Tag: Craig Whittaker

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of the UK’s aid assistance to the Palestinian Territories.

Rory Stewart

As I have recently taken up my new role, I am conducting an examination of DFID’s support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories to ensure UK taxpayers’ money is spent in the right places and in the right way. The UK remains committed in its support for a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

Andrea Leadsom

The Department of Energy and Climate Change provides the following guidance and support to Local Authorities: a Model Energy Performance Contract and guidance note to assist public sector organisations carry out energy efficiency retrofits and a Guide to Financing Energy Efficiency in the Public Sector. The Department also requested the Committee on Climate Change to produce a guidance note for local authorities on reducing their carbon emissions in 2012.

A number of schemes run by the Department also provide guidance as part ofwider support to public sector organisations, such as the Salix Finance public sector energy efficiency loan scheme which provides interest-free capital and the RE:FIT scheme which provides a streamlined procurement framework for energy efficiency retrofit work.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to create additional airport capacity in the north of England.

Mr Robert Goodwill

It is for individual airports to put forward proposals for capacity expansion, taking careful account of all relevant considerations, particularly economic and environmental impacts. We therefore welcome the investment airports in the north of England are already making to increase capacity and improve terminals and passenger facilities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were expelled from schools for violent conduct in West Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb

The Department for Education holds exclusion breakdowns at regional and local authority level; the department does not hold exclusion breakdowns for West Yorkshire.

The most recently published information can be found online at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-exclusions

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage tourism in Calder Valley since the recent flooding and severe weather in that area.

David Evennett

The Calder Valley is a beautiful part of the UK and tourism is an essential part of the local economy. We want to ensure that our tourism businesses have as much support as possible as they recover from the recent floods. That is why a new £1m PR campaign was announced by the Prime Minister in Cumbria, on the 28th January, to support businesses ready to receive visitors, and this is part of a wider package of immediate measures to help the area.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the falling price of oil on consumer spending in all sectors of the economy.

Damian Hinds

Cheaper oil and low inflation will support living standards across the country for hardworking families and reduce business costs. The OBR noted in their November 2015 Economic and Fiscal Outlook document, that they expected the fall in oil prices in the second half of 2014 to have supported real income and consumption during 2015.

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.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of local authorities in processing and deciding planning applications within recommended timescales.

Brandon Lewis

Between January and March 2016, local planning authorities decided 82 per cent of major applications on time; the highest figure on record.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on house prices in West Yorkshire.

Gavin Barwell

It is too early to tell. We are keeping markets under review and are actively engaged with house builders. The Secretary of State met with leading industry representatives this week to hear their views.

The strong demand for housing which underpins the housing market continues – as does our commitment to getting them built at a rate that can achieve our ambition for a million more homes and a million more home owners by 2020.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available to prison officers experiencing mental illness.

Mr Sam Gyimah

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of its staff.

An employee’s GP retains primary responsibility for the care and treatment of mental health problems. NOMS recognises its duty of care to staff and provides wide ranging occupational health services, fast tracking to psychological interventions (where clinically indicated for ill-health due to work related trauma), and offers comprehensive employee assistance (EAP) services which are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in support. Staff are also able to self-refer for counselling by calling a 24 hour helpline in complete confidentiality. A well-established system of Care Teams also exists which provide the social and practical support for staff in the early days following a serious incident.

Innovations and support locally are continually under review and enhanced wherever possible. Assessment of the adequacy of support is ongoing at all levels – locally, regionally, and nationally.