Written questions by Morris.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-Japan Investment Memorandum of Cooperation on the UK’s clean energy sector.

The UK-Japan Investment Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) aims to strengthen bilateral investment relations and drive economic growth by creating opportunities for UK businesses to grow and scale in the Japanese market, particularly in sectors such as those driving green innovation and digital transformation.Through the MoC, DBT will champion UK investors and exporters by showcasing success stories, by addressing market access and business environment challenges directly with Japan’s Cabinet Office, and by providing a direct channel for UK businesses to access DBT expertise on the ground in Japan. This cooperation supports the UK’s modern Industrial Strategy, which sets out plans to transform the UK’s clean energy and digital and technologies sectors over the next decade.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-Japan Investment Memorandum of Cooperation on the UK’s digital transformation.

The UK-Japan Investment Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) aims to strengthen bilateral investment relations and drive economic growth by creating opportunities for UK businesses to grow and scale in the Japanese market, particularly in sectors such as those driving green innovation and digital transformation.Through the MoC, DBT will champion UK investors and exporters by showcasing success stories, by addressing market access and business environment challenges directly with Japan’s Cabinet Office, and by providing a direct channel for UK businesses to access DBT expertise on the ground in Japan. This cooperation supports the UK’s modern Industrial Strategy, which sets out plans to transform the UK’s clean energy and digital and technologies sectors over the next decade.

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement on manufacturing output in the North East.

A wide variety of manufacturing companies in the North East will benefit from this FTA, including those producing cars, who will benefit from tariffs reduced from over 100% to 10% under the quota, and wind turbines, whose tariff will drop from 11% to 0%.In addition, SMEs in the North East, who account for 99.9% of all businesses, will benefit from simplified customs and digital processes, helping them to take advantage of a rapidly growing market in India.The department has published a full impact assessment, that outlines the sectoral and regional impacts of the agreement.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of small and medium sized businesses that have secured angel investment in the last 12 months in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

Surveys by the UK Business Angels Association indicate that around 90% of business angels invest using either the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) or Small Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). Therefore, while the Department does not collect data on angel investment directly, usage of EIS and SEIS is a reasonable proxy. These figures are available at a regional level. The number of small and medium sized businesses that have secured investment using EIS and SEIS in the North East, in the last three years for which data is available, is as follows:Year to 31 March202220232024Number of businesses657090

What recent discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on anti-violence education programmes in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a central priority for this Government. Reducing youth-related violence, including in the North East of England, will be critical to achieving this goal.Home Office officials hold monthly discussions with the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) on delivery of early intervention and prevention programmes, including anti-violence education.For 2025/26, Northumbria VRU has been allocated £2,140,937, including funding for a range of interventions. These include educational programmes for professionals to raise awareness of the impact of knife crime; active bystander training; and mentoring initiatives and sports programmes to provide positive engagement and help to steer young people away from violence.The Home Office also engages regularly with a wider network of Violence Reduction Units and Serious Violence Duty partnerships in England to discuss their progress in embedding a public health approach to violence prevention.The Home Office also meets regularly with Department for Education colleagues to discuss the inclusion of related issues in the curriculum.As part of the updated Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, primary school pupils will learn how to manage relationship challenges and seek help when concerned about violence. At secondary level, the focus will be on developing social and emotional skills to avoid conflict, understanding the law on knives and violence, and knowing which trusted adults to approach.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders to improve support for grassroots sports in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

My Department engages on a regular basis with a range of stakeholders to support grassroots sport.A large part of our Arm’s Length Body Sport England’s work focuses on their place partnerships, where they work with local areas to understand and overcome the specific barriers to sport and physical activity in communities. Rise Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham, and Tees Valley Sport are two of Sport England’s place partnerships.We’ve also committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, and will then set out further plans.The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.This includes supporting Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign which has inspired millions of women and girls to get active. We’ve also launched the Women’s Sport Taskforce to tackle challenges and barriers facing women and girls in sport, from grassroots to elite, and are harnessing the power of hosting major sporting events, such as investing £6.7 million into the Impact 25’ programme for the Women’s Rugby World Cup to make facilities more accessible for women. We’ve also announced plans to more than double the share of slots dedicated to women’s and girls’ teams at Government-funded facilities across England over the next five years.

What representations he has received from stakeholders on reforms to the Constitutional Reform and Governance process for approving trade deals.

Although the department has received representations from NGOs, academia, trade bodies and Parliamentary Committees on this subject over the year, we believe the scrutiny provisions under CRaG remain fit for purpose and have no plans to reform these mechanisms.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on encouraging girls into sport in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

My Department engages on a regular basis with a range of stakeholders to support grassroots sport.A large part of our Arm’s Length Body Sport England’s work focuses on their place partnerships, where they work with local areas to understand and overcome the specific barriers to sport and physical activity in communities. Rise Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham, and Tees Valley Sport are two of Sport England’s place partnerships.We’ve also committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, and will then set out further plans.The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.This includes supporting Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign which has inspired millions of women and girls to get active. We’ve also launched the Women’s Sport Taskforce to tackle challenges and barriers facing women and girls in sport, from grassroots to elite, and are harnessing the power of hosting major sporting events, such as investing £6.7 million into the Impact 25’ programme for the Women’s Rugby World Cup to make facilities more accessible for women. We’ve also announced plans to more than double the share of slots dedicated to women’s and girls’ teams at Government-funded facilities across England over the next five years.

What discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on the availability of apprenticeship schemes for 16-24 year olds in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

This government wants to rebalance the programme back towards young people beginning their careers. In August we introduced new foundation apprenticeships, which are jobs with training that give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. This new offer will help more young people learn high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country, including in the North-East. The department recently ran a workshop with the North-East Combined Authority, exploring how employers and providers in the region could access foundation apprenticeships.

How many children are on waiting lists for Education, Health and Care plan assessments in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

The department does not hold information on the number of children waiting for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment.Information is published on the number of requests for an EHC needs assessment and the number of assessments carried out. The number of requests for an EHC needs assessment which were outstanding at the end of the 2024 calendar year in Northumberland, Newcastle, the North East and England for the 2024 calendar year is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/99797c00-9a15-49d0-7af8-08de11c58191.The number of EHC needs assessments which were outstanding at the end of the 2024 calendar year in Northumberland, Newcastle, the North East and England for the 2024 calendar year is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e0532abe-628f-452a-7af9-08de11c58191.This information is not available at constituency level.

What discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders on steps to improve vocational skills teaching in schools in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East, and (e) England.

The department’s careers framework, the Gatsby Benchmarks, encourages teachers to use industry and career pathways as a context for teaching the national curriculum and qualifications. We also fund the Careers and Enterprise Company to help schools and colleges deliver high quality careers programmes. To boost skills and work readiness, every young person will receive two weeks’ worth of work experience during their secondary education.Technical awards are the main vocationally focused pre-16 offer and play an important role in supporting a broad curriculum at key stage 4 and progression to post-16 pathways.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases of illegal waste dumping have been recorded in the last (a) five years and (b) ten years in (i) Hexham constituency, (ii) Northumberland, (iii) Newcastle, (iv) the North East and (v) England.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement action to Defra, which the department have published annually since 2012, here. This data isn't available at a constituency level and excludes the majority of private-land incidents. Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is still being collected. The Environment Agency investigates fly tipping where the waste is more than 20 tonnes, a specified amount of hazardous waste, or is suspected to be linked to organised crime. The Environment Agency confirmed the following data on cases where at least one of these conditions were met: 5 Years10 YearsHexham01Northumberland46Newcastle12North East2551England5071510

Media and Sport, what recent discussions the Department has had with relevant stakeholders to improve support for local arts in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

The Secretary of State and her ministerial team engage regularly with a wide range of stakeholders and DCMS Arm’s Length Bodies regarding support for local arts organisations and museums. In February 2025, the Secretary of State announced a new £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund, with organisations across the North East already benefitting. This includes the £20 million Museum Renewal Fund, with over £1.2 million awarded to museums in the North East in October, and £483k specifically for the North East Museums group to support activities across Northumberland museums, including Hexham Old Gaol. This funding is additional to core museums funding delivered through Arts Council England, including the National Portfolio Investment Programme, which sees over £3.3 million a year invested in the North East Museums group amongst others.The Department continues to work with stakeholders to provide additional support for local museums and galleries in 2025/26, through the £25 million Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) tackling maintenance backlogs, and the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, currently open for applications.The Arts Everywhere Fund will also deliver £85 million of investment through the Creative Foundations Fund to support arts and cultural organisations, including local arts centres, to address urgent estate issues, ensuring buildings and infrastructure are fit for future generations. In addition, Ministers have commissioned a formal review of ACE, the body responsible for distributing arts funding across England. The review is considering all aspects of ACE’s work and investment, and will report this Autumn.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders to improve support for local museums in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

The Secretary of State and her ministerial team engage regularly with a wide range of stakeholders and DCMS Arm’s Length Bodies regarding support for local arts organisations and museums. In February 2025, the Secretary of State announced a new £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund, with organisations across the North East already benefitting. This includes the £20 million Museum Renewal Fund, with over £1.2 million awarded to museums in the North East in October, and £483k specifically for the North East Museums group to support activities across Northumberland museums, including Hexham Old Gaol. This funding is additional to core museums funding delivered through Arts Council England, including the National Portfolio Investment Programme, which sees over £3.3 million a year invested in the North East Museums group amongst others.The Department continues to work with stakeholders to provide additional support for local museums and galleries in 2025/26, through the £25 million Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) tackling maintenance backlogs, and the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, currently open for applications.The Arts Everywhere Fund will also deliver £85 million of investment through the Creative Foundations Fund to support arts and cultural organisations, including local arts centres, to address urgent estate issues, ensuring buildings and infrastructure are fit for future generations. In addition, Ministers have commissioned a formal review of ACE, the body responsible for distributing arts funding across England. The review is considering all aspects of ACE’s work and investment, and will report this Autumn.

What steps his Department is taking to support the recruitment of teachers that have a background in industry to enhance (a) vocational and (b) technical education in (i) Hexham constituency, (ii) Northumberland, (iii) Newcastle, (iv) the North East, and (v) England.

The department is committed to strengthening the pipeline of industry expertise into teaching across the country, particularly in the further education (FE) sector.The 'Teach in Further Education' marketing campaign and online platform provides support to those interested in teaching, with a focus on industry professionals changing career. The ‘Taking Teaching Further’ programme offers early career support and training to those industry professionals entering teaching with the relevant knowledge and experience. To boost retention of early career FE teachers in priority technical and vocational subjects, we offer retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax. In the 2024/25 academic year, almost 6,000 FE teachers received these payments. As announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, we are investing £20 million to support partnerships between construction employers and FE providers, and promote industry expertise in the classroom.In schools, we offer several pathways into teaching, including postgraduate salaried courses like apprenticeships, which can support industry career-changers into teaching. Similar targeted retention incentives are also available.

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on improving waiting lists for Education, Health and Care plan assessments in (a) Northumberland and (b) the North East.

Data on the number of requests for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out and assessments outstanding is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025. This includes data for the North East. The latest data was published on 26 June 2025. ​​​ Following the above publication of EHC plan statistics, departmental officials met with all North East local authorities during July and August 2025, including Northumberland County Council. Officials discussed the published data including the overall timeliness of assessments and actions each local area was taking to improve services and reduce wait times for children, young people and their families undergoing an EHC needs assessment. The department will continue to work with North East local area partnerships to monitor the delivery of special educational needs and disabilities services and offer support when required.

How many electric charging points have been established through Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funding.

In total, the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, alongside significant private investment, is expected to support the installation of at least 100,000 chargepoints across England. The majority of LEVI projects have now been approved to go to delivery, the first contracts have been signed between local authorities and chargepoint operators, and the first projects have now started to install chargepoints. Data on chargepoints installed under LEVI will be available in due course. Installation rates will increase as more projects enter delivery, with installation expected to continue over the coming years.

How many an what proportion of cars were powered by electric in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England in the most recent period for which data is available.

At the end of June 2025, the number of licensed cars that were battery electric was 3,119 (2.9%) in Newcastle, 4,955 (2.9%) in Northumberland, 30,928 (2.5%) in the North East and 1,355,127 (4.7%) in England. We do not readily hold the respective figure for Hexham constituency.It is important to note, vehicles are allocated to geographic location according to the postcode of the registered keeper. The address does not necessarily reflect where the vehicle is located. This is especially true for large fleets kept by companies involved with vehicle management, leasing or rentals.

Communities and Local Government, how many buildings are classified as derelict in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

My Department does not hold data on derelict buildings. The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues regarding derelict buildings in rural areas

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on derelict buildings in rural areas.

My Department does not hold data on derelict buildings. The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues regarding derelict buildings in rural areas