Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an impact assessment of changes in the numbers of Police Community Support Officers in Greater Manchester.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government wants to ensure that policing has the support that they need so that they can get back to tackling the issues that that matter to the public. That is why we are delivering an additional 13,000 police officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles and ensuring every community has a named officer to turn to.

We are considering the implementation of our plans around neighbourhood policing and the growth in neighbourhood officers as a key priority. We are doing this alongside key partners across policing to ensure that we deliver an effective plan that delivers the best service for the public.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how often she meets senior leaders at Northern Rail to discuss its service delivery in the north of England.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Ministers, and officials from the Rail North Partnership have regular meetings with Northern's management team to discuss how to improve its current performance across its network.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to fund a Metrolink extension to Stockport before the end of this Parliament.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is investing in transport improvements across our city regions, including Greater Manchester which is receiving over £1 billion through its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. In line with the Government’s commitment to devolution, decisions on where to invest this funding, including whether to extend the Metrolink network, rest with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, in partnership with its constituent local authorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with specialist schools that deal with children with the most complex disabilities on the increase in employer National Insurance contributions announced in the budget.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government has agreed that the department will be compensated for the increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) paid by state-funded schools, and work is in progress to determine how much the department will receive for those employers within its remit and how that funding will be distributed. The department will engage with key stakeholders on our approach to the NICs funding and will provide more information as soon as is practicable.

Compensation for the NICs will be additional to the £1 billion increase to high needs funding announced at the 30 October Budget. Due to timing constraints, NICs funding will need to be provided as a separate grant, alongside the dedicated schools grant, in 2025/26.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making first aid a mandatory part of the national curriculum.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Cheadle to the answer of 5 November 2024 to Question 11341.

Government response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on communication of changes to women’s State Pension age

Bowel Cancer UK report into NHS services

Review into breast cancer screening

Domestic Abuse Offences

Apprenticeships in the trades industry

Reducing the age for bowel cancer screening offered on the NHS

Variety Disability Sports Awards

Puppy smuggling bill

Triple negative breast cancer

Potential closure of post offices

Fuel Poverty Awareness Day

Replacement of Personal Independence Payments with a voucher system

National Insurance contributions rise exemption for childcare providers

Children's Grief Awareness Week 2024

Bus fare cap

Carers Rights Day

Emergency care

Written questions (WPQs) allow MPs to ask for information on the work, policy and activities of Government departments, related bodies, and the administration of Parliament.

On 23 October 2024, the House agreed to reintroduce proxy voting arrangements for serious long-term illness and injury by making changes to Standing Order No. 39A. These arrangements mirror those that were in place at the end of the last Parliament. They are, however, time limited, and will expire at the end of the present Session of Parliament.  

In the July 2024 General Election, a record six independent candidates were elected to the House of Commons. In September 2024, five of those MPs informed the Speaker that they were forming an independent grouping in Parliament as a ‘technical group’, rather than a political party.  This letter has given rise to questions about the status of parliamentary groupings under House of Commons procedures, and the status of independent MPs as a whole.

Reforms introduced following the publication of the 2009 Report of the Reform of the House of Commons Committee, Rebuilding the House (‘the Wright Report’, so named after the Chair of the Committee, Tony Wright MP) included the election by the whole House for positions such as some select committee chairs and the Deputy Speakers.

Call lists, or speakers lists, exist in many legislatures around the world, and were employed in the House of Commons during the Covid-19 pandemic to regulate the flow of debates in virtual/hybrid proceedings. Call lists can be a helpful tool in giving Members an indication of when they will be called to speak in a debate, and thus to plan their days more effectively, and in enabling the chair of a debate to decide time limits. However, there are also concerns about their impact on the flow of the debate.