Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of young people entering the building and construction sector in the West Midlands.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has also been working closely with the Mayor of the West Midlands and local authority leaders on a new £75 million construction skills package over the next three years to help meet rising sector demand. Alongside this, the Secretary of State is supporting the continuation of the successful Construction Gateway programme, new activity linked to the Construction Technical Excellence College led by Dudley College and wider skills initiatives delivered through the West Midlands Combined Authority and regional leaders as part of the West Midlands Works programme.
In the West Midlands, the DWP is undertaking a wide range of activity to help young people move into the building and construction sector. This includes Crown Rail’s Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) which upskill young people for track‑rail roles that link into construction and infrastructure as well as ongoing collaboration with West Midlands-based construction employers on mentoring circles, work experience, apprenticeships and large‑scale initiatives such as the HS2 Hub and the Sports Quarter development.
More generally, this Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Further details of the announcement can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-12-08/hcws1137
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the availability of clinical trials for dementia patients.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Government responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.
DHSC is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with dementia, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.
DHSC funds research and research infrastructure through the NIHR which supports National Health Service patients, the public, and NHS organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials into dementia
As an example, DHSC, via the NIHR, is investing nearly £50 million into the Dementia Trials Network, a coordinated network of trial sites across the United Kingdom, which will offer people with dementia the opportunity to take part in early phase clinical trials irrespective of where they live. This is complemented by the £20 million Dementia Trials Accelerator, designed to position the United Kingdom as the destination of choice for late phase clinical trials in dementia and neurodegenerative diseases.
The NIHR also funds research infrastructure which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including research on dementia. For example, the aim of the University College London Hospitals’ Biomedical Research Centre’s dementia theme is to develop novel treatments through precision medicine.
In partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, and Alzheimer Scotland, the NIHR also delivers Join Dementia Research, an online platform which enables the involvement of people with and without a dementia diagnosis, as well as carers, to take part in a range of important research, including studies evaluating potential treatments for dementia.
The NIHR also provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research', which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies, including those with dementia, and register their interest.
The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, with up to £150 million expected to be allocated to, or aligned with it, aims to speed up the development of new treatments for dementia and neurodegenerative conditions by accelerating innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to question 57617 on Zimbabwe: Commonwealth, what recent steps she has taken to support a further Commonwealth assessment mission.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The timing of any Commonwealth assessment mission is for the Secretary General and the Government of Zimbabwe to agree. Given the time passed since their last reports, we would welcome a Commonwealth assessment mission returning to Zimbabwe to follow up on its recommendations from its last visit and the subsequent election observation report.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what housing developments in the vicinity of Sutton Park have been discussed between DEFRA officials and Birmingham City Council.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I am not aware of discussions between Defra officials and Birmingham City Council.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, whether additional monitoring is in place to ensure that the recommendations from Natural England and the Forestry Commission are being implemented.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England is in regular dialogue with Birmingham City Council, Severn Trent Water and other partners to review progress with the implementation of its recommendations relating to the condition of Sutton Park SSSI. This is in addition to its condition assessment programme, which monitors the status of the site’s habitat features.
Natural England officials would be happy to offer a meeting with the Rt Hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield to discuss Sutton Park SSSI, its management, and the pressures affecting its condition in more detail, should that be helpful.
The approved woodland management plan for Sutton Park includes the requirement for the author of the plan to review progress against site objectives after five years, including objectives to support the recovery and resilience of the woodlands. In addition, the Forestry Commission operate a risk-based inspection regime of approved management plans, which considers the scale and environmental sensitivity of woodland sites. Under this approach, sites such as Sutton Park are more likely to be selected for inspection.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Birmingham City Council area.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Birmingham City Council is responsible for reviewing and assessing air quality in its area. The 2025 Birmingham Air Quality Annual Status Report notes continued action to reduce PM2.5 through implementation of the Birmingham Clean Air Zone, fleet renewal and retrofit of buses and taxis, promotion of active travel, traffic management and anti-idling enforcement. The Council is also reducing emissions from domestic solid fuel burning through smoke control enforcement and public awareness, and works with Defra supported monitoring and modelling to track PM2.5 trends and inform further targeted interventions. The Council continues to work with Defra, DfT, the West Midlands Combined Authority and partners to identify new measures to reduce pollution.