Tag: Craig Whittaker

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.

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 2016-03-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UN and African Union missions in South Sudan; and what discussions he has had with the UN since the publication of its report, Assessment Mission by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to improve human rights, accountability, reconciliation and capacity in South Sudan: detailed findings, published March 2016.

James Duddridge

The UK is deeply concerned by the findings of the African Union Commission of Inquiry (AU-COI) report and the recent UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) assessment. Both reports detail appalling levels of human rights violations and abuses, including widespread levels of sexual violence, and that these may constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity.

We are pressing for action on multiple levels. We are raising our serious concerns directly with the government in Juba, and when I visited South Sudan in January 2016 I pressed both the President and the Foreign Minister on human rights issues. At the same time, we are also encouraging the African Union to establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan and pressing the UN Security Council to agree an arms embargo. At the UN Human Rights Council we are pressing for a UN Special Rapporteur to be agreed and the OHCHR report’s findings to be followed up on. We will continue to work to ensure those who are responsible for abuses are held to account.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage (a) development of oil and mineral production and (b) other economic development within South Sudan.

Mr Nick Hurd

Sustainable economic development in South Sudan will require peace and political will from the country’s leaders. This means appointing a transitional government of national unity as soon as possible and implementing the peace agreement signed in August 2015. The UK remains committed to the people of South Sudan. DFID supports livelihoods and basic services for the people of South Sudan alongside life-saving humanitarian support. We support economic development by helping to improve the capacity of key institutions, and through our support to improving the effectiveness and transparency of customs operations. DFID has no plans to support the development of oil and mineral production beyond seeking to ensure a greater degree of transparency in the sector.