Written questions by Davies.

What assessment he has made of trends in the levels of homelessness among Universal Credit claimants since Local Housing Allowance was last uprated.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision not to uprate Local Housing Allowance on poverty (a) before and (b) after housing costs, particularly for households in Wales.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Future of Food Regulation programme on Wales.

Awaiting answer.

Pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2026 to question 11289, how many applications the National Wealth Fund has received from steel companies requesting investment from the Steel Fund (a) in total and (b) for steel sit

Awaiting answer.

How many applications his Department has received from the steel companies requesting investment from the Steel Fund for steel sites in Wales, and the total amount allocated.

The Government is providing up to £2.5bn to support the UK steel industry, in addition to the £500m grant to Tata Steel in Port Talbot. This is being delivered through a combination of direct support for steel companies and the National Wealth Fund.The De...

What steps she is taking to support households with the cost of living in Wales.

Improving the cost of living is the UK Labour Government’s number one priority.That is why we took £117 off people’s energy bills, expanded the Warm Home Discount, increased the minimum and living wage, universal credit and pensions, and we have frozen th...

What are the funding sources for the UK Steel Fund and how will funding be divided across these sources.

The Government is providing up to £2.5 billion to support the UK steel industry, in addition to the £500 million grant to Tata Steel at Port Talbot. This is being delivered through a combination of direct support for steel companies and the National Wealt...

With reference to her Department's joint press release entitled Prime Minister announces seven new stations and major rail funding commitment, published on 17 February 2026, and Transport for Wales' document en

In February, the Prime Minister endorsed Transport for Wales’s publication of the ‘Today, Tomorrow, Together’ vision for rail in Wales, agreeing that it should set the framework for a pipeline of projects and committing the UK Government to fund and deliv...

With reference to Transport for Wales' document entitled Today, Tomorrow, Together: A vision for rail across Wales and Borders, published on 18 February 2026, what proportion of the funding set out in that docu

The UK Government’s 2025 Spending Review and Infrastructure Strategy recognised Wales’s long-term infrastructure needs, and committed at least £445 million of rail enhancements to realise them.This is in addition to the £2.5 billion operations, maintenanc...

Over what timeframe will the Government fully fund Transport for Wales’s Today, Tomorrow, Together rail pipeline.

In February, the Prime Minister endorsed Transport for Wales’s publication of the ‘Today, Tomorrow, Together’ vision for rail in Wales, agreeing that it should set the framework for a pipeline of projects, and committing the UK Government to fund and deli...

With reference to Transport for Wales' document entitled Today, Tomorrow, Together: A vision for rail across Wales and Borders, published on 18 February 2026, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of

In February, the Prime Minister endorsed Transport for Wales’s publication of the ‘Today, Tomorrow, Together’ vision for rail in Wales, agreeing that it should set the framework for a pipeline of projects, and committing the UK Government to fund and deli...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Farming & Food Partnership Board will consider stakeholders in (a) Wales and (b) other devolved nations when compiling sector growth plans, in the context of the operation

The Board will oversee Sector Growth Plans, which will be owned and delivered by each farming sector and will focus on achieving good growth in the farming sector by improving farm productivity, increasing profitability, and strengthening the contribution...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the remit of the Farming & Food Partnership Board refers to UK or England-only agricultural sectors.

Defra has established the Board on an England-only basis, reflecting the scope of the Farming Profitability Review. While the Farming Profitability Review applied to England only, some of the recommendations relating to the Board envisaged involvement acr...

Whether his Department has undertaken an Equality Impact Assessment for recent changes to the Motability Scheme.

Changes to the Motability Scheme were announced as part of the Autumn Budget. An Equality Impact Assessment including consideration of the impact on affected individuals was undertaken and published by HMT at that time and can be found here: Motability Sc...

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on the consultation on banning the use of carbon dioxide gas stunning of pigs.

As set out in the animal welfare strategy, the Government will consult on banning carbon dioxide gas stunning of pigs and on possible timescales for phasing out this method. Further details will be set out later this year.

For what reason a non-metropolitan county council in England is defined as exempt accommodation under housing benefit regulation.

Housing Benefit regulations contain a landlord definition used to determine whether supported housing and supported living qualifies as specified accommodation. Non-metropolitan county councils in England were included in the definition because these authorities were the only ones who did not administer Housing Benefit. We continue to keep this under review and are considering ways in which this definition could be improved as we progress work with MHCLG to implement the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act. Any future decision on whether the definition should be changed will be considered in the context of the Government’s missions, including Local Government Reorganisation, as well as goals on housing and the financial environment.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Minimum Income Floor for self‑employed Universal Credit claimants with caring responsibilities.

Universal Credit for self-employed individuals aims to encourage sustainable work choices and support self-employment where it is a realistic route to financial self-sufficiency. The Minimum Income Floor is designed to encourage low-earning customers to increase their earnings and grow their business. The level of the Minimum Income Floor is calculated using the number of hours per week that a customer is expected to work, tailored specifically to customers individual circumstances, including for health conditions and caring responsibilities. It is set at a maximum of 35 hours for individuals with no limitations on their expected working hours. To align with the offer of 30 hours of free childcare for working parents, self-employed individuals with children aged 3-12 typically have their Minimum Income Floor set using a maximum of 30 hours per week.

For what reason supported living provided by local authorities in Wales is not recognised as exempt accommodation for the purposes of housing benefit.

Housing Benefit regulations contain a landlord definition used to determine whether supported housing and supported living qualifies as specified accommodation. Exempt accommodation is one of four categories of specified accommodation. Exempt accommodation can only be provided by non-metropolitan county councils in England, housing associations, registered charities and voluntary organisations where that body, or person acting on its behalf, also provides the claimants with care, support or supervision. Non-metropolitan county councils in England were included in the definition because these authorities were the only ones who did not administer Housing Benefit. We continue to keep this under review and are considering ways in which this definition could be improved as we progress work with MHCLG to implement the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act. Any future decision on whether the definition should be changed will be considered in the context of the Government’s missions, including Local Government Reorganisation, as well as goals on housing and the financial environment.

Whether his Department plans to introduce alternative methods of calculating the minimum income floor for self-employed people.

The government has committed to reviewing Universal Credit. I have spoken to many stakeholders on many different parts of UC, including how the system supports self-employed customers. We have engaged extensively with stakeholders, frontline staff and customers, including a large-scale survey of nearly 10,000 Universal Credit customers.

Innovation and Technology, whether address‑level coverage data will be published for the rollout of Project Gigabit Type C contracts in Caerfyrddin.

Building Digital UK publishes data providing premises-level information on the premises included in Project Gigabit contracts every four months. Approximately 5,600 premises in the Caerfyrddin constituency are currently included in the scope of Project Gigabit contracts being delivered by Openreach. These contracts are expected to complete by 2030.On 13 March, we also launched the gigabit broadband availability checker on GOV.UK, which allows residents and businesses in England and Wales to see whether gigabit-capable broadband is available at, or planned for, their address, including through Project Gigabit.While this data provides transparency on which premises are included in subsidised plans, Project Gigabit suppliers are responsible for determining local delivery schedules. Communities are therefore encouraged to register their details with suppliers to receive the latest updates as build progresses.