Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the hospitality sector in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the importance of pubs and the wider hospitality sector, including in Newcastle-under-Lyme and across Staffordshire. We continue to support these vital local businesses through a range of measures designed to ease cost pressures and strengthen communities.
The government has also introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years to protect ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. We’ve introduced permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a ratable value under £500,000, worth nearly £900 million annually, benefitting over 750,000 properties. The new relief rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap so all qualifying properties will benefit.
The Chancellor announced a new National Licensing Policy Framework as part of her budget. This sets out a vision for a proportionate licensing system that supports good businesses while continuing to tackle bad operators.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to support veterans families in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is committed to ensuring that veterans and their families are easily able to access support in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire and across the country, when and where it is needed. Late last year we launched a new Veterans Strategy which recognises veterans as a national asset and resets the nation’s relationship with those who have served.
Alongside this, we launched the £50 million VALOUR programme, which will make it easier for veterans to access the care and support they deserve, and we confirmed £12 million for the continuation of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness Programme.
In addition, dedicated supported is available to veterans through Ops FORTITUDE, COURAGE, RESTORE, ASCEND and NOVA as well as through programmes such as the Career Transition Partnership.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of a rail connection to Belfast International Airport on economic growth across the United Kingdom.
Answered by Matthew Patrick - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
Belfast International Airport is vital not just for Northern Ireland’s connectivity but for economic growth across the whole of the UK.
While civil aviation is a reserved matter, the development of airports in Northern Ireland, and the surface transport serving them, is devolved. It is therefore for the Northern Ireland Executive to determine their infrastructure investment priorities, including any potential rail connection, within the record funding settlement for Northern Ireland announced by the Chancellor at the spending review.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential merits of a train connection to Belfast International Airport.
Answered by Matthew Patrick - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
The Government recognises that connectivity is vital for supporting economic growth and opportunity across the United Kingdom.
I note that the Northern Ireland Executive recently received the findings from the Translink feasibility study into the reopening of the Antrim-Lisburn line, which includes options for a connection to Belfast International Airport.
The Executive also recently received the final report of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, which considers this project a priority. As transport is a devolved matter, it is for the Executive to determine their infrastructure investment priorities based on these findings and to allocate funding from the record financial settlement of £19.3 billion for 2025-26.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that children and young people in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, b) Staffordshire and c) England learn about farming, agriculture and food at school.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Food education is covered primarily within Design and Technology, and elements of food education, farming and agriculture can also be covered across Biology, Geography and RSHE in the national curriculum.
The curriculum requires that pupils learn about healthy eating, where food comes from, nutrition and sustainability. Schools also have flexibility within the broad framework of the national curriculum to tailor curriculum subjects to meet the needs of their pupils.
Additional resources are available from Oak National Academy, who have recently developed a new cooking and nutrition curriculum package. This has been designed by experts to give access to practical, engaging lessons covering food preparation, cooking techniques, and healthy eating.
In the recent response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department set out that it will be ensuring that the programmes of study for cooking and nutrition, which will be renamed food and nutrition, are more specific and prepare pupils for life and potential future careers in the food sector.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that young people from a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire are able to see the Bayeux Tapestry.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Bayeux Tapestry will be on display at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027. The British Museum, which is operationally independent of the government, is eager to enable access to the exhibition for as many schoolchildren as possible, and as such is planning dedicated weekly entry slots for school visits. The Museum is also working closely with other organisations commemorating the millennium of the birth of William the Conqueror in 2027, including developing special resources for teachers and activities across the UK.
Entrance will be free for schoolchildren and for under 16s, as it is to all of the British Museum’s exhibitions. The Museum will also offer concessionary tickets for other relevant groups, including students, disabled visitors, seniors (over 60s), and jobseekers.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of library provision in schools in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme, to the answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 81502.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 Myanmar.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's security assessment for Myanmar is kept up-to-date on the FCDO Travel Advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/myanmar/safety-and-security.
On the economic side, poverty rates, food insecurity and forced labour in the country remain significant concerns. Advice to UK business operating in Myanmar can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the potential impact of the death of Begum Khaleda Zia on the a) security, b) political and c) economic situation in Bangladesh.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No such assessment is considered necessary at this time, but our condolences go to the friends and family of the late Khaleda Zia, and to the millions in Bangladesh who are mourning the loss of the country's first female Prime Minister.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 economic situation in Myanmar.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's security assessment for Myanmar is kept up-to-date on the FCDO Travel Advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/myanmar/safety-and-security.
On the economic side, poverty rates, food insecurity and forced labour in the country remain significant concerns. Advice to UK business operating in Myanmar can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma.