Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the readiness of combined authorities to exercise new franchising powers under the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We recognise the fundamental importance of building the capacity and capability of local transport authorities to drive improvements to bus services and exercise franchising powers if they wish.
The Department is working with Local Transport Authorities who are in the process of or are interested in franchising, to understand how the process could be improved and to provide a tailored programme of support.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38594 on Neighbourhood Policing: Finance, what proportion of the increased funding allocated to policing in the Spending Review 2025 will be allocated to neighborhood policing beyond 2025-26.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Details on how funding will be allocated beyond 2025-26 will be set out at the police settlement later this year.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2025 to Question 27532 on UK Soft Power Council: Finance, what the annual budget is for the Soft Power Council, in the context of the Spending Review 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
All Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office allocation decisions for the Spending Review period will be taken over the coming months.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, what funding will be provided for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance in this spending review period.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long been a strong supporter of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We have committed £1.65 billion to the current strategic period covering 2021-2025. The outcomes of the Spending Review are being used to inform how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used. We look forward to Gavi's replenishment summit on 25 June.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, what funding will be provided for the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in this spending review period.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long been a strong supporter of The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. We have committed £1 billion to the current grant cycle covering 2023-2025. The Spending Review does not finalise detailed Official Development Assistance spending plans at the level of individual countries, institutions, or programmes. Ministers are now considering decisions over the coming months to take effect from April 2026.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 41835 on Africa: Development Aid, if he will set out bilateral country ODA budgets following the Spending Review.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We will publish the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's final 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts in July.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2024 to Question 2344 on Railways: West Midlands, what impact her Department’s internal review of its capital spend portfolio had on the decision on Midlands Rail Hub.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As referenced by the Chancellor, this settlement shows the government's commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West, strengthening connections between Birmingham, the South-West and Wales.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the Spending Review 2025 on 11 June 2025, what funding will be provided to progress the next stage of the Midlands Rail Hub.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor’s commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West in the 2025 Spending Review follows the release of £123 million last year to design the first phase, which could be delivered by the early 2030s.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the availability of commercial insurance for UK companies seeking to operate in Ukraine on British trade and investment in the region.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Limited availability of insurance to operate in Ukraine is a market access barrier for businesses to export, invest or operate in Ukraine. The expertise and global reputation of the London Insurance sector has continued to mobilise international support to increase risk coverage for real sector and trade finance under the 2023 London Conference Framework for War Risk Insurance.
In March, Minister Doughty and I joined an international roundtable hosted by Lloyds of London to maintain momentum and encourage insurance companies to reconsider the Ukrainian market. UK Export Finance (UKEF) continues to provide risk insurance for UK exporters trading with Ukraine.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) officials and (b) Ministers participated at the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum event between 20 and 22 May 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Minister for Investment and officials from the Department for Business and Trade have participated at the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) event that took place between 20 and 22 May 2025.