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 161–180 of 1,873 · this parliament
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
LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, is responsible for assessing a community’s access to cash needs. When asked to carry out a cash access assessment, LINK takes into consideration a wide range of criteria, including those unique to each l...
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 w
As recently set out in the Secretary of State’s statement to the House, she accepted the recommendation to bring HS2 into line with proven leading European high-speed operating standards, including operating HS2 at up to 320 kilometres per hour (kph),supp...
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 f
A formal risk review process was undertaken on a four-weekly basis ahead of the transfer of West Midlands Trains into public ownership, but these reviews related to the safe, secure and legal delivery of the transfer, rather than risks relating to service...
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,
There are no generic agreements, memoranda of understanding, or governance frameworks covering the subject set out in the question, although individual rail devolution agreements that existed prior to public ownership (such as with West Midlands Rail Exec...
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
Since the start of the pandemic, the net costs of operating franchised passenger services have been borne by taxpayers, not by private train operators. The transfer of West Midlands Trains’ services into public ownership is expected to reduce the Governme...
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 ow
The Department is considering these issues as part of the development of the Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Strategy, to be published later this year. It will set out how we will secure rolling stock that supports consistent, reliable services for passe...
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, lo
The Government recognises that proposals by combined authority mayors for further fiscal devolution - such as powers over council tax precepts, local business taxation and infrastructure levies - could strengthen local control, accountability and incentiv...
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
The government is committed to delivering an effective labour market that works for all. The number of payrolled employees remains near record highs, and the UK labour market remaining strong by international standards, with a higher employment rate than ...
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.
No assessment has been made by central government. Spend on mayoral elections for Strategic Authorities is a matter for those authorities.
Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the parliamentary by-election in Makerfield; what proportion of that cost will be met by (a) central Government, (b)
The costs necessary for the efficient and effective running of UK parliamentary elections are met from the Consolidated Fund. The estimated cost of the parliamentary by-election in Makerfield is set out in the relevant schedule of The Parliamentary Electi...
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 Rai
Great British Railways (GBR) offers us the opportunity to go further with optimising train services and driving up utilisation. Through GBR’s directing mind function, services and timetables will be developed in a coherent fashion that drives up network p...
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 suitabil
The risk to the United Kingdom’s general population remains very low. The UK’s response to this complex incident is being led by the UK Health Security Agency, working closely with the World Health Organization, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development O...
What recent discussions he has had with the UK Health Security Agency on operational lessons arising from the public health response to the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak; whether the Government pl
The Department will review lessons learned following the conclusion of the response as the situation remains ongoing and fluid.The United Kingdom’s response to this complex incident is being led by the UK Health Security Agency, working closely with the W...
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 beco
The unemployment rate has fallen 0.2%pts on the quarter to 5.0%. We work closely with employers in sectors such as hospitality and retail to help people move into work, including where vacancy levels have reduced. This is delivered through a consistent em...
Whether her Department has held discussions with the West Midlands Combined Authority, the Mayor of the West Midlands, or the West Midlands Rail Executive regarding safeguards to ensure that rolling stock curre
No discussions have been held with the authorities listed regarding any safeguards relating to rolling stock currently allocated to West Midlands routes as there are no plans to change such allocations. Any potential consultation or consent mechanisms for...
Whether the Department has conducted any modelling, forecasting, or scenario analysis regarding the impact of public ownership on punctuality, cancellation rates, fare levels, or passenger capacity on West Midl
A review of the impact of public ownership on West Midlands Trains’ (WMT) performance and capacity has not been undertaken. It only transferred in February 2026, and rail performance indicators are not sufficiently meaningful over short time periods, not ...
What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports that lower-paying sectors including hospitality and retail have experienced some of the largest falls in payroll em
The department monitors labour market trends closely and recognises pressures in sectors such as retail and hospitality.We have introduced permanently lower business‑rates multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, introduced a £4.3 billi...
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 whet
The independent Office of National Statistics (ONS) publishes vacancies over time by sector which can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/datasets/vacanciesbyindustryvacs02 The ONS official statisti...
Communities and Local Government, whether the provisions of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 relating to the reintroduction of the Supplementary Vote system for mayoral and police and cri
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS65) made on 21 May 2026.
Whether his Department has conducted an assessment of the level of public health risks associated with expedition cruise vessels visiting remote UK Overseas Territories; what protocols are in place
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Overseas Territory governments, keeps the assessment and mitigation of public health risks associated with cruise vessels under continual revi...