Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, a) how much has been spent by each ICB on clustering arrangements, b) which ICBs have suspended their plans for merger at the direction of NHS England, and c) which ICBS are expected to end their current clustering arrangements as a result of the need to align ICB boundaries with emerging strategic authority boundaries.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Standard Pig Price since August 2025 on independent pig producers.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the difficult market conditions affecting some independent pig producers, driven by an imbalance between supply and demand.
Defra will continue to monitor the pig sector closely, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group and officials will continue to work closely with the sector as the situation develops.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS spent on negligence claims where the relevant care was classed as corridor care in each year from 2020-21 to 2025-26.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Resolution manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHS Resolution does not hold the information in the format requested.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to assess the potential merits of introducing an emergency support package for the sector, in the context of a backlog of pigs causing welfare issues on farms.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is carefully considering proposals put forward by pig sector representatives, alongside the available evidence and ongoing engagement with industry.
Defra’s ongoing engagement has not identified a pig backlog causing welfare issues on farms at present. Officials will continue to work closely with the sector.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the criteria for the allocation of £91m funding for 14 out of 35 councils in receipt of exceptional financial support in 2026/27.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In September, the government announced £91m to accelerate local councils’ transformation plans in areas such as homelessness, adult social care, children’s services and SEND.
This investment reflects a turning point in how the government intends to support councils to manage their financial position, with an emphasis on long-term prevention over short-term fixes. It also provides an opportunity to build evidence on the types of service reform that can improve financial sustainability in authorities facing acute pressures.
On 15 September, the government issued a Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS347) to provide an update on its approach to Exceptional Financial Support in 2026-27, including further background and detail on the objectives of the new £91m grant to support targeted transformation in 14 local councils.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to her answer to question 28068, whether she has any plans to reinstate the role of Maternity and Neonatal Independent Senior Advocates in ICBs in England.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the new powers she will be able to exercise from 1 January 2028 to revoke or vary abstraction licences without paying compensation, on food production and farm profitability in Shropshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Act 2021 provides new powers to improve water resilience and protect the environment through Abstraction Permit Reviews. The review is planned for 2028-2035.
Farmers are being supported through water resilience initiatives, including upcoming funding for on-farm reservoirs and support for establishing Water Abstractor Groups to increase agriculture's input into water resource planning.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the programme of catchment reviews on food production in Shropshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Act 2021 provides new powers to improve water resilience and protect the environment through Abstraction Permit Reviews. The review is planned for 2028-2035.
Farmers are being supported through water resilience initiatives, including upcoming funding for on-farm reservoirs and support for establishing Water Abstractor Groups to increase agriculture's input into water resource planning.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent African Swine Fever from entering the country.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are strict risk mitigation measures in place including listing countries and regions eligible to export pigs and porcine products to Great Britain, official veterinary export health certification, and import checks at the border. Personal imports of pork and pork products are prohibited.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Further Education residential funding guidelines.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The guidance for the Residential Bursary Fund (RBF) is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/residential-support-scheme-guide/residential-support-scheme-2026-to-2027. In addition, the guidance for the Residential Support Scheme (RSS) is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/residential-bursary-fund-guide. This guidance is updated annually and outlines the opportunities available to people aged 16 to 19.
The RBF provides a contribution to eligible 16 to19-year-old student’s accommodation costs to support attendance at an institution delivering specialist provision.
The RSS can provide annual support of up to £3,458 (up to £4,079 in the London area) towards accommodation costs for students who live away from home because the same or similar level 2 or level 3 qualifications within their study programme are not available within daily travelling distance. Most students supported by RSS tend to live in rural areas and have limited access to a wide range of 16 to 19 further education provision.