Every parliamentary written question tabled by Wendy Morton this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 581–600 of 1,686 · this parliament
What her planned timeframe is for establishing the Passenger Standards Authority.
As the Government has announced, Transport Focus will be strengthened to become the Passenger Watchdog. It will continue its operations throughout the transition period and can start building up its capability shortly after the Railways Bill receives Royal Assent. We expect the watchdog will be fully established with all of its new powers within 12 months of this.
What estimate she has made of the annual cost to the public purse of leasing train carriages per railway operator once the nationalisation programme is complete.
Three train operating companies have transferred into public ownership since July 2024, South Western Railway, c2c and Greater Anglia. The leasing arrangements for both c2c and Greater Anglia were novated on their existing terms and it is the intention to transfer the remaining operators from the private to public sector on existing lease terms. The annual cost of rolling stock to operators is published on an annual basis by the Office for Rail and Road.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the rail nationalisation programme on passenger rail prices.
As more train operators are brought into public ownership through the Department for Transport Operator and the establishment of Great British Railways, we must continue to ensure that passengers and taxpayers receive a fair deal. Since the pandemic, the level of taxpayer subsidy provided to the railway industry has increased from under a quarter of total income in 2018/19 to almost half in 2023/24. Our goal is to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers, while ensuring the railway’s long-term financial sustainability.
What the (a) role and (b) functions of the Passenger Standards Authority will be.
The Passenger Watchdog will have a key role in giving passengers a powerful voice in the railway. It will advocate for all passengers’ interests, offer advice to passengers, the Government and operators, and independently monitor passenger experience, holding operators to account and reporting on its findings publicly and transparently. It will also be responsible for setting minimum consumer standards, taking action to drive improvements where these are not met, investigate repeated issues with passenger experience, and ensure there is a clear route for passengers to resolve disputes. This means passengers will have an independent voice fighting their corner, placing them back at the heart of our railways once again.
What estimate she has made of the total value of (a) debts, (b) leases and (c) other liabilities per railway operator the Government will be taking on following completion of the railway nationalisation programme.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government implemented emergency contractual arrangements which involved taking on all revenue and the vast majority of cost risk from the train operating companies. Therefore, public ownership of these rail services is not expected to change the Government’s financial exposure. For example, it is expected that future transfers into public ownership will see existing rolling stock leasing arrangements novate to the new public sector operator on existing terms, and so we do not expect changes to current cost estimates as a result of the transfer of operations into public ownership. Relatedly, to drive value for passengers and taxpayers, the Department is working on a long-term rolling stock and infrastructure strategy, which will be the first for over 30 years, both to give certainty to the manufacturing and assembly market and to pursue modern standards of carbon-friendly traction and passenger comfort and accessibility.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how her Department measures the (a) economic and (b) social return on investment from British International Investment projects in partner countries.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to her on 12 May in response to Question 49375.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that private investment in development funding is effectively leveraged.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to her on 12 May in response to Question 49375.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase levels of (a) transparency and (b) accountability in the reporting to Parliament of British International Investment’s performance.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to her on 12 May in response to Question 49375.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the UK's role in supporting private sector investment in global health initiatives.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to her on 12 May in response to Question 49375.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the UK’s commitments at the 2025 Nutrition for Growth Summit are implemented through integration with (a) education, (b) immunisation, and (c) other relevant areas of development policy.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is a global leader in nutrition and continues to prioritise nutrition integration across sectors. At the 2025 Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, the UK launched the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration, encouraging all 86 signatories to integrate nutrition into sectors such as education and health, for example through GAVI's Immunisation Nutrition Integration work. Since 2021 the FCDO has adopted a Nutrition Policy Marker, which prompts teams to consider nutrition objectives and integration during programme design. This is applied across programmes on early childhood development, food and agriculture, and social protection that are delivered bilaterally or through multilateral partners.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans her Department has to publish (a) performance data and (b) impact evaluations of programmes funded through Official Development Assistance.
As set out in the Programme Operating Framework (published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-programme-operating-framework) - all Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) programmes are required to have a monitoring framework and to report on performance through annual reviews.The FCDO Evaluation Policy requires publication of evaluation by default and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-evaluation-policy-2025.All planned, live and completed evaluations are registered on the Government Evaluation Registry.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms her Department uses to assess the effectiveness of Official Development Assistance programmes.
As set out in the Programme Operating Framework (published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-programme-operating-framework) - all Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) programmes are required to have a monitoring framework and to report on performance through annual reviews.The FCDO Evaluation Policy requires publication of evaluation by default and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-evaluation-policy-2025.All planned, live and completed evaluations are registered on the Government Evaluation Registry.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of nationalising South Western Railway on passenger rail prices since 25 May 2025.
As more train operators are brought into public ownership through the Department for Transport Operator and the establishment of Great British Railways, we must continue to ensure that passengers and taxpayers receive a fair deal. Since the pandemic, the level of taxpayer subsidy provided to the railway industry has increased from under a quarter of total income in 2018/19 to almost half in 2023/24. Our goal is to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers, while ensuring the railway’s long-term financial sustainability.
Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to bring forward further legislative proposals on planning reform.
Any new primary legislation will be formally announced to Parliament in the usual way.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of requiring local authorities to make separate food waste collections by 31 March 2026 on (a) council budgets and (b) the provision of other core local authority services .
As set out at the Spending Review, £3.4 billion of new grant funding will be delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement within financial years 2026-27 to 2028-29. This includes funding for local authorities to deliver Simpler Recycling as part of the Collection and Packaging waste reforms.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 23 October 2025 on Housing Delivery, HCWS991, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the new time-limited planning route on the role of (a) local authorities, (b) ward councillors, and (c) planning committees.
On 23 October 2025, the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London announced a new package of support for housebuilding in London. Details can be found on gov.uk here. A consultation on these London-specific measures will be launched in November 2025, and feedback will be welcomed from local planning authorities and local councillors.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Nigerian counterparts on ongoing reports of (a) abduction and (b) forced marriage of Christian women and girls; and what steps she has taken to protect religious minority women in that country.
The UK Government condemns all violence against women and girls, including abduction and forced marriages, across Nigeria. Kidnapping for ransom is sadly a widespread practice in Nigeria, particularly in the Northwest where banditry is prevalent, and communities of all religions and beliefs have been vulnerable. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP), a Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell (MAKFC) has been established to support cooperation between Nigeria's security and justice agencies. This is already operational and working to reduce the harm to victims and hold those responsible to account. On 11 November, the Minister for International Development and Africa discussed the root causes of insecurity in Nigeria during a meeting with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar. The UK's Forced Marriage Unit provides support to victims and those at risk of forced marriage, and advice to professionals through its public helpline and inbox, including in Nigeria.
Pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 83833 on Schools: Employers' Contributions, what estimate she has made of the proportion of the £3.7 billion increase in school funding for 2025-26 that will be used to meet additional costs associated with increases in employers’ National Insurance contributions.
As part of the £3.7 billion increase in funding for schools in the 2025/26 financial year, the department is providing mainstream schools and high needs settings with over £930 million to support them with the increases to employer national insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025.
Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Planning Policy Framework to include guidance on the importance of telecommunications infrastructure in new developments.
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that advanced, high quality and reliable communications infrastructure is essential for economic growth and social well-being. It sets out that planning policies and decisions should support the expansion of electronic communications networks, including next generation mobile technology. The government intend to consult this year on a new suite of national policies for decision making and we will consider policies on telecommunications as part of that exercise.
Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to the Planning Inspectorate on deciding whether a site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local authority has been appealed.
The Planning Inspectorate has not been issued with specific guidance to support decisions as to whether any given site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local planning authority has been appealed. Nor has it been issued with specific guidance related to consideration of the potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt. In determining whether a site is classified as grey belt at appeal, the relevant Inspector will consider relevant legislation; national planning policy, including the National Planning Policy Framework; Planning Policy Guidance; and any relevant local development plan policies and material considerations.