Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to p.99 of The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy 2025, published on 23 June 2025, what strategic partnerships are being trialled by The National Wealth Fund in the West Midlands.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The National Wealth Fund (NWF) is trialling a Strategic Partnership with West Midlands – as well as Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Glasgow City Region – to provide enhanced, hands-on support to help it develop and finance long-term investment opportunities.
The Strategic Partnerships will offer a closer, enhanced relationship with a small number of places to test whether this approach is more effective at building investment pipelines. They are bespoke arrangements, tailored to unique local requirements. This will include specific support at the early stages of project development to address capability and capacity gaps.
Alongside these, the NWF continues to provide financial and commercial advice and financing to local authority projects across the UK.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of fiscal uncertainty on levels of business confidence.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Ensuring fiscal stability is a core part of delivering economic stability and providing a strong foundation for growth. The Government has been clear that the fiscal rules are non-negotiable.
We also introduced a series of responsible reforms to the fiscal framework that improve certainty, transparency and accountability, such as committing to one major annual fiscal event to provide certainty for families and businesses and introducing a ‘fiscal lock’ to ensure no government can announce fiscally significant measures without being subject to an independent assessment by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
The Government monitors a wide range of indicators to assess the UK’s economic performance, including measures of business confidence.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a longer term settlement for children’s hospices beyond 2025-26.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The Government recognises the vital role hospices play in supporting people at the end of life alongside their families. We are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift.
We are investing £100 million to improve hospices facilities, and a further £26 million for children’s hospices this year, the biggest investment in hospices in a generation. Further information on funding for future years will be provided by the Department for Health and Social Care in due course.
The Spending Review published last month set multi-year departmental budgets, providing departments with greater budget certainty. NHS day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028-29 compared to 2023-24. This is equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.
Ministers have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to consult with the hospice sector prior to the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The Government recognises the vital role hospices play in supporting people at the end of life alongside their families. We are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift.
We are investing £100 million to improve hospices facilities, and a further £26 million for children’s hospices this year, the biggest investment in hospices in a generation. Further information on funding for future years will be provided by the Department for Health and Social Care in due course.
The Spending Review published last month set multi-year departmental budgets, providing departments with greater budget certainty. NHS day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028-29 compared to 2023-24. This is equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.
Ministers have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she had with the hospice sector ahead of publishing the Spending Review 2025.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The Government recognises the vital role hospices play in supporting people at the end of life alongside their families. We are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift.
We are investing £100 million to improve hospices facilities, and a further £26 million for children’s hospices this year, the biggest investment in hospices in a generation. Further information on funding for future years will be provided by the Department for Health and Social Care in due course.
The Spending Review published last month set multi-year departmental budgets, providing departments with greater budget certainty. NHS day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028-29 compared to 2023-24. This is equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.
Ministers have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of average savings held by (a) low-income households and (b) pensioners for meeting emergency or unforeseen costs.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to incentivising saving and investment, helping people to save for their future goals and build greater financial resilience. Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) support people of all incomes and at all stages of life to save. The Help to Save scheme also supports low-income working households to start a long-term savings habit.
As part of its forthcoming Financial Inclusion Strategy, the Government is considering how households, including those on low incomes, can increase their financial resilience; and how people of all ages across the UK can build emergency savings buffers. In addition to savings, the Financial Inclusion Committee has discussed digital inclusion and access to banking services; access to credit; access to insurance; problem debt; and financial education and capability.
The development of the Financial Inclusion Strategy is being informed by a committee of industry and consumer representatives which I chair. Summaries of the Committee meetings are available on GOV.UK. The Strategy will be published later this year.
No assessment has been made of the adequacy of average savings.
The Government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of food price and energy inflation on (a) low-income households, (b) pensioners and (c) disabled people.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
We know increased costs in essential areas are worrying and cause hardship for many families with children. That is why the Government is taking a comprehensive approach—supporting those in immediate need while addressing the structural changes necessary to fix the country's foundations.
Food, energy and credit costs are a function of a variety of factors including international agricultural commodity prices, the exchange rate, wholesale energy prices, and interest rates. The best way to help with the cost of living is by reducing overall inflation. The Bank of England has the responsibility of controlling inflation, and the Government fully supports them as they take action to sustainably return inflation to 2%. The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has cut Bank Rate four times since August. The effective interest rate – the actual interest paid by a borrower - on new a 2-year fixed rate mortgage has fallen 46 basis points since the election (May 2025 vs June 2024).
The government is committed to helping those in need due to the rising cost of living. An uplift to the Universal Credit Standard Allowance will see it rise to 5% above inflation by 2029-30. The government is also investing £1 billion a year (including Barnett impact) in a multi-year settlement for crisis support, which includes funding for councils to support some of the poorest households so that their children do not go hungry outside of term time. From the start of the 2026 school year, the government will expand Free School Meals to all pupils with a parent receiving Universal Credit. This will put £500 back into parents’ pockets every year.
The most recent Ofgem energy price cap, in place until September is 7% lower than the previous cap, reducing annual energy bills for a typical home by £129. Additionally, the Warm Home Discount is being expanded to every billpayer on means-tested benefits, meaning 2.7 million extra households will receive £150 off their energy bills next winter, helping reduce energy costs for around 6 million households.
From this winter (2025-26), pensioners with incomes up to and including £35,000 will benefit a Winter Fuel Payment. This will mean that the vast majority — over three quarters, or 9 million pensioners in England and Wakes — will benefit. This change ensures that the means-testing of winter fuel payments has no effect on pensioner poverty.
The government’s top priority is to deliver strong, sustainable growth that raises living standards across the UK. A growing economy plays a key role in providing greater financial security for households and helping to make food, energy and credit more affordable.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to reduce the burden of (a) food costs, (b) energy bills and (c) credit costs on households.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
We know increased costs in essential areas are worrying and cause hardship for many families with children. That is why the Government is taking a comprehensive approach—supporting those in immediate need while addressing the structural changes necessary to fix the country's foundations.
Food, energy and credit costs are a function of a variety of factors including international agricultural commodity prices, the exchange rate, wholesale energy prices, and interest rates. The best way to help with the cost of living is by reducing overall inflation. The Bank of England has the responsibility of controlling inflation, and the Government fully supports them as they take action to sustainably return inflation to 2%. The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has cut Bank Rate four times since August. The effective interest rate – the actual interest paid by a borrower - on new a 2-year fixed rate mortgage has fallen 46 basis points since the election (May 2025 vs June 2024).
The government is committed to helping those in need due to the rising cost of living. An uplift to the Universal Credit Standard Allowance will see it rise to 5% above inflation by 2029-30. The government is also investing £1 billion a year (including Barnett impact) in a multi-year settlement for crisis support, which includes funding for councils to support some of the poorest households so that their children do not go hungry outside of term time. From the start of the 2026 school year, the government will expand Free School Meals to all pupils with a parent receiving Universal Credit. This will put £500 back into parents’ pockets every year.
The most recent Ofgem energy price cap, in place until September is 7% lower than the previous cap, reducing annual energy bills for a typical home by £129. Additionally, the Warm Home Discount is being expanded to every billpayer on means-tested benefits, meaning 2.7 million extra households will receive £150 off their energy bills next winter, helping reduce energy costs for around 6 million households.
From this winter (2025-26), pensioners with incomes up to and including £35,000 will benefit a Winter Fuel Payment. This will mean that the vast majority — over three quarters, or 9 million pensioners in England and Wakes — will benefit. This change ensures that the means-testing of winter fuel payments has no effect on pensioner poverty.
The government’s top priority is to deliver strong, sustainable growth that raises living standards across the UK. A growing economy plays a key role in providing greater financial security for households and helping to make food, energy and credit more affordable.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to incentivise saving.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Individuals can save up to £20,000 into an Individual Savings Account each year, and any savings income received is tax free. Along with the Personal Savings Allowance of up to £1,000, and the Starting Rate for Savings of up to £5,000 for those with earned income below £17,570, around 85 per cent of people with savings income pay no tax.
The Help to Save scheme also supports low-income working households to start a long-term savings habit.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what dates have been set for (a) the inaugural meeting and (b) any future meetings of the London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The launch event for the London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt took place on 23rd June. Dates for future meetings are still being finalised.