Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to the Planning Inspectorate on deciding whether a site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local authority has been appealed.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning Inspectorate has not been issued with specific guidance to support decisions as to whether any given site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local planning authority has been appealed. Nor has it been issued with specific guidance related to consideration of the potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt.

In determining whether a site is classified as grey belt at appeal, the relevant Inspector will consider relevant legislation; national planning policy, including the National Planning Policy Framework; Planning Policy Guidance; and any relevant local development plan policies and material considerations.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many times he has met with the leader of Birmingham City Council to discuss resolving the ongoing bin strikes.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The ongoing waste dispute is a local issue and rightly being dealt with by Birmingham City Council. Secretary of State-appointed Commissioners continue to support the Council in their recovery and improvement journey and provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State. My department engages regularly with Councils under intervention.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to the Planning Inspectorate on considering potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning Inspectorate has not been issued with specific guidance to support decisions as to whether any given site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local planning authority has been appealed. Nor has it been issued with specific guidance related to consideration of the potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt.

In determining whether a site is classified as grey belt at appeal, the relevant Inspector will consider relevant legislation; national planning policy, including the National Planning Policy Framework; Planning Policy Guidance; and any relevant local development plan policies and material considerations.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Planning Policy Framework to include guidance on the importance of telecommunications infrastructure in new developments.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that advanced, high quality and reliable communications infrastructure is essential for economic growth and social well-being. It sets out that planning policies and decisions should support the expansion of electronic communications networks, including next generation mobile technology.

The government intend to consult this year on a new suite of national policies for decision making and we will consider policies on telecommunications as part of that exercise.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps she is taking to help (a) reduce inflation and (b) increase average annual earnings in the West Midlands.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government have been clear that inflation has been too slow to come down, and the priority it is placing on tackling the cost of living, as part of its mission to grow living standards.

The Bank of England has the responsibility for controlling inflation through monetary policy. The Government fully supports them as they take action to return inflation sustainably to 2%. Maintaining stable public finances and reducing borrowing over time will help to ease pressure on prices. Economic growth will help to increase earnings across the UK, including in the West Midlands.

The government’s fiscal strategy is to put the public finances on a sustainable path while prioritising investment to support long-term growth and meeting the fiscal rules.

The Chancellor has also asked departments to look at what action on inflation can be taken when developing policies for the Autumn Budget, while ensuring decisions support stability and long-term growth.

The Government has committed to £160m of funding over 10 years for the West Midlands Investment Zone, which local partners expect to generate £3.5bn in private sector investment, deliver 30,000 jobs and support higher earnings in the area.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the judgement in C G Fry & Son Limited v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government UKSC/2024/0108 on housing delivery.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Supreme Court judgment in question distinguished between the legal protection provided to European Sites under the Habitats Regulations and the policy protection afforded to Ramsar sites.

The government has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of the judgment on general housing delivery.

The case concerned a very limited set of circumstances and no new planning applications that have come forward since the imposition of nutrient neutrality advice in 2020 will be affected by the Supreme Court’s judgement.

While this case has been progressing through the courts, the government has provided significant investment to deliver local mitigation schemes – including in Somerset – to enable development to come forward.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) average annual earnings and (b) prices on household disposable income in 2024-25.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) per capita is a measure of UK living standards, representing the total disposable income per person in the UK, net of taxes and inflation. RHDI per capita grew by 3.1% over 2024. This is the largest calendar year increase since 2015.

Average whole economy total pay growth in 2024 was 5.3%. Inflation, as measured by CPI, fell to 2.5% in 2024, which supported RHDI growth in 2024.

HM Treasury does not prepare forecasts for the UK economy. Forecasts, including for real household disposable income, are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). These forecasts are published by the OBR as part of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO). In the March 2025 EFO, the OBR forecasted that RHDI per capita would grow by 1.7% in 2025, supported by strong annual earnings growth outweighing the impact from prices.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the West Midlands Combined Authority on increasing the availability of apprenticeships in the West Midlands.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Officials meet regularly with combined authorities to discuss post-16 skills including apprenticeships. Recent discussions with West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) skills leads have included the newly introduced foundation apprenticeships and led to a subsequent session with training providers in the WMCA to explain foundation apprenticeships and their potential benefits for local young learners.

Similarly, Skills England meets Mayoral Combined Authorities, including the WMCA, on a regular basis to discuss how to address a wide range of skills challenges, the promotion of growth, and simplifying access to skills opportunities.

The government also facilitates the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network of employers and apprentices which works closely in all regions, including the WMCA area, to promote apprenticeships across the region.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of houses of multiple occupation being used to accommodate illegal migrants on (a) the wider private rented housing sector (b) rental prices, (c) the supply of family homes and (d) the (i) availability and (ii) affordability of housing in areas of high demand.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In accordance with the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support while their applications for asylum are being considered. Accommodation is provided on a no-choice basis.

Asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected are generally not provided with dispersal accommodation.

The Home Office consults with local authorities across the UK before dispersal accommodation, including Houses of Multiple Occupation, is procured, ensuring the impact on communities is understood. When considering how much dispersed accommodation to procure in any given area, a range of factors are considered including the local housing availability as well as social factors such as pressures on GPs.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to provide additional funding for the Warm Homes Plan.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

At the Spending Review in June, this Government committed £13.2 billion to the Warm Homes Plan to cut bills, tackle fuel poverty and accelerate our trajectory towards net zero.

Further details on the Warm Homes Plan, including how funding will be allocated to different schemes is expected to be published within the coming months.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2025 to Question 69838 on Railway Stations: Aldridge, if she will publish details of any (a) discussions and (b) correspondence that (i) she and (ii) her Department has had with (A) Mayor Parker and (B) his office on Aldridge station.

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

The Department has regular meetings with Mayor Richard Parker and his officials, with discussions covering a range of transport issues.

My officials are in regular contact with West Midlands Combined Authority about the continuing design work for Aldridge, which is forecast to complete next year.

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 Midlands Rail Hub on (a) capacity on the West Coast Main Line and (b) passenger services into central Birmingham; and what discussions she has had with the West Midlands Combined Authority on the use of devolved transport funding to develop those proposals.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Midlands Rail Hub supports economic and housing growth in the region by creating capacity for more trains in central Birmingham. The additional capacity will support improved reliability of services running through New Street station, including trains that use the West Coast Main Line and will also mean more services from Worcester, South Wales and the South West.

The West Midlands Combined Authority and West Midlands Rail Executive are closely involved in the development, design and delivery of Midlands Rail Hub.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83840 on Railways: West Midlands, if her Department will explore the use of the Sutton Park freight line for passenger services; and whether its inclusion in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline was considered.

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

The Department for Transport is not actively exploring this proposal for the Sutton Park freight line, but local authorities, such as West Midlands Combined Authority, are free to develop local proposals for investment using their own devolved transport funding.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to extend new planning powers and investment flexibilities being provided to the Mayor of London under the Housing Delivery package announced in Written Statement HCWS991 to (a) the Mayor of the West Midlands and (b) other Mayors; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of such powers on Green Belt protection in (i) Aldridge–Brownhills constituency and (ii) in general.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The new planning powers and investment flexibilities in the London Housing Delivery package announced jointly with the Mayor of London on 23 October reflect the importance of the Mayor’s role in housing delivery. Through the Planning and Infrastructure and English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bills, we are giving other Mayors these powers so they can also support housing delivery in their area. Green Belt policy will remain set out nationally in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his Department's policy to (a) guarantee that green belt protections in the West Midlands will be maintained under the devolution of planning powers to the regional mayor and (b) require the consent of affected local councils for development on Green Belt land.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The new planning powers and investment flexibilities in the London Housing Delivery package announced jointly with the Mayor of London on 23 October reflect the importance of the Mayor’s role in housing delivery. Through the Planning and Infrastructure and English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bills, we are giving other Mayors these powers so they can also support housing delivery in their area. Green Belt policy will remain set out nationally in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance to local authorities to ensure mobile network operators are notified for large-scale residential developments.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local planning authorities already have discretion to consult with mobile network operators where it is relevant to a specific application.

In addition to national planning policy and guidance, the Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England, published February 2022, sets out the roles and responsibilities for all relevant stakeholders, including applicants and local authorities, when planning for, consulting on and installing telecommunications infrastructure.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of closing asylum accommodation hotels on (a) levels of demand for Houses of Multiple Occupation(HMOs), (b) local housing stock and (c) local public services; and how many asylum seekers will be rehoused in HMOs.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has, since 2022, operated a system of Full Dispersal which works in partnership with Local Government to ensure that asylum accommodation is spread equitably and fairly across the United Kingdom. Procurement of accommodation is driven by a set of evidence-based plans, which are refreshed every six months with Local Government and which consider a range of factors, including the availability of housing, pressure on services and community cohesion, to ensure that no one area is overburdened.

Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release. Immigration system statistics data tables - www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the potential impact of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) on (i) community cohesion and (ii) levels of anti-social behaviour, (b) the concentration of HMOs in specific areas and (c) whether additional planning powers should be made available to local authorities to manage those impacts.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department has not undertaken an assessment of the potential impact of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) on (i) community cohesion and (ii) levels of anti-social behaviour.

Local planning authorities already have planning powers to limit the concentration or proliferation of HMOs within their locality. They can remove the national permitted development right for smaller HMOs to protect the local amenity or wellbeing of an area by introducing an ‘Article 4’ direction which, once in place, requires all new HMO proposals to secure planning permission.

We keep the powers to regulate HMOs under review.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 83837 on Broadband: Rural Areas, what progress she has made on Project Gigabit in the West Midlands; how many premises in Aldridge–Brownhills constituency do not have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection; what proportion of the £2.4 billion in signed Project Gigabit contracts has been disbursed; and whether Building Digital UK plans to publish data at constituency level in its monthly reporting.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Approximately 89,000 premises in the West Midlands region have received access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection through Building Digital UK (BDUK) funding.

According to the independent website, ThinkBroadband.com, 95% of premises in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, indicating only 5% (approximately 2,200 premises) do not.

As of 31 October 2025, £302 million of the £2.4 billion committed to signed Project Gigabit contracts has been paid to suppliers for their work. Supplier payments for Project Gigabit contracts are made in line with agreed contract milestones and validated delivery.

BDUK does not plan to publish data at constituency level in its monthly reporting; BDUK publishes at a contract level every month, and at a constituency level as part of the annual official statistics.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question 67377, what plans he has for the Ministerial Women Peace and Security National Action Plan (WPS NAP) steering board to meet as part of the process of refreshing the WPS NAP.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer she received on 21 July 2025 in response to Question 67376.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 27 Oct 2025 to Question 83835, if he will publish a list of (a) businesses and (b) sectors in Walsall Borough with whom they consulted.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government consulted a wide range of businesses from across the UK during the development of the Industrial Strategy, through roundtables, workshops, and direct conversations with businesses, business representation organisations, and networks.

This included the Invest 2035 public consultation which sought feedback on 36 questions to inform the Industrial Strategy. The consultation received over 27,000 online answers to individual questions from a wide range of businesses and organisations, including more than 250 business associations representing hundreds of thousands of businesses across the UK.

We cannot publish a list of businesses and sectors in Walsall Borough with whom we consulted, as no data was systematically collected on respondents’ geographic location. Additionally, to maintain respondents’ confidentiality we cannot share the names of individual respondents or the details of individual responses to the consultation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question 67377, which (a) Departments and (b) civil servants are represented at the (i) the Cross-Whitehall Working Group and (ii) the Cross-Whitehall Deputy Director Shadow Board.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The quarterly Cross-Whitehall Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is jointly chaired by the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD), with the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive also represented. The Cross-Whitehall Deputy Director Shadow Board includes senior officials from the same UK Government departments and devolved administrations.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Mayor of the West Midlands on the resilience of supply chains in the West Midlands.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

In recent interactions the Secretary of State discussed with the West Midlands Mayor the importance of improving the resilience of supply chains in the region and our goal to do so through the Industrial Strategy. A Supply Chain Centre, based in DBT, will lead the government's work to build the resilience of critical supply chains and our £2.5bn DRIVE35 programme will support Zero Emission Vehicle manufacturing and its supply chain.

DBT's Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan also sets out to strengthen UK capabilities and secure more diverse import resources, ensuring better connected and agile supply chains.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered reforming the Habitat Regulations in as far as they relate to planning.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is nearing its final stages in Parliament. The Bill establishes a strategic alternative to the Habitats Regulations Assessment in certain circumstances, although the Regulations remain in place. These provisions will accelerate housing and infrastructure development while supporting the recovery of protected sites and species.

The Government is working to improve the functioning of the Habitats Regulations,

including acting on the recommendations of the Corry Review and the recent Post-Implementation Review. We will also publish updated guidance on the Habitats Regulations Assessment process.

We want to ensure that the Habitats Regulations deliver certainty and efficiency for developers, while protecting our most valuable habitats and species.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Extended producer responsibility scheme on inflation for consumers in the (a) food and (b) retail sectors.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In autumn last year my department published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole including impact on CPI inflation and impact on consumers weekly expenditure, when the regulations were laid in parliament.

We continue to work with businesses to ensure the scheme is implemented fairly and proportionately, supporting our shared aim of reducing packaging waste while limiting the impact on consumers.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the extended producer responsibility scheme on (a) glass manufacturing and (b) the jobs it supports.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In autumn last year my department published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole when the regulations were laid in parliament. This does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors however, my department has engaged extensively with the glass manufacturing sector to understand the impacts on them. This engagement will continue.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the annual cost to the public purse of leasing train carriages per railway operator once the nationalisation programme is complete.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Three train operating companies have transferred into public ownership since July 2024, South Western Railway, c2c and Greater Anglia. The leasing arrangements for both c2c and Greater Anglia were novated on their existing terms and it is the intention to transfer the remaining operators from the private to public sector on existing lease terms. The annual cost of rolling stock to operators is published on an annual basis by the Office for Rail and Road.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of nationalising South Western Railway on passenger rail prices since 25 May 2025.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As more train operators are brought into public ownership through the Department for Transport Operator and the establishment of Great British Railways, we must continue to ensure that passengers and taxpayers receive a fair deal. Since the pandemic, the level of taxpayer subsidy provided to the railway industry has increased from under a quarter of total income in 2018/19 to almost half in 2023/24. Our goal is to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers, while ensuring the railway’s long-term financial sustainability.

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 rail nationalisation programme on passenger rail prices.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As more train operators are brought into public ownership through the Department for Transport Operator and the establishment of Great British Railways, we must continue to ensure that passengers and taxpayers receive a fair deal. Since the pandemic, the level of taxpayer subsidy provided to the railway industry has increased from under a quarter of total income in 2018/19 to almost half in 2023/24. Our goal is to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers, while ensuring the railway’s long-term financial sustainability.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timeframe is for establishing the Passenger Standards Authority.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As the Government has announced, Transport Focus will be strengthened to become the Passenger Watchdog. It will continue its operations throughout the transition period and can start building up its capability shortly after the Railways Bill receives Royal Assent. We expect the watchdog will be fully established with all of its new powers within 12 months of this.