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, what steps her Department is taking to support people who have been made redundant to access (a) training and (b) skills support in the West Midlands.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Get Britain Working White Paper focuses on building a thriving labour market, reducing economic inactivity and increasing the number of people in work, which is central to growing the economy.
DWP provides Rapid Redundancy Support (RRS) to both Employers and Individuals following notification from the National RRS team or via the DWP Strategic Relationship Team and Insolvency Service.
Local Employer Advisors will make contact the Employers/or Individuals to offer support as a matter of urgency. Support is tailored and can vary depending on the scale of the redundancy and the level of support required. This can include:
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 the proposed reduction to Official Development Assistance on trends in the levels of aid delivered to Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has been a longstanding and major humanitarian donor to Sudan with £226.5 million allocated in the financial year of 2024/25 towards the crisis. In his statement to Parliament on Defence and Official Development Assistance spend, the Prime Minister made clear that Sudan would remain a humanitarian priority. The Prime Minister is committed to returning 0.7 per cent spending when fiscal conditions allow. The ongoing obfuscation of relief operations by Sudan's warring parties is imperilling millions of people. More funding is required from across the international community. However, without a step change in access the already dire situation will drastically deteriorate.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 [humanitarian OR security] situation in (a) Zamzam and (b) El Fashir in north Darfur.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The security situation in El Fasher and around the ZamZam camp remains tense and civilians are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The UK led a United Nations Security Council press statement on 31 January 2025 to condemn the intensifying assaults on El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the attack on the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital. This followed our leadership on resolution 2736 in June 2024 which demanded the RSF ends its siege on El Fasher, and that the crucial Adre border crossing be re-opened for humanitarian delivery. All sides must commit to protecting civilians. The UK continues to engage with all sides in this conflict to ensure this is the case.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 support (a) retail and (b) hospitality businesses in the West Midlands.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are delivering across government to create better conditions for retail and hospitality businesses to thrive.
This government has introduced the Crime and Policing Bill, which will scrap the effective immunity for low-value shoplifting and do more to protect retail workers from assault. We have introduced High Street Rental Auction powers for local authorities, which will make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for SMEs, local businesses and community groups. And we are delivering permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties from 2026-27.
Last year the Business Secretary announced a new Business Growth Service which will make it easier and quicker for businesses across the United Kingdom to get the help, support and advice they need to grow and thrive. The West Midlands Growth Hub is where small and medium businesses in the West Midlands can benefit from specialist business advice on how to grow, access new markets and receive government support.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support vaccine distribution in conflict affected areas of Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The conflict in Sudan and the widespread destruction of sanitation and health services has caused a devastating cholera outbreak. Two-thirds of states in Sudan are experiencing more than three different disease outbreaks, which are exacerbated by the widening climatic shocks. In response, the UK is supporting United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and others who are delivering lifesaving emergency health interventions including cholera vaccines, treatment, and prevention. Specifically, we are also contributing to an ongoing cholera vaccination campaign in Kosti and Rabak, targeting one million people. UK aid is also addressing related needs across the region given the cross-border risks of Sudan's cholera outbreak. We continue to urge all parties in Sudan to facilitate humanitarian access so that aid reaches those most in need.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to GAVI to ensure equitable vaccine distribution in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The conflict in Sudan and the widespread destruction of sanitation and health services has caused a devastating cholera outbreak. Two-thirds of states in Sudan are experiencing more than three different disease outbreaks, which are exacerbated by the widening climatic shocks. In response, the UK is supporting United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and others who are delivering lifesaving emergency health interventions including cholera vaccines, treatment, and prevention. Specifically, we are also contributing to an ongoing cholera vaccination campaign in Kosti and Rabak, targeting one million people. UK aid is also addressing related needs across the region given the cross-border risks of Sudan's cholera outbreak. We continue to urge all parties in Sudan to facilitate humanitarian access so that aid reaches those most in need.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle vaccine preventable diseases including (a) measles and (b) cholera in hard to reach areas of Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The conflict in Sudan and the widespread destruction of sanitation and health services has caused a devastating cholera outbreak. Two-thirds of states in Sudan are experiencing more than three different disease outbreaks, which are exacerbated by the widening climatic shocks. In response, the UK is supporting United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and others who are delivering lifesaving emergency health interventions including cholera vaccines, treatment, and prevention. Specifically, we are also contributing to an ongoing cholera vaccination campaign in Kosti and Rabak, targeting one million people. UK aid is also addressing related needs across the region given the cross-border risks of Sudan's cholera outbreak. We continue to urge all parties in Sudan to facilitate humanitarian access so that aid reaches those most in need.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide funding to help improve the mental health of (a) primary school pupils, (b) secondary school pupils and (c) 18-25 year olds in (i) further or (ii) higher education.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.
That is why the government has committed to expand Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. NHS-funded MHSTs are expected to cover at least 50% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England by the end of March 2025.
The department will also recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.
In addition, to support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. For example, a resources hub for mental health leads, and a toolkit to help choose evidence-based early support for pupils.
The department continues to work closely with the further education sector to promote and support providers to develop and implement a whole college approach to mental health and wellbeing. This includes supporting the Association of Colleges (AoC) in their goal for all colleges to sign up to the AoC Mental Health Charter and to align it with the University Mental Health Charter in higher education (HE). AoC’s framework aims to integrate mental health and well-being into every aspect of college life.
Departmental officials also continue to work closely with students, parents, mental health experts and the HE sector to drive meaningful change in mental health practice through the HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce, which recently published its second stage report.
To raise standards in the sector, the Office for Students has also provided £400,000 of funding to the student mental health charity, Student Minds. This has enabled significant expansion of the University Mental Health Charter Programme, with 113 universities now signed up. The programme helps universities to adopt a whole-institution approach to mental health, bringing universities together to drive forward continuous improvement in mental health support for students.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to take steps to ensure that planning guidance issued by her Department includes measures on preserving (a) biodiversity and (b) habitats for pollinators.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should conserve and enhance the natural environment by minimising impacts on, and providing net gains for, biodiversity, including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures and incorporating features which support priority or threatened species. Planning Practice Guidance on the Natural Environment provides further detail on how users of the planning system can implement these policies.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to increase tourism in the West Midlands.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is delivering the largest reform of destination management in a generation. We now have a network of 41 Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) across England and two Regional Destination pilots in the North East and West Midlands. The programmes have been looking at how we make it easier for people to visit those regions and enjoy a range of things to do when they are there, including great places to eat, shop and stay.
In March 2025, during English Tourism Week, we announced that the government is now providing an extra £1.35 million of support so the pilots can operate for another year. The extension will provide an opportunity to keep testing how a regional approach to managing the visitor economy can help drive visitor numbers, increase spending and create jobs, and secure the West Midlands’ reputation as a world-class destination to visitors.