Tag: Anna Turley

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department made of the financial viability of the Redcar coke ovens and blast furnace as a standalone operation without South Bank coke ovens.

Anna Soubry

We have made no such assessment. On liquidation of a company, it is the responsibility of the liquidator to sell the free assets of the company. In the case of SSI UK, this was the Official Receiver who is independent. I am informed that the Official Receiver did maintain operations at SSI, including the coke ovens, for a period while he tried to find purchasers for the assets of SSI UK but as of the 12 October, no purchaser had been found and the Official Receiver ceased operations of the coke ovens and blast furnace.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many live births of children affected by (a) spina bifida, (b) hydrocephaly and (c) anencephaly there have been in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

Information on the number of live births affected by congenital abnormalities including spina bifida, hydrocephalus and anencephaly has been collected by the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers and is currently available for the years 2009–2012 at:

http://www.binocar.org/publications/reports

There are no current mechanisms in place for monitoring the take-up of advice given on the NHS Choices website about preventing spina bifida.

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time on the organ waiting list for a kidney transplant was for people in Teesside in each year from 2010; and what that average such waiting time was for people from BAME backgrounds in that area in each of those years.

Jane Ellison

Information on waiting times is provided by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). This is provided by transplant centre rather than area.

Patients in Teesside who require a kidney transplant are likely to be referred to the Newcastle Transplant Centre, where the average waiting time for a kidney transplant is 583 days. This is lower than the national average of 979 days. These averages are based on patients registered from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2012.

NHSBT does not hold waiting time figures broken down by ethnicity for each transplant unit.

Note:

The average is drawn from a median formula.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support disabled passengers and passengers of reduced mobility on the Tees Valley Line for the duration of operation of Pacer trains.

Andrew Jones

The Northern franchise was recently awarded to Arriva Rail North, who took over operations in April 2016. Arriva Rail North sets out its policy for providing assistance to disabled passengers and passengers of reduced mobility in its Disabled People’s Protection Policy (DPPP). Publishing commitments to on-board assistance in a DPPP is a passenger train operating licence requirement and is approved by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Arriva Rail North is also required to participate in the national Passenger Assist scheme for pre-booking assistance.

‘Pacer’ trains operated by Arriva Rail North on the Tees Valley Line will be replaced ahead of the 2020 accessibility compliance deadline. From that date, all trains operated by Arriva Rail North will have to be compliant with the accessibility standards mandated by the Persons of Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability (PRM-TSI). While Pacers do not meet the standards set out in the PRM-TSI, they do offer wheelchair spaces, audio announcements and manual boarding ramps to assist disabled passengers and persons of reduced mobility when travelling.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to negotiate a financial settlement with those banks in Thailand which have a controlling interest in the former SSI UK site to ensure redevelopment in a timely manner for the benefit of the local community.

Mr Nick Hurd

My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State and I are committed to the future of the Redcar area following the closure of the SSI steelworks. I am pleased that we have recently had the opportunity to discuss this in depth with the hon Member for Redcar and the leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, Sue Jeffrey.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings Ministers of her Department have had with social media companies to discuss harmful online content since May 2015.

Sarah Newton

Home Office Ministers routinely meet with a range of stakeholders, including social media companies, to discuss action to protect people from harmful online content. Ministers also meet social media companies on specific issues such as online hate crime and extremism.

In addition, they attend meetings of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), which brings together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities, parenting groups and government departments and meets on a regular basis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department was consulted by HM Treasury before the Government announced its intention to exclude subsidised renewable energy generation by community energy organisations from eligibility for social investment tax relief.

Mr Rob Wilson

The Government is committed to helping social enterprises access finance as part of its drive to build a bigger, stronger society. This is why we developed the world’s first Social Investment Tax Relief. Cabinet Office continues to work closely with HM Treasury, the relevant social regulators and social investment market champions like Big Society Capital to ensure that this tax relief achieves its policy goals in a way that is fair and provides value for money to taxpayers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle serious cases of animal cruelty.

George Eustice

In this country we have one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation anywhere in the world to protect animals. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is an offence either to cause any captive animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for its welfare needs. The maximum penalty is 6 months’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. The financial element of the penalty was raised only last year from a maximum fine of £20,000. Courts can also disqualify offenders found guilty of animal cruelty from keeping animals for as long a period as they consider appropriate. The overwhelming majority of people in this country are responsible but in circumstances where cruelty does occur I believe we have the necessary measures for enforcement agencies and courts to take action.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of airport expansion at (a) Heathrow and (b) Gatwick Airport on the level of foreign direct investment to the North East.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report. The Government is not providing a running commentary on this work and nor would it be appropriate to outline specific pieces of evidence before an announcement. Any work to inform an announcement will be set out in subsequent publications and associated consultation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which official engagements he has undertaken in Redcar since May 2015.

Margot James

My Rt hon Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid) visited Redcar on 2 October 2015 following the announcement of the liquidation of Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK (SSI).

The then Secretary of State announced a support package worth up to £80 million for former employees affected by the closure. He was accompanied by the then Minister for Small Businesses, Industry and Enterprise, Anna Soubry.

The Minister for Small Businesses, Industry and Enterprise then attended the Redcar taskforce on 21 March 2016.

In his previous role as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my Rt hon Friend met the Mayor and Leaders of the five Tees Valley authorities on the following dates: 15 July 2015 (a joint meeting with James Wharton), 23 March 2016, 7 June 2016 (to launch Lord Heseltine’s report Tees Valley: opportunity unlimited) and 12 July 2016. These were regular catch-up meetings, which took place in Westminster.