Written questions by Morton.

Whether her Department has held discussions with the West Midlands Combined Authority, the Mayor of the West Midlands, or the West Midlands Rail Executive regarding safeguards to ensure that rolling stock currently allocated to West Midlands routes remains in the region following the transfer of West Midlands Trains into public ownership; and whether she plans to introduce any formal consultation or consent mechanisms for combined authorities in relation to permanent rolling stock reassignment decisions.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the Department has undertaken any assessment of the potential impact on regional rail capacity and service resilience of the future reallocation of rolling stock currently operating on West Midlands Railway services following transfer into public ownership; whether any guidance has been issued regarding the geographic allocation of rolling stock under Great British Railways; and whether she plans to publish any criteria governing future rolling stock deployment decisions between regions.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports that lower-paying sectors including hospitality and retail have experienced some of the largest falls in payroll employment and vacancies; what support the Government is providing to businesses in those sectors to retain staff; and whether Ministers have considered temporary reliefs or targeted interventions to prevent further job losses.

Awaiting answer.

What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of payroll employment; what discussions his Department has had with businesses on hiring freezes and investment plans; and whether he plans to introduce additional support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of schools and colleges on delivering the proposed Mental Health Strategy for England; what additional funding and guidance will be provided to education settings to support mental health provision; and how he plans to ensure consistency in the availability and quality of Mental Health Support Teams across different regions.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the decline in job vacancies to the lowest level in five years; which regions and sectors have experienced the largest falls in vacancies over the last 12 months; and whether the Government plans to expand employment support, retraining schemes or apprenticeships in response to the weakening labour market.

Awaiting answer.

Whether he plans to publish (a) targets and (b) measurable outcomes as part of the Mental Health Strategy for England.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the parliamentary by-election in Makerfield; what proportion of that cost will be met by (a) central Government, (b) the relevant local authority and (c) any other public body; and whether he plans to provide additional financial support to the local authority to cover the costs associated with administering the by-election.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed Mental Health Strategy for England on waiting times for mental health services; what steps he is taking to ensure that a shift towards earlier intervention and community-based support does not result in reduced access to specialist clinical treatment for those with severe mental illness; and whether he plans to publish modelling on projected workforce and funding requirements arising from the strategy.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current contact tracing arrangements for rare imported infectious diseases in the context of the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak; how many people have been required to isolate as a result of the incident; what guidance has been issued to local authority Directors of Public Health and hon. Members where constituents are isolating; and whether compensation and financial support is available for individuals unable to work during extended isolation periods.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate he has made of the number of additional mental health professionals required to deliver the proposed Mental Health Strategy for England; how he plans to improve recruitment and retention across psychiatry, mental health nursing and psychological therapies; and whether he plans to further expand training places.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals by combined authority mayors for further fiscal devolution powers, including powers over council tax precepts, local business taxation and infrastructure levies on local government finance.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK’s high consequence infectious disease isolation capacity in the context of the hantavirus outbreak; what assessment he has made of the suitability of Arrowe Park Hospital and other NHS facilities for prolonged isolation periods of up to 45 days; and whether he plans to increase dedicated isolation and infectious disease surge capacity.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the increase in the unemployment rate to 5 per cent in the first quarter of 2026; what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional people expected to become unemployed over the next 12 months; and what steps the Government is taking to support people back into work in sectors experiencing the sharpest decline in vacancies, including hospitality and retail.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions he has had with NHS England, local authorities and integrated care boards on the implementation of the proposed Mental Health Strategy for England; whether he plans to place a statutory duty on local partners in relation to mental health prevention, early intervention and community support; and what mechanisms will be used to measure the effectiveness of cross-government coordination under the strategy.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether the provisions of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 relating to the reintroduction of the Supplementary Vote system for mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections are currently in force; whether any further commencement regulations or secondary legislation are required before those provisions take effect; what guidance her Department has issued to returning officers and combined authorities on the electoral system to be used for any mayoral by-election held before the next scheduled local elections; and whether the Government intends those provisions to apply to all mayoral by-elections held following Royal Assent.

Awaiting answer.

Whether his Department has conducted an assessment of the level of public health risks associated with expedition cruise vessels visiting remote UK Overseas Territories; what protocols are in place for infectious disease screening and response in those territories with limited healthcare infrastructure; and whether he plans to provide additional support, funding and permanent infectious disease resilience measures to those territories.

Awaiting answer.

What recent discussions he has had with the UK Health Security Agency on operational lessons arising from the public health response to the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak; whether the Government plans to publish a formal lessons learned review; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of cross-government coordination between UKHSA, the NHS, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Ministry of Defence and local authorities during the incident.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of a by-election for the office of Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the Department has conducted any modelling, forecasting, or scenario analysis regarding the impact of public ownership on punctuality, cancellation rates, fare levels, or passenger capacity on West Midlands Railway services; what measurable performance targets have been agreed for services operated under DfT Operator Ltd; and whether those targets differ from those applied under the previous contractual model.

Awaiting answer.