STORY
Chris Chope, the Conservative MP for Christchurch, has said that he will be backing Robert Jenrick for the Conservative Party leadership as Kemi Badenoch, the other contender, is “pre-occupied with her children”. He mentioned that “Robert’s children are a bit older” and said that he was not against a woman being the leader of a political party if she has children. Neither of the leadership candidates have yet commented on Chope’s comments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13951, which foreign military awards have been approved for members of the UK armed forces to wear; and what criteria are applied in determining such approval.
Mark Lancaster
The UK Armed Forces have a distinguished history of serving with great courage and professionalism in a wide-range of conflict situations; over the years various foreign military awards have been approved for acceptance and some of these have also been approved for wearing. A full list of the qualifying criteria for, and permission to wear, campaign medals, foreign medals and medals awarded by international organisations is available in Joint Service Publication 761 which can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/396186/JSP761_honours_awards.pdf
Information on the numbers of UK Service personnel or veterans who have been awarded the NATO Africa Medal is not held by the Ministry of Defence as this is administered by NATO.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she plans to publish a response to the consultation carried out by her Department between July and September 2014 into energy issues affecting park homes including energy supply and use of the application of energy efficiency measures.
Andrea Leadsom
The Department issued a call for evidence, rather than a formal consultation, in 2014 and there was no plan to publish a formal response. We welcomed the evidence submitted which confirmed information already available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2015 to Question 657, what tangible progress towards the EU-US Free Trade Agreement had been made by the end of 2015; and whether any agreement in principle had been reached on that matter by that date.
Anna Soubry
There have now been eleven rounds of negotiations for the EU-US Free Trade Agreement also known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). A significant step forward was taken last June when the US Congress passed the Trade Promotion Authority bill (fast track authority for trade agreements). The agreement reached at the end of negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (in the Asia Pacific region) last October is further good news, and allows the US to increase focus on TTIP.
The last negotiating round took place in October. A significant milestone was reached with the exchange of revised tariff offers, which would see tariffs almost completely removed. Negotiators also discussed all aspects of market access in public procurement. This helps prepare the ground for the first exchange of procurement offers expected in February.
We are making tangible progress and our ambition remains to reach an agreement under the Obama presidency.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the proposed location is for the new primary academy to be opened in West Christchurch from September 2016 by Twynham Learning Foundation; and what financial contribution her Department plans to make to that academy’s premises.
Edward Timpson
The proposed location for the new school is in Marsh Lane, West Christchurch, subject to local planning approval. Whilst we require local authorities to provide a site for schools under the free school presumption, the choice of site is an entirely local matter. Basic need funding is allocated to local authorities to help them create new school places. Dorset has been allocated £15 million of basic need funding for the period 2015-18. It is for the local authority to determine how much of this to allocate to individual projects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2016 to Question 26625, on the Twynham Learning Federation, for what reason it is not possible to place the documents in the Library prior to publication on the Department’s website in May.
Edward Timpson
As previously agreed, the application will be published alongside other successful direct free school applications in May 2016. This is in line with the established timetable of publishing applications three months after each announcement. However, the Secretary of State and Twynham Learning Federation have exceptionally agreed to also place a copy of the application and the decision letter signed by Sir David Carter, the former Regional Schools Commissioner for the South West in the House of Commons library. This will be done as soon as both commercially sensitive information and personal information, that may contravene the Data Protection Act, has been redacted. We will write to the Honourable Member when this has been done.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-03-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2015 to Question 2064, on social security benefits, from what source the data was obtained; and what the cost was in 2014-15 of (a) the child benefit awards and (b) the child tax credit awards under EC Regulation 883/2004.
Damian Hinds
HMRC holds figures on the number of cases of Child Benefit paid in respect of children living in another EEA country or Switzerland. Information on the value of these claims is not held in the format requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the terms of reference are for the financial modelling work being undertaken by local partnerships into models for devolution in Dorset; and what the estimated cost of such work is to (a) the public purse and (b) the Local Government Association.
James Wharton
Local areas are free to develop proposals for devolution as they see fit and any professional input that they may choose to commission, and its cost, are a matter for them.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his policy is on whether the Scottish Government can seek to negotiate a separate relationship for Scotland outside the EU compared with the rest of the United Kingdom under a devolved power.
David Mundell
Foreign affairs, including the UK’s membership of the European Union, are reserved under the devolution settlement in the Scotland Act. Our focus now needs to be working together as Team UK, to achieve the best deal for both Scotland and the United Kingdom in the negotiations with the EU. We will fully involve the Scottish Government as we prepare for those negotiations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS prescription charge penalty charge notices were issued in the last year for which figures are available; and how much was recovered in (a) prescription income and (b) penalty charges and surcharges in the last year for which information is available.
David Mowat
The number of National Health Service prescription charge penalty charge notices issued between September 2015 and August 2016, which is the most recent 12-month period for which we have complete data, was 780,953. Where no response was received to the initial penalty charge notice a follow up surcharge letter was issued to the patient. For the same period a total of 333,508 surcharge letters were issued.
The value of the recovered prescription income in this period was £2,556,941, and the value of the income from penalty charges and surcharges was £8,678,911 and £745,830, respectively.
Since taking over the administration of the Prescription Exemption Checking Service in September 2014, the NHS Business Services Authority has not issued any court proceedings for debt recovery in relation to NHS prescription charges and penalties.