Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds have been enrolled on the new national Jobs Guarantee scheme in Birmingham.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee commenced in May and will be followed by national rollout from November 2026. The information requested is planned for future publication and will be made available in due course.
Birmingham and Solihull is one of six Phase One areas where support is being offered first. In Birmingham and Solihull, DWP has partnered with Catch-22 to deliver the Jobs Guarantee and referrals started in May. Long-term unemployed young people who are enrolled on the scheme will be provided six months of paid employment alongside wraparound support and training.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the National Highways agency on improving lorry parking facilities in the Midlands.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The department engages regularly with National Highways on improving lorry parking provision and driver welfare facilities across England, including in the Midlands.
Through the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Match Funding Grant Scheme and National Highways' Lorry Parking Facilities Improvements Scheme, 62 sites across the Midlands since 2022, have received funding to enhance parking capacity, strengthen security measures, and improve facilities for HGV drivers.
The National Highways Scheme remains open to eligible lorry parking operators to improve driver welfare facilities, site security and lorry parking capacity.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of parents eligible for the Free Childcare for Working Parents scheme have accessed the scheme in Sutton Coldfield constituency.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The latest January 2026 statistics on funded early education and childcare were published on 2 July and can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare/2026.
These statistics show an estimated 85% of eligible children aged 9 months to 4 years were registered for the working parent entitlement. However, as stated on the methodology page, it is not possible to calculate sub-national estimates for this measure due to data/sample size limitations.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions Home Office officials have had with West Midlands Police regarding increased anti social behaviour during school holidays.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s police reforms will protect and strengthen neighbourhood policing by freeing local forces, including West Midlands Police, from national responsibilities so they can focus on issues that matter most locally, like anti-social behaviour (ASB). Every police force in England and Wales now has an ASB lead in place who will work with communities, stakeholders and the general public to implement their individual ASB Action Plans, which were published at the start of April. Further information on the West Midlands Police ASB Action Plan can be found here: https://www.westmidlands.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/antisocial-behaviour-action-plan/
Through the Crime and Policing Act, we are making our streets and neighbourhoods safer by strengthening the powers available to the police and other agencies to tackle ASB. Our new Respect Orders will give local agencies stronger enforcement capability to tackle the most relentless adult ASB offenders.
We are also strengthening the powers available to the police and other local agencies by increasing the upper limit for fixed penalty notices for breaches of CPNs and PSPOs from £100 to £500, increasing the time a dispersal direction can be implemented for from 48 to 72 hours and giving registered social housing providers the power to issue closure notices, amongst others.
Home Office officials have had no specific discussions with West Midlands Police about increased ASB during school holidays.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of mobile signal coverage gaps in the West Midlands.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Ofcom is responsible for reporting on mobile network coverage across the UK through their Connected Nations Reports and Map Your Mobile tool. Utilising the Connected Nations data, trends in how coverage has evolved over time can be determined.
As of January 2026, by aggregating the coverage in the 30 local and unitary authorities in the West Midlands region, 93.6% of the West Midlands has 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile operators (as defined by Ofcom), while standalone 5G is available outside of 93.2% of premises from at least one operator. This is means 4G coverage increased from 92.9% in July 2025, and standalone 5G coverage rose quite substantially from 80.5% over the same period.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate he has made of the number of households in fuel poverty in the Birmingham City Council area.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The latest sub-regional fuel poverty data were published in May 2026, these estimated the level of fuel poverty in 2024, under the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric. The Birmingham Local Authority had an estimated fuel poverty rate of 13.8% (60,832 households) in 2024, which is higher than the overall fuel poverty rate in England of 9.9%.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support AI development in the West Midlands.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government recognises that artificial intelligence is one of the most significant opportunities of our time, and we are determined to ensure that its benefits are felt in every part of the country, including the West Midlands.
In January 2025, the Government set out an ambitious plan for the UK to lead in shaping the AI revolution, transforming outcomes for people, public services and the economy.
One year on, that plan is delivering. We have met 38 of the AI Action Plan’s 50 commitments, enabling faster AI adoption, tangible progress across public services and the foundations for economic growth.
We are also providing free AI training for all and will provide 10 million workers with essential AI skills by 2030, with the aim to make the UK the fastest adopting AI country in the G7. Through these initiatives and others, we will drive economic opportunity and support workers to adapt and thrive in workplaces across the UK, including communities in the West Midlands.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with Birmingham City Council on preventative maintenance regarding potholes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is the Council’s responsibility to manage its local highways including with respects to preventive maintenance and repairing potholes.
However, the Government is committed to working with the Council to achieve a smooth transition away from its PFI arrangements for its local highways. As part of this, the Department has engaged the Council on its future plans for maintaining its local highways.
More widely, the Department has published a new rating system for every highway authority in England, where they each receive a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they are spending to maintain it, and whether they do so using best practice, including by adopting more preventative maintenance. The ratings, which will be updated periodically, provide an incentive for councils to adopt more preventative maintenance, and enable the Department to provide targeted support to authorities to help them adopt best practice.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support biodiversity in Royal Sutton Coldfield.
Answered by Mary Creagh
This Government has supported the West Midlands Combined Authority to develop the West Midlands Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), which covers Royal Sutton Coldfield. This brought local stakeholders together to agree priorities to help nature recover and support locally and nationally important species. The West Midlands LNRS will help groups and individuals target action with the most impact for biodiversity.
Discussions with Birmingham City Council regarding agri-environment schemes and developer-funded support to improve Sutton Park’s facilities and management, are helping restore biodiversity while managing increased recreational pressure from new housing developments.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to support the work of (a) emergency and (b) short term foster carers in Royal Sutton Coldfield.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises the incredible work and commitment of emergency and short-term foster carers in providing stability and support for children.
Foster carers play an essential role in children’s lives, and the department remains committed to strengthening support for them.
To achieve this, the department has launched a consultation on updated national standards and guidance for fostering. These standards apply across all fostering arrangements, including emergency, short-term, long-term, short-break and parent-and-child placements.
The standards set clearer expectations for fostering services to provide foster carers with high-quality training, support, multidisciplinary expertise and early intervention, helping to prevent placement breakdown and improve carer retention. They reinforce these expectations for short-break care, emphasising effective information-sharing and supporting relationships between carers, children and families to provide continuity across repeated stays.
Alongside this, the department is investing in the Mockingbird Family Model to expand access to enhanced support and peer networks for foster carers.