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 941–960 of 1,717 · this parliament
What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory cap on levels of migration.
The Immigration White paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues to reduce net migration, further details of which will be set out in due course.
Whether she has considered reviewing the national funding formula for police forces.
To support the delivery of the Safer Streets Mission, broader policing reform is necessary to address the challenges faced by policing and help the system to deliver effective and efficient policing to the public.The allocation of funding to police forces remains an important consideration.This Government is committed to ensuring that police forces have the resources they need. As with previous years, decisions on police force funding allocations will be made via the annual police funding settlement.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) metrics and (b) assessments he uses to determine whether official development assistance programmes constitute value for money.
Value for money is embedded into all our Official Development Assistance (ODA) programming. We use a mix of quantitative data and qualitative information to assess value for money and inform decision-making throughout the programme lifecycle. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office uses experts, technical advisors, programme managers, and procurement professionals with experience of working in low-income environments and knowledge of global research of what works.The Foreign Secretary led a cross-Departmental ODA review as part of the Spending Review. This ensures that all UK ODA spend, across a range of government departments, is strategically coherent and provides the best value for money for the British taxpayer.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of recent trends in levels of small boat crossings on (a) the immigration system and (b) local authorities in the West Midlands.
The Home Office carefully monitors overall irregular migration and has regular engagement directly with local authorities and via Regional Strategic Migration Partnerships to discuss any specific impacts on local communities and regions.
Whether (a) officials and (b) Ministers participated at the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum event between 20 and 22 May 2025.
The Minister for Investment and officials from the Department for Business and Trade have participated at the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) event that took place between 20 and 22 May 2025.
What recent discussions she has had with (a) West Midlands Police and (b) the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner on (i) maintaining and (ii) increasing community policing levels in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency, following the closure of (A) Aldridge Police Station and (B) police stations across the West Midlands.
The Government is committed to strong neighbourhood policing for everyone in England and Wales. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will ensure that by July, every community will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing the issues facing their communities and local communities and businesses will also have ongoing opportunities to engage with neighbourhood teams and raise local concerns and priorities through regular local beat meetings.The Government has also committed to boosting neighbourhood policing by 13,000 more policing personnel by the end of the Parliament and the Government will provide £200 million to police forces in financial year 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering this commitment.West Midlands Police has been allocated £12,210,903 from the £200 million fund for 2025/26. Based on their funding allocation, the projected growth for West Midlands Police over 2025/26 will be 289 police officers (FTE) and 20 Police Community Support Officers (FTE).
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 48102 on Balkans: Politics and Government, when this year's UK-hosted Berlin Process will take place.
The 2025 Berlin Process Summit will take place in the UK this autumn. It will be preceded by meetings in the UK of Economic, Interior and Foreign Ministers from all members of the Berlin Process, and over ten events for government and non-government participants in the Western Balkans. We are consulting partners on potential outcomes, in line with the Prime Minister's focus on migration, security and economic growth. We are working closely with the new German Government and the EU institutions, including on implementation of outstanding commitments, to increase intra-regional cooperation and bring the region closer to its European partners.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Tanzania on the arrest of (a) opposition leader Tundu Lissu and (b) foreign nationals involved in supporting democratic activism.
Our High Commission in Dar es Salaam regularly discusses issues of governance with the Government of Tanzania and has raised the case of opposition leader Tundu Lissu at senior levels, as well as the recent case of foreign national activists in Tanzania. The UK Government supports due process and the rule of law in all legal cases.
What steps his Department is taking to work with (a) international partners and (b) export credit agencies to develop (i) insurance solutions and (ii) support for UK businesses engaging in post-conflict (A) reconstruction and (B) commerce in Ukraine.
HMG continues to collaborate with G7+ partners, International Financial Institutions and the global insurance industry, to strengthen availability and access to insurance for Ukraine following delivery of the 2023 London Framework for War Risk Insurance. We assist UK businesses engaged in Ukraine's post conflict recovery by supporting inward and outward business delegations, delivering webinars, producing dedicated business guides, issuing regular newsletters and supporting business partnerships.UK Export Finance has financed a number of projects in Ukraine and is working with other ECAs to ensure a joined-up approach in meeting the immediate and post-conflict needs of Ukraine.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed Aldridge railway station on the (a) economy, (b) transport links and (c) social mobility of that area.
The Government is providing a City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement of over £1bn for West Midlands Combined Authority to invest in its local transport priorities.The Combined Authority is currently using this funding to develop an Outline Business Case, which will make a detailed assessment of the impacts of the proposed Aldridge railway station.
Whether she has discussions with (a) financial services regulators and (b) the insurance sector on developing risk-mitigation frameworks to support companies operating in Ukraine.
Treasury Ministers and officials have regular meetings with a wide variety of organisations, including insurers and financial regulators, on an ongoing basis. The UK Government has played a leading role in developing solutions that have helped to reopen and rebuild insurance markets in Ukraine. The UK provided a £20 million contribution to the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) to extend the level of political risk and violence insurance it can provide to investors with projects in Ukraine. Additionally, the UK has also provided £5m to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to develop a complementary initiative that will make war related loss and damage cover available to firms already based in Ukraine.
What steps his Department is taking to help improve the energy efficiency of older housing stock in the West Midlands.
The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future, including those within the West Midlands. The Government will partner with combined authorities and local and devolved governments to roll out this plan. As the first step towards the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1 billion of this allocated to 2025/2026. Further details on the Warm Homes Plan will be set out in due course.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of local police station closures on (a) response times and (b) public confidence in policing.
It is for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents) to make decisions on local resourcing and estates, including police stations. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need and their experience. Police stations are just one of the ways in which people can access their local police, including reporting online and by phone 24/7 via 999 for emergencies and 101 for non-emergency calls.A key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing. As part of this, we have introduced the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which will ensure that by July, every community will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing the issues facing their communities. We have also provided £200 million in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.
If she will make it her policy to establish a national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs.
The Government is committed to getting to the truth of both historical and current group-based child sexual exploitation or grooming gangs offending, to ensure that perpetrators are punished and to deliver justice and accountability for victims and survivors.We will set our next steps to tackle this heinous offending when we publish Baroness Casey’s audit in the coming weeks.
What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) the level of funding for and (b) the number of police officers in the West Midlands.
The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to tackle crime effectively and protect the communities they serve. Visible policing is essential to restoring public confidence in the police. West Midlands will receive up to £846.9 million in funding in 2025-26, an increase of up to £56.6 million when compared to the 2024-25 funding settlement under the previous government. This represents a 7.2% cash increase and a 4.7% real terms increase in funding.This includes a total of £30.7m to support the maintenance of 8,086 police officers.The Government has also committed to boosting neighbourhood policing and is providing £200 million to police forces this financial year to support the first steps of delivering this commitment. West Midlands Police has been allocated £12,210,903 from the £200 million fund for 2025/26. Based on their funding allocation, the projected growth for West Midlands Police over 2025/26 will be 289 police officers (FTE) and 20 Police Community Support Officers (FTE) in neighbourhood policing roles.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of penalties for fly-tipping in deterring repeat offences.
This Government has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of penalties for fly-tipping in deterring repeat offences. We have committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles involved in fly-tipping and prosecution which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. Defra chaired National Fly-tipping Prevention Group has produced a guide on how local authorities, and others, can present robust cases to court. This is available at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement. We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush the vehicles of fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Midlands Rail Hub on (a) journey times, (b) capacity, (c) frequency of services and (d) reliability of services for West Midlands passengers.
Midlands Rail Hub is designed to kickstart economic growth and breakdown barriers to opportunity. It could speed up journey times, provide capacity for hundreds of additional trains into central Birmingham, improve frequency by 50-100% on many corridors, and reliability on trains through New Street, improving journeys across the Midlands and beyond. We are assessing all our investment plans as part of the ongoing Spending Review.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of levels of (a) political freedom and (b) democratic governance in Tanzania, in the context of recent detentions of (i) opposition figures and (ii) activists.
The UK continuously keeps policies regarding partner countries under review, including the implications of domestic political and governance developments. The Minister for Africa will continue to raise specific concerns with his ministerial counterparts.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities in tackling fly-tipping in the West Midlands.
Fly-tipping is a serious crime which blights local communities and the environment. Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to help them tackle fly-tipping including fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution action which can lead to a significant fine or even imprisonment. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers and are taking steps to develop new guidance to support them to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise these existing powers. We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush the vehicles of fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool. We committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course. In the meantime, Defra continue to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders, such as local authorities and the Environment Agency, to share good practice on preventing fly-tipping. Various practical tools are available from their webpage which is available at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance his Department is providing to UK nationals affected by recent arrests in Tanzania.
The UK is committed to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and consistently provides consular support to British Nationals as required. We have not received reports of arrests of British Nationals in connection with wider political events in Tanzania.