Written questions by Mitchell.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Birmingham City Council area.

Birmingham City Council is responsible for reviewing and assessing air quality in its area. The 2025 Birmingham Air Quality Annual Status Report notes continued action to reduce PM2.5 through implementation of the Birmingham Clean Air Zone, fleet renewal and retrofit of buses and taxis, promotion of active travel, traffic management and anti-idling enforcement. The Council is also reducing emissions from domestic solid fuel burning through smoke control enforcement and public awareness, and works with Defra supported monitoring and modelling to track PM2.5 trends and inform further targeted interventions. The Council continues to work with Defra, DfT, the West Midlands Combined Authority and partners to identify new measures to reduce pollution.

Whether he has set a target for the number of job starts to be offered to long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit in Birmingham and Solihull during the first 6 months of the Jobs Guarantee scheme.

The government is investing over £1.5 billion in tackling youth unemployment and inactivity, including £820 million for the expanded Youth Guarantee and £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. This will provide young people aged 16–24 with greater support into work and learning, including a Jobs Guarantee offering fully subsidised paid work for every 18–21-year-old on Universal Credit for 18 months. In line with the Government’s December 2025 announcement, the Jobs Guarantee will begin its rollout from Spring 2026 in 6 areas which have some of the highest need, including Birmingham and Solihull. The first 6 months of the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide over 1000 job starts across the 6 areas. National roll-out of the Jobs Guarantee across Great Britain will take place later in 2026. The programme is expected to support around 55,000 young people over the next three years, contributing to this government’s long-term ambition to increase employment and reduce long-term youth unemployment. This Government is taking action to ensure young people have clear pathways into work, with opportunities that build skills, confidence and long-term employability. In addition, through the expanded Youth Guarantee, we are creating around 300,000 additional opportunities for young people to gain workplace experience and training. This includes up to 150,000 extra work experience placements and up to 145,000 bespoke training opportunities designed with employers through our Sector based Work Academy Programmes, or SWAPs. These programmes provide young people with real, practical experience linked to vacancies in priority sectors, improving their prospects of moving quickly into work.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what official guidance has been issued by the Forestry Commission to Birmingham City Council on improving the management of Sutton Park.

The Forestry Commission has approved a Felling Licence based on a management plan, which includes permissions for both thinning and conditional felling, alongside 4.99 hectares of heathland restoration. This plan was approved for a 10-year period in September 2025 and will remain in effect until 14 September 2035. The management plan sets out the following environmental objectives:Manage woodlands towards the recovery of positive conditions on “Plantations on Ancient Woodlands” (PAWS) and “Site of Special Scientific Interest” (SSSI) through a mix of active planting and natural regeneration.Promote good health and resilience of woodlands, diversifying age class and species composition using conventional and continuous cover forestry.Manage priority habitat by cutting back undesirable scrub and regeneration.Promote habitat connectivity by managing rides, footpaths, and edge woodlands.Increase fauna and flora diversity through retention of veteran trees, standing deadwood, brash piles, and targeted thinning. The management plan aims to ensure that Sutton Park’s woodlands are managed sustainably, enhancing biodiversity and supporting the long-term resilience of these important habitats. All of the above is in-line with the Government’s UK Forest Standard.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what recent discussions her Department has had with Severn Trent on how sewage infrastructure failures can be avoided in Sutton Park.

The most recent discussion Natural England has had with Severn Trent regarding how sewage infrastructure failures can be avoided in Sutton Park was a meeting on 13 November 2025 in conjunction with the Environment Agency. This discussion was part of ongoing discussions regarding Severn Trent's commitment within the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) to investigate the sources and impacts of water pollution at Sutton Park. The next meeting is due on 21 January 2026. Natural England has noted that the number of serious incidents has reduced (from four in 2021 to two in 2025). Severn Trent has recently employed a new Ranger to support this work. However, there is still more work to reduce incidents. We will continue to work with Severn Trent alongside the Environment Agency to ensure Severn Trent delivers its commitments within the WINEP.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, on what date a decline in the condition of the park’s woodland and heathland habitats was first detected as part of Natural England's Site of Special Scientific Interest monitoring programme.

The woodland feature has been recorded as unfavourable since 2012, and was first identified as declining in the condition assessment published in March 2025. The heathland feature has been unfavourable since 2000, and was first identified as declining in September 2012. For both habitats, prior to their being recorded as unfavourable declining, they had previously been considered as unfavourable recovering. Unfavourable condition means that the habitat is not meeting its definition of favourable condition, and ‘recovering/declining’ indicates whether the management of on and off-site pressures will enable the habitat to become favourable.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what steps her Department has taken since the decline in the condition of the park was first detected.

Natural England (NE) and the Forestry Commission are working with Birmingham City Council (BCC) to review on-site management to address the decline in habitat condition. This includes: improved grazing; addressing scrub and bracken encroachment; management of invasive species; increased woodland thinning; and visitor management. NE also provided a detailed response to BCC’s 2025 consultation on its Sutton Park National Nature Reserve management plan, which identifies the key objectives and actions for managing the Park. NE is also discussing with BCC future funding support through agri-environment schemes and other sources.NE is working with BCC and other neighbouring Local Planning Authorities to influence strategic development and transport plans to ensure housing needs are met while protecting the habitats of the Site of Special Scientific Interest from recreational pressure and air pollution. NE and the Environment Agency continue to work with Severn Trent Water to address pollution risks from sewage infrastructure as part of the Water Industry Natural Environment Programme. The recently published West Midlands Combined Authority Local Nature Recovery Strategy recognises the importance of Sutton Park, both for nature and for people. Actions identified in the Strategy, both within the Park and the wider area, will also support habitat recovery in the Park.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support growth within the creative industries in the West Midlands.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan is a new 10-year plan to tackle barriers to growth and maximise opportunities across the creative industries sector, with the aim of making the UK the number one destination for creativity and innovation by 2035.The Creative Industries Sector Plan includes a universal offer to drive growth in the creative industries in any place in the UK, outlining new measures to break down barriers such as access to finance, supply of skills, and new support to kickstart innovation.The £150 million Creative Places Growth Fund is a new approach to supporting Creative Industries - devolving funding and empowering local leaders to grow the sector in 6 high-growth potential Mayoral Strategic Authorities, including the West Midlands. This will provide £25m to West Midlands Combined Authority to distribute, according to local barriers and opportunities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 97744 on Council Tax: Sutton Coldfield, if she will publish the evidential basis for the claim that the surcharge will raise £400m in revenue in 2028/29.

The policy costing note for the High Value Council Tax Surcharge is available on page 51 of the Budget 2025 policy costings document: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf

Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support hoteliers in the West Midlands.

The Government is committed to supporting the hospitality sector as a valuable contributor to the UK economy. The Government recognises the significant pressures facing the hospitality industry, including hotels, and is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.The Government has introduced permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a ratable value under £500,000, worth nearly £900 million annually, benefitting over 750,000 properties. The new relief rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap so all qualifying properties will benefit.DCMS works closely with VisitEngland/VisitBritain, Local Visitor Economy Partnerships and industry to support accommodation providers, including hotels in the West Midlands. The West Midlands is a key participant in a Destination Development Partnership pilot led by VisitEngland. This programme tests a new model for destination management by encouraging collaboration between national and local tourism bodies. The focus is on making the region more accessible and highlighting its range of shops, restaurants, and hotels.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support hedgehog conservation initiatives in the West Midlands.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are being prepared by responsible authorities to agree on priorities that help nature recover and support species of local and national importance. Responsible authorities are required to consider national environmental objectives when preparing their LNRS, including the target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. The West Midlands LNRS was published recently and maps specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement to support species such as hedgehogs. Nationally, Natural England is supporting the National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy and the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme. Information gathered from these projects will provide insights into the factors contributing to hedgehog population decline, leading to the implementation of practical conservation measures to address this challenge.

Whether she plans to allocate additional police resources to tackle antisocial behaviour in the Birmingham City Council area.

Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.Under the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we are putting neighbourhood officers back into communities. £200 million has been made available in 2025-26 to support the first steps towards delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament, including up to 3,000 additional neighbourhood officers by the end of March 2026.Based on their £12,210,903 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, West Midlands Police are projected to grow by 309 FTE neighbourhood officers in 2025-26 (289 FTE neighbourhood police officers and 20 FTE neighbourhood PCSOs).Following on from the Safer Streets Summer Initiative, the Home Secretary announced a “Winter of Action” in which police forces across England and Wales will again partner with local businesses, councils and other agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour and other local issues that matter most to their communities. As part of this initiative, West Midlands Police have identified 54 locations, including a number in Birmingham, in which visible patrols and targeted enforcement will be delivered to tackle anti-social behaviour, retail crime and other local crimes. The full list of locations can be found here:Winter of Action: location list - GOV.UK

What steps he is taking to help tackle inequalities in (a) waiting times and (b) access to treatment for diabetes in the West Midlands.

Action is being taken across the West Midland integrated care boards (ICBs) to address inequalities in waiting times and access to treatment for diabetesThis action includes strengthening monitoring of data and to identify delays and variation, improving general practice (GP) engagement through Protected Learning Time sessions, streamlining referral pathways and supporting GPs to proactively identify and engage patients using improved data and low-literacy-friendly approachesICBs are also take actions to identify groups at greatest risk of poor outcomes who face barriers in accessing services. The aim of these actions is to deliver fairer waiting times, more consistent access to treatment, and equitable, high‑quality diabetes care for all communities.

What recent steps his Department has taken to help reduce levels of reoffending in the West Midlands.

HMPPS Area Executive Directors (AEDs) are responsible for leading a joined-up approach to prisons and probation in their region, alongside working with criminal justice partners such as the police and local authorities to address the causes of offending and to make sure that those released from prison do not reoffend. For those who persistently break the law, we are building 14,000 new prison places to make sure they are removed from the streets. Whilst in prison they will be expected to take part in education or learn new skills to make them more useful contributors to society after release. Anyone released from prison is subject to strict licence conditions, including exclusion zones where appropriate. If found to have breached these conditions they can be returned to prison. The Probation Service puts in place services aimed at reducing re-offending by supporting the needs of people on probation in the West Midlands. These include providing support in obtaining and maintaining suitable accommodation, help with drug and alcohol dependency issues, assistance with personal wellbeing needs and a holistic service addressing all needs for women. In the Midlands, we have introduced an area Reducing Reoffending lead who will lead on projects working with Prison and Probations across the Midlands to help in reducing reoffending.

What steps he is taking to improve breastfeeding support in the West Midlands.

The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for breastfeeding plays an important role in achieving this.Most families will receive breastfeeding information and support from midwives and health visitors. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme to strengthen the quality of services, including health visiting. We have increased the number of midwives, with 1,056 more full time equivalent midwives working in the National Health Service in September 2025 compared to September 2024.Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, we are investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding support in 75 local authorities. This includes Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Telford and Wrekin, and Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands. Our investment has also increased the capacity of the National Breastfeeding Helpline so that families across the United Kingdom can access breastfeeding support 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 70321 on Stop and Search: West Midlands, when she will publish the evaluation of the Serious Violence Reduction Orders pilot.

Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) were piloted for two years throughout Merseyside, Sussex, Thames Valley and West Midlands police force areas. The pilot took place between 19 April 2023 and 18 April 2025.The pilot has been independently evaluated and looks at the effectiveness of SVROs, including the use of the SVRO stop and search power and the effectiveness of SVROs in reducing reoffending and knife carrying.The evaluation is currently being considered, and further information on the evaluation findings will be made available in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to help support community-based preventative services for older people in Sutton Coldfield constituency.

As part of a broader strategy to improve quality of care and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, the National Health Service is implementing various preventative services to support older people in maintaining their health and independence. For example, support for frailty through the NHS Toolkit, that helps general practitioners (GPs) identify and manage frailty in patients aged 65 years old and over, and preventative primary care interventions are being evaluated to improve functional ability and self-rated health for older people. The NHS 10 Year Plan aims to move care from hospitals into communities, bringing together health and care professionals to provide proactive care and prevention.The Community Care Collaborative in Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System (ICS) has rolled out six new neighbourhood health hubs to date. These will bring together multi-disciplinary health and care professionals in each locality across Birmingham to provide easily accessible community-based care for individuals with frailty and long-term conditions.The neighbourhood health hubs will host 11 new integrated neighbourhood teams (INTs) in Birmingham and Solihull ICS, with an aim to have teams across all 35 of its neighbourhoods by the end of 2026. The INTs provide a holistic response to an individual's care.A recent evaluation of the first INT pilot teams to go live across the ICS shows a 31% reduction in GP appointments and fewer inpatient stays at acute hospitals.The NHS offers several vaccinations for older adults to protect them from disease. This includes vaccination for flu, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), shingles and pneumonia. These are delivered in the community primarily through general practice, with flu and COVID-19 vaccinations also available at community pharmacies across England, and RSV vaccinations available at select community pharmacies in some areas including Sutton Coldfield and the wider Birmingham and Solihull region.

What estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the closure of the online filing service to support small businesses with simple tax affairs.

I understand the impact the closure of this service for filing company accounts and tax returns may have on small, unrepresented businesses.The service is closing because Companies House is modernising its accounts filing requirements under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, passed by the previous government. The current service does not meet these new standards.The Act forms part of wider reforms designed to strengthen corporate transparency and give Companies House greater powers to tackle economic crime and support economic growth.The closure of the service, which is outdated and incompatible with modern requirements, will also allow HMRC to introduce measures to prevent abuse of the tax system and help close the small business tax gap, which was estimated to be £14.7 billion in the 2023/24 tax year.

What discussions she has had with small business owners on the closure of the online filing service to support small, unrepresented businesses with simple tax affairs.

I understand the impact the closure of this service for filing company accounts and tax returns may have on small, unrepresented businesses.The service is closing because Companies House is modernising its accounts filing requirements under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, passed by the previous government. The current service does not meet these new standards.The Act forms part of wider reforms designed to strengthen corporate transparency and give Companies House greater powers to tackle economic crime and support economic growth.Government officials meet regularly with business groups and representatives to discuss issues affecting small businesses. HMRC has engaged directly with users of the service and with representative bodies. They continue to work with Companies House and software providers to support a smooth transition.HMRC announced the closure of the service in February 2025, giving more than a year for those affected to make other arrangements. At the same time HMRC wrote to those impacted with support on how to transition. HMRC and Companies House will continue to ensure appropriate support is in place for small businesses during the transition.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with Birmingham City Council on (a) pollution and (b) decreasing biodiversity in Sutton Park.

Sutton Park is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a National Nature Reserve. Natural England (NE) has an ongoing constructive dialogue with Birmingham City Council (BCC), which manages the park, about its management of the park’s important biodiversity. This follows a decline in the condition of the park’s woodland and heathland habitats detected as part of NE’s SSSI monitoring programme. NE and the Forestry Commission (FC) are advising BCC on improving the management of those habitats. NE is also exploring with BCC opportunities for managing the increased recreational pressure on the park, while also supporting growth of housing in the vicinity of the park. NE is also engaged with Severn Trent Water on how sewage infrastructure failures can be avoided and any impacts addressed on the wetland and open water areas in Sutton Park. This work forms part of the water company’s five-year Asset Management Programmes agreed with Ofwat. Actions to improve the site are set out in the West Midlands Combined Authority Local Nature Recovery Strategy. NE will be working with the responsible authority, FC and the Environment Agency to support delivery of those actions.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with Birmingham City Council on the devolution of the management of Sutton Park to the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council.

Ministers meet regularly with external stakeholders. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly on GOV.UK. MHCLG is working closely with Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council on the Pride in Place Programme. Through this process, it has been made clear that Sutton Park is a vital and valued local asset. We will continue to work closely with both the Town Council and Birmingham City Council to support the delivery of the programme over the coming years.