Every parliamentary written question tabled by Wendy Morton this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 1,692 · this parliament
What estimate she has made of (a) the minimum, (b) the expected and (c) the maximum savings arising from reducing the design speed of HS2 from 360 km/h to 320 km/h; how those savings have been calculated; and what proportion of those savings are expected to arise from (i) infrastructure changes, (ii) signalling changes and (iii) testing requirements.
Awaiting answer.
Whether formal risk assessments undertaken ahead of the transfer of West Midlands Trains into public ownership identified risks relating to service frequency, fleet availability, or passenger performance; how frequently such risks are reviewed under the Public Ownership Programme; and whether Ministers have received advice regarding the potential impact of future rolling stock reallocations on passenger fares and overcrowding in the West Midlands.
Awaiting answer.
Whether her Department has undertaken an assessment of the potential impact of rolling stock continuing to be leased from private rolling stock companies following the transfer of train operators into public ownership on the public purse; whether alternative ownership structures are under consideration as part of the development of Great British Railways; and what discussions have taken place with the Office for National Statistics regarding the future accounting treatment of rolling stock leases in the National Accounts.
Awaiting answer.
What estimate she has made of (a) the total cost to the Exchequer and (b) the potential impact on inflation and household disposable income of the measures announced in her statement of 21 May 2026 on the Government’s economic response to the conflict in Iran; and if she will publish a breakdown of the expected cost, funding source and forecast impact of each measure.
Awaiting answer.
Further to his answer on 1 June (HC Deb col 895) on the Health Bill, what safeguards he will put in place to ensure that Clauses 26-29 of Health Bill do not inadvertently (a) put General Ophthalmic Services budgets at risk and (b) lead to a postcode lottery of NHS eye tests.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing tariff-free steel import quotas and increasing safeguard tariffs from 1 July 2026 on the competitiveness and costs of businesses in the (a) aerospace, (b) automotive, (c) defence, (d) energy and (e) advanced manufacturing sectors.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment the Government has made of the adequacy of the current criteria used by LINK to determine eligibility for banking hubs; whether the independent review of access to banking services will consider the suitability of those criteria in rural, coastal and market town communities; and whether communities previously refused a banking hub will be able to seek reassessment following publication of the review.
Awaiting answer.
Whether her Department has agreements, memoranda of understanding, or governance frameworks setting out the role of regional transport authorities in decisions relating to rail service levels, fleet allocation, or rolling stock transfers under public ownership; and whether her Department has plans to standardise arrangements across combined authorities as part of the establishment of Great British Railways.
Awaiting answer.
What estimate her Department has made of the total cost of transferring West Midlands Trains into public ownership, including legal, consultancy, procurement, and transition management costs; what estimate she has made of any additional annual operating costs arising from public ownership compared with the previous operator model; and whether she plans to publish an aggregated transition cost assessment.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the decline in job vacancies to the lowest level in five years; which regions and sectors have experienced the largest falls in vacancies over the last 12 months; and whether the Government plans to expand employment support, retraining schemes or apprenticeships in response to the weakening labour market.
Awaiting answer.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals by combined authority mayors for further fiscal devolution powers, including powers over council tax precepts, local business taxation and infrastructure levies on local government finance.
Awaiting answer.
What estimate he has made of the number of additional mental health professionals required to deliver the proposed Mental Health Strategy for England; how he plans to improve recruitment and retention across psychiatry, mental health nursing and psychological therapies; and whether he plans to further expand training places.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK’s high consequence infectious disease isolation capacity in the context of the hantavirus outbreak; what assessment he has made of the suitability of Arrowe Park Hospital and other NHS facilities for prolonged isolation periods of up to 45 days; and whether he plans to increase dedicated isolation and infectious disease surge capacity.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the increase in the unemployment rate to 5 per cent in the first quarter of 2026; what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional people expected to become unemployed over the next 12 months; and what steps the Government is taking to support people back into work in sectors experiencing the sharpest decline in vacancies, including hospitality and retail.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of schools and colleges on delivering the proposed Mental Health Strategy for England; what additional funding and guidance will be provided to education settings to support mental health provision; and how he plans to ensure consistency in the availability and quality of Mental Health Support Teams across different regions.
Awaiting answer.
Whether the Department has undertaken any assessment of the potential impact on regional rail capacity and service resilience of the future reallocation of rolling stock currently operating on West Midlands Railway services following transfer into public ownership; whether any guidance has been issued regarding the geographic allocation of rolling stock under Great British Railways; and whether she plans to publish any criteria governing future rolling stock deployment decisions between regions.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current contact tracing arrangements for rare imported infectious diseases in the context of the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak; how many people have been required to isolate as a result of the incident; what guidance has been issued to local authority Directors of Public Health and hon. Members where constituents are isolating; and whether compensation and financial support is available for individuals unable to work during extended isolation periods.
Awaiting answer.
Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of a by-election for the office of Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed Mental Health Strategy for England on waiting times for mental health services; what steps he is taking to ensure that a shift towards earlier intervention and community-based support does not result in reduced access to specialist clinical treatment for those with severe mental illness; and whether he plans to publish modelling on projected workforce and funding requirements arising from the strategy.
Awaiting answer.
What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of payroll employment; what discussions his Department has had with businesses on hiring freezes and investment plans; and whether he plans to introduce additional support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Awaiting answer.