Tag: Nia Griffith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to the Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Scotland, HCWS282 whether he plans to bring forward proposals to amend the draft Wales Bill to include a requirement that the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government should not be abolished except on the basis of a decision of the people of Wales.

Stephen Crabb

Clause 1 of the draft Wales Bill reflected the equivalent clause in the Scotland Bill on the date of publication. The Government will consider carefully whether any changes to the wording of the Scotland Bill clause should be reflected for Wales in the Wales Bill

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with (a) his ministerial colleagues and (b) his counterpart in the Welsh Government on the operation of the apprenticeship levy in Wales.

Stephen Crabb

We are currently discussing the operation of the apprenticeship levy with the Welsh Government, and other devolved administrations, to ensure they can get their fair share of the revenue and, as far as possible, develop a system for administering the levy which complements the skills and apprenticeship policies of each of the devolved administrations.

We are committed to doing all we can to make the system work for employers wherever they are in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department spent on (a) temporary agency staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising (i) in 2014-15 prices and (ii) as a proportion of his Department’s expenditure in each year since 2010-11.

Alun Cairns

The Wales Office spend on (a) temporary staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising as a proportion of Wales Office expenditure in each year since 2010-11 is shown in the table attached.

The numbers shown are actual spend as published in the Wales Office Departmental Annual Report and Accounts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the potential effect of Government policy towards reform of EU trade defence instruments on the steel industry in Wales.

Stephen Crabb

I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues, including the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, where we discuss the challenges faced by the steel industry in Wales and what we need to do to address them.

We are strong supporters of effective trade defences to tackle unfair trade practices. There are already a number of ways in which the European Commission can tackle unfair trade where industry can provide the evidence to support such action, including ones before the damage is done through so-called ‘threat of injury’ cases.

We continue to press the Commission to consider ways of speeding up investigations. We recently wrote with specific proposals and are following up at both official and ministerial level.

We have also pushed hard for decisive action on individual trade defence investigations, such as voting to take action on seamless pipes and tubes and on wire rod, and for an investigation into rebar.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of his Department’s expected underspend against Departmental Expenditure Limits in 2015-16; what his Department’s forecast is of total Annually Managed Expenditure in 2015-16; and what that forecast was at the time of the (a) Summer Budget 2015 and (b) March Budget 2015.

Alun Cairns

As recommended by the Treasury, Departments are encouraged to maintain a reserve. The Wales Office maintains a reserve of around 5% of its annual Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL), which represents our forecast underspend. This underspend can increase or decrease if planned expenditure is higher or lower than expected. In 2015-16, our DEL is £4.432m which includes the Departmental reserve of £0.222m. Our forecast of Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) is £-0.020m.

The reserve stated above was also our forecast underspend at the time of the summer budget in 2015. The Department does not forecast underspends for the following financial year at the March budget. Each March, the Wales Office focuses on completing the financial transactions and processes of that current financial year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the potential effect of current policy on compensation to energy-intensive industries on the steel industry in Wales.

Stephen Crabb

The steel industry is facing unprecedented challenges at present and I am determined to do everything I can to support the industry and those affected. I have regular discussions regarding the steel industry in Wales with ministerial colleagues including the Prime Minister,Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise.

The Government is committed to providing compensation to Energy Intensive Industries. On 17 December, we secured state aid clearance to pay further compensation to energy intensive industries – including steel – for renewable policy costs.

The Government has published guidance and forms for claiming compensation. The first compensation payments will be made as soon as possible after eligible companies have submitted applications and backdated to December 2015.

As announced at Autumn Statement 2015, we are committed to transitioning from a compensation scheme to an exemption, with the aim of this being in place in 2017. Compensation will continue to be paid to the industry until the permanent exemption is in place.

This policy will save the industry hundreds of millions of pounds and will give the steel industry all across the UK greater certainty around energy costs for the life of the parliament.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is his policy to allow members of the public to make an application for a cremation in Welsh.

Caroline Dinenage

The Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008 require that, in order for a cremation to proceed, the crematorium medical referee must scrutinise the application and associated medical or coroner forms before authorising a cremation.

An application made in Wales may be for a cremation in Wales or a cremation in England. A medical referee in Wales may not be a Welsh speaker, and a medical referee in England will almost certainly not be a Welsh speaker.

Applications in Wales must therefore be made in English, to make sure that the medical referee can understand and authorise the cremation in a timely manner wherever the cremation is to take place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects the Government’s review of the case for the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon to be completed.

Andrea Leadsom

The timeframe depends on a number of factors, many of which would be outside the control of the Department. Talks between Government and the developer are on-going and will be fed into the independent review of tidal lagoons for consideration. The independent review will be completed as soon as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to publish its proposed reforms to the Electronic Communications Code.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government remains committed to delivering a reformed Electronic Communications Code that is clear, fit for purpose, and supports a UK network that provides consumers with a choice of high quality telecommunications services. We will update Parliament on plans in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when he plans to publish the draft Wales Bill.

Alun Cairns

On 29 February, my predecessor announced the Government’s intention to introduce the Wales Bill early in the second session.