Tag: Craig Whittaker

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what provisions his Department has put in place as part of the rail franchise package for the Calder Valley rail line to improve rolling stock on that line.

Andrew Jones

The new Northern franchise will introduce at least 140 additional new DMU vehicles by the start of 2020. The new trains will be capable of operating at 100mph, be fitted with CCTV, fully air conditioned and have Wi-Fi fitted. These trains will operate on Northern Connect services including those on the Calder Valley route. In addition, over 600 existing vehicles will be fully refurbished to include improved seating, repainted interiors, Wi-fi, real time passenger information screens and improved lighting.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the proposals in his Department’s White Paper, A BBC for the future, published in May 2016, what discussions he has had with the BBC on reducing the level of salary arrangements for managerial and celebrity appointments.

Mr Edward Vaizey

I have had discussions with the BBC throughout the Charter Review process. Although the level at which the BBC pays its managerial and talent appointments is a matter for the BBC, the Government’s White Paper, A BBC for the future​: a Broadcaster of Distinction, sets out that the BBC will maintain the current cap on talent spend of a maximum of 16 per cent of internal content costs. As part of their duty to ensure the BBC delivers value for money, the new BBC board will also have a duty to manage talent costs and conduct and report on a rolling programme of talent pay reviews, with independent, expert advice. The new Board’s remuneration committee will have to approve salaries above £250K and publish the names of those paid over £450K.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to support women and men who want to remain in employment after reaching state pension age.

Justin Tomlinson

This Government believes that there are huge benefits to working longer including keeping active, boosting financial prospects and a better quality of life.

The Government has taken several steps to support people who want to remain in employment after State Pension age. In the last Parliament, this included:

• Removing the Default Retirement age, enabling older people to remain in employment and retire when the time is right for them.
• Extending the right to request flexible working, enabling all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service to agree a working pattern which suits them and their employer.
• Maintaining the exemption from paying National Insurance contributions to those over State Pension age, unless they are self-employed and are paying Class 4 contributions.
• Appointing a Business Champion for Older Workers, who produced a report and worked with employers to explore the benefits of fuller working lives.

In this Parliament, we are working in partnership with employers to improve the retention, retraining and recruitment of people aged 50 and over, by:

• Publishing a new, Employer-led National Strategy setting out our vision for older workers, later this year.
• Reviewing the availability of Advanced Learner Loans and the Higher Education student support package, which contribute to the costs of study for all ages, including those beyond the State Pension age.
• Minister for Pensions attended meetings and events with businesses to promote the Fuller Working Lives agenda and encourage employers to overcome age discrimination.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the number of people using railway stations in West Yorkshire since 2010.

Paul Maynard

The Office of Rail and Road publish estimates of passenger demand for all railway stations in West Yorkshire since 2010. These figures can be found in their ‘Estimates of Station Usage’ publication, which can be found at the following link: http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the level of growth of small and medium-sized enterprises across West Yorkshire since 2010.

Anna Soubry

Statistics on the small and medium-sized business population are not available for West Yorkshire. Covering a larger geographical area, The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ Business Population Estimates, in 2015 show there were 50,200 (15%) more small and medium-sized businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber region than in 2010.

The closest suitable geography is that of the Local Enterprise Partnership. ONS statistics show there were 98,500 small and medium-sized businesses registered for VAT or PAYE in 2015 in the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership area. The figure reported for 2010 was 83,200, although this was calculated on a different basis and is not strictly comparable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much West Yorkshire PCTs are owed by foreign patients for medical treatment from the NHS.

Alistair Burt

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, primary care trusts (PCTs) ceased to exist from 1 April 2013, being replaced by clinical commissioning groups.

The Department does not hold information centrally on the amounts owed to clinical commissioning groups by foreign patients for National Health Service medical treatment received.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-12-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to monitor unauthorised entry into British territorial waters around British Overseas Territories.

Penny Mordaunt

Territorial waters around the British Overseas Territories are monitored through a variety of means. The level of monitoring is commensurate with any potential threat.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on establishing 20mph zones.

Andrew Jones

The Department for Transport has provided a wide range of guidance for local authorities on establishing 20 mph zones. Local Transport Note 1/07 ‘Traffic Calming’ sets out design guidance on 20 mph zones, summarising the advice provided in earlier Traffic Advisory Leaflets, whilst guidance on signing is provided in the Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 3 and the Area-wide Authorisations and Special Directions Guidance Note. Advice on setting speed limits is provided in Department for Transport Circular 01/2013 ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’. All of these documents are available on the Department’s website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number of new apprenticeships in Calder Valley constituency in each of the next four years.

Nick Boles

The Department does not produce estimates of future Apprenticeship starts by Parliamentary constituency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits to the Calder Valley of a high speed rail link between Leeds and Manchester.

Andrew Jones

Since the publication of the March 2015 Northern Transport Strategy, the Government and Transport for the North have been taking forward a programme of work on an ambitious Northern Powerhouse Rail vision. Parallel work is also taking place to understand the capability of the North’s road network.

Detailed analysis has not yet been carried out on the potential benefits of high speed rail links between particular locations across the Pennines. However the recent Budget allocated £60million to help develop the options for a High Speed 3 route between Leeds and Manchester.