Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to increase the number of state school students able to study Latin and the Classics.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to supporting a broad and balanced curriculum that is inclusive and accessible to all pupils. The study of classics and ancient languages can teach pupils valuable lessons in history, politics and art that are still relevant today. All schools are free to include Latin, Ancient Greek and classics as part of their curriculum, and there are GCSEs and A levels available in all three subjects.
The department has worked with organisations such as Classics for All, The Classical Association and Hands Up Education to ensure schools are aware of free support available to help teach these subjects.
We also continue to provide bursaries for trainee language teachers, including ancient languages. For the 2026/27 academic year, this will be £20,000.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, further to the Westminster Hall debate of 14 January 2026 titled ‘impact of Science and Discovery Centres on national science and technology priorities', whether science and discovery centres now fall within the remit of her department.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Science and Discovery Centres are primarily cultural institutions and visitor attractions which would normally fall under the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) remit.
Where they carry out research, they are funded for those activities, for example through UK Research and Innovation or other funders.
DSIT is engaging with DCMS to discuss how government’s relationship with these important institutions can best be supported.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to increase local roads maintenance funding.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government has committed a record level of funding for local authorities to repair, renew and fix potholes; totalling over £2 billion annually by 2029-30. This is double the amount provided by the previous government – and it ensures that we will exceed our manifesto commitment to fix an additional 1 million potholes in each year of this Parliament.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what opportunities her department has for independent cinemas to apply for national support schemes.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Independent cinemas play an important role in our communities, providing an accessible form of culture for people across the UK. Independent cinemas can apply for various public funding schemes through DCMS's Arm's Length Bodies if they meet the eligibility criteria. For example, through the British Film Institute, cinemas can access support for audience-facing projects through the BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund; and can join the BFI Film Audience Network and apply for funding to support projects that bring audiences together for screenings of UK independent and international films. Cinemas based in not-for-profit mixed arts venues in England may also meet the eligibility criteria for Arts Council England's Creative Foundations Fund; we estimate this applies to approximately 13% of the 218 full-time independent cinemas in the UK. This sector will also benefit from permanently lower business rates multipliers for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure venues, starting this year.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the document entitled Government’s Principles of Engagement, published on 14 March 2024, remains active; and whether those principles should guide engagement with stakeholders and the public during government consultations.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government Principles of Engagement was published under the 2022 to 2024 Conservative government. Responsibility for decisions and due diligence around who departments engage with sits with those departments and the appropriate policy areas.
It is for individual government departments to decide to use these principles, or their own due diligence processes around engagement.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if Science and Discovery Centres can apply to any of the support schemes for cultural venues announced in the press release of 21 January 2026, entitled ‘Government announces bumper £1.5 billion package to restore national pride.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In January 2026, the Government announced a package of £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere funding to support arts, culture libraries and heritage over the course of this parliament. The vast majority of this funding is capital investment, and is the single biggest Government investment in arts capital in over a decade.
This investment will support more than 1,000 cultural projects to open up access to culture for everyone, everywhere. It will keep venues open, finance urgent repairs and infrastructure projects, bolster long-term resilience, and widen access to arts and culture in communities that have faced under-investment.
Science and Discovery Centres play an important role supporting science education and fostering curiosity. The Government's response to the 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review addressed the Science curriculum, whilst the Department for Science Innovation and Technology, and its agencies, such as UKRI, are committed to supporting pathways into STEM careers. Science and Discovery Centres that are accredited museums may be eligible for some of the recently announced funds. Eligibility criteria, and details of how to apply for individual funds, will be published in due course.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
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 provide reliable broadband service to rural areas that fall into the category of ‘Very Hard to Reach’, and outside of the scope of contracts already awarded as part of the roll out of Project Gigabit.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Through a combination of commercial market and government subsidised delivery, government is ensuring 99% of UK premises will have access to gigabit-capable broadband by 2032. However, our expectation is that some remote premises will remain too expensive to build a gigabit connection to.
The market for ultrafast, alternative connections via technologies such as LEO satellite and 5G fixed wireless access is developing at pace. Government continues to monitor and support the development of this market, including encouraging spectrum releases and ground station deployments, with many remote premises are already adopting these services
We continue to consider what the government can do to further enable alternatives to fibre connections, for premises located in very hard to reach and rural areas.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
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 mitigate the loss and fragmentation of open moorland habitats across the UK.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Moorland areas contain a wide variety of habitats and species of importance. We are committed, through grant programmes such as Landscape Recovery, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL), to creating a network of bigger, better and more resilient habitats to help nature thrive. Additionally, Defra, in partnership with Dr Hilary Cottam OBE, has been working closely with upland communities across England to better understand the unique challenges and opportunities in these landscapes. These insights are being shared across Defra and next steps are being developed.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to ensure the enforcement of regular risk assessment and monitoring of private water supplies by local authorities as per their responsibilities outlined in the Private Water Supplies Regulations 2016.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Private water supplies are regulated by local authorities. They are responsible for identifying risks to the quality of the water and must have comprehensive monitoring programmes in place to sample the drinking water for any element, organism or substance that they believe may cause the supply not to be wholesome.
Defra expects all local authorities to undertake their statutory duties. Local authorities are regularly reminded of their duties, and where they may not be being complied with, in the Chief Inspector of Drinking Water’s annual reports on the quality of private water supplies in England. Local authorities’ compliance with reporting duties is raised by officials from Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government through their regular liaison meeting with the Local Government Association.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Department is taking to reduce youth economic inactivity in Hexham constituency.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy.
Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning, including:
Support to find a job: through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, which over the next three years will offer nearly 900,000 16–24-year-olds a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach
Further expansion of Youth Hubs: We are expanding our network of Youth Hubs to over 360 locations so that all young people – including those not on benefits – can access opportunities and wider support in every local area of Great Britain
c300,000 additional opportunities for workplace experience and training
Guaranteeing jobs: For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment.
In Hexham, there is a strong network of supportive employers who are providing work experience opportunities. This hands-on experience is invaluable for young people as they navigate their career paths.
There is also a well-established partnership with the Newcastle United Foundation (NUF) who is one of the biggest providers of training and skills in the area, running courses focused on employability, confidence building and teamwork.
In the North East and Northumberland, Jobcentres collaborate with local authorities, colleges, and partners to support young people through targeted programmes. These include Durham Works, helping 16–24-year-olds not in education, employment or training; the Pre-Employability Sports Programme, which builds essential skills through sports and workshops; and Club Elevate, supporting 16–25-year-olds in North Tyneside who face challenges such as poor mental health, substance misuse, or risk of anti-social behaviour.