Tag: Craig Tracey

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-07-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure people who smoke have access to (a) heat-not-burn tobacco and e-cigarettes and (b) other smoking cessation products.

Jane Ellison

The Government’s advice remains that the best thing a smoker can do is to quit and quit for good. Any smokers wanting to quit, with or without the help of products available on the market, are further advised to seek expert support and advice from their local stop smoking service. Smokers using the personalised support offered by stop smoking services are four times more likely to stop smoking and quit for good.

We recognise that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) help some smokers quit and the evidence indicates that they are considerably less harmful to health than cigarettes. Public Health England has been working with Local Stop Smoking Services encouraging them to be open to the use of e-cigarettes, where clients choose to use them to support their quit attempts, alone or alongside other nicotine replacement therapies and the behavioural therapy that the services offer.

The forthcoming tobacco control plan will consider the role of e-cigarettes and other harm reduction products in further reducing the prevalence of smoking in England.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans he has to reform UK Trade and Investment.

Greg Hands

UKTI’s functions have been elevated and integrated into the Department for International Trade. In line with the Secretary of State’s ambitious plans, we will focus resource on 191 priority global high-value export campaigns, and 250 campaigns for Foreign Direct Investment. We are also creating new, targeted digital support services and working closely with an increasing breadth of commercial partners to drive both export value, and the number of UK companies exporting.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether students aged over 18 years in higher education are separately identified as an element in the sub-national population and household projections by the Office of National Statistics.

Chris Skidmore

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will amend national planning policies so that development of land designated as Green Belt will be resisted until the implications of the UK exiting the EU, and its effect on population and household projections, have been fully assessed and new projections issued for the use of local planning authorities.

Gavin Barwell

In line with our manifesto commitment, the government is committed to strong protection of Green Belt land. Local authorities are responsible for designating Green Belt land, as explained in our National Planning Policy Framework. Only in exceptional circumstances may a local authority alter a Green Belt boundary. Applications for most types of development within the Green Belt are inappropriate and should be refused permission except in very special circumstances. Latest figures for 2015-16 show Green Belt continuing to cover around 13 per cent of England.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance on whether local authorities with significant student populations in their areas should identify the student population separately for the purpose of calculating the full objectively assessed need for housing in their areas in preparation of Local Plans and in estimating the five-year supply of land for housing.

Gavin Barwell

The National Planning Policy Framework asks local authorities to assess their full housing needs and identify the scale and mix of housing and the range of tenures that the local population is likely to need over the plan period. Our planning guidance sets out a clear methodology for assessing development needs for housing and is clear that local authorities should plan for sufficient student accommodation in their area, including through engaging with universities and other higher educational establishments. It is for local authorities to establish a robust housing evidence base to justify their proposed approach.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in relation to the sub-national population and household projections, if he will review with the Office of National Statistics, the methods of recording and counting of students as an element of the population in local authority areas having significant student populations.

Mr Marcus Jones

DCLG uses the Office of National Statistics (ONS) population projections to produce the household projections. Students are not counted as a separate population in the ONS mid-year population estimates or the ONS population projections. The ONS maintains responsibility for how these statistics are produced, and DCLG have no plans to review the methods used to produce these statistics.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will clarify in his planning policy guidance that (a) students aged over 18 years in higher education in any local authority area with significant higher education establishments should be regarded as transient and not permanent residents and (b) particular care in identifying the objectively assessed need for housing should be taken not to count such students as in-migrants who remain resident in the area, but rather as a special element of the population which continually replaces itself.

Gavin Barwell

The National Planning Policy Framework asks local authorities to assess their full housing needs and identify the scale and mix of housing and the range of tenures that the local population is likely to need over the plan period. Our planning guidance sets out a clear methodology for assessing development needs for housing and is clear that local authorities should plan for sufficient student accommodation in their area, including through engaging with universities and other higher educational establishments. It is for local authorities to establish a robust housing evidence base to justify their proposed approach.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects the decommissioning of Sparrowdale School to be completed.

Edward Timpson

School playing fields are protected by Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Schools and local authorities must obtain the Secretary of State’s approval before they can dispose of their land. Applications to dispose of school playing fields are considered by the independent school playing fields advisory panel, and are approved only when it is demonstrated that the application meets published criteria.

The Department is aware of an application by Warwickshire County Council to seek approval to dispose of the former Sparrowdale Special School. The application is currently being processed by officials at the Education Funding Agency; a final decision should be expected in the summer. The application will only be considered when sufficient information is available to consider how the sale proceeds will be invested to benefit other local schools. The Secretary of State will consider the recommendation of the panel before making her final decision.

The Department has published a list of decisions since May 2010 on applications for consent to dispose of school playing field land: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-land-decisions-about-disposals

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps the Government is taking to support businesses in Scotland.

Jesse Norman

The British Business Bank currently facilitates around £300m of finance in Scotland. Around £10m of Start-Up Loans have been provided to over 2,000 Scottish businesses, and £290m is helping a further 2,000 businesses to grow through other Bank programmes. In 2015/16, Innovate UK committed to invest £58.3m in 291 innovation projects in Scotland.