Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) monitoring and (b) removal of litter and detritus from the junctions, embankments, central reservations, verges and hard shoulders along (i) the M60 and (ii) the M67 in Greater Manchester.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

National Highways undertakes weekly safety inspections on the M60 and M67, litter is identified and reported on in accordance with the Defra Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse.

National Highways programme of cyclic maintenance involves litter collections on the M60 and the M67 annually. In addition to those routine litter picks, National Highways will arrange for reactive litter picking where any section of the Strategic Road Network has been identified as reaching Grade C or D according to the Code. In these cases, litter picking is carried out within 28 and 7 days respectively, depending on the grading recorded and any road space or traffic management constraints.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the hon. Member for Gorton and Denton of 13 November 2024, what recent estimate she has made of when the memorandum of understanding between her Department and Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council will be signed in respect of the levelling-up funding for Denton.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is working closely with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council to allow progress all parts of the Destination Denton scheme that can be delivered and funding drawn down by March 2026. Funding after 2025/26 is subject to the outcome of the Spending Review, due to conclude in Spring.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the capacity constraints on the railway lines between Stockport and Slade Lane in Greater Manchester.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail has advised Manchester Task Force of the capacity constraints between Piccadilly and Stockport including Slade Lane and Heaton Norris Junctions. I expect to receive further advice on next steps shortly.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the capacity constraints on Heaton Norris junction in Greater Manchester.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail has advised Manchester Task Force of the capacity constraints between Piccadilly and Stockport including Slade Lane and Heaton Norris Junctions. I expect to receive further advice on next steps shortly.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the Alawites in Syria.

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

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has consistently advocated for an inclusive political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, both publicly and as part of our engagement with international partners and the interim Syrian authorities. Over the past week, the Foreign Secretary has discussed developments in Syria with French Foreign Minister Barrot (9 March) and Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan (10 March), and the UK Special Representative for Syria has spoken directly to affected Alawite communities.

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 level of (a) security and (b) welfare of the Alawite population in Syria.

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

The events in Syria at the start of March were deeply concerning, and reports that large numbers of civilians have been killed are horrific. We continue to work to establish from reliable sources of information what exactly happened and who was responsible. We welcome the interim authorities' announcement of the establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed crimes during the clashes. Following the Foreign Secretary's public statement on 9 March, I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10 March that the interim authorities have a responsibility to ensure the protection of all Syrian civilians and to make progress towards an inclusive political transition. We will judge them by their actions.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) refugee and (b) other aid agencies on the Alawites in Syria.

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

We are in regular discussion with our UN and NGO partners, as well as with other international partners, to get a fuller understanding of the impact of recent violence in coastal areas on Alawites and other communities living there, and to assess needs and responses. We continue to support humanitarian organisations to provide aid across Syria. The White Helmets, supported by UK funding, are responding in coastal areas by providing lifesaving medical services, responding to fires in civilian facilities, providing clean drinking water, and recovering bodies.

Ban trophy hunting imports

Found: Letter from Andrew Gwynne MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention

Found: Letter to Andrew Gwynne MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention at

Found: Letter to Andrew Gwynne MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention at

Found: Answered by Andrew Gwynne, Department of Health and Social Care, 13 January 2025.