Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support North East Lincolnshire Council to complete the long-overdue repairs and re-open Corporation Bridge in Great Grimsby.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is committed to supporting local authorities in maintaining and renewing the local highway network, which is why by 2029/30, the Government will commit over £2 billion annually in local highways maintenance funding, doubling funding since coming into office. For the first time, we have confirmed allocations for four years of funding, enabling local authorities to plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term repairs and instead investment in proactive and preventative maintenance.
In addition to this, the Spending Review announced £1 billion for key local highway enhancement projects and a new Structures Fund for repairing run down bridges, decaying flyovers and worn out tunnels.
I know that the work on Corporation Road Bridge has been ongoing since the beginning of 2022 and has faced significant challenges including a change of contractor which has led to considerable delays to these works. My officials are liaising with North East Lincolnshire Council Officers and I'm pleased to hear a new contractor has been appointed with the bridge likely to be reopened in December of next year.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with National Rail and LNER on alternative platform solutions at Market Rasen on the Lincoln to Cleethorpes East Coast line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
With rail infrastructure and passenger services being brought together as we progress towards Great British Railways, we expect a fresh assessment of the business case to be made. The aspirations of local communities and stakeholders are noted and will be incorporated as appropriate in future planning assessments, subject to available funding.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a Technical Excellence College in Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is introducing Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) to specialise in training skilled workforces which industry needs in growth-driving priority sectors.
The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper confirmed that the government is expanding the TEC programme to a further four sectors: clean energy, advanced manufacturing, digital and technologies, and defence. These new TECs, backed by £175 million, will secure the pipeline of skilled workers into these areas.
The selection process for these TECs will start by the end of 2025, with delivery planned to begin from April 2026. Exact locations are yet to be determined, and colleges will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. Further details will be published in due course.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls the Child Maintenance Service MP hotline has received in 2025.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) MP hotline is available for MP offices or constituency staff who need to contact CMS regarding a general enquiry or a constituency case. This service is in addition to written correspondence routes.
The hotline operates Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and is staffed by Complaint Resolution Managers. We aim to provide an immediate response to enquiries wherever possible. For more complex cases, we will arrange follow-up contact with the caller to provide additional information.
For 2025, the CMS Parliamentary Line has received 1801 calls. Information is up to and including Tuesday 25th November 2025.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the installation of solar panels on the level of Energy Performance Certificate ratings for domestic properties.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Alongside lower electricity bills, there are many potential benefits for householders that invest in rooftop solar. These include improved property valuation and EPC scores, although the overall score for an individual property is based on several different variables.
Government has also consulted on introducing four complementary headline metrics for domestic EPCs: "Fabric Performance," "Heating System," "Smart Readiness," and "Energy Cost." The consultation proposed that the Smart Readiness metric would include information on a households’ ability to generate on-site renewable energy, including solar PV, and give specific recommendations for improvements to scores against the metric. Government will respond to this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that rail companies maintain (a) station ramps and (b) boarding equipment to safe standards for passengers using wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All train and station operators must develop an Accessible Travel Policy, approved by the Office of Rail and Road. This requires operators to ensure that they make ramps that are fit for purpose, (either at the station or on board the train) to facilitate the boarding or alighting of the train by disabled people.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85197 on Motor Vehicles: Testing, what steps her Department is taking to support small and independent MOT testing stations in managing operational costs.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Independent MOT garages are a cornerstone of our testing regime, and their contribution to delivering high-quality MOT tests is greatly valued. Their efforts do not go unnoticed and play a crucial role in ensuring our roads remain safe for all users.
I understand that rising inflation and operational costs have put pressure on garages. While the income from MOTs has remained static due to the set fee, many garages do not charge the maximum permitted fee, and others are not solely reliant on MOT income to remain profitable.
The Department keeps the MOT regime, including the fee under review. Any consideration of changes must balance the needs of garages and their ability to invest against the interests of drivers in receiving value from the MOT.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85820 on Marriages and Civil Partnerships: LGBT+ People, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the guidance on registering births to same-sex couples who conceive after marriage is applied consistently across all local registration offices.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The General Register Office for England and Wales provide handbooks, regular publications, and training products for registrars covering the full range of registration duties. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their staff deliver services in accordance with the guidance.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department had with teachers on the removal of the application window for the 2024–25 Student Finance England teacher student loan reimbursement scheme to March 2026, and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this change on teachers’ (a) cash flow and (b) financial wellbeing.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In September 2025, the department communicated to eligible teachers that the application window for the Teacher Student Loan Reimbursement (TSLR) scheme was being rescheduled from autumn 2025 to March 2026, so that eligible teachers commit to teaching for the full academic year before they can claim this incentive.
Eligible teachers have always claimed TSLR payments retrospectively, as the policy allows teachers to claim back the student loan repayments they made in the previous financial year if they remain teaching in eligible schools. The rescheduling of the application window to 2 March 2026 is consistent with the policy intent of incentivising teacher retention.
TSLR provides a one-off annual incentive payment on top of the teacher’s salary, which eligible teachers will continue to receive.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure registrars receive clear (a) guidance and (b) training on registering births to same-sex couples who conceive after marriage.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The General Register Office for England and Wales provides handbooks and e-learning products to registrars. These cover the whole range of registration duties.