Written questions by Morton.

Communities and Local Government, how many times he has met with the leader of Birmingham City Council to discuss resolving the ongoing bin strikes.

The ongoing waste dispute is a local issue and rightly being dealt with by Birmingham City Council. Secretary of State-appointed Commissioners continue to support the Council in their recovery and improvement journey and provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State. My department engages regularly with Councils under intervention.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the judgement in C G Fry & Son Limited v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government UKSC/2024/0108 on housing delivery.

The Supreme Court judgment in question distinguished between the legal protection provided to European Sites under the Habitats Regulations and the policy protection afforded to Ramsar sites. The government has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of the judgment on general housing delivery. The case concerned a very limited set of circumstances and no new planning applications that have come forward since the imposition of nutrient neutrality advice in 2020 will be affected by the Supreme Court’s judgement. While this case has been progressing through the courts, the government has provided significant investment to deliver local mitigation schemes – including in Somerset – to enable development to come forward.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to the Planning Inspectorate on considering potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt.

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.

What fiscal steps she is taking to help (a) reduce inflation and (b) increase average annual earnings in the West Midlands.

The government have been clear that inflation has been too slow to come down, and the priority it is placing on tackling the cost of living, as part of its mission to grow living standards.The Bank of England has the responsibility for controlling inflation through monetary policy. The Government fully supports them as they take action to return inflation sustainably to 2%. Maintaining stable public finances and reducing borrowing over time will help to ease pressure on prices. Economic growth will help to increase earnings across the UK, including in the West Midlands.The government’s fiscal strategy is to put the public finances on a sustainable path while prioritising investment to support long-term growth and meeting the fiscal rules.The Chancellor has also asked departments to look at what action on inflation can be taken when developing policies for the Autumn Budget, while ensuring decisions support stability and long-term growth.The Government has committed to £160m of funding over 10 years for the West Midlands Investment Zone, which local partners expect to generate £3.5bn in private sector investment, deliver 30,000 jobs and support higher earnings in the area.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) average annual earnings and (b) prices on household disposable income in 2024-25.

Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) per capita is a measure of UK living standards, representing the total disposable income per person in the UK, net of taxes and inflation. RHDI per capita grew by 3.1% over 2024. This is the largest calendar year increase since 2015. Average whole economy total pay growth in 2024 was 5.3%. Inflation, as measured by CPI, fell to 2.5% in 2024, which supported RHDI growth in 2024. HM Treasury does not prepare forecasts for the UK economy. Forecasts, including for real household disposable income, are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). These forecasts are published by the OBR as part of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO). In the March 2025 EFO, the OBR forecasted that RHDI per capita would grow by 1.7% in 2025, supported by strong annual earnings growth outweighing the impact from prices.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his Department's policy to (a) guarantee that green belt protections in the West Midlands will be maintained under the devolution of planning powers to the regional mayor and (b) require the consent of affected local councils for development on Green Belt land.

The new planning powers and investment flexibilities in the London Housing Delivery package announced jointly with the Mayor of London on 23 October reflect the importance of the Mayor’s role in housing delivery. Through the Planning and Infrastructure and English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bills, we are giving other Mayors these powers so they can also support housing delivery in their area. Green Belt policy will remain set out nationally in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of houses of multiple occupation being used to accommodate illegal migrants on (a) the wider private rented housing sector (b) rental prices, (c) the supply of family homes and (d) the (i) availability and (ii) affordability of housing in areas of high demand.

In accordance with the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support while their applications for asylum are being considered. Accommodation is provided on a no-choice basis.Asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected are generally not provided with dispersal accommodation.The Home Office consults with local authorities across the UK before dispersal accommodation, including Houses of Multiple Occupation, is procured, ensuring the impact on communities is understood. When considering how much dispersed accommodation to procure in any given area, a range of factors are considered including the local housing availability as well as social factors such as pressures on GPs.

What discussions he has had with the West Midlands Combined Authority on increasing the availability of apprenticeships in the West Midlands.

Officials meet regularly with combined authorities to discuss post-16 skills including apprenticeships. Recent discussions with West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) skills leads have included the newly introduced foundation apprenticeships and led to a subsequent session with training providers in the WMCA to explain foundation apprenticeships and their potential benefits for local young learners. Similarly, Skills England meets Mayoral Combined Authorities, including the WMCA, on a regular basis to discuss how to address a wide range of skills challenges, the promotion of growth, and simplifying access to skills opportunities. The government also facilitates the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network of employers and apprentices which works closely in all regions, including the WMCA area, to promote apprenticeships across the region.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2025 to Question 69838 on Railway Stations: Aldridge, if she will publish details of any (a) discussions and (b) correspondence that (i) she and (ii) her Department has had with (A) Mayor Parker and (B) his office on Aldridge station.

The Department has regular meetings with Mayor Richard Parker and his officials, with discussions covering a range of transport issues. My officials are in regular contact with West Midlands Combined Authority about the continuing design work for Aldridge, which is forecast to complete next year.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Midlands Rail Hub on (a) capacity on the West Coast Main Line and (b) passenger services into central Birmingham; and what discussions she has had with the West Midlands Combined Authority on the use of devolved transport funding to develop those proposals.

Midlands Rail Hub supports economic and housing growth in the region by creating capacity for more trains in central Birmingham. The additional capacity will support improved reliability of services running through New Street station, including trains that use the West Coast Main Line and will also mean more services from Worcester, South Wales and the South West.The West Midlands Combined Authority and West Midlands Rail Executive are closely involved in the development, design and delivery of Midlands Rail Hub.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 83837 on Broadband: Rural Areas, what progress she has made on Project Gigabit in the West Midlands; how many premises in Aldridge–Brownhills constituency do not have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection; what proportion of the £2.4 billion in signed Project Gigabit contracts has been disbursed; and whether Building Digital UK plans to publish data at constituency level in its monthly reporting.

Approximately 89,000 premises in the West Midlands region have received access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection through Building Digital UK (BDUK) funding.According to the independent website, ThinkBroadband.com, 95% of premises in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, indicating only 5% (approximately 2,200 premises) do not.As of 31 October 2025, £302 million of the £2.4 billion committed to signed Project Gigabit contracts has been paid to suppliers for their work. Supplier payments for Project Gigabit contracts are made in line with agreed contract milestones and validated delivery.BDUK does not plan to publish data at constituency level in its monthly reporting; BDUK publishes at a contract level every month, and at a constituency level as part of the annual official statistics.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of closing asylum accommodation hotels on (a) levels of demand for Houses of Multiple Occupation(HMOs), (b) local housing stock and (c) local public services; and how many asylum seekers will be rehoused in HMOs.

The Home Office has, since 2022, operated a system of Full Dispersal which works in partnership with Local Government to ensure that asylum accommodation is spread equitably and fairly across the United Kingdom. Procurement of accommodation is driven by a set of evidence-based plans, which are refreshed every six months with Local Government and which consider a range of factors, including the availability of housing, pressure on services and community cohesion, to ensure that no one area is overburdened.Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release. Immigration system statistics data tables - www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance to local authorities to ensure mobile network operators are notified for large-scale residential developments.

Local planning authorities already have discretion to consult with mobile network operators where it is relevant to a specific application. In addition to national planning policy and guidance, the Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England, published February 2022, sets out the roles and responsibilities for all relevant stakeholders, including applicants and local authorities, when planning for, consulting on and installing telecommunications infrastructure.

Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to extend new planning powers and investment flexibilities being provided to the Mayor of London under the Housing Delivery package announced in Written Statement HCWS991 to (a) the Mayor of the West Midlands and (b) other Mayors; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of such powers on Green Belt protection in (i) Aldridge–Brownhills constituency and (ii) in general.

The new planning powers and investment flexibilities in the London Housing Delivery package announced jointly with the Mayor of London on 23 October reflect the importance of the Mayor’s role in housing delivery. Through the Planning and Infrastructure and English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bills, we are giving other Mayors these powers so they can also support housing delivery in their area. Green Belt policy will remain set out nationally in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Whether she plans to provide additional funding for the Warm Homes Plan.

At the Spending Review in June, this Government committed £13.2 billion to the Warm Homes Plan to cut bills, tackle fuel poverty and accelerate our trajectory towards net zero. Further details on the Warm Homes Plan, including how funding will be allocated to different schemes is expected to be published within the coming months.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83840 on Railways: West Midlands, if her Department will explore the use of the Sutton Park freight line for passenger services; and whether its inclusion in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline was considered.

The Department for Transport is not actively exploring this proposal for the Sutton Park freight line, but local authorities, such as West Midlands Combined Authority, are free to develop local proposals for investment using their own devolved transport funding.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the potential impact of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) on (i) community cohesion and (ii) levels of anti-social behaviour, (b) the concentration of HMOs in specific areas and (c) whether additional planning powers should be made available to local authorities to manage those impacts.

My Department has not undertaken an assessment of the potential impact of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) on (i) community cohesion and (ii) levels of anti-social behaviour. Local planning authorities already have planning powers to limit the concentration or proliferation of HMOs within their locality. They can remove the national permitted development right for smaller HMOs to protect the local amenity or wellbeing of an area by introducing an ‘Article 4’ direction which, once in place, requires all new HMO proposals to secure planning permission. We keep the powers to regulate HMOs under review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what role her Department will have in reforming the (a) UN, (b) International Monetary Fund and (c) World Bank.

The UK supports the UN80 reform initiative and is working closely with the Secretary-General and member states to deliver meaningful reform. We are advocating for a bold vision of a UN that focuses once again on core tasks and maximum impact. The UK, as a major shareholder of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, will also continue to influence and shape these institutions in line with our modernised aid approach.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 66929 on BBC World Service, whether any (a) specific programmes and (b) projects within the BBC World Service are under consideration for funding decisions in the autumn review.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 10 September to Question 70437.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2025 to Question 65783 on landfill, what estimate she has made of the amount of waste transported from Scotland to landfill sites in England by (a) volume and (b) lorry or container load.

I have engaged with the Scottish Government on the potential impacts of their forthcoming ban on the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste. We don’t have an estimate for the amount of waste transported from Scotland to England, but the Scottish Government has assured the department that it is not acceptable for a large amount of waste to be transported from Scotland to landfills in England and they are working closely with Scottish Local Authorities to prevent this outcome.