Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking in response to the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to alleviating humanitarian suffering in the Middle East. A resolution to the conflict in Gaza has been a priority since day one of this government, and we continue to push for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, protection of civilians, and a rapid increase of aid into Gaza. The UK has now announced £112 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories this financial year, including £41 million for UNRWA, providing vital services to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, and to Palestinians in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. £4.5 million of joint UK-Kuwait funding announced in September will help UNICEF deliver lifesaving aid to almost 2.5 million people in Gaza and Yemen. And following the unprecedented events in Syria, on 9 December the Prime Minister announced that the UK is providing an additional £11 million of humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable in the country.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of charging foreign-registered vehicles to use UK roads.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Foreign-registered heavy goods vehicles (HGV) are already charged to use UK roads through the HGV Levy. This is in recognition of the fact that HGVs can cause greater damage to road surfaces than other vehicle types. There are no plans to implement a general road charge for foreign-registered cars, which make up only 0.14% of car traffic on British roads.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of abolishing residential leaseholds.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of excluding violent offenders who have breached lifetime restraining orders while in custody from the early release scheme.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Certain offences have been excluded from SDS40. This includes serious violent offences with a sentence of four years or more; specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length (including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation), and sex offences irrespective of sentence length.
To keep the public safe, we have kept the measures under review and acted immediately to address a small number of anomalies in the legislation. This means that anyone convicted of a breach of restraining order, breach of sexual harm prevention order, and breach of a stalking protection order would not be released early under SDS40.
Any increased risks shown by an offender’s custodial behaviour, such as behaviour that breaches a lifetime restraining order, will inform the licence conditions and risk management plans put in place by Probation practitioners for that offender’s release once they have served the custodial part of their sentence.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has allocated funding towards the future of Cheadle Train Station.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My department approved the business case confirming £8.3 million of funding for Cheadle Train Station in 2022. This project forms part of the broader £13.9 million Cheadle Town Deal agreed in March 2021. I am pleased to confirm we will continue to honour existing Town Deal commitments. Officials will continue to work closely with Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and the Department for Transport to progress the delivery of the Cheadle Train Station project.