 75 on people affected by that change in (a) Newport West constituency and (b) Wales.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
The Government recognises the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believes they should be funded by the BBC. Television is important to people of all ages, particularly for older people across the UK, including those in Newport West and Wales as a whole, who may value television as a way to stay connected with the world.
The Digital Economy Act 2017 provides that the future of the licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC, not the government. The BBC must look at how it uses its substantial licence fee income to support older people. The BBC must also ensure it provides support to those affected by its decision on the over-75s concession and we expect them to do so with the utmost sensitivity.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
Representatives from across Government, including the Minister for Afghan Resettlement, meet frequently with colleagues in the Welsh Government and across the Devolved Administrations to update them on the resettlement of Afghans in the UK.
Through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, the government will resettle up to 20,000 people over the coming years, and will prioritise those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech, and the rule of law, as well as vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk (including ethnic and religious minorities and LGBT+).
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Welsh fishing industry on the effect of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on their ability to operate.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
I have regular discussion with representatives from various stakeholders in relation to UK-EU trade. My officials have also met with representatives from the Welsh fishing industry.
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) upholds UK sovereignty, protects our rights as an independent coastal state and takes back control of our waters. Throughout the five and a half year adjustment period, the UK Government will invest in fishing communities, and will do everything it can to rebuild the industry after more than forty years of being bound to the Common Fisheries Policy.
Furthermore, the UK Government has gone well beyond its manifesto commitment to replace EU funding, by investing an additional £100 million through the UK-wide UK Seafood Fund (UKSF). A year on from the TCA, a positive picture is emerging for the fishing industry. The UKSF is tangible evidence of the UK Government’s commitment to Wales’ fishing industry and ensuring that it has a sustainable and prosperous future.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of a failure to reach agreement with the EU on the Northern Ireland protocol on trade between Wales and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
The Government is monitoring and assessing these critical trade routes between Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and the rest of the UK. Ministers meet regularly to discuss such matters, to ensure effective implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and support the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Our overall aim is to re-negotiate the Northern Ireland Protocol and any solution must respect the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. We have worked hard, and in good faith, to make the Protocol work, while the EU finally acknowledged in October that the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol is causing problems for people and businesses. Our preference is to reach a comprehensive solution dealing with all the issues now.
We want a positive relationship with the EU, underpinned by trade and our shared belief in freedom and democracy. Resolving the current issues is critical to unleashing that potential.