Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of rail freight crime; and what steps her department is taking to reduce those levels.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The British Transport Police (BTP) are responsible for policing the rail network in England, Scotland and Wales.

The BTP work proactively with Freight Operating Companies (FOCs) to identify trends, advise on crime prevention and work to identify and arrest any offenders when crime is reported. BTP hold a 4-weekly Freight Working Group which is open to all freight operators.

For 2025/26 year to date, BTP recorded 48 crimes across all FOCs, the majority of which relate to graffiti.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with West Midlands Rail Executive on improving rail connectivity between Walsall and Birmingham; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of restoring previous services levels.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The service between Walsall and Birmingham is operating with four trains per hour, which means that the previous service levels operating before Covid-19 have already been restored. These services operate with newly introduced Class 730 trains.

The Department is working with West Midlands Rail Executive, Walsall Council and the railway industry regarding rail services in the wider Walsall Council area serving the new stations at Willenhall and Darlaston from next year.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the West Midlands facing increases in energy and regulatory costs.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is committed to lowering operating costs for all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including those in the West Midlands.

Government is helping support businesses to lower their energy costs through energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Recent research from the Willow Review highlights that SMEs adopting sustainability initiatives are reaping the financial rewards.

The Government is also committed to ensuring the allocation of energy costs is fair to all consumers, including SMEs. As part of this, Ofgem have launched a Cost Allocation and Recovery Review (CARR) to consider how energy system costs can be recovered from consumers, including from SMEs, in a fairer and more efficient way. DESNZ will continue to engage closely with Ofgem on the work.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how the Infrastructure Levy will operate in metropolitan boroughs; and what the projected levy income for the West Midlands is over the next five years.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has made clear that it does not intend to commence the Infrastructure Levy provisions from the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the financial resilience of metropolitan local authorities; and what steps his Department is taking to support councils implementing section 114 recovery plans.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is delivering a fairer system and realigning funding with need and deprivation through the first multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement in a decade.

These changes will not fix the challenges facing local government overnight. Reform will take time and we recognise the potential for continued instability as we work to fix the foundations of local government, but these proposals are a fundamental step to improving the sustainability of the sector in the years to come and will allow councils to focus on service delivery and transformation.

Issuing a Section 114 notice is a local decision and one that government has no formal role in. However, the government has now confirmed in the policy statement published on 20 November that there will continue to be a framework in place to support local authorities in the most difficult financial positions and remains committed to working collaboratively with them to work towards financial sustainability.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support high street revitalisation in places such as Aldridge and Brownhills; and what funding streams are available for local regeneration projects.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Government’s commitment to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) area involves a Devolution Deal which provides more funding, a single departmental-style budget, and new powers over transport, skills, and housing. This approach gives the mayor and local leaders more control to invest in local priorities and deliver economic growth and regeneration as set out in the recently publish West Midlands Plan for Growth.

In addition, in 2024 the Government introduced High Street Rental Auctions, giving local authorities the power to bring long-vacant commercial properties back into use. Councils can auction rental rights for properties empty for at least 366 days within two years, aiming to revitalise high streets. Landlords have eight weeks to secure a tenant after notice; if unsuccessful, the property can be auctioned, with the new tenant restricted to the “high street use” set by the authority.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase GP appointment availability in the West Midlands; and what assessment he has made of primary care staffing levels in Walsall.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

West Midlands sits within the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) where appointment availability in general practice (GP) has increased by 13.8% in September 2025 compared to the same period last year. In October 2024, we invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to give additional flexibilities to recruit 2,500 new GPs into primary care networks across England. We have invested an additional £1.1 billion into GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 GPs across England to deliver 8.3 million more appointments each year.

As of 30 September 2025, Walsall has seen an increase of 17.4 full-time equivalent GPs compared to September 2024. The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the ICBs across England. In 2024/25, there were 57 dentists per 100,000 population in the Black Country ICB, which includes the Walsall constituency. This is above average, compared to a national average of 50 dentists per 100,000 people in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the expansion of Pharmacy First services in areas with GP access pressures.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to providing more services in the community, closer to people’s homes. The 10-Year Health Plan is clear that we need to do things differently with more integrated neighbourhood health services, shifting care from hospital to community and from treatment to prevention.

Community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, as the 10-Year Health Plan brings healthcare to high streets as part of a shift in care to the community. This includes exploring ways to expand the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians as we continue to embed the Pharmacy First service.

We continue to promote Pharmacy First to increase public awareness and engagement. This has included the recent national media campaign to promote the service, as well as coordinated communications across the healthcare system. Action is also being taken to increase referrals into Pharmacy First, with targeted engagement with integrated care boards, general practice stakeholders, and the community pharmacy sector to encourage and improve the referral pathways to support better access for patients.

For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. There is also additional funding available for pharmacies delivering Pharmacy First consultations and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the readiness of the West Midlands Combined Authority to assume policing governance responsibilities from the Police and Crime Commissioner; and what estimate she has made of the (a) costs of that transfer and (b) projected long-term annual savings from the merger.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government has committed in its English Devolution White Paper to transfer policing functions to Mayors of Strategic Authorities wherever boundaries of the mayoral and policing areas align, by default. Subject to Royal Assent to provisions in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, it is anticipated that the transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner functions to the Mayor of West Midlands would happen by May 2028; the end of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s term of office and at the next election for the Mayor.

There are no costs to the Home Office in transferring PCC functions to the Mayor of an existing Mayoral Combined Authority. As has previously been the case for transfer of policing functions to mayors, the cost of local implementation will be expected to be met locally.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for transferring Police and Crime Commissioner functions to the Mayor of the West Midlands.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government has committed in its English Devolution White Paper to transfer policing functions to Mayors of Strategic Authorities wherever boundaries of the mayoral and policing areas align, by default. Subject to Royal Assent to provisions in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, it is anticipated that the transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner functions to the Mayor of West Midlands would happen by May 2028; the end of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s term of office and at the next election for the Mayor.

There are no costs to the Home Office in transferring PCC functions to the Mayor of an existing Mayoral Combined Authority. As has previously been the case for transfer of policing functions to mayors, the cost of local implementation will be expected to be met locally.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that nutrition objectives are systematically integrated within women and girls’ programmes.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 November to Question 89032.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support global reform of multilateral health organisations referred to in Written Statement HCWS1043, made on 11 November 2025, including improving coordination between Gavi, the Global Fund and other global health institutions.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is working with partners to drive reform of the multilateral system in line with the Lusaka Agenda, supporting countries to move along the path to self-sufficiency.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) support the work that the Global Fund and Gavi leadership are undertaking to drive greater impact, efficiencies and effectiveness at country level and to explore more structural options for collaboration in future.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of waiting times for children’s mental health services in the West Midlands; and what steps he is taking to reduce delays.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We know that too many children and young people are waiting too long for mental health support, and through our Plan for Change, we’re determined to give children and young people the best start in life, including in the West Midlands.

The Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services. This expansion will ensure that up to 900,000 more children and young people will have access to support from trained education mental health practitioners in 2025/26.

More widely, we are rolling out Young Futures Hubs. The Government’s first 50 Young Futures Hubs will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention. We will work to ensure that there is no wrong door for young people who need support with their mental health.

We have also committed to hiring 8,500 more mental health staff to reduce waiting times. Thus far, we have hired almost 7,000 extra mental health workers since July 2024.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the territorial expansion of Jamat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin across the Sahel on the group’s capacity to destabilise neighbouring states, disrupt regional supply lines, and undermine international security efforts in West Africa.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The continued terrorist fuel blockade is deeply concerning for Mali, and for the wider region, and we condemn its impact on civilians. The Foreign Secretary wrote to Foreign Minister Diop on 6 November, and the Minister for International Development and Africa spoke to him on 10 November, encouraging him to cooperate closely with all West African partners to address this shared challenge.

The UK works with Malian institutions and society to address fragility and support regional stability. Last year, we invested over £35 million in Mali through our regional overseas development assistance programmes. This year, we plan to spend £170 million in the Sahel region, to address the drivers of conflict and provide humanitarian support.

On 30 October, we advised British nationals to leave Mali urgently by commercial means. No British nationals have requested support during this period, but our consular assistance remains available around the clock, and we continue to update Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Travel Advice as necessary.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Russian mercenary groups operating in Mali on efforts to counter Islamist insurgencies; and what potential implications this has for the UK’s wider strategy towards countering Russian influence operations on the African continent.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The continued terrorist fuel blockade is deeply concerning for Mali, and for the wider region, and we condemn its impact on civilians. The Foreign Secretary wrote to Foreign Minister Diop on 6 November, and the Minister for International Development and Africa spoke to him on 10 November, encouraging him to cooperate closely with all West African partners to address this shared challenge.

The UK works with Malian institutions and society to address fragility and support regional stability. Last year, we invested over £35 million in Mali through our regional overseas development assistance programmes. This year, we plan to spend £170 million in the Sahel region, to address the drivers of conflict and provide humanitarian support.

On 30 October, we advised British nationals to leave Mali urgently by commercial means. No British nationals have requested support during this period, but our consular assistance remains available around the clock, and we continue to update Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Travel Advice as necessary.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the security situation in Mali following reports of Jamat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin encircling Bamako and imposing a fuel blockade; and what steps she is taking to ensure the safety and departure of British nationals to leave the country.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The continued terrorist fuel blockade is deeply concerning for Mali, and for the wider region, and we condemn its impact on civilians. The Foreign Secretary wrote to Foreign Minister Diop on 6 November, and the Minister for International Development and Africa spoke to him on 10 November, encouraging him to cooperate closely with all West African partners to address this shared challenge.

The UK works with Malian institutions and society to address fragility and support regional stability. Last year, we invested over £35 million in Mali through our regional overseas development assistance programmes. This year, we plan to spend £170 million in the Sahel region, to address the drivers of conflict and provide humanitarian support.

On 30 October, we advised British nationals to leave Mali urgently by commercial means. No British nationals have requested support during this period, but our consular assistance remains available around the clock, and we continue to update Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Travel Advice as necessary.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending the blockade affecting Mali to other essential goods on civilian populations; and whether the Government is providing, or planning to provide, support to assist vulnerable communities in Mali and the surrounding region.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The continued terrorist fuel blockade is deeply concerning for Mali, and for the wider region, and we condemn its impact on civilians. The Foreign Secretary wrote to Foreign Minister Diop on 6 November, and the Minister for International Development and Africa spoke to him on 10 November, encouraging him to cooperate closely with all West African partners to address this shared challenge.

The UK works with Malian institutions and society to address fragility and support regional stability. Last year, we invested over £35 million in Mali through our regional overseas development assistance programmes. This year, we plan to spend £170 million in the Sahel region, to address the drivers of conflict and provide humanitarian support.

On 30 October, we advised British nationals to leave Mali urgently by commercial means. No British nationals have requested support during this period, but our consular assistance remains available around the clock, and we continue to update Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Travel Advice as necessary.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of (a) modern-day slavery and (b) bonded labour in the brick kiln, agriculture and domestic service sectors in Pakistan.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies on Pakistan of the findings of the 2025 Global Slavery Index.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what programmes her Department (a) funds and (b) supports to help improve access to education for children working in bonded labour in Pakistan.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help reduce the use of bonded labour in Pakistan’s brick kiln industry.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has assessed trends in the level of child exploitation in Pakistan’s brick kiln sector.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Pakistani counterpart on tackling bonded labour and other forms of modern slavery.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of retail crime in the West Midlands; and what steps her Department is taking to support local police forces to help tackle (a) persistent and (b) organised shop theft.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level. There were 33,363 shoplifting offences recorded by West Midlands police in the year ending June 2025, a 28% increase on the previous year. Nationally shop theft increased by 13% on the previous year.

We are ensuring the right powers are in place. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We are also removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.

Additionally, we are providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.

Tackling retail crime requires a partnership approach between policing representatives and business. The previous Minister for Crime and Policing launched the ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy’, which was jointly developed by the police and industry and aims to provide a collaborative and evidence-based approach to preventing retail crime, including organised shop theft.

The Police Funding Settlement of £200 million will support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood personnel.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to review aid spending channels to ensure a greater proportion reaches frontline, locally-led development organisations.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the evidence provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to the inquiry by the International Development Committee into the FCDO's Approach to Value for Money in Official Development Assistance, published on 29 October, and available here: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/142772/default/.

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 improve outcome-based reporting across official development assistance programmes.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the evidence provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to the inquiry by the International Development Committee into the FCDO's Approach to Value for Money in Official Development Assistance, published on 29 October, and available here: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/142772/default/.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support local enforcement action against illegal off-road bikes and antisocial vehicle use in the West Midlands.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Tackling criminality and anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission to take back our streets.

Our Crime and Policing Bill will give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles used for anti-social behaviour including street racing, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing the vehicles.

The Government has also consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose in quicker time of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially and ridden without insurance or a driving licence.

Combined, these actions will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and illegally by sending a clear message to would be offenders and to communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

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 ensure that survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Sudan including in El Fasher have access to emergency assistance and long-term psychosocial and medical support.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary to the House on 18 November 2025.

As the Foreign Secretary said: "The UK has committed over £125 million this year alone, delivering lifesaving support to over 650,000 people - treating children with severe malnutrition, providing water and medicine, and supporting survivors of rape. [...] We are urgently pressing for a three-month humanitarian truce to open routes for lifesaving supplies...we desperately need a lasting ceasefire underpinned by a serious political process."

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will commission a review of long-term outsourcing contracts with private sector suppliers involved in UK aid delivery to make an assessment of the potential impact of those long-term contracts on (a) value for money and (b) long- term expertise in her Department.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the written evidence provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to the inquiry by the International Development Committee into the FCDO's Approach to Value for Money in Official Development Assistance, which can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/142772/default/

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of consular support provided to British nationals in Jamaica during and after Hurricane Melissa, including the evacuation flight operated on 2 November and the handling of over 700 consular enquiries.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The consular team at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides 24/7 assistance to British nationals and dealt with 850 consular enquiries related to Hurricane Melissa. The Register Your Presence portal was launched from the outset of the crisis to identify and contact British nationals in Jamaica, enabling us to provide targeted assistance.

The FCDO provided regularly updated information and advice to British nationals in Jamaica. Between 22 October and 2 November, the FCDO made 11 public updates to Jamaica's Travel Advice related to Hurricane Melissa.

The evacuation flight which operated on 2 November carried 104 passengers. Commercial options were available shortly thereafter resulting in low demand for further HMG flights.

The Rapid Deployment Team were present at both Kingston and Montego Bay Airports every day when commercial airlines were running their own flights between Friday 31 October and Tuesday 4 November to assist British nationals travelling on commercial flights to the UK. During that time, roughly 2,150 passengers passed through Kingston and 2,274 through Montego Bay on TUI and Virgin flights bound for the UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help prevent industrial action in the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In May, we accepted the independent pay review bodies’ headline pay recommendations, giving doctors and Agenda for Change staff, including nurses, an above inflation pay rise for the second year in a row.

As well as awarding resident doctors in England a pay rise of 28.9% over the last three years, we have listened to their concerns about the state of their training and employment for resident doctors and made proposals to tackle this. We have been clear that we cannot go further on pay but we remain committed to finding a way to end their dispute.

We continue to work in partnership with stakeholders, including trade unions and employers, to implement a suite of non-pay measures to improve working conditions such as tackling violence against National Health Service staff, improving career progression for nurses, and improving the process for exception reporting for resident doctors.

Our 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will deliver change by making sure that staff are better treated, have better training, and more fulfilling roles.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) 25% of British International Investment’s new investments support gender equality and (b) 30% are directed to climate finance.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Future capital funding for British International Investment (BII) will be determined as part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's (FCDO) resource allocation process, ensuring that the ODA budget delivers against the full range of FCDO development priorities. The FCDO holds BII to account for delivery of its strategy through detailed governance arrangements, including quarterly and annual shareholder meetings.

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 ensure that future capital funding for British International Investment does not adversely impact other areas of the Official Development Assistance budget.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Future capital funding for British International Investment (BII) will be determined as part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's (FCDO) resource allocation process, ensuring that the ODA budget delivers against the full range of FCDO development priorities. The FCDO holds BII to account for delivery of its strategy through detailed governance arrangements, including quarterly and annual shareholder meetings.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the how timetable integration on the Sutton Park line could support the restoration of passenger services at Aldridge Station.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is aware that the West Midlands Rail Executive are at an early stage of undertaking a study to potentially introduce passenger services on the Sutton Park Line, including at Aldridge. This will include how such services would need to integrate with the existing timetable.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to accelerate brownfield regeneration in the West Midlands; and what support is available to local authorities to bring derelict land back into use.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that substantial weight should be given to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements, including the development of under-utilised land and buildings to meet the need for homes and other uses.

Through the revisions made to the NPPF on 12 December 2024 we broadened the definition of brownfield land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved, and made clear that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas.

On 22 September 2024, the government published a ‘brownfield passport’ working paper inviting views on how we might further prioritise and fast-track building on previously used urban land. This included exploring the role of national policy in setting minimum density expectations for certain types of locations, to support intensification in the right places. Utilising the feedback provided, we intend to consult this year on a new suite of national policies for decision making that will give effect to these proposals.

On 18 June 2025, my Department announced £5 billion of new capital grant funding for infrastructure and land. This funding will be administered by the new National Housing Delivery Fund, through which councils will be able to secure funding for prospective projects, to contribute to the Government’s priority of delivering 1.5 million homes. Details of the funding made available to WMCA in 2025/26, via the Integrated Settlement, is available on gov.uk here. Details of the funding for 2026/27 onwards will be set out shortly.

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 solar farms on levels of food security.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Only 0.1% of land is used for solar, and half of the agricultural land generating solar power is still producing food. Solar farms are not a risk to food security and instead help play an important role in diversifying farm income and decarbonising our economy.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to page 15 of the six-monthly update on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, published on 23 October 2025, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure that China adheres to its international legal commitments.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government raises areas of concern with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on a regular basis at both official and ministerial level. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary did so in a phone call with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on 6 November.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of EU proposals for a €140 billion reparations loan backed by Russian state-owned assets; and whether she is considering a similar mechanism.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor is committed to exploring a reparations loan to enable the value of sanctioned Russian sovereign assets held in the UK to be directed to supporting Ukraine.

The government continues to work in partnership with international partners including the G7 and European Union to achieve this.

To date, the UK has provided £21.8bn in support for Ukraine. This includes the commitment to the provide £2.26bn as part of the $50bn Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Scheme for Ukraine, which utilised the extraordinary profits generated from immobilised Russian Sovereign Assets held in the EU.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the UK has raised for Ukraine through the use of proceeds from frozen Russian assets; and how this compares with contributions from the EU and G7 countries.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor is committed to exploring a reparations loan to enable the value of sanctioned Russian sovereign assets held in the UK to be directed to supporting Ukraine.

The government continues to work in partnership with international partners including the G7 and European Union to achieve this.

To date, the UK has provided £21.8bn in support for Ukraine. This includes the commitment to the provide £2.26bn as part of the $50bn Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Scheme for Ukraine, which utilised the extraordinary profits generated from immobilised Russian Sovereign Assets held in the EU.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she last met the farming sector to discuss the potential impact of changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief on farmers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra Ministers and officials regularly engage with the farming sector on a wide range of issues.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Oil Price Cap in limiting Russian energy revenues.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement on Ukraine made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 15 October, where she set out in detail the UK's approach on these issues. We will provide further updates to the House in due course.

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 ensure continued alignment between UK and key allies on sanctions against Russia, including in relation to defence procurement networks, Russia’s shadow fleet and sanctions evasion through third countries.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement on Ukraine made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 15 October, where she set out in detail the UK's approach on these issues. We will provide further updates to the House in due course.

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 prevent sanctions evasion by Russia through third countries, including through shadow fleet vessels and international financial networks.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement on Ukraine made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 15 October, where she set out in detail the UK's approach on these issues. We will provide further updates to the House in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for UK and EU sanctions policy on Russia of the October 2025 US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement on Ukraine made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 15 October, where she set out in detail the UK's approach on these issues. We will provide further updates to the House in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how sanctions against Russia applied under UK human rights, chemical weapons, cyber and hybrid threat regimes complement the UK’s broader Russia sanctions framework.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Extensive guidance on all aspects of the UK's sanctions regime against Russia can be found on GOV.UK at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-sanctions-on-russia.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made on social care reform.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is progressing towards a National Care Service with a vision that everyone, regardless of their needs, background, or where they live, should have the opportunity to lead healthy, independent, and fulfilling lives.

We have made recent progress on key reforms, laying the foundations to turn this vision into reality, underpinned with over £4 billion of additional funding made available for adult social care by 2028. This progress has been aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care, to:

- improve the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce by legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding and expanding career opportunities through the Care Workforce Pathway, and investing £12 million in learning, development, and new qualifications. We're also supporting the Care Quality Commission to recover and become a confident, credible force for improvement, supported by their local authority assessments that shine a light on local authority performance;

- strengthen the join-up between health and social care services, so that people experience more integrated and person-centred care, by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund. This will be underpinned by improved national data and digital infrastructure to ensure health and care staff can access real-time information to improve the safety and quality of care. For example, we have been driving the adoption of Digital Social Care Records (DSCR), with up to 89% of people drawing on care now benefiting from a DSCR; and

- enable people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments. We are also expanding care options to boost independent living at home through an additional £172 million for the Disabled Facilities Grant over two years, enabling approximately 15,600 extra home adaptations, and introducing care technology standards to help people choose the right support.

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 ensure British International Investment’s investments (a) are in addition to private sector finance and (b) reach low-income and marginalised groups.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As part of British International Investment's (BII's) Impact Framework, all transactions are assessed for their additionality, to ensure BII is not displacing the private sector. BII is also a leader amongst Development Finance Institutions in investing in the riskiest places with the highest development needs, making £880 million of new commitments in the poorest and most fragile countries in 2024 alone. Full details of BII's Impact Framework can be found on its website here: https://www.bii.co.uk/en/our-impact/

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with British International Investment on focusing on development impact in fragile and low-income countries.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As part of British International Investment's (BII's) Impact Framework, all transactions are assessed for their additionality, to ensure BII is not displacing the private sector. BII is also a leader amongst Development Finance Institutions in investing in the riskiest places with the highest development needs, making £880 million of new commitments in the poorest and most fragile countries in 2024 alone. Full details of BII's Impact Framework can be found on its website here: https://www.bii.co.uk/en/our-impact/

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s commitment to improve national flood forecasting, (a) what assessment she has made of the performance of the new flood warning system during Storm Claudia, (b) whether any delays or technical issues were recorded in the delivery of alerts to households, and (c) how the enhanced forecasting models developed by the Met Office and Environment Agency contributed to advance warning and local decision-making.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

During Storm Claudia, the Environment Agency (EA) sent more than 130 flood warnings and 270 flood alerts. These reached people through text (315,000 messages), email (350,000), and automated calls (225,000). The Floodline recorded information service also handled about 1,500 calls.

During Storm Claudia, there were 28 messages delayed by up to 1.5 hours because of a technical problem in the system’s infrastructure. This issue was quickly fixed. These anomalies aside, the system coped well with its first national incident, successfully delivering approximately 890,000 messages to the public.

Enhanced flood-forecasting models, jointly developed by the Met Office and the EA, enabled early identification of emerging risks. Using ensemble rainfall forecasts, the Environment Agency produced national-level flood outlooks that were shared with all Category 1 and 2 responders and emergency services three days ahead of the event (13 November) through the daily Flood Guidance Statement.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Flood Resilience Taskforce most recently met; what recommendations it has provided to Ministers since September regarding national readiness for severe weather events; and what assessment she has made of the Taskforce’s impact on improving cross-government coordination during Storm Claudia.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Floods Resilience Taskforce most recently met in September and held two meetings on the 8^th and 15^th. The Taskforce discussed actions by members to prepare for, respond to and recover from flooding during autumn and winter. This included improvements to national flood modelling and forecasting and communication of flood warnings.

Taskforce members including the Environment Agency, Defra and Natural Resources Wales were in contact throughout Storm Claudia principally through using their existing emergency response arrangements. Taskforce members work on improved national flood modelling helped preparations and response, and facilitated the deployment of the FloodRe Floodmobile demonstration unit, which showcases dozens of property flood resilience measures, to Monmouthshire, to support flood affected residents.

The Floods Resilience Taskforce will next meet on 18 December and will discuss learning and recommendations from Storm Claudia.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government’s commitment to invest £10.5 billion in flood defences by 2036, (a) how much has been allocated to each English region to date, (b) how many of the 151 completed schemes were operational during Storm Claudia, and (c) what assessment she has made of the effect of reprioritising £108 million towards maintenance on improving the condition and reliability of existing assets.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government will invest at least £10.5 billion into our flood defences between April 2024 and March 2036 better protecting nearly 900,000 properties.

1. Having benefitted from over £745 million of capital funding in 2024/25, flood defence schemes have received an indicative allocation of over £659 million for 2025/26.
2. Some of the 151 completed flood and coastal schemes are always operational, including during Storm Claudia, due to their fixed presence. Many areas benefitted from these, often combined with other scheme or defences. Whilst it is not possible to identify them individually, all Environment Agency assets operated as expected.
3. This Investment is ensuring that 92.9% of Environment Agency-maintained flood defence assets in high consequence systems (those that protect a large number of properties) were at required condition in October 2025. This is an increase of 0.8% since Q2 in 2024.

The investment will also reduce deterioration and target repairs to assets, benefitting an additional 14,500 properties in England.

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 prolonged industrial disputes in local waste services on recycling rates and environmental health in affected communities.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has not made an assessment of the potential impact of prolonged industrial disputes in local waste services on recycling rates and environmental health in affected.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has undertaken a risk review of the contractual arrangements underpinning the use of agency workers in local authority waste services, and whether such arrangements create vulnerabilities in service continuity during disputes.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management and organisation of their own workforces, including the decision to use agency workers to fill vacancies and the accompanying contractual arrangements.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of (a) the expected financial impact on household budgets of assuming full take-up of council tax referendum flexibilities when calculating transitional protections, (b) the number of local authorities that have requested or are expected to request additional council tax flexibility beyond the core principles in light of ongoing financial pressures, (c) the criteria his Department will apply when assessing such requests, including the treatment of authorities already above average council tax levels, and (d) the implications of these assumptions for the overall distribution of Core Spending Power over the multi-year Settlement; and if he will publish the Department’s analysis of alternative scenarios in which councils do not fully utilise the 3 per cent core limit and 2 per cent adult social care precept.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

a) Council tax is managed by local authorities, which decide what level of council tax they wish to set. The government intends to maintain a core referendum threshold of 3%, and a 2% adult social care precept and will consult on the principles in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement. Any authority that wishes to set an increase above its threshold must seek the approval of voters in its area.

The government will continue the existing policy that any protection available through funding floors assumes local authorities use the full council tax flexibility available to them, which will be set out through the Referendums Relating to Council Tax Increases (Principles) Report at the provisional Settlement. Assuming full take up of council tax flexibility balances allocating funding to support authorities adjust to their new allocations and targeting funding to places with higher needs.

The government expects councils to consider all levers at their disposal to manage their financial position ahead of making requests for Council Tax flexibilities, which should be a last resort and will only be granted where levels are below average.

b) The Department expects that a small number of authorities may seek additional council tax flexibility in exceptional circumstances. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis, as has been the approach in previous years. No decisions have yet been taken on individual requests.

C) In assessing requests for additional flexibility, the government will consider evidence of significant financial difficulty and whether additional increases are critical to managing financial risk. Requests will not be granted where council tax levels are already above the national average. Taxpayers will remain at the forefront of Ministers’ considerations.

d) We will publish multi-year local authority allocations, including funding for transition and year-on-year Core Spending Power changes, at the upcoming provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this month.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Unite the Union, (b) Job & Talent and (c) Birmingham City Council following the ballot result confirming that agency refuse workers will join official strike action from 1 December 2025.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Further disruption to Birmingham’s waste service is in no one’s interest, and we remain in close contact with Commissioners and the Council as we continue to monitor the situation. Birmingham City Council and their contracted agency are independent employers, and the ongoing disputes are local issues and rightly being dealt with by the relevant employers. As such, my department has not held discussions with either Unite or the Council’s contracted agency following a ballot on industrial action among some agency refuse workers. It is for the Council to consider and manage all aspects of any dispute, including the financial impact. The government’s priority is Birmingham’s residents, and we will continue to support the council to keep streets clean during any disputes.

A statutory intervention has been in place since October 2023, with Commissioners appointed to oversee and support the Council’s improvement journey. Commissioners continue to support the Council in their operational response to the ongoing dispute, and in developing much needed transformation plans for the waste service. They are experienced local government professionals, and they have powers relating to governance, finance and recruitment as laid out under the statutory directions. These powers can be used according to their expert judgment and discretion. Commissioners provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State, and my department engages regularly with Councils under intervention. On 1 December my department published the Commissioners’ third report, together with my response, and updated the House via a written ministerial statement.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the potential financial cost to Birmingham City Council of agency refuse workers joining official industrial action from 1 December; and what assessment he has made of the impact on the council’s recovery plan.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Further disruption to Birmingham’s waste service is in no one’s interest, and we remain in close contact with Commissioners and the Council as we continue to monitor the situation. Birmingham City Council and their contracted agency are independent employers, and the ongoing disputes are local issues and rightly being dealt with by the relevant employers. As such, my department has not held discussions with either Unite or the Council’s contracted agency following a ballot on industrial action among some agency refuse workers. It is for the Council to consider and manage all aspects of any dispute, including the financial impact. The government’s priority is Birmingham’s residents, and we will continue to support the council to keep streets clean during any disputes.

A statutory intervention has been in place since October 2023, with Commissioners appointed to oversee and support the Council’s improvement journey. Commissioners continue to support the Council in their operational response to the ongoing dispute, and in developing much needed transformation plans for the waste service. They are experienced local government professionals, and they have powers relating to governance, finance and recruitment as laid out under the statutory directions. These powers can be used according to their expert judgment and discretion. Commissioners provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State, and my department engages regularly with Councils under intervention. On 1 December my department published the Commissioners’ third report, together with my response, and updated the House via a written ministerial statement.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Commissioners for Birmingham provided advice to the council on contingency arrangements ahead of the announcement that agency refuse workers will join the bin strike.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Further disruption to Birmingham’s waste service is in no one’s interest, and we remain in close contact with Commissioners and the Council as we continue to monitor the situation. Birmingham City Council and their contracted agency are independent employers, and the ongoing disputes are local issues and rightly being dealt with by the relevant employers. As such, my department has not held discussions with either Unite or the Council’s contracted agency following a ballot on industrial action among some agency refuse workers. It is for the Council to consider and manage all aspects of any dispute, including the financial impact. The government’s priority is Birmingham’s residents, and we will continue to support the council to keep streets clean during any disputes.

A statutory intervention has been in place since October 2023, with Commissioners appointed to oversee and support the Council’s improvement journey. Commissioners continue to support the Council in their operational response to the ongoing dispute, and in developing much needed transformation plans for the waste service. They are experienced local government professionals, and they have powers relating to governance, finance and recruitment as laid out under the statutory directions. These powers can be used according to their expert judgment and discretion. Commissioners provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State, and my department engages regularly with Councils under intervention. On 1 December my department published the Commissioners’ third report, together with my response, and updated the House via a written ministerial statement.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Commissioners appointed to Birmingham have been granted additional powers to intervene in operational waste decisions during periods of industrial action.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Further disruption to Birmingham’s waste service is in no one’s interest, and we remain in close contact with Commissioners and the Council as we continue to monitor the situation. Birmingham City Council and their contracted agency are independent employers, and the ongoing disputes are local issues and rightly being dealt with by the relevant employers. As such, my department has not held discussions with either Unite or the Council’s contracted agency following a ballot on industrial action among some agency refuse workers. It is for the Council to consider and manage all aspects of any dispute, including the financial impact. The government’s priority is Birmingham’s residents, and we will continue to support the council to keep streets clean during any disputes.

A statutory intervention has been in place since October 2023, with Commissioners appointed to oversee and support the Council’s improvement journey. Commissioners continue to support the Council in their operational response to the ongoing dispute, and in developing much needed transformation plans for the waste service. They are experienced local government professionals, and they have powers relating to governance, finance and recruitment as laid out under the statutory directions. These powers can be used according to their expert judgment and discretion. Commissioners provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State, and my department engages regularly with Councils under intervention. On 1 December my department published the Commissioners’ third report, together with my response, and updated the House via a written ministerial statement.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for service continuity of agency refuse workers voting to join official industrial action in Birmingham from 1 December 2025; and what steps his Department is taking to support the maintenance of essential waste collection services.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Further disruption to Birmingham’s waste service is in no one’s interest, and we remain in close contact with Commissioners and the Council as we continue to monitor the situation. Birmingham City Council and their contracted agency are independent employers, and the ongoing disputes are local issues and rightly being dealt with by the relevant employers. As such, my department has not held discussions with either Unite or the Council’s contracted agency following a ballot on industrial action among some agency refuse workers. It is for the Council to consider and manage all aspects of any dispute, including the financial impact. The government’s priority is Birmingham’s residents, and we will continue to support the council to keep streets clean during any disputes.

A statutory intervention has been in place since October 2023, with Commissioners appointed to oversee and support the Council’s improvement journey. Commissioners continue to support the Council in their operational response to the ongoing dispute, and in developing much needed transformation plans for the waste service. They are experienced local government professionals, and they have powers relating to governance, finance and recruitment as laid out under the statutory directions. These powers can be used according to their expert judgment and discretion. Commissioners provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State, and my department engages regularly with Councils under intervention. On 1 December my department published the Commissioners’ third report, together with my response, and updated the House via a written ministerial statement.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish an authority-level assessment of the 2026 business rates retention reset, including (a) the financial implications of increasing the Safety Net to 100 per cent of Baseline Funding Levels before tapering back to existing levels, (b) the effect of the redesigned levy rate on local authorities with differing growth profiles, (c) the modelling behind the proposed approach to tax policy changes affecting specific property cohorts, and (d) the expected timetable for consulting Mayoral Strategic Authorities on the proposed new offer granting them a direct share of business rates growth to support Local Growth Plans.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities’ new allocations, accounting for the impact of the Reset, will be published at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement in December. The government has recently published plans for delivering the 2026 Reset: Resetting the business rates retention system from 1 April 2026.

As this sets out, raising the safety net will provide increased certainty when authorities’ budget for business rates next year. Protections will be scaled back gradually to smoothly transition back to the standard levels of protection that the system has provided since 2013-14. To ensure safety net protections are affordable, a newly designed levy will continue to be applied to business rates growth, now applying to all local authorities proportionally as new growth builds. Again, as we have set out, the outcome of the 2026 business rates revaluation will be incorporated into the remeasurement business rates each local authority expects to collect from 1 April 2026.

As confirmed in the Budget, the government will work with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to co-develop a new offer, starting in the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities that will (a) require 100 per cent income protection, (b) receive real-terms protection, and (c) fall within the 95 per cent funding floor due to being assessed as significantly above their Fair Funding Allocation; and whether he will publish (i) the assumptions used to determine the 2025–26 income baseline, including the treatment of locally retained business rates growth since 2013–14, (ii) the modelling used to calculate the cumulative impact of phasing in new allocations in thirds over the three-year Settlement, and (iii) the projected year-by-year funding changes for each authority once transitional protections, council tax flexibility assumptions, and business rates reset adjustments have been applied.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We expect the vast majority of local authorities with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement, and most other authorities will see their income increase in cash terms.

We will support local authorities to manage their updated funding positions through a package of transitional arrangements. We will introduce changes over the multi-year Settlement and protect councils’ income, including locally retained business rates growth, through a range of funding floor levels appropriate to specific groups of authorities’ circumstances.

Further details on the proposed operation of these transitional arrangements, including the detail of the income baseline, is set out in the local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29. Plans for delivering the business rates retention reset were also published alongside the policy statement. This sets out a full method of how current business rates income will be measured for the 2025-26 income baseline.

We will publish multi-year local authority allocations, including funding for transition and year-on-year Core Spending Power changes, at the upcoming provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this month.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she intends to issue updated guidance to local councils on maintaining minimum service levels in waste operations during periods of industrial disruption.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra does not plan to update guidance to local councils on prioritising services in periods of disruption in waste operations. Defra’s current guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-collection-services-guidance-for-local-authorities/waste-collection-services-guidance-for-local-authorities.

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 environmental impact of prolonged interruptions to refuse collection in Birmingham, including consequences for air quality, pest control, and neighbourhood cleanliness.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has not made an assessment of the potential impact of prolonged interruptions to refuse collection in Birmingham. The ongoing waste dispute is a local issue and rightly being dealt with by Birmingham City Council. Commissioners appointed by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government continue to support the Council in their recovery and improvement journey and provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish an assessment of the cumulative impact on the protection of Green Belt land of reducing the number of planning applications requiring advice from statutory consultees such as National Highways and Active Travel England; and what steps he will take to ensure that streamlining does not reduce the scrutiny of infrastructure, transport, or environmental pressures in constituencies such as Aldridge-Brownhills.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 17 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation closes on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

A consultation will also be carried out in due course seeking views on plans to amend and expand the 2024 Consultation Direction currently in force.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the risk that the combination of expanded intervention powers and reduced statutory consultee involvement may incentivise speculative applications in small Green Belt communities such as Aldridge-Brownhills; and whether he will consider bespoke protections for such areas in the forthcoming revised National Planning Policy Framework.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 17 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation closes on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

A consultation will also be carried out in due course seeking views on plans to amend and expand the 2024 Consultation Direction currently in force.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his written statement of 20 November 2025 on a more active use of ministerial call-in and recovery powers, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of these changes on local authorities with significant areas of Green Belt, including Walsall Council; and whether he will publish guidance confirming that the protection of Green Belt land in constituencies such as Aldridge-Brownhills will be treated as a material consideration of substantial weight in any called-in decision.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Written Ministerial Statement of 2012 sets out the circumstances in which the Secretary of State will use his powers to intervene.

All called in planning applications and appeals will continue to be considered against adopted local plans, in line with s38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, taking into account material planning considerations, which may include emerging Local Plans.

Proposals to determine the appropriate procedure for called-in applications would be introduced by commencing existing provisions in the Planning Act 2008.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his proposal to determine certain called-in applications by written representations rather than inquiry, what assessment he has made of the implications for the level of scrutiny applied to large or complex applications on Green Belt land; and if he will issue criteria ensuring that proposals with significant Green Belt or environmental impacts will continue to receive a full inquiry where appropriate.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Written Ministerial Statement of 2012 sets out the circumstances in which the Secretary of State will use his powers to intervene.

All called in planning applications and appeals will continue to be considered against adopted local plans, in line with s38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, taking into account material planning considerations, which may include emerging Local Plans.

Proposals to determine the appropriate procedure for called-in applications would be introduced by commencing existing provisions in the Planning Act 2008.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he will take to ensure that the expanded use of intervention and call-in powers does not weaken legitimate local democratic oversight of planning decisions, particularly in Green Belt-heavy areas such as Aldridge-Brownhills; and whether he will confirm that any called-in application will be assessed with full regard to adopted and emerging Local Plans.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Written Ministerial Statement of 2012 sets out the circumstances in which the Secretary of State will use his powers to intervene.

All called in planning applications and appeals will continue to be considered against adopted local plans, in line with s38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, taking into account material planning considerations, which may include emerging Local Plans.

Proposals to determine the appropriate procedure for called-in applications would be introduced by commencing existing provisions in the Planning Act 2008.