Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to conclude the $100 million joint development deal between the UK and Qatar.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is proud of its humanitarian and development partnership with the State of Qatar. Our ambition to deliver $100 million in joint humanitarian and development projects, announced in December 2024, is currently being implemented through programmes in Bangladesh, Somalia and Syria.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of unemployment in the over 50s in the West Midlands.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 13th May is attached.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of unemployment in the under 25s in the West Midlands.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The ONS publish labour market statistics for 16–24-year-olds in the West Midlands. These can be found here: HI05 Regional labour market: headline indicators for the West Midlands - Office for National Statistics.

This government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. We have committed a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, the expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain, and the introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, providing more intensive support to 16–24-year-olds. We will also prioritise prevention – improving support in schools, access to work experience and further education places.

Within the up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, this investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. It will also help unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities, through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.

Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to improving employment opportunities for young people, while supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people.

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 reduce the number of patients waiting for more than (a) 1 month, (b) 3 months (c) 6 months and (d) 12 months to receive cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is for local integrated care boards to decide whether cognitive behavioural therapy should be offered to their populations as a treatment for insomnia.

NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression offer low-intensity therapy which may include interventions around sleep hygiene. Talking Therapies data do not record whether a patient has insomnia. Through the 10-Year Health Plan we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029.

Individuals who are experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression can be referred by their general practitioner, or can self-refer, to NHS Talking Therapies. People can also access helpful resources on sleep problems on the Every Mind Matters website at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/sleep/

In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Prioritisation Board has recently agreed to prioritise digital technologies that deliver cognitive behavioural therapy interventions for insomnia and insomnia symptoms as a topic for the development of HealthTech guidance.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resilience of the national grid infrastructure in the West Midlands to withstand disruption.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Energy resilience is a top priority for Government. Government works continuously with industry to improve and maintain the resilience and security of energy infrastructure to a range of evolving risks and future system changes.

The National Energy System Operator, an independent technical body, delivers resilience functions including understanding and planning system resilience, preparing for emergencies and learning lessons from past incidents. These arrangements apply nationally, including to electricity grid infrastructure in the West Midlands.

The Government has also embarked on one of the biggest upgrades to Britain's electricity grid since it was created to ensure it can meet the country's future electricity demands and remain as resilient as possible.

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 access to freezing and storage capacity for tumour tissues for oncology services in the West Midlands, in order to improve outcomes for hard-to-treat cancers.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has taken steps to improve tissue freezing for oncology services for all cancers, including hard-to-treat cancers. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the fresh-freezing, or snap-freezing, of tissue samples have already been developed across pathology networks in England, including the West Midlands. It is, however, the responsibility of individual pathology services to maintain their own SOPs for the fresh-freezing of tissue samples. These protocols outline local capabilities and practices, including access and storage capacity.

Additionally, the National Cancer Plan set out actions on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with hard-to-treat cancers, through a key commitment to focus on rarer cancers.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote (a) Royal Sutton Coldfield and (b) the West Midlands as destinations for British holidaymakers in summer 2026.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS recognises the contribution of the West Midlands, and the constituency of Sutton Coldfield, to the visitor economy. The upcoming summer 2026 season represents a milestone moment for the region. Birmingham’s hosting of the 2026 European Athletics Championships this August will put the West Midlands on a global sporting stage, acting as a powerful catalyst to draw domestic holidaymakers and international visitors alike to regional highlights, from the scenic landscapes of Sutton Park to the historic Black Country Living Museum. I was also delighted to celebrate the success of the region when I attended the West Midlands Tourism Awards in March.

The West Midlands also benefits from VisitBritain's global screen tourism campaign, "Starring Great Britain," which leverages local hit productions like Peaky Blinders to drive inbound tourism to the area.

The West Midlands was a key part of a pilot run by VisitEngland to test a new way of managing tourism. Instead of local groups working in isolation, the project brought national and local tourism bodies together to work as a team. The main goal was to make it much easier for visitors to travel around the region, while joining up the dots between local attractions, hospitality, events, and nightlife.

Looking ahead, the forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy will set out an ambitious, long-term plan to bring more visitors to the UK, boost spending, and drive sustainable growth across our regional economies. At the heart of this plan is giving regional leaders the power to take charge of their own tourism sectors. This ensures that visitor numbers and income are spread out more widely, directly benefiting regional destinations like the West Midlands.

Found: vehicle(s) OG0090253 R ENVOLVE INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED Director(s): JAMIE MARK PRICHARD, ANDREW MITCHELL

Found: vehicle(s) OG0090253 R ENVOLVE INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED Director(s): JAMIE MARK PRICHARD, ANDREW MITCHELL

Found: vehicle(s) OG0090253 R ENVOLVE INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED Director(s): JAMIE MARK PRICHARD, ANDREW MITCHELL

Found: * update or new entry.31 DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP

Found: Department for International Development

Found: Department for International Development

Found: of State No relevant interest. 31 DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell

Found: and on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade Signature: Date: 25/04/2023 Andrew Mitchell