Every parliamentary written question tabled by Adam Jogee this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 361–380 of 1,102 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will discuss the adequacy of financial contributions made by member states to the Commonwealth Secretariat with her Indian counterpart.
The UK is the largest donor to Commonwealth institutions and their programmes. We support reform of the Commonwealth Secretariat to help place the organisation on a more sustainable financial footing and encourage member states to contribute as appropriate to support Commonwealth activity.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will discuss the adequacy of financial contributions made by member states to the Commonwealth Secretariat with her counterpart in Gabon.
The UK is the largest donor to Commonwealth institutions and their programmes. We support reform of the Commonwealth Secretariat to help place the organisation on a more sustainable financial footing and encourage member states to contribute as appropriate to support Commonwealth activity.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of access to green open spaces for the health and wellbeing of people in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
The Government’s ambition is that access to nature is recognised as a key enabler of prevention of ill-health and is harnessed for the health and wellbeing of communities and individuals. Increasing equitable access to nature is a key method in delivering on preventative healthcare and a neighbourhood centric approach and supports health and wellbeing for all demographics. The government has worked with Staffordshire County Council in support of improving opportunities for residents to realise the benefits of improved access to green spaces.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to help Ukraine win the war against the Russian Federation.
I refer the Hon Member to the oral statement made by the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry on 18 December 2025, and to the UK support to Ukraine factsheet available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-support-to-ukraine-factsheet/uk-support-to-ukraine-factsheet.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the political situation in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The UK shares a close, historic relationship with St Vincent and the Grenadines, and we look forward to that relationship continuing under Prime Minister Friday's newly-elected Government.
Media and Sport, if she will visit a) the New Vic Theatre, b) the Brampton Museum and c) Apedale Heritage Centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The Minister of State (then Sir Chris Bryant MP) had the pleasure of visiting both the New Vic Theatre and Brampton Museum on 27 August 2025. I will ask my officials to keep the Apedale Heritage Centre and attractions across Newcastle-under-Lyme in mind when planning future visits.Thank you for taking the time to share your suggestions of places to visit in your constituency. I am always delighted to support and promote the vital work being done across the cultural sector.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will discuss the adequacy of financial contributions made by member states to the Commonwealth Secretariat with her New Zealand counterpart.
The UK is the largest donor to Commonwealth institutions and their programmes. We support reform of the Commonwealth Secretariat to help place the organisation on a more sustainable financial footing and encourage member states to contribute as appropriate to support Commonwealth activity.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will discuss the adequacy of financial contributions made by member states to the Commonwealth Secretariat with her Ghanaian counterpart.
The UK is the largest donor to Commonwealth institutions and their programmes. We support reform of the Commonwealth Secretariat to help place the organisation on a more sustainable financial footing and encourage member states to contribute as appropriate to support Commonwealth activity.
Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Building Safety Regulator.
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a range of duties, including facilitating safety in higher-risk buildings (HRBs), keeping the safety and standards of all buildings under review and facilitating improvement in competence across industry.The introduction of the BSR in 2023 has led to demonstrable improvements in the safety of the buildings it is responsible for. HRBs are now subject to more stringent scrutiny at both design and construction stages. The planning gateway process embeds fire and structural safety requirements at the earliest stages of design and construction.The BSR has faced challenges implementing a significant shift in building safety regulation and recognises the impact of delays on the pipeline of new HRBs. In June, MHCLG announced a new phase for the BSR, including strengthened leadership, steps to address operational challenges, and plans for a new body for the BSR.BSR performance continues to improve. Significant numbers of new build applications have been cleared, and new operating models are delivering dramatically reduced processing times. To support transparency and accountability, the BSR published performance data on 23 December 2025 and will continue to do so monthly.Establishing a standalone body for the BSR will provide a singular focus for the new leadership to tackle this complex area of regulation. Work is underway to establish the new body through a Statutory Instrument which confirms the establishment date as 27 January 2026. We will work closely with the BSR to ensure a smooth transition from the Health and Safety Executive.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will discuss the adequacy of financial contributions made by member states to the Commonwealth Secretariat with her counterpart in Togo.
The UK is the largest donor to Commonwealth institutions and their programmes. We support reform of the Commonwealth Secretariat to help place the organisation on a more sustainable financial footing and encourage member states to contribute as appropriate to support Commonwealth activity.
What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to increase trade and business co-operation between Wales and a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.
My Department supports growth by working closely with the Department of Business and Trade and the Welsh Government to attract private investment, helping business to grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across Wales. Many businesses supported by this Government in Wales operate across Wales and England, particularly in border areas including Staffordshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme.The recently expanded Office for Investment works with local areas, leveraging public finance from institutions like the National Wealth Fund and the British Business Bank, to deliver strategic investments, aligned with the 10-year Infrastructure and Industrial strategies.This Government is investing in the infrastructure needed to boost growth across the Wales/England border region, including the approval of the M54-M6 link road.
What recent steps have been taken to further develop trade links between the United Kingdom and Jamaica.
This Government is strengthening trade with Jamaica through multiple initiatives. UK Export Finance has signed a Framework for Cooperation with the Jamaican government enabling us to support a range of critical infrastructure projects with substantial UK content, including the replacement of bridges across the country. My department also recently funded the first inward mission from the Caribbean life sciences sector, which included senior Jamaican delegates, to deepen collaboration and tackle barriers to trade. We are also cooperating on digital trade, with Jamaican firms forging partnerships with UK businesses through the UK Trade Partnerships Programme.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness and adequacy of British support for the clean up in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa.
I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement on the Government response to Hurricane Melissa published on 11 December 2025 (HCWS1159).
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to tackle waste crime in rural communities.
This Government is making the necessary policy and regulatory reforms to close the loopholes being exploited by waste criminals. Key reforms include carrier, broker, dealer reform, waste permit exemption reform and the introduction of digital waste tracking. I believe these reforms are the best way to drive criminality out of the waste sector whether in urban or rural communities. However, the Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why the Government collaborated with the National Police Chiefs’ Councils to deliver their renewal of the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which was published in November. The strategy, lasting until 2028, will ensure efforts to reduce crime benefit every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.
What powers other than additional funding she has to ensure Staffordshire County Council fills potholes in Newcastle-under-Lyme in a timely and thorough way.
Local highway authorities, such as Staffordshire County Council, have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. To receive their full share of the Government's £500 million funding uplift for local highways maintenance in 2025/26, local authorities had to publish transparency reports on their website to set out how they will spend the additional funding. As part of this, local authorities were required to demonstrate how they comply with best practice in highways maintenance, including in relation to preventative maintenance which helps to keep roads in good condition for longer and prevents potholes from forming in the first place. These requirements are designed to drive greater adoption of best practice to ensure that this funding is spent as effectively as possible to improve local road conditions. The transparency report for Staffordshire County Council is available online, at:www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Highways/Managing-the-highway-asset/Local-highways-maintenance-transparency-report.aspx The Department is also currently updating the Code of Practice for Well Managed Highways Infrastructure. The Code provides guidance to local authorities on the delivery of safe, efficient, and sustainable highway services through a risk‑based, evidence‑led approach to asset management. The Code encourages highways authorities to set repair timescales against defined risk levels, ensuring that safety-critical defects are fixed swiftly to reduce the likelihood of incident or liability. This is available online, at:https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukrlg-home/code-of-practice There are occasions where potholes need to be repaired quickly for safety reasons, but the Department encourages local authorities to also focus on long-term preventative maintenance to ensure that roads are fixed properly and potholes prevented from forming in the first place. This is also more cost-effective than the repeated and reactive patching of potholes. The current Code of Practice emphasises that “when determining the balance between preventative and reactive maintenance, authorities should adopt the principle that prevention is better than cure”.
Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a standalone clean air act.
As set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan, we are committed to a series of interventions to improve air quality to deliver benefits for public health, the environment, and the economy.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will discuss the adequacy of financial contributions made by member states to the Commonwealth Secretariat with her Maltese counterpart.
The UK is the largest donor to Commonwealth institutions and their programmes. We support reform of the Commonwealth Secretariat to help place the organisation on a more sustainable financial footing and encourage member states to contribute as appropriate to support Commonwealth activity.
If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of library provision in schools in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme, to the answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 81502.
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland about the potential impact of proposed changes to inheritance tax on family farms in Ulster.
Following the reforms to inheritance tax announced at Budget 2024, we have engaged with the farming community and businesses. Having carefully considered this feedback, we are going further to protect more farms and businesses, while maintaining the core principle that the most valuable agricultural and business assets should not receive unlimited relief. The allowance for 100% rate of relief will be increased from £1 million to £2.5 million when it is introduced in April 2026. This means a couple will now be able to pass on up to £5 million tax-free between them, on top of existing allowances such as the nil rate band. Raising the threshold will significantly reduce the number of farms and business owners facing higher inheritance tax bills under the reforms, ensuring only the largest estates are affected. This gets the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, fixing the public finances, and funding public services.
What recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the environmental condition of Lough Neagh.
The blue-green algae which we have seen develop over recent years in Lough Neagh is very worrying and has had a serious impact on the environmental health of the Lough. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State recently met with Northern Ireland’s Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir MLA, and discussed the environmental impact on Lough Neagh, the Lough Neagh Action Plan and where the UK Government can support the Department in tackling the pollution in Lough Neagh. Whilst the protection and conservation of the Lough is a devolved matter, this Government recognises the vital importance of Lough Neagh and will continue to engage with the Executive on this issue.