Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to revert the voting system for (a) mayoral and (b) Police and Crime Commissioner elections to the supplementary vote system.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
With regards to Mayoral elections, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 20691 on 19 December 2024.
The Government also has no plans at this time to change the voting system for Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to remove the requirement to present voter ID at polling stations.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As our manifesto made clear, the government will address the inconsistencies in the voter identification policy so that all legitimate electors have the opportunity to vote. We are continuing to assess and review the policy and if any further changes are found to be necessary or appropriate, we will bring forward proposals for them in due course.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to remove the requirement to provide a National Insurance number when registering for a postal vote.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer my hon Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 21147 on 9 January 2025.
The Government has no plans to remove either requirement.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to remove the requirement to renew postal vote applications every three years.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer my hon Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 21147 on 9 January 2025.
The Government has no plans to remove either requirement.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will extend funding for the holiday activities and food programme beyond 21 March 2025.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for North Durham to the answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 24633.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 23546, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the Kamtok Dam project.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government stands firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang and Vice Premier He respectively). We also continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations, for example, joining a statement on the situation in Tibet led by Australia at the UN General Assembly last October.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 help ensure the stability of the (a) hostage and (b) ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure the release of (i) Keith Siegel and (ii) other hostages with links to the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the release of three hostages in Gaza, including dual British national Emily Damari. The ceasefire agreement must be implemented in full. The UK is working with international partners to ensure the stability of the ceasefire agreement and to secure the release of all remaining hostages, including those with strong UK-links.
The UK will continue to work with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the US and regional partners to build consensus for a post-conflict Gaza governance and security framework that supports conditions for a permanent and sustainable peace.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned East Coast Main Line timetable change in December 2025 on local rail services in (a) County Durham and (b) the North East.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
An assessment suggested Chester-le-Street calls on Trans Pennine Express be increased to hourly services, which have now been implemented. As well as the LNER London to Newcastle trains be increased from two trains per hour to three trains per hour, now scheduled to start from December 2025.
Darlington should retain its two trains per hour to London by LNER and Durham should retain its one train per hour to London by LNER, both of which have been confirmed.
Other benefits to the North-east identified for introduction include more local trains north of Newcastle.
Network Rail is modelling the timetable to enable industry to focus on actions to ensure the timetable can be delivered reliably.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) insurance requirements and (b) enforcement mechanisms are in place for (a) private hire and (b) delivery drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All drivers must have the correct insurance cover for the purpose they are using their vehicle for, and the police may check this when stopping a vehicle.
The Government takes uninsured driving seriously and tackles this through Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE), a scheme where the Motor Insurers’ Bureau and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency collaborate to identify uninsured drivers; police enforcement on the road and through Operation Tutelage.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in levels of retail and commercial units that are vacant in (a) Chester-le-Street, (b) Stanley and (c) England.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government is committed to revitalise town centres and stimulate economic growth by addressing persistent vacancy rates in town centres like Chester-le-Street and Stanley. High Street Rental Auctions, which came into effect in December 2024, give local authorities in England the power to auction the lease of commercial high street property that has been vacant for longer than 12 months in a 24-month period.
The government also plans to introduce a new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets through the English Devolution Bill. This will allow local communities to revitalise important assets, such as empty shops, pubs and community spaces, which can help to eliminate the impact of vacant premises.
Using these powers, and working in partnership with the North East Combined Authority and Durham County Council, will help to deliver a Local Growth Plan, supporting town centres in the North East by driving inclusive economic growth.