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 discussions her Department has had with stakeholders to improve tennis facilities in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support the recruitment of teachers that have a background in industry to enhance (a) vocational and (b) technical education in (i) Hexham constituency, (ii) Northumberland, (iii) Newcastle, (iv) the North East, and (v) England.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is committed to strengthening the pipeline of industry expertise into teaching across the country, particularly in the further education (FE) sector.
The 'Teach in Further Education' marketing campaign and online platform provides support to those interested in teaching, with a focus on industry professionals changing career. The ‘Taking Teaching Further’ programme offers early career support and training to those industry professionals entering teaching with the relevant knowledge and experience. To boost retention of early career FE teachers in priority technical and vocational subjects, we offer retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax. In the 2024/25 academic year, almost 6,000 FE teachers received these payments. As announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, we are investing £20 million to support partnerships between construction employers and FE providers, and promote industry expertise in the classroom.
In schools, we offer several pathways into teaching, including postgraduate salaried courses like apprenticeships, which can support industry career-changers into teaching. Similar targeted retention incentives are also available.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of investor-state dispute settlement provisions on the UK's climate targets.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is party to 78 Bilateral Investment Treaties and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership that contain Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). ISDS provides an independent means to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation. ISDS does not remove governments' right to regulate in the public interest, including with respect to the UK's climate targets.
The UK has a longstanding record of supporting foreign investment, including through fulfilling its obligations in international investment agreements it is party to.
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 discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders on ensuring that vulnerable pensioners in the North East are protected from online benefit scams.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
DWP is taking a number of steps to protect our vulnerable customers from online benefit scams. This includes raising public awareness of benefit scam messages on the Gov.uk website. Our most recent press release relating to Winter Fuel Payment warned our customers to be alert to text message scams in advance of next month’s payments and urging them to forward any suspicious texts to 7726. This is free of charge and helps phone providers block the numbers involved. Customers are also encouraged to forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
We are also working together with Action Fraud raising awareness on social media sites including Facebook and X formerly known as Twitter. This is alongside DWP’s continued work with trusted partners and charities such as Independent Age to ensure accurate and timely information is available. DWP has also developed a recorded message for our telephone lines to raise awareness of Winter Fuel Payment scams.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reduced electricity costs for employers on employment growth in energy- intensive sectors in Hexham constituency.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government delivers electricity cost relief schemes that provide support to businesses in energy intensive sectors across the country, helping UK businesses to remain competitive and protect thousands of well paid, British jobs. The British Industry Supercharger cuts electricity costs for around 550 energy intensive businesses, and Government recently confirmed an uplift in relief through its Network Charging Compensation Scheme from 60% to 90%. This will further reduce the gap in electricity prices between the UK and other countries. Alongside this, from 2027, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will cut electricity costs for even more businesses.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Office for Investment is taking to help increase private sector investment in Hexham constituency.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Office for Investment is piloting an Investment Opportunities Accelerator in partnership with the North East Combined Authority. This programme aims to facilitate and expedite investment prospects by working collaboratively with regional partners, relevant government departments, and industry stakeholders. The North East’s designation as the UK’s first AI Growth Zone which includes sites in Northumberland, positions it as a national leader in AI innovation. NECA is also receiving support through DSIT’s £30m Innovation Accelerator Fund to strengthen its R&D ecosystem and drive commercialisation in advanced manufacturing, clean energy and digital sectors.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police stations have closed in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East since May 2010.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect data on the number of police stations or public front counters in use across all police forces, nor the number of closures. Decisions regarding the management of local police resourcing and estates is a matter for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents). They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need, experience, and in line with their existing budget.
A key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing, The commitments set out in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee are now making a considerable difference to the service communities receive from their neighbourhood policing teams.
We have also provided £200 million in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.
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 his Department is taking to support tech innovation in (a) Hexham constituency and (b) the North East.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As set out in the Digital and Technologies Sector Plan, part of the UK’s modern Industrial Strategy, the department is committed to supporting the UK’s city regions and clusters.
UKRI invested £355 million in the North East in 2023-24. UKRI’s funding is supporting projects such as the North East Digital Technologies Launchpad that has funded innovative technology businesses such as RareCan in Hexham, who are using AI to support recruitment for rare cancer clinical trials.
Building on this we have earmarked at least £30 million for the North East through our new Local Innovation Partnerships Fund. This will empower local leaders to grow high-potential innovation clusters and unlock their potential to create the businesses and jobs of the future.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on financial education in schools in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England.
The Review was informed by a wealth of perspectives from experts, stakeholders and the public, including over 7,000 responses to the call for evidence, and a range of research and polling. Its final report includes a section on stakeholder engagement, which sets out the details of regional public events and roundtables that were held as part of the Review’s evidence gathering.
As part of the response to the Review’s report the government has made a commitment to strengthen pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching. From budgeting to understanding credit, through our revised curriculum all children will learn about the fundamentals of money, ensuring every pupil develops the skills needed to succeed in the modern world, no matter where they went to school.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that early years pupil premium funding supports her Department's quality improvement objectives in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is taking coordinated steps to ensure Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) funding aligns with broader quality improvement objectives.
Through the department’s Best Start in Life strategy, we are ensuring that families can access affordable high-quality early education. In April 2025, EYPP increased by an unprecedented 45%, to a maximum of £570 per year per child in all local authorities in England.
The government’s new early years strategy, ‘Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life’, links EYPP to improving quality of early years, strengthening transitions into primary school and enhancing workforce development. This includes the EYPP uplift targeted at areas most in need and published guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-pupil-premium-guide-for-local-authorities/early-years-pupil-premium-guide-for-local-authorities.
From 2026, we aim to provide additional EYPP funding in areas most in need, ensuring that children most at risk of falling behind receive support.