Oral Answers to Questions

Will Forster Excerpts

Wednesday 4th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question. We inherited an appalling situation, with a record number of households in temporary accommodation. Every child deserves a safe and secure home. We are investing £950 million in the local authority housing fund to increase the supply of quality accommodation. We are banning section 21 no-fault evictions, introducing a new stronger decent homes standard and investing £39 billion to deliver the homes that families need.

[Mr Will Forster (Woking) (LD)]

Q5.   Last month I visited my old school, Woking high school. I saw classrooms built in the 1960s that were meant to last 20 years, but are still in use and are being held together by gaffer tape. I visited my old music classroom and I nearly fell through the floor: I saw a hole in the roof, and I can still remember the stench of mould; that classroom was condemned last year. Will the Prime Minister please agree to come to Woking high school with me to see how bad it really is and to ensure that my old school gets the urgent financial support it needs so that, in the 21st century, my constituents can be educated in a school they deserve?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising this case, which will be a real concern for his constituents. I am sure the Conservatives will have heard the reality of what they did over 14 years, destroying everything in this country. We are fixing that and I will ensure that he gets a meeting with the relevant Minister to discuss this further.

Oral Answers to Questions

Will Forster Excerpts

Wednesday 16th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jo Stevens]

No, I will not.

[Mr Will Forster (Woking) (LD)]

5. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the classification of the Oxford to Cambridge rail line as an England and Wales transport project on Wales.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Jo Stevens)]

The hon. Member will know that that was an error made under the previous Conservative Government. Heavy rail infrastructure is reserved in Wales and, like every heavy rail project in England, Barnett consequentials do not apply. The UK Government’s rail network enhancements pipeline funds East West Rail—or Ox-Cam rail, as it is more commonly known—and also directly funds projects in Wales, such as the historic at least £445 million investment in rail in Wales that was announced in the June spending review.

[Mr Forster]

The Government have claimed that listing the Oxford to Cambridge rail line as “England-only” on past documents was just an accounting error by the Conservative Government and that the project has not been reclassified to deprive Wales of funding, but four separate Government documents list it as “England-only”, and over £1 million in Barnett consequentials were already paid to Wales on that basis. Does the Secretary of State honestly stand by her claim that it has just been reclassified and that this is not intended to deprive Wales of fair funding?

[Jo Stevens]

As I have just explained, an error was made by the previous Conservative Government. Heavy rail was and always is reserved. The Welsh Government will not be required to re-pay any Barnett consequentials provided to them as a result of any error that took place under the Conservative Government.