Written questions by Morton.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of bin strikes in Birmingham on levels of international tourism to the area.

No, because it is obvious that it would be better for all if the strikes were to end.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding penalty points to the driver’s licences of people convicted of (a) fly-tipping and (b) littering from a vehicle.

Local authorities already have powers to stop, search and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers. We will consider the benefits of allowing penalty points to be added to the driving licence of people convicted of fly-tipping in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring the person responsible for fly-tipping, rather than the landowner, to bear the costs of clean-up.

Where fly-tippers are prosecuted, upon conviction a cost order can already be made by the court so that a landowner’s costs can be recovered from the perpetrator. Local councils can also issue fixed penalty notices of up to £1000 to those who fly-tip, the income from which they must spend on clean up or enforcement. We are seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to issue statutory enforcement guidance to help councils make full and proper use of their powers. We have also committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals 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.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has received recent representations from (a) Birmingham City Council and (b) the Commissioner on the provision of additional public funds to settle their dispute with striking bin collection workers.

The government has been working intensively with Birmingham City Council in relation to the ongoing disruption in its waste service. While the response is being locally led by the Council as is appropriate, at their request, we have deployed operational and logistical expertise to help address the backlog of waste on Birmingham’s streets. This backlog presented real risks to public health, particularly for the most vulnerable. As a result of concerted and ongoing effort by Birmingham City Council, and with the support of other local authorities, we are pleased that the large accumulations of street waste in badly affected areas have been removed and that levels are approaching normal, and this is under daily review. The residents of Birmingham need to see a fair and sustainable resolution to this dispute, and we continue to encourage both parties to come to a negotiated settlement that ensures a fit-for-purpose waste service and does not risk the important progress made on equal pay at BCC.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2025 onto Question 40498 on Food Supply, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of food security in UK; and what steps he is taking to increase this.

Food security is national security. We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers, fishers and food producers. The UK has a resilient food supply chain and is equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. We produce 62% of all the food we need, and 75% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, but the United Kingdom Food Security Report 2024 shows that food security cannot be taken for granted. Strengthening food security by supporting our farmers and food producers is a top priority for this Government. Our Plan for Change sets out how we are focused on supporting our farmers, supporting rural economic growth and boosting Britain’s food security.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has provided additional (a) funding and (b) resources to Birmingham City Council to help tackle waste management issues resulting from the recent bin strikes.

The government has been working intensively with Birmingham City Council in relation to the ongoing disruption in its waste service. While the response is being locally led by the Council as is appropriate, at their request, we have deployed operational and logistical expertise to help address the backlog of waste on Birmingham’s streets. This backlog presented real risks to public health, particularly for the most vulnerable. As a result of concerted and ongoing effort by Birmingham City Council, and with the support of other local authorities, we are pleased that the large accumulations of street waste in badly affected areas have been removed and that levels are approaching normal, and this is under daily review. The residents of Birmingham need to see a fair and sustainable resolution to this dispute, and we continue to encourage both parties to come to a negotiated settlement that ensures a fit-for-purpose waste service and does not risk the important progress made on equal pay at BCC.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting the West Midlands Rail Hub.

Midlands Rail Hub would unlock thousands of homes and drive economic growth, with better connections regionally and nationally, and more reliable trains. It will provide up to 300 extra trains a day into Birmingham while improving the performance of services. In December, the Chancellor launched the second stage of the Spending Review. This is a ‘zero-based’ review, to ensure every line of spending – including the transport infrastructure portfolio – delivers the Plan for Change and provides good value for taxpayers.

What assessment she has made of (a) the potential merits of the West Midlands Rail Hub and (b) the potential impact of the West Midlands Rail Hub on (i) economic growth and (ii) connectivity.

Midlands Rail Hub would unlock thousands of homes and drive economic growth, with better connections regionally and nationally, and more reliable trains. It will provide up to 300 extra trains a day into Birmingham while improving the performance of services. In December, the Chancellor launched the second stage of the Spending Review. This is a ‘zero-based’ review, to ensure every line of spending – including the transport infrastructure portfolio – delivers the Plan for Change and provides good value for taxpayers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 40496 on Business confidence in rural communities, what criteria her Department uses to classify a constituency as rural; and whether Aldridge-Brownhills constituency meets the criteria for such a classification.

Aldridge-Brownhills is not considered a rural constituency based on ONS 2021 rural-urban census data.The Government does not collect specific constituency level data on business confidence. Recent economy wide surveys from EY, PwC and Lloyds Bank show overall business and investor confidence is rising. This Government is going further and faster to deliver economic growth and support businesses by increasing capital spending, overhauling our regulatory system, and getting Britain building through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to take steps to help support Birmingham City Council to ensure the long-term (a) sustainability and (b) resilience of the city’s waste management services.

The government has been working intensively with Birmingham City Council in relation to the ongoing disruption in its waste service. While the response is being locally led by the Council as is appropriate, at their request, we have deployed operational and logistical expertise to help address the backlog of waste on Birmingham’s streets. This backlog presented real risks to public health, particularly for the most vulnerable. As a result of concerted and ongoing effort by Birmingham City Council, and with the support of other local authorities, we are pleased that the large accumulations of street waste in badly affected areas have been removed and that levels are approaching normal, and this is under daily review. The residents of Birmingham need to see a fair and sustainable resolution to this dispute, and we continue to encourage both parties to come to a negotiated settlement that ensures a fit-for-purpose waste service and does not risk the important progress made on equal pay at BCC.

What information her Department holds on the number of hours spent by West Midlands Police investigating fly-tipping related incidents in the last two months.

The requested data is not currently collected by the Home Office.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in employers National Insurance Contributions on wages.

The Office for Budget Responsibility published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) in March 2025, which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances, including their forecast on wages Economic and fiscal outlook – March 2025 - Office for Budget Responsibility.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with Birmingham City Council on the potential impact of the bin strikes on (a) public health and (b) the environment in affected areas.

The government has been working intensively with Birmingham City Council in relation to the ongoing disruption in its waste service. While the response is being locally led by the Council as is appropriate, at their request, we have deployed operational and logistical expertise to help address the backlog of waste on Birmingham’s streets. This backlog presented real risks to public health, particularly for the most vulnerable. As a result of concerted and ongoing effort by Birmingham City Council, and with the support of other local authorities, we are pleased that the large accumulations of street waste in badly affected areas have been removed and that levels are approaching normal, and this is under daily review. The residents of Birmingham need to see a fair and sustainable resolution to this dispute, and we continue to encourage both parties to come to a negotiated settlement that ensures a fit-for-purpose waste service and does not risk the important progress made on equal pay at BCC.

Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to help support (a) Birmingham City Council and (b) other local authorities to resolve disputes with bin collection workers.

The government has been working intensively with Birmingham City Council in relation to the ongoing disruption in its waste service. While the response is being locally led by the Council as is appropriate, at their request, we have deployed operational and logistical expertise to help address the backlog of waste on Birmingham’s streets. This backlog presented real risks to public health, particularly for the most vulnerable. As a result of concerted and ongoing effort by Birmingham City Council, and with the support of other local authorities, we are pleased that the large accumulations of street waste in badly affected areas have been removed and that levels are approaching normal, and this is under daily review. The residents of Birmingham need to see a fair and sustainable resolution to this dispute, and we continue to encourage both parties to come to a negotiated settlement that ensures a fit-for-purpose waste service and does not risk the important progress made on equal pay at BCC.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has provided additional (a) funding and (b) other resources to councils bordering Birmingham to help tackle additional fly-tipping resulting from bin strikes in Birmingham.

The government has been working intensively with Birmingham City Council in relation to the ongoing disruption in its waste service. While the response is being locally led by the Council as is appropriate, at their request, we have deployed operational and logistical expertise to help address the backlog of waste on Birmingham’s streets. This backlog presented real risks to public health, particularly for the most vulnerable. As a result of concerted and ongoing effort by Birmingham City Council, and with the support of other local authorities, we are pleased that the large accumulations of street waste in badly affected areas have been removed and that levels are approaching normal, and this is under daily review. The residents of Birmingham need to see a fair and sustainable resolution to this dispute, and we continue to encourage both parties to come to a negotiated settlement that ensures a fit-for-purpose waste service and does not risk the important progress made on equal pay at BCC.

What budget was allocated to (a) social media advertising, (b) paid-partnerships and (c) other digital communication of the measures in the Spring Statement.

No budget was allocated by HM Treasury for social media advertising, paid partnerships, or other digital communication of the measures in the Spring Statement beyond the budget for the core HMT communications team.

What assessment has she made of the potential impact of the proposed West Midlands Rail Hub on rail (a) connectivity and (b) reliability in (i) the West Midlands and (ii) nationally.

Midlands Rail Hub would unlock thousands of homes and drive economic growth, with better connections regionally and nationally, and more reliable trains. It will provide up to 300 extra trains a day into Birmingham while improving the performance of services. In December, the Chancellor launched the second stage of the Spending Review. This is a ‘zero-based’ review, to ensure every line of spending – including the transport infrastructure portfolio – delivers the Plan for Change and provides good value for taxpayers.

What assessment she has made of potential impact of the Spring Statement 2025 on levels of employment in Aldridge-Brownhills.

At Spring Statement 2025, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the government’s independent official forecaster, published its bi-annual economic and fiscal forecasts.In line with its mandate as set out in law, the OBR does not produce forecasts at a sub-national level.The OBR stated that it will make a full assessment of the economic impacts of the welfare policies announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper ahead of its next forecast in the Autumn.

What estimate she has made of the percentage of funding that will be released to the Ministry of Defence of a result of the change in Gross National Income spent on Official Development Assistance in 2025-2026.

As set out in Table 2.1 in the Spring Statement 2025 document, all savings generated from the Official Development Assistance (ODA) reduction in 2025-26 will be spent on defence. The difficult choice to reduce ODA reflects the evolving nature of the threat and the strategic shift required to meet it, whilst maintaining economic stability, a core foundation of the Plan for Change.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 35682 on Disease Control: International Assistance, how much of the £10 million transferred to the Pandemic Fund has been spent during the current financial year.

The UK transferred £10 million to the Pandemic Fund in FY 2022/23. Since it was established in September 2022 (and over the period 2022/23 to 2025/26), the Pandemic Fund has announced allocations of $885 million, supporting 47 projects in 75 countries.