Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help increase regional economic growth.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government is committed to ensuring that growth is felt in every region of the UK, and the Chancellor named regional growth as one of her three main economic focuses in her recent Mais lecture.
At the Budget and Spending Review, we committed to £725 billion of economic and social infrastructure investment across the country over the next decade. We have also published a new Green Book to ensure all parts of the country get a fair hearing on public spending decisions.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government will take to ensure that the sale of properties acquired by HS2 minimises disruption to existing tenancies and safeguards the housing of current tenants.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We recognise the concern regarding disruption to existing tenants due to the sale of HS2 properties that are no longer required. We are committed to ensuring that sales are delivered in a sensible and sensitive way. We will provide updates to tenants as the programme develops and, wherever possible, properties will be sold where tenancies have run to the end of their term.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the government plans to include representatives of families with a child harmed by maternity or neonatal negligence, and a representative of women harmed by maternity or neonatal negligence, on the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Family voices are at the heart of our work to improve maternity and neonatal care.
There are four family representatives on the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, many of whom have experienced bereavement in maternity and neonatal services. To hear a wider breath of family voices, the taskforce will be supported by three family Expert Reference Groups. These will comprise of people who have lived experience of maternity and neonatal care, particularly, but not exclusively, those families and mothers who have experienced harm or bereavement.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will will consider exempting PhD students from the International Student Levy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We are engaging with the higher education sector to shape the design of the International Student Levy (ISL) to make delivery as easy as possible for providers. A technical consultation on the delivery of the ISL was open for responses until 18 February 2026. The government will publish its response in Summer 2026.
We have listened to concerns raised by the sector. The levy will not be introduced until 2028/29 to give providers time to plan for its introduction. Providers will also pay the ISL one year in arrears, to help with their financial planning and will also be given an allowance for the first 220 international students per year. This is to mitigate the ISL having a disproportionate impact on smaller providers, particularly those operating specialist and resource intensive models with limited other means of cross-subsidisation.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for clean energy projects in Wales.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
This Government is backing Wales to lead the UK’s clean energy mission.
Our recent Contracts for Difference scheme successfully secured contracts for Wales’ first floating windfarm Erebus, the Awel-y-Mor offshore windfarm in North Wales, and 20 onshore wind, tidal stream and solar projects.
As well as our investment to deliver SMRs at Wylfa, these projects will deliver thousands of good, green jobs across every part of Wales, drive economic growth and bring down bills.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) organisations delivering commercial flooring apprenticeships and (b) other independent specialist training providers can access funding and opportunities at parity with large further education colleges delivering for trades.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The funding band of each apprenticeship standard sets out the maximum amount that the government will contribute to the costs of apprenticeship training and assessment. This is irrespective of the type or size of funding provider.
New training providers can enter the apprenticeship training market under one of the three entry routes in place: where there is a legitimate gap in provision that is generated by unmet employer demand, where a levy paying employer wants to become an employer-provider to train its own workforce, or where the provider is in an area we want to grow or where we identify a capacity issue.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
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 help expand the pipeline of qualified floor layers to deliver (a) public housing, (b) hospitals, (c) schools and (d) other infrastructure projects.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government is investing £625 million in construction skills over this Parliament. This includes Foundation Apprenticeships, expanded Skills Bootcamps, and the launch of Construction Technical Excellence Colleges. These measures aim to deliver up to 60,000 additional skilled workers and support employers to invest in training.
The industry-led Construction Skills Mission Board is working to create construction job opportunities to meet the government's announced 159 infrastructure and built environment (1.5 million homes and retrofitting 5 million existing homes) commitments.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the assessment of the value for money of Government funding for universities.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has commissioned the Institute for Fiscal Studies to update their 2020 research report on the impact of undergraduate degrees on lifetime earnings, and this will be published in early 2026.
The 2020 research suggests that higher education (HE) yields a positive financial return to both the graduate and the exchequer for the majority of graduates over their lifetime. Previous graduates are estimated to be over £100,000 better off on average in real terms by going to university after taxes, student loan repayments and foregone earnings are considered.
Whilst the department recognises not all HE qualifications are associated with high salaries, we want all HE providers to equip their students with the skills they need to progress to good jobs they find rewarding.
The government will continue to work with the Office for Students, empowering it to hold HE providers to account for the quality of students’ experiences and the outcomes they achieve.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed higher multiplier for business rates on (a) The Underworld, (b) Soul Mama and (c) other grassroots music venues with a rateable value of over £500,000.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000, including grassroots music venues, from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure they benefit from much-needed certainty and support. The Government is sustainably funding this by introducing a higher multiplier on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above.
The final design, including the rates, for the new business rates multipliers will be announced at Budget 2025, so that the Government can factor the revaluation outcomes, as well as the broader economic and fiscal context into decision-making. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
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 ill health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The 10 Year Health Plan announced ambitious measures to prevent ill health by making the healthy choice the easy choice. This includes a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic through mandatory healthy food sales reporting and introducing business targets to increase the healthiness of sales in all communities. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will deliver a smoke-free UK by gradually ending the sale of tobacco products.