We are not aware of any discussions which have taken place with the Welsh Government regarding the specifics of the executive co-operation arrangements of Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent councils. With Local Government being devolved, this would be a matter for Welsh Government to consider. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is continuing to work with the Welsh Government and local authorities in Wales to deliver a range of funded programmes to support communities and local growth, including through the Pride in Place Programme and Local Growth Fund.

Inheritance tax is due at the end of the sixth month after the date of death. After this point, late payment interest will begin to accrue on the outstanding tax. The Government has no plans to change the existing, longstanding deadlines.

The most recent Family Court Statistics Bulletin published by the Ministry of Justice shows that probate grants took approximately 5 weeks to be issued after the application was submitted during January to March 2026.

I maintain regular engagement with Great Western Railway on operational performance matters, including service reliability, disruption management and passenger experience. The Department holds the operator to account for meeting its contractual obligations, including addressing reliability issues and managing passenger crowding where services are disrupted or demand is high. Great Western Railway’s transfer into public ownership on 13 December 2026 will further enable improvements in reliability, performance, accountability, and the overall customer experience.

I congratulate Welsh National Opera on its 80th anniversary and pay tribute to its longstanding contribution to opera and the arts.

Culture in Wales is a devolved matter and responsibility for cultural policy in Wales sits with the Welsh Government. Welsh National Opera currently receives £4,267,620 per annum from Arts Council England, reflecting the 5% uplift applied to all National Portfolio Organisations from April 2026, reflecting the National Opera’s contribution across the UK.

The UK Government and Welsh Government work together on a range of issues of importance to the people of Wales. The Wales Office will continue to champion Wales across the UK Government, including supporting opportunities for Wales's world-renowned cultural organisations to thrive and succeed.

The Government remains committed in its support for opera, with Arts Council England (ACE) providing over £30 million per annum to opera organisations through its National Portfolio programme. This includes funding for Welsh National Opera’s activity in England.

The government does not currently intend to establish a formal protocol with the Welsh Government for funding opera. Nevertheless, appropriate opportunities to discuss shared matters, including support for opera, will continue. Arts Council England (ACE) makes funding decisions independently to safeguard the arms-length principle and engages with Arts Council Wales as required, particularly for organisations like Welsh National Opera (WNO).

In 2024, ACE published the Let’s Create: Opera and Music Theatre Analysis which was prompted by debate over funding changes. The key aims of the study were to understand how the opera sector operates, identify issues in production and distribution, and inform future investment decisions.

The government’s response to Baroness Hodge’s independent review of Arts Council England was published on 26 March and deposited in the House Library. The response can also be found online on the UK Government Publications website.

The operation of the Common Travel Area arrangements for British Citizens travelling to Ireland from the UK, is a matter for the Irish Government.

When travelling from Ireland to the UK, an Irish citizen is not required to present their passport, but may be asked to show a document that confirms their identity and nationality.

My colleagues, the Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens MP and the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Wales Dame Nia Griffith MP, meet with Welsh Government colleagues frequently on a range of issues including culture. Our two governments are working in close partnership to deliver for the people of Wales.

In October, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Wales Dame Nia Griffith MP and DCMS Minister Sir Chris Bryant MP met with Welsh Government Minister for Culture Jack Sargeant MS to discuss the Welsh National Opera and to recognise the value of its work, not just for the people of Wales but also for the people of England.

Minister Bryant then held a series of meetings with Welsh National Opera and Arts Council England to understand the issue in more detail. This series of meetings was able to reassure everyone that all partners wanted to see a positive long-term future for Welsh National Opera.

My colleague, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Wales Dame Nia Griffith MP, looks forward to meeting with you at the end of this month to discuss this further.

Baroness Hodge will share her findings with the government in the Autumn of 2025, and the government will publish the conclusions of the review along with the government’s response in 2026.

The new station at Old Oak Common will create an interchange between HS2 and national rail services. I continue to work with HS2 Ltd, Network Rail and all train operators to minimise disruption to passengers on the Great Western Main Line, both during the construction of the station and during its operation.

The Wales Rail Board meets regularly and facilitates the UK and Welsh governments to discuss matters of mutual interest. The Board discusses performance of the Great Western Main Line and plans to manage rail services during construction of the new station at Old Oak Common. I continue to work with HS2 Ltd, Network Rail and train operators to minimise disruption to passengers on the Great Western Main Line, both during the construction of the station and its operation.

The Welsh Government has provided funding to Torfaen County Borough Council for the upgrade of Pontypool and New Inn railway station. Questions relating to the progress of these works should be addressed to Transport for Wales who are responsible for the operation of the station.

My Lords, what is really important, now that the independent commission is operational as of last Wednesday, is that we give it the time and space to carry out investigations and do its work in delivering answers for victims and survivors. I must point out that I read the interview with the shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the Irish News last week, and what was clear, once I managed to decipher the complete muddle in that interview, was that the party opposite has no coherent plan for dealing with legacy matters whatever, other than taking us back to square one.

It is important that people across the country have access to a diverse range of cultural opportunities. Arts and cultural bodies receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including through Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Arts Council of Wales, which as a Welsh Government Sponsored Body works within a strategic framework agreed with the Welsh Government.

In addition to the £4.6 million it received from the Arts Council of Wales each year, the Welsh National Opera will receive £4 million of public funding through Arts Council England’s 2023–26 Investment Programme, and was also successful in its application to Arts Council England's ‘Transform Programme’, through which it will receive an additional one-off payment of £3.25 million. This means the Welsh National Opera will receive over £15 million of public funding from Arts Council England between 2023 and 2026.

Cultural organisations across the UK such as the Welsh National Opera are also benefiting from the two-year extension to the higher rates of theatre, orchestra, museums and galleries exhibition tax reliefs announced at the last Budget. This extension will continue to offset ongoing pressures and boost investment in our cultural sectors. They will encourage investment in productions across the UK, support cultural organisations to tour, drive economic growth, and allow the sector to maintain its international competitiveness and reputation.

Arts Council England remains committed in its support for opera, and its 2023–26 Investment Programme has 13 organisations (an increase from the previous round) receiving a share of £30 million per annum (a figure which counts just 50% of the Royal Opera House grant, as that organisation is also home to the Royal Ballet). This represents around 40% of the Programme’s total investment in music (around £76 million p.a. when including 50% of the Royal Opera House’s funding).

Since decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, are made by Arts Council England at arm’s length from Government, and are a devolved matter in relation to Wales, the Department has no plans to meet any of the organisations or other Ministers named in relation to the Welsh National Opera.

It is important that people across the country have access to a diverse range of cultural opportunities. Arts and cultural bodies receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including through Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Arts Council of Wales, which as a Welsh Government Sponsored Body works within a strategic framework agreed with the Welsh Government.

In addition to the £4.6 million it received from the Arts Council of Wales each year, the Welsh National Opera will receive £4 million of public funding through Arts Council England’s 2023–26 Investment Programme, and was also successful in its application to Arts Council England's ‘Transform Programme’, through which it will receive an additional one-off payment of £3.25 million. This means the Welsh National Opera will receive over £15 million of public funding from Arts Council England between 2023 and 2026.

Cultural organisations across the UK such as the Welsh National Opera are also benefiting from the two-year extension to the higher rates of theatre, orchestra, museums and galleries exhibition tax reliefs announced at the last Budget. This extension will continue to offset ongoing pressures and boost investment in our cultural sectors. They will encourage investment in productions across the UK, support cultural organisations to tour, drive economic growth, and allow the sector to maintain its international competitiveness and reputation.

Arts Council England remains committed in its support for opera, and its 2023–26 Investment Programme has 13 organisations (an increase from the previous round) receiving a share of £30 million per annum (a figure which counts just 50% of the Royal Opera House grant, as that organisation is also home to the Royal Ballet). This represents around 40% of the Programme’s total investment in music (around £76 million p.a. when including 50% of the Royal Opera House’s funding).

Since decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, are made by Arts Council England at arm’s length from Government, and are a devolved matter in relation to Wales, the Department has no plans to meet any of the organisations or other Ministers named in relation to the Welsh National Opera.

It is important that people across the country have access to a diverse range of cultural opportunities. Arts and cultural bodies receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including through Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Arts Council of Wales, which as a Welsh Government Sponsored Body works within a strategic framework agreed with the Welsh Government.

In addition to the £4.6 million it received from the Arts Council of Wales each year, the Welsh National Opera will receive £4 million of public funding through Arts Council England’s 2023–26 Investment Programme, and was also successful in its application to Arts Council England's ‘Transform Programme’, through which it will receive an additional one-off payment of £3.25 million. This means the Welsh National Opera will receive over £15 million of public funding from Arts Council England between 2023 and 2026.

Cultural organisations across the UK such as the Welsh National Opera are also benefiting from the two-year extension to the higher rates of theatre, orchestra, museums and galleries exhibition tax reliefs announced at the last Budget. This extension will continue to offset ongoing pressures and boost investment in our cultural sectors. They will encourage investment in productions across the UK, support cultural organisations to tour, drive economic growth, and allow the sector to maintain its international competitiveness and reputation.

Arts Council England remains committed in its support for opera, and its 2023–26 Investment Programme has 13 organisations (an increase from the previous round) receiving a share of £30 million per annum (a figure which counts just 50% of the Royal Opera House grant, as that organisation is also home to the Royal Ballet). This represents around 40% of the Programme’s total investment in music (around £76 million p.a. when including 50% of the Royal Opera House’s funding).

Since decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, are made by Arts Council England at arm’s length from Government, and are a devolved matter in relation to Wales, the Department has no plans to meet any of the organisations or other Ministers named in relation to the Welsh National Opera.

It is important that people across the country have access to a diverse range of cultural opportunities. Arts and cultural bodies receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including through Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Arts Council of Wales, which as a Welsh Government Sponsored Body works within a strategic framework agreed with the Welsh Government.

In addition to the £4.6 million it received from the Arts Council of Wales each year, the Welsh National Opera will receive £4 million of public funding through Arts Council England’s 2023–26 Investment Programme, and was also successful in its application to Arts Council England's ‘Transform Programme’, through which it will receive an additional one-off payment of £3.25 million. This means the Welsh National Opera will receive over £15 million of public funding from Arts Council England between 2023 and 2026.

Cultural organisations across the UK such as the Welsh National Opera are also benefiting from the two-year extension to the higher rates of theatre, orchestra, museums and galleries exhibition tax reliefs announced at the last Budget. This extension will continue to offset ongoing pressures and boost investment in our cultural sectors. They will encourage investment in productions across the UK, support cultural organisations to tour, drive economic growth, and allow the sector to maintain its international competitiveness and reputation.

Arts Council England remains committed in its support for opera, and its 2023–26 Investment Programme has 13 organisations (an increase from the previous round) receiving a share of £30 million per annum (a figure which counts just 50% of the Royal Opera House grant, as that organisation is also home to the Royal Ballet). This represents around 40% of the Programme’s total investment in music (around £76 million p.a. when including 50% of the Royal Opera House’s funding).

Since decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, are made by Arts Council England at arm’s length from Government, and are a devolved matter in relation to Wales, the Department has no plans to meet any of the organisations or other Ministers named in relation to the Welsh National Opera.

The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales regularly engages with the Welsh Government on a wide range of transport matters.

The Welsh Government’s continued opposition to the M4 Relief Road is holding the Welsh economy back, which is of great disappointment and only serves to project that Wales is closed for business. In rejecting the case for the M4 Relief Road, the Welsh Government are going against the findings of their own £150 million report, which recommended that the M4 Relief Road be built. The UK Government urges the Welsh Government to reconsider the impact of their roads policy on the long-term prosperity of Wales.

While decisions around the M4 in Wales remain a devolved matter, the UK Government is committed to playing its part in delivering better connectivity in reserved areas – including funding a study to develop options for new stations and services on the South Wales Main Line.

The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales received email correspondence from the Welsh National Opera in February 2023 requesting a meeting with the Secretary of State to discuss this matter.

Further information was sought and once it is received we will progress the matter further.

In November 2023, Arts Council England (ACE) announced the outcome of its 2023-2026 Investment Programme. This will support 985 organisations, including the Welsh National Opera’s (WNO) activities in England. The decisions made by ACE about the allocation of funding for this Investment Programme were taken at arm’s length from the Government. This is in accordance with the well-established process, which is published on ACE’s website and made clear in the guidance for applicants. As such, central government does not review individual decisions.

The WNO will still receive £4 million per year during the 2023-2026 Investment Programme. They are also receiving a one-off investment of £3.25 million as part of ACE’s Transform Programme.