Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the £264 million additional core grant funding for police will support police stations to remain open.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The 2025-26 provisional police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement, and equates to a 5.5% cash increase, and 3% real terms increase in funding.
Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.4 billion, an increase of up to £987 million compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement.
The Government recognises the importance of accessibility to the police, and police stations remain one of many important methods where incidents can be reported by members of the public. It is the responsibility of locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to take decisions around their resourcing and estates including police stations, based on their local knowledge and experience.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of recent pay rises for police officers on trends in the level of police numbers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The independent Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and Senior Salaries Review Body (PRRB) make recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers. In reaching their recommendations, the Review Bodies consider the need to recruit and retain officers.
On 29 July, the Government announced it had accepted the PRRB’s and SSRB’s recommendations to award officers a consolidated pay award of 4.75% with effect from 1 September. The Home Office has provided £175 million of additional funding in 2024-25 towards policing to help with the cost of this pay increase.
The Government is committed to working with policing to improve public confidence and prioritise frontline services. This includes ensuring there are 13,000 more police officers, police community support officers and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles by the end of this parliament.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of the British Museum on the Elgin Marbles.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As the British Museum is a DCMS Arm’s Length Body, both the Secretary of State and I have recently met its Chair and Director. The sculptures were one of a number of issues
discussed.
Decisions relating to the care and management of its collection are a matter for the British Museum Trustees, acting within the law.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by (a) Baroness Cumberlege entitled Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, published 8 July 2020 and (b) Dr Henrietta Hughes entitled Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024; and whether he plans to establish a taskforce to improve patient advocacy services for those affected by vaginal mesh implants.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with her counterparts in the Greek Government on (a) loaning and (b) donating the Elgin Marbles to Greece.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I met Greece’s Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni on 4 November for a meeting regarding tourism, when she raised the Parthenon Sculptures among many other matters.
Decisions relating to the care and management of the Parthenon Sculptures are a matter for the British Museum Trustees, acting within the law.
We have no plans to change the law that would permit a permanent move of the Parthenon Sculptures.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled New ambition for 50 million annual visits to UK announced by Tourism Minister, published on 27 November 2024, what steps she plans to take to meet this target.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The new Visitor Economy Advisory Council will work closely with industry and government to develop a national strategy for growth in the sector to achieve this target. We believe it is important to set this ambitious target, because although the UK attracted 41 million visitors in 2019, it only managed 38 million last year under the previous government. We are clear that growth in the tourism industry beyond London will be at the heart of this strategy, and that will require VisitBritain/VisitEngland to champion visits to the British countryside and rural areas to a worldwide audience and expanding the number of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships —including in rural and coastal areas. This is part of our commitment to spreading tourism’s benefits and creating an inclusive, regional growth model.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of the bus fare cap on bus usage in Meriden and Solihull East constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the Budget on 30 October, the government confirmed it will invest over £150 million to introduce a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025. Under the plans of the previous administration, the current £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain the cap beyond this point.
The published interim evaluation of the £2 fare cap showed that patronage continued to recover following the COVID 19 pandemic and early evidence from the first two months of the scheme suggested the £2 fare cap may be playing a role in this recovery. The final evaluation of the £2 fare cap, including a further assessment of its impact on patronage will be published in due course.
Considering all its impacts, the fare cap is not financially sustainable for taxpayers and bus operators at £2. Capping fares at £3 will keep bus travel affordable while ensuring the cap is fair to taxpayers, helping millions of people access better opportunities, travel for less and protect vital bus routes, in Meriden and Solihull East, North Solihull and right across England.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the change in the bus fare cap on bus usage in North Solihull.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the Budget on 30 October, the government confirmed it will invest over £150 million to introduce a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025. Under the plans of the previous administration, the current £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain the cap beyond this point.
The published interim evaluation of the £2 fare cap showed that patronage continued to recover following the COVID 19 pandemic and early evidence from the first two months of the scheme suggested the £2 fare cap may be playing a role in this recovery. The final evaluation of the £2 fare cap, including a further assessment of its impact on patronage will be published in due course.
Considering all its impacts, the fare cap is not financially sustainable for taxpayers and bus operators at £2. Capping fares at £3 will keep bus travel affordable while ensuring the cap is fair to taxpayers, helping millions of people access better opportunities, travel for less and protect vital bus routes, in Meriden and Solihull East, North Solihull and right across England.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her oral statement on Bus Funding of 18 November 2024, Official Report, column 50, whether the £50 million funding settlement for the West Midlands is in addition to previously announced funding.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At the Budget on 30 October, we confirmed over £1 billion in funding in 25/26 to improve services, protect vital routes and keep fares down. On 17 November, we confirmed how we are distributing £955 million of that funding, with £712 million for local councils to deliver bus service improvement plans (BSIPs) and better meet local needs, and a further £243 million for bus operators, including funding a long-standing grant to drive down fares and drive up services. West Midlands Combined Authority will receive just under £50 million of this funding.
We are continuing the level of additional funding that was provided in the current financial year as part of Network North but have changed how this funding is allocated between councils to ensure we are treating the whole country fairly.
Prior to the Budget, there was no funding committed for bus services beyond the end of the current financial year. None of the funding we confirmed at the Budget had been given to councils or was in the Department for Transport’s budget before then. Future spending decisions will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to continue the previous Government's commitment to provide a £230 million funding package for bus services in the Midlands.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At the Budget on 30 October, we confirmed over £1 billion in funding in 25/26 to improve services, protect vital routes and keep fares down. On 17 November, we confirmed how we are distributing £955 million of that funding, with £712 million for local councils to deliver bus service improvement plans (BSIPs) and better meet local needs, and a further £243 million for bus operators, including funding a long-standing grant to drive down fares and drive up services. West Midlands Combined Authority will receive just under £50 million of this funding.
We are continuing the level of additional funding that was provided in the current financial year as part of Network North but have changed how this funding is allocated between councils to ensure we are treating the whole country fairly.
Prior to the Budget, there was no funding committed for bus services beyond the end of the current financial year. None of the funding we confirmed at the Budget had been given to councils or was in the Department for Transport’s budget before then. Future spending decisions will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.