S4C appointments are made in compliance with the ‘The Broadcasting Act 1990’. The Chair is appointed by the DCMS Secretary of State.

The DCMS Concordat with the Welsh Assembly Government also reiterates that DCMS will consult with the Welsh Government on “Welsh appointments”’. The Welsh Government has been consulted periodically on the campaign and will be formally consulted on the final appointment decision.

The Department has engaged with representatives of the independent television production sector on this matter.

Ofgem, the independent regulator, is responsible for compliance and enforcement of license conditions.

As an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme, the Energy Ombudsman does not have the enforcement powers of Ofgem does. The Energy Ombudsman can however tell suppliers to take practical action, make an apology, offer financial awards up to £10,000, and make recommendations to prevent an issue from happening again. Energy suppliers are legally bound to implement decisions made by the Ombudsman.

Network regulation, including the ability to grant Distribution Network Operator licenses, is a matter for Ofgem as the independent energy regulator. As such, the government does not comment on Ofgem’s decision making on licence applications.

Network regulation, including the ability to grant Distribution Network Operator licenses, is a matter for Ofgem as the independent energy regulator. As such, the government does not comment on Ofgem’s decision making on licence applications.

All installations under the Energy Company Obligation scheme must be carried out by a TrustMark registered business. Installations of low carbon measures, such as heat pumps, must be carried out in accordance with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) requirements.

TrustMark’s Customer Charter sets out the responsibilities of any TrustMark registered installer which includes the registered business ensuring there is a proper testing and hand-over process to ensure the customer knows how installations work and should be maintained.

Ofgem has set out a route to redress for any issues arising from measures installed under the scheme, which can be found at: www.ofgem.gov.uk/eco4-complaints-process.

The Government are committed to transforming our electricity network to reach our energy security and net zero ambitions. We recently announced an ambitious electricity network package that will reduce consumer bills, bring forward £90 billion of investment over the next 10 years and allow us to harness Wales’s renewable resources, such as floating offshore wind in the Celtic sea.

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, including the financial services regulators, on an ongoing basis.

Insurers make commercial decisions about the pricing of insurance based on their assessment on the likelihood and expected cost of a claim. The Government does not intervene in these commercial decisions by insurers as this could damage competition in the market.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the independent regulator and responsible for supervising the insurance industry. The FCA have introduced several reforms, including the Consumer Duty rules, to ensure consumers are treated fairly in regard to pricing.

Steelmaking remains a vital part of the Welsh economy and this Government is working tirelessly to secure a sustainable future for Port Talbot Steelworks. This deal delivers a £1.25 billion pound joint investment package with Tata, comprising of £500 million pounds from the UK Government.

The Welsh Government are not currently providing capital funding towards this project. The Transition Board; established to support affected employees and the local economy has up to £100m of funding. Over the last month, I have engaged with the Welsh government through the Transition Board and a ministerial call.

There has been no recent assessment of the potential impact of requiring payments on accounts from self-employed workers on levels of financial hardship. However, HMRC is committed to helping all taxpayers pay their taxes and urges anyone having difficulty to make contact as soon as possible, to discuss the payment options that are available.

HMRC offers Time to Pay instalment arrangements for taxpayers who cannot afford to make full payment of their tax when it is due.

HMRC also provides a Budget Payment Plan service, through which self-assessment taxpayers can make advance payments to pay off a forthcoming tax payment, such as a payment on account.

Self-Assessment taxpayers (including the self-employed) can make a claim to reduce or cancel their payments on account if they think they are excessive, or no longer due.

The table below shows the number of IPP/DPP prisoners in Wales, as at 30 December 2023:

On 16 October 2023, the Lord Chancellor announced he would be looking at options to curtail the licence period to restore greater proportionality to IPP/DPP sentences in line with recommendation 8 of the Justice Select Committee’s report, published on 28 September 2022.

The Lord Chancellor announced on 28 November 2023, that these changes are being taken forward in the Victims and Prisoners Bill.

The new measure will:

1. Reduce the qualifying period which triggers the duty of the Secretary of State to refer an IPP/DPP licence to the Parole Board for termination from ten years to three years;
2. Include a clear statutory presumption that the IPP/DPP licence will be terminated by the Parole Board at the end of the three-year qualifying period;
3. Introduce a provision that will automatically terminate the IPP/DPP licence two years after the three-year qualifying period, in cases where the Parole Board has not terminated the licence, so long as the offender is not recalled in that period; and
4. Introduce a power to amend the qualifying period by Statutory Instrument.

The Lord Chancellor was persuaded by the Committee’s recommendation to reduce the qualifying licence period from 10 years to five years and is going further: reducing the period to three years. These amendments will restore greater proportionality to IPP/DPP sentences and provide a clear pathway to a definitive end to the licence and, therefore, the sentence.

In addition to these changes, the actions this Government are taking are working; the number of prisoners serving the IPP sentence who have never been released now stands at 1,227 as of December 2023, down from more than 6000 in 2012.

The Foreign Secretary has made it clear to his Iranian counterpart that Iran must stop using regional instability as cover to act recklessly. He and Lord Ahmad have also underlined to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister the importance of avoiding further escalation. We welcome Iran and Pakistan’s subsequent commitment to dialogue in a joint statement released on 22 January, confirming that ambassadors will return to post, and we continue to monitor the situation.

In July 2023, we launched a Project Gigabit cross regional procurement to bring gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses in hard to reach parts of North West Wales, Mid Wales, and South East Wales. Our intention is to award a contract to the successful supplier in the summer.

North Wales and South West Wales will be included in a further procurement once the cross regional contract is in place.

Ministers have corresponded with their counterparts in the Welsh Government, alongside those in Scotland and Northern Ireland, in taking forward the work to bring physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) into regulation.

The regulation of PAs and AAs has been subject to extensive public consultation over several years. Throughout the project, officials have engaged thoroughly with stakeholders including the regulators, the devolved administrations, the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, representative bodies, and service users in developing the policy behind this legislation.

This engagement has been crucial in shaping both our policy intention and the resultant legislation, to ensure that it remains a practical piece of legislation for the benefit of patient safety and registrants.

As the Prime Minister explained in his 15 January 2024 oral statement to the House, the need to maximise the security and effectiveness of the 12 January military operation against the Houthis meant it was not possible to bring this matter to the House in advance. The Prime Minister came to update the House at the earliest possible opportunity. The Government remains committed to continuing to update the House.