Simon Hart: This information is only held for internal administrative reasons and may not be exhaustive, for example, due to machinery of government changes to departmental structure in the last decade. The numbers for my department are as follows: (a) 2 (b) 17
Simon Hart: 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...
Simon Hart: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales holds only time-limited, office-wide data for the number of staff working in its departmental buildings. The data does not extend back to the dates requested Our staff follow relevant Covid-19 guidance when working in the office, including on social distancing.
Simon Hart: 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...
Simon Hart: 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...
Simon Hart: 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...
Simon Hart: 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...
Simon Hart: 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...
Simon Hart: 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...
Simon Hart: 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...
Simon Hart: 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...
Simon Hart: My ministerial colleagues and I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a range of topics, including the rise in the number of positive Omicron and Covid-19 cases. The UK Government is closely monitoring the impact of the virus on the economy. I am pleased that the Welsh Government has followed the UK Government’s lead in offering business rate relief to support the...
Simon Hart: The UK Government is committed to supporting Welsh businesses and continues to assess what support is needed as a result of Covid-19. 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. The Welsh Government has also benefitted from an extra £3.8...
Simon Hart: The UK Government recognises the importance of the steel industry in Wales and the UK. This House only needs to look at the £30 million loan we secured for Celsa to see our commitment to the sector. Our response during the pandemic helped secure more than 1,000 steel jobs.
Simon Hart: The lifting of this ban is fantastic news and brings Welsh farmers one step closer to putting their first-class lamb on US menus for the first time in 20 years. Farmers will now be able to reach a new market of over 300 million people. This win will support vital jobs and growth in Wales.
Simon Hart: Effective working relationships already exist between the Crown Estate and the Welsh Government. There is no public appetite at all in Wales to devolve the Crown Estate, which would serve merely to fragment the market and delay the further development of key projects in Wales.
Simon Hart: The UK Government has supported Welsh businesses and people throughout the pandemic, including providing £1.1bn through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, £2.4bn in business support loans, and supported 475,000 employees through the furlough scheme. We have further confirmed £270m the Welsh Government can spend in advance of budgets being finalised at Supplementary Estimates.
Simon Hart: May I wish you, Mr Speaker, and of course House staff and Members a very happy 2022? May I also take the opportunity to acknowledge some fantastic news for Welsh sheep farmers? As many in this House will be aware, the US ban on the import of UK lamb has been lifted as of 3 January, which brings Welsh farmers one step closer to putting their first-class lamb in front of more than 300 million...
Simon Hart: I disagree with the hon. Member’s comments about infrastructure. As he knows, we introduced the Union connectivity review; its proposals have just been published and we are working through them as we speak. We have spent a huge amount of money on road and rail infrastructure throughout Wales—and, for that matter, the rest of the Union—so he should not take such a gloomy view of things....
Simon Hart: I am always happy to meet the hon. Gentleman. He is nothing if not persistent and consistent in his campaigning. I should remind him—I suspect I do not need to—of the significant rail funding that has already come into Wales, but if it helps, I am always keen to look at new, innovative ways that will encourage investment and create jobs. I am very happy to do that.