Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when a Minister from his Department last made an official visit to Swansea East constituency.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I both live in Wales and serve Welsh constituencies. We have a consistent presence in Wales as we conduct many visits, events and meetings in Wales on a regular basis.

Details of Ministerial visits and meetings are published on the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales’ website and in Quarterly Ministerial Transparency Returns. In addition, visits and meetings conducted in support of the Wales Office priorities are published in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales Annual Report and Accounts.

The UK Government has provided extensive support to Swansea East. A typical household in Wales has received almost £2000 in UK Government support to help with the cost of living. This includes around 226,000 payments delivered in Swansea East through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. During the Covid-19 pandemic around 13,000 jobs were supported through the furlough scheme, over £19 million was claimed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and around £60 million was given to businesses through government-backed business loans. The UK Government has also supported innovation within Swansea East with around £2.5 million awarded by Innovate UK since April 2019.

In addition, Swansea Council, the local authority for the Swansea East constituency, is receiving over £41 million from the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Swansea is also receiving over £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund for the Copperworks site and Swansea Museum. This is in addition to the £250,000 awarded to the Tabernacle Morriston Community Resilience Hub through the Community Ownership Fund. Swansea East also benefits from the £235 million Swansea Bay City Deal, including the £50 million innovation matrix and precinct project which supporting start-up business to work closely with academia.

This Government is investing in Wales like never before; over £790 million in four City and Regional Growth Deals covering the whole of Wales, £585 million for local authorities to invest through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, including over £100 million for the Multiply adult numeracy programme, £330 million in capital investment through the Levelling Up Fund and £3.2 million to preserve community assets through the Community Ownership Fund. Wales will benefit from two Freeports backed by £52 million, the British Business Bank’s new £130m Regional Investment Fund, and from Project Gigabit which will enable hard to reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit capable broadband.