Tag: Craig Whittaker

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-01-28.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the projected growth of the economy in Yorkshire and Humber over the course of this Parliament.

Greg Hands

The government does not publish projected growth forecasts for individual regions of the country. However, last year we published our Long Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire where we detailed our ambition for the region to achieve a long term growth rate to at least that of the whole of the UK. This would increase the size of the Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire economies by an extra £13 billion in real terms by 2030, equivalent to over £2,000 per person.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the balances held by all English local authorities.

Mr Marcus Jones

The most recent local authority data held by the Department for Communities and Local Government is the estimated position for financial year 2015-16. Local authorities have estimated that their reserve balances as at 31 March 2016 will be as follows:

Ringfenced school reserves £2,213.16 million

Ringfenced public health reserves £138.83 million

Non ringfenced other earmarked reserves £13,396.76 million

Non ringfenced unallocated reserves £3,736.79 million

Full details can be found on the department’s webpage https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2015-to-2016-individual-local-authority-data

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to encourage provision of public sector work experience placements for 14 to 19 year-olds in education.

Nick Boles

We encourage all employers, including those in the public sector, to provide quality work experience opportunities, and government guidance is available.

Additionally, the government works in partnership with Movement to Work to offer placements in the Civil Service and we encourage all public sector bodies to offer traineeships, which include a quality work placement, and are available for 16-24 year olds.

In January, the Prime Minister gave a speech focusing on life chances during which he expressed his wish to set out a plan for using work experience more creatively. We are well aware that work experience can be a transformative opportunity, and we look forward to receiving the Lord Sainsbury-led Independent Panel Report on Technical and Professional Education which we expect will make recommendations in this area.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP appointments were available in (a) Calderdale and (b) England in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt

The number of general practitioner (GP) appointments that are available in Calderdale and England is not held.

The number of GP appointments that are missed is not collected centrally, however, figures from NHS England suggest that more than 12 million GP appointments are missed each year in the United Kingdom (there is no individual breakdown for Calderdale or England separately), which costs in excess of £162 million per year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment she has made of the level of threat in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain from dissident republican groups.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Threat levels are kept under constant review. The threat from dissident republican groupings in Northern Ireland is Severe, an attack is highly likely. In Great Britain it is Substantial, an attack is a strong possibility.

The threat from terrorism is being suppressed by the diligent work of the PSNI and MI5, sometimes carried out under difficult and dangerous circumstances. This Government’s first priority is to keep people safe and secure right across the United Kingdom and we will always give our fullest possible support to the police and intelligence services.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support he has provided to local authorities and the construction industry to encourage the promotion of self-build schemes for constructing new homes.

Gavin Barwell

We have a strong commitment to supporting and encouraging the growth of self- and custom build homes.

The Government has implemented new legislation requiring most local planning authorities to hold and have regard to registers for those seeking to build their own home in a local authority area. Subject to Parliamentary processes, in the Autumn we will also introduce secondary legislation flowing from the Housing and Planning Act 2016 which will require local planning authorities to find and give permission to suitable land reflecting the demand demonstrated by the registers. We have made available £32 million in new burdens funding over the Spending Review period in order to support local planning authorities in meeting these new requirements.

In the 2015 Spending Review, the Government also announced a £3 billion loan fund of which £1 billion is specifically earmarked for short term loans to support small and medium builders and custom build projects and is designed to provide further support for the legislation that we have introduced.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mental health support is provided in schools to assist pupils with (a) self-harm and (b) body image related issues.

Edward Timpson

Good mental health and wellbeing is a priority for this Department. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential both academically and in terms of their mental wellbeing.

Schools should take prompt action to deal with cases of self- harm. The Department has taken a range of actions to help schools build a school-wide approach to good mental wellbeing. We have funded guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching mental health in personal, social, health and economic education, which covers teaching about self-harm and body image. In addition, training for teachers on self-harm is available through MindEd, a free online portal that has been developed to enable all adults working with children and young people to learn more about specific mental health problems and how to support them. We have also revised and updated our blueprint for effective school-based counselling.

However, teachers are not mental health specialists. We have contributed to a £3 million joint pilot between schools and children and young people’s mental health services to help schools access specialist support for their pupils, where needed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2015 to Question 2798, what recent steps he has taken to support Christians who are being persecuted in Middle Eastern countries.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Government remains deeply concerned about the plight of Christians and other minorities across the Middle East and North Africa. We continue to urge all governments in the region to ensure the protection of all minorities and encourage them to develop inclusive political systems that represent all of their citizens. In Iraq, Syria and Lebanon we are working with religious leaders to support inter-communal cohesion and ensure vulnerable communities have a voice. We have recently launched a project promoting legal and social protection for Freedom of Religion or Belief in Iraq. On 19 November, The Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns and I convened a workshop at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with Non-Governmental Organisations and experts in the field to examine what more Her Majesty’s Government might do to practically support Christians and other minorities in the Middle East and protect Freedom of Religion or Belief. Officials are now examining how we might put emerging ideas into practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage economic development in rural areas within English metropolitan counties.

Rory Stewart

In August, the Secretary of State launched the Government’s Rural Productivity Plan. This sets out a series of measures to help rural communities and businesses reach their full potential and contribute to increasing national productivity.

By investing in education and skills, increasing wages, improving infrastructure and connectivity, and simplifying planning laws for rural businesses and communities, this will help create thriving rural areas where generations of families can open and expand their businesses, buy a home and educate their children at first class schools.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the target for new recruits to the Royal Navy Reserve has been met in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Julian Brazier

The Maritime Reserve (MR) is a vital component of the Naval Service’s capability and consists of the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Marines Reserve.

Centrally held data for the MR recruitment targets does not go back 10 years. Since the Future Reserve 2020 Programme was established in July 2012 the MR have achieved their targets each year.