Tag: Conor McGinn

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many cases of child abuse and neglect were reported in (a) Merseyside and (b) St Helens in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013, (v) 2014 and (vi) 2015.

Edward Timpson

The information requested is not available. We do not collect the reason for referrals so cannot identify how many of these were due to abuse or neglect.

Data on referrals is available by local authority and region in the annual statistical first release ‘Characteristics of children in need’’[1].

Once a child has been referred and any relevant assessments have been carried out, we collect information on the primary needs of children in need of children’s social care services. In 2014/15, 66% of children in need in St Helens local authority had a primary need of abuse or neglect.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-children-in-need

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report by the National Audit Office, The economic regulation of the water sector, HC487; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that customers benefit from water companies’ unexpected financial gains.

Rory Stewart

We accept the recommendation that we should develop further our assessments of the affordability and cost-effectiveness of environmental improvements. The Environment Agency has recently published the most comprehensive cost-benefit appraisal ever conducted for improving the water environment in England.

The remaining recommendations of the report are for Ofwat, the independent economic regulator of the water sector. Its independence is crucial to ensure stable economic regulation to keep investment costs down and customer bills low. The Government does not intervene in any regulatory decisions made by the regulator.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of converting schools into academies in (a) St Helens North constituency and (b) Merseyside.

Edward Timpson

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of his proposed changes to business rates on (a) Merseyside and (b) the UK.

Mr Marcus Jones

The Government intends to move to 100% business rates retention in England by the end of this Parliament. We have confirmed that as part of the new system there will continue to be redistribution of local tax revenue between authorities and protections in place for authorities that see their business rates income fall significantly. Over the coming months we will be working with local government on the details of the scheme.

Ahead of final decisions it is too early to assess what the impact will be on individual areas or authorities, but before the start of the financial year, local authorities in Merseyside estimated that the total business rates income for 2015-16 would be £413.3 million.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many deaths of cyclists on roads there were in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) Merseyside, (c) the North West and (d) the UK in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones

The table below provides the number of cyclists killed in road traffic accidents on public roads in a) St Helens North, b) Merseyside, c) the North West of England and d) Great Britain.

The Department does not hold data for Northern Ireland, therefore the table includes statistics for Great Britain rather than the United Kingdom.

These statistics come from police reported data on personal injury accidents on the public highway. The Department does not collect information about accidents that were on private roads, car parks or off-road.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2015 to Question 428, what progress has been made in ensuring funding from the Armed Forces Covenant (Libor) Fund is distributed across the UK; and which organisations in each region of the UK have benefited from that fund to date.

Mark Lancaster

Further to my answer of 2 June 2015 to Question 428 which detailed the information held centrally by the Ministry of Defence. The final project under the Veterans Accommodation Fund (VAF) was announced on 20 July 2015 and that was for £50,000 to the RAF Benevolent Fund, for replacement windows at Forge House in England. The £40 million VAF and the £35 million LIBOR Fund have now closed.

This year saw the implementation of a permanent commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant through a £10 million per annum Covenant Fund, and will be ring-fenced from the UK Defence Budget. Assessments of the first-round of small grants (up to £20,000) are currently taking place and those selected will be announced around the New Year. The deadline for the second round of applications is 17 December 2015.

The deadline for expressions of interest for the large grant scheme (£20,000 to £500,000) has now closed. Those projects accepted for round two will also be informed by 26 November 2015, the deadline for stage two applications is 13 January 2016 with stage two decisions communicated by 10 March 2016.

Although we welcome applications from across the whole of the UK, these will be selected on the basis of defined criteria. The selection panel is made up of MOD officials, sector experts and representatives from each of the Devolved Administrations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of welfare reform on health inequalities in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England.

Nicola Blackwood

The policy responsibility for welfare reform sits with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The Department of Health has not made a separate assessment of the effect of welfare reform on health inequalities in England.

Although no assessment has been made in England, DWP has engaged across government on its proposals for welfare reform. The Department of Health has been involved in discussions on the introduction of Universal Credit and its impact on health inequalities for programmes such as Healthy Start and Help with Health Costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made with the implementation of the recommendations made in Lord Ashcroft’s Veterans’ Transition Review, published in February 2014.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) resettlement policy is continuously reviewed and the most recent update was issued in October 2015.

Good progress has been made against the recommendations made in the Veterans’ Transition Review. Of the discrete recommendations 29 are fully in place and considered closed; and a number of remaining recommendations are partially in place with further development planned and time-tabled.

The MOD continues to work with a number of charities, and the Government is committed to supporting their work. Actions already delivered include the provision of a 24-hour helpline for veterans, better support for those that leave the Service early so that all Service leavers get the provision they need, financial education for new recruits and better transfer of medical records.

The MOD’s own Veterans Welfare Service is on the ground in every part of the UK providing one to one help and support to veterans with housing and any other problems they may have. Further work is under way to create a directory of Service charities so it is easier for veterans to find the support they need, and the contract for career transition support has been re-let to ensure it best meets the needs of veterans looking for jobs and training.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to protect employment levels in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) the UK.

Margot James

This Government is committed to regional development and supporting growth up and down the country as we build an economy that works for everyone. We are focused on developing an industrial strategy that will boost productivity, create good jobs, and ensure sustainable economic growth. The employment rate in the UK is now at a record high of 74.5% and the unemployment rate is at its lowest level in over 10 years at 4.9%.

We will continue to put power in the hands of local communities to drive economic growth. For Liverpool City Region, this includes implementing the devolution deal agreed with the Government in November 2015, which includes commitments around skills funding and co-designing future employment support for harder-to-help claimants. We will also work with Liverpool to deliver the city region’s Growth Deal which encompasses key projects across the city region and, for St Helens, includes improvements to Newton-le-Willows station and upgrades to the A570 to support growth in employment sites in the area.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department has taken in response to the provisional report of the Competition and Markets Authority’s findings on the energy market; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

The Department responded to the CMA’s provisional findings on 31 July (copy attached).

We are committed to implementing the final recommendations of the CMA and we currently expect their final report in April 2016.