Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Soft Power Council at utilising UK science and technology.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Soft Power Council is now operational but still in an early phase of developing its work. The Council includes several individuals with expertise spanning science, technology, education and research, in recognition of the importance of these themes to UK foreign policy impact. The Council's geographic working groups are considering how to harness the UK's strengths in science and technology. The contribution of these sectors will also be considered as part of development of the new Government strategy on soft power over the coming months.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking through the Commonwealth to support (a) UK soft power and (b) the soft power of Commonwealth partners.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our Commonwealth membership plays an important role in the projection of UK soft power. Shared history means the English language is spoken widely, we have strong cultural links and similar systems of rule of law and parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth Secretariat provides technical support that reinforces these links and our shared values. In addition to our core financial contributions to the Secretariat, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funds human rights advisers and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association International to strengthen human rights, parliamentary democracy and good governance. We will discuss with the new Secretary-General how to enhance the soft power impact of the Commonwealth.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 42597 on Packaging: Recycling, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the differential in weight between glass and plastic on glass producers.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme. This impact assessment included an estimate for pEPR fees per tonne of packaging material. This estimate did not split by packaging material type.
Defra officials have engaged with industry and technical experts, to ensure that the modelling of local authority costs accurately reflect the on the ground reality of waste management. This confirmed that packaging volumes, rather than weight, are accounted for when determining the costs of kerbside dry recycling collections. This is especially important for heavier materials such as glass which would see higher base fees under a weight-based apportionment of these costs. Illustrative base fees for the 8 material categories have now been published.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using UK microbiology expertise to build capacity in Ukraine for countering antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In February, the Defence Secretary announced that we would double our funding to £40 million for Project Renovator, which draws on the UK's leading defence medical expertise to expand Ukraine's military rehabilitation and medical services. Through a partnership with the Unbroken Rehabilitation Centre, Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust have launched an infection control programme which aims to strengthen capacity and capability of medical personnel in both the UK and Ukraine to manage the healthcare burden created by anti-microbial resistance.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with the West Midlands Combined Authority on increasing levels of Foreign Direct Investment in the West Midlands.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department have and continue to hold discussions on attracting private investment to the West Midlands and across the UK. We work with clients to understand their requirements and to reduce barriers which inform the client’s decision to locate in the region.
The West Midlands region continues to attract FDI across sectors to enhance economic growth and prosperity. My department, as announced, will include the new expanded Office for Investment which will lead the work on attracting investment into our cities and regions.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to the level of funding for official development assistance on the potential implementation of recommendations within the review of international development undertaken by Baroness Minouche Shafik.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The review recommendations are now being considered as part of the Foreign Secretary's wider work to reform the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), including how the FCDO approaches the reduction in the Official Development Assistance budget.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department had discussions with the West Midlands Combined Authority prior to the visit to China by the Mayor of the West Midlands.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department, with officials from FCDO, directly supported a number of Combined Authority leaders on this visit to China, which included the Mayor of the West Midlands. The programme focused on strengthening growth across regions to enhance investment and diplomatic relationships. Economic growth and investment remain a fundamental priority for this Government, and we will continue to support regional mayors and our nations to forge global relationships with investors and businesses to promote the UKs investment credentials.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of using the International Finance Facility for immunisation on delivering development projects.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We have committed £1.65 billion to the current strategic period covering 2021-2025, including £590 million through the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm). The UK is working to ensure a successful replenishment of Gavi's 2026-2030 programme through our diplomatic and development network. Following the difficult decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent by 2027 we are taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money and we are considering all financial instruments available. Announcements on individual investments will be made following the completion of the Spending Review process.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of using forecasts of Gross National Income to determine future levels of official development assistance on actual future levels of official development assistance.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) budgets from 2025/26 onwards are set in cash terms based on Gross National Income (GNI) forecasts. This change means that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's ODA budgets will no longer be exposed to the volatility of ODA spending by other departments, including asylum costs.
As the Minister of State for International Development set out in her 27 March letter to the International Development Committee, this is a significant and positive change to the way the FCDO manages its ODA budget, increasing the predictability of our budgets and allowing us to plan with more certainty.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on economic growth.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State, responsible Ministers and policy officials meet regularly with their counterparts in HM Treasury. This includes on discussions related to delivering the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation through the Employment Rights Bill. Our analysis shows the package could have “a positive but small direct impact on economic growth” and will “help to raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all.”
This represents the best estimate for the likely impacts given the current stage of policy development. We plan to refine our analysis as policy development continues, working closely with external experts, businesses and trade unions.