Written questions by Roberts.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of granting Cardiff capital city status to enable the city to receive additional funding for policing.

Cardiff has been the capital city of Wales since 1955 and is one of the four capital cities in the UK.A National and International Capital City (NICC) grant is paid to the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police to reflect the unique demands of policing in London. The NICC grant is partially funded from a reallocation of the core funding for all police forces in England and Wales and as such, decisions on the level of the funding must consider its impact on wider policing.South Wales Police will receive up to £441.7 million in 2025-26, an increase of up to £32.6 million when compared to 2024-25. Decisions on the allocation of NICC funding are taken at the time of the Police Settlement and as with previous years, more details on force funding allocations for 2026-27 will be made via the provisional police funding settlement later in the year.

When he will publish the Police Reform White Paper.

The Home Secretary is committed to publishing a Police Reform White Paper this year. More information on the White Paper and the future of Policing in England and Wales will be shared with Parliament in due course.

Whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the migration of smart meters to second generation.

The migration of first-generation (SMETS1) smart meters onto the Data Communications Company (DCC) network is now complete. This means that all SMETS1 smart meters on the DCC network are able to retain smart services upon switching energy suppliers, just as second generation (SMETS2) smart meters do.

What recent discussions he has had with the Energy Ombudsman on the effectiveness of its dispute resolution process in providing redress for customers.

On 19 June the Government announced that we will consult on strengthening the Energy Ombudsman to ensure that suppliers comply with its final decisions or pay compensation to their customers. We also announced that we would consult on proposals to make referrals to the Ombudsman automatic instead of consumers having to do this themselves, and on waiting time for referrals being cut from 8 weeks to 4 weeks. The Government is working with Ofgem to look at increasing the value of base-level automatic compensation from £40, following the first increase since the payments were introduced a decade ago. Ofgem is also looking at expanding automatic compensation to cover more key issues faced by consumers, including excessively long call waiting times, unexpectedly high bills when suppliers fail to adjust their direct debits, suppliers not responding to complaints, or suppliers not complying with Energy Ombudsman final decisions. This will ensure that consumers can get fairer, quicker, and easier compensation when things go wrong.

How much of the £250 million for the Defence Growth Deals will be allocated to Wales.

A funding pot of £250 million has been allocated for the five Defence Growth Deals. The Ministry of Defence will work with the Welsh Government, local authorities, industry, academia and other key local stakeholders to assess Wales’s defence sector requirements and develop initiatives for the Wales Defence Growth Deal that addresses those. Funding will be allocated to the Wales Defence Growth Deal that ensures the right financial support is provided and the impact for Wales is maximised. The allocation for each Defence Growth Deal is being informed by engagements with Devolved Administrations, Councils and Defence. My priority is getting the right support, in the right locations to unlock growth potential. We hope to be able to announce further details of the Defence Growth Deals implementation in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of devolving powers to license electricity suppliers operating in Wales.

The Government has made no such specific assessment. A universal service obligation (USO) ensures that every household and small business is supplied, regardless of their location. This prevents suppliers segmenting customers by their profitability. As well as the USO, it should be noted that electricity distribution networks are not constructed along national boundaries - the same networks serve customers either side of the Wales/England border, making it very difficult or impossible to split customers by their location such that different licensing regimes can be introduced.

Whether he has had discussions with his Welsh counterpart on the compliance of electricity suppliers operating in Wales with (a) the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (b) the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with Welsh Government ministers on a range of issues.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of retrospectively removing deductions of saved living costs from miscarriage of justice compensation awards made before August 2023.

Individuals who have had their convictions quashed following an out of time appeal are eligible to apply for compensation through the statutory Miscarriages of Justice Application Service. Compensation payments made after 6 August 2023 no longer have saved living expenses deducted. The Government considered the importance of certainty and ensuring the finality of concluded settlements and, in July 2024, decided not to depart from the established principles of public policy under which policy changes apply prospectively only.

How many additional driving tests have been created in (a) Pwllheli and (b) Y Bala in each month since 23 April 2025.

Pwllheli test centre is an outstation with driving examiners (DE) deployed from Bangor/Rhyl driving test centres (DTC), where possible. Y Bala is also an outstation with DEs deployed from Wrexham DTC, where possible. The table below shows how many driving tests have been conducted in Pwllheli and Y Bala in each month since 23 April 2025. PwllheliY BalaMay6153June5980July7345Total193178

What estimate she has made with Cabinet colleagues of how many (a) prison service, (b) DWP and (c) general civil service staff members with Skilled Worker visas will lose their visa eligibility due to changes to immigration rules from 22 July 2025.

Under the current transitional arrangements, existing Skilled Worker visa holders are exempt from the changes to the skills threshold introduced on 22 July and can continue to extend in their current occupations.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability and (b) supply of medical radionuclides for NHS use in the next (i) 5, (ii) 10, (iii) 15 and (iv) 20 years.

The Department has not made a specific assessment. The Department regularly engages with suppliers, specialist clinicians, the British Nuclear Medicine Society, and the UK Radiopharmacy Group to support the continued supply of medical radioisotopes for National Health Services. There are six trusted research reactors which play a critical role in global radiopharmaceutical production, none of which are in the United Kingdom. The Department continues to work with the NHS and other parts of the Government, and the devolved administrations, to better understand future needs for medical radioisotopes.From an NHS perspective, as part of making available new treatments and interventions, consideration is given to a range of factors, including demand and supply. The NHS has got processes in place to escalate and manage business continuity, including medicines supply.

What contingency plans the NHS has put in place to manage a potential shortage in the supply of medical radionuclides to prevent delays to (a) cancer, (b) cardiac and (c) other procedures.

The Department has not made a specific assessment. The Department regularly engages with suppliers, specialist clinicians, the British Nuclear Medicine Society, and the UK Radiopharmacy Group to support the continued supply of medical radioisotopes for National Health Services. There are six trusted research reactors which play a critical role in global radiopharmaceutical production, none of which are in the United Kingdom. The Department continues to work with the NHS and other parts of the Government, and the devolved administrations, to better understand future needs for medical radioisotopes.From an NHS perspective, as part of making available new treatments and interventions, consideration is given to a range of factors, including demand and supply. The NHS has got processes in place to escalate and manage business continuity, including medicines supply.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of demand for medical radionuclides in the NHS in the next (a) 5, (b) 10, (c) 15 and (d) 20 years.

The Department has not made a specific assessment. The Department regularly engages with suppliers, specialist clinicians, the British Nuclear Medicine Society, and the UK Radiopharmacy Group to support the continued supply of medical radioisotopes for National Health Services. There are six trusted research reactors which play a critical role in global radiopharmaceutical production, none of which are in the United Kingdom. The Department continues to work with the NHS and other parts of the Government, and the devolved administrations, to better understand future needs for medical radioisotopes.From an NHS perspective, as part of making available new treatments and interventions, consideration is given to a range of factors, including demand and supply. The NHS has got processes in place to escalate and manage business continuity, including medicines supply.

What discussions his Department has had with the devolved Administrations on the (a) need and (b) potential ability for the UK to create radionuclides for use in healthcare.

The Department has not made a specific assessment. The Department regularly engages with suppliers, specialist clinicians, the British Nuclear Medicine Society, and the UK Radiopharmacy Group to support the continued supply of medical radioisotopes for National Health Services. There are six trusted research reactors which play a critical role in global radiopharmaceutical production, none of which are in the United Kingdom. The Department continues to work with the NHS and other parts of the Government, and the devolved administrations, to better understand future needs for medical radioisotopes.From an NHS perspective, as part of making available new treatments and interventions, consideration is given to a range of factors, including demand and supply. The NHS has got processes in place to escalate and manage business continuity, including medicines supply.

Which Minister is responsible for non-power generating nuclear facilities used for (a) research and (b) the production of healthcare-related materials.

As interim Minister for nuclear, I am responsible for the regulation of non-power generating nuclear facilities for civil nuclear fission research and development within DESNZ. Other Departments may hold responsibility for non-power generating nuclear facilities depending on the use case. The responsibility for the production of healthcare-related materials sits with the Department of Health and Social Care.

What discussions her Department has had with a) the Welsh Government and b) Cyngor Gwynedd on the regeneration of the former Trawsfynydd nuclear site.

The UK Government has regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a range of issues including our joint ambition for Wales to be at the forefront of the clean energy transition.The UK Government is committed to delivering a secure, reliable, and low-carbon energy future for the UK and we have committed almost £17bn across the Spending Review period to the most ambitious nuclear new build programme for a generation.This includes making available over £2.5bn across the Spending Review period to enable one of Europe’s first Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programmes. Great British Energy – Nuclear has selected Rolls-Royce SMR as its preferred bidder to partner with to build the UK’s first small modular reactors, subject to government approvals and contract signature.The government values the work undertaken by Cwmni Egino to develop socio-economic growth opportunities from new nuclear development in North Wales. Trawsfynydd could be a candidate for new nuclear in future and is one of a number of potential sites that could host new civil nuclear projects, subject to national planning policy, regulatory approvals and technical assessments.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about the development of a nuclear facility to produce radionuclides for use in healthcare.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets regularly with Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of issues.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of disregarding military compensation as income across the social security system.

I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 8 July 2025 to question UIN 63814

What assessment she has made of veterans therapists' ability to access veteran inmates in Wales to provide PTSD treatment.

Healthcare in Wales is devolved to the Welsh Government, with seven Local Health Boards responsible for the planning and delivery of health services (including mental health therapy, such as PTSD) in prisons across Wales.A strong partnership exists between HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in Wales, the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales, underpinned by a 2019 agreement. Regular strategic meetings and local partnership boards ensure that prisoners can access appropriate interventions, including mental health support, through coordinated efforts between prison services and healthcare providers.HMPPS delivers a range of initiatives to support veterans including via third sector organisations, who provide a prison in-reach service to veterans whilst in custody.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of using National Insurance numbers to proactively identify veterans in the criminal justice system in order to provide them with appropriate support.

There is no mechanism for identifying former Armed Forces personnel or any other category of individuals through National Insurance numbers. Those eligible are issued a National Insurance number for the administration of Social Security Benefits, National Insurance and tax only.However, all newly received prisoners are asked if they have previously served in the Armed Forces as part of the screening process at reception. The Probation Service also uses a self-declaration form to identify former Armed Forces personnel.Those who choose to report as former members of the Armed Forces are given access to specialist support that is available to them via the armed forces and military charities that work in prisons and in the community.