Tag: Emma Reynolds

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been undertaken of the effect on sexual and reproductive health services of reductions in the Public Health Grant to local authorities for 2015-16 and the measures in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 relating to the public health system.

Jane Ellison

The Department’s Framework for Sexual Health Promotion in England (2013) sets out our ambitions and objectives to improve sexual health for all people. It takes account of the commissioning arrangements from 2013 including the new role for local authorities (LAs) as commissioners of most sexual health services. Later this month Public Health England (PHE) will undertake a survey of local commissioning arrangements for sexual health. It has also produced sexual health and reproductive health profiles to help LAs and others monitor the sexual and reproductive health of their populations and the performance of local public health related systems.

It is for LAs to decide on what research and evidence they need to inform their tenders for sexual health and reproductive health services in line with procurement requirements and good practice. In 2014 PHE published Making it Work, a guide to commissioning for sexual health across the whole system, to improve the sexual health of both individuals and the wider public.

We have made no formal assessment of the effect on sexual health services of reductions in the Public Health Grant to LAs for 2015/16, although PHE continues to monitor relevant outcomes data for every LA in England. Decisions on local public health spending are a matter for LAs. They are mandated by legislation to commission open access sexual health services that meet the needs of their local population. Officials meet regularly with sexual health organisations who would raise any concerns if LAs were not meeting their mandatory requirements for sexual health services.

The Framework for Sexual Health Improvement includes as a priority reducing unwanted pregnancies and highlights the need to increase access to long acting reversible contraception (LARC) methods and emergency contraception for women of all ages. We have no plans to evaluate the effect on general practitioner surgeries of LA commissioning of LARCs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding UK universities have been allocated under (a) the EU’s 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, (b) Horizon 2020 and (c) the Erasmus programme; and what estimate of the future level of EU funding to UK universities his Department has made.

Joseph Johnson

The UK received around €7 billion under the EU’s 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) and was the second highest recipient amongst Member States. Of this, €4.97 billion was awarded to UK Secondary and Higher Education Establishments. The UK had the top four Secondary and Higher Education Establishments in terms of FP7 funding received between 2007-2013 (Cambridge, Oxford, University College London and Imperial).

Under the current Horizon 2020 programme (2014-2020), UK Secondary and Higher Education Establishments have been awarded €0.89 billion up to the October 2015 release of grant data.

Under the current Erasmus+ programme, provisional figures indicate that UK Higher Education Institutions received a total of €114 million in 2014 and 2015. Approximately 220,000 students have benefitted from the Erasmus Programme since it began.

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills does not make estimates of future funding to UK participants in these programmes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding the UK was allocated from the (a) European Regional Development Fund, (b) European Social Funds, (c) European Agricultural Fund of Guarantee, (d) European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, (e) European Territorial Cooperation, (f) Youth Employment Initiative and (g) European Maritime and Fisheries Fund in the period from 2010 to 2014.

Anna Soubry

The information requested for points a, b, d, e, f, and g is set out in the financing plans in the respective programmes for these funds which can be found on gov.uk, gov.scotland and gov.wales.

The information requested for point c can be found on the European Commission and Eur-lex websites.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the benefits to UK businesses in the (a) retail, (b) automobile, (c) construction, (d) ICT, (e) financial services and (f) defence sectors of reduced tariff barriers arising from UK membership of the World Trade Organisation.

Anna Soubry

The Government has not made a specific assessment of the benefits to UK businesses in these sectors as a result of the UK’s membership of the WTO. But the benefits will be substantial as over the 20 years of the WTO average applied tariffs have been cut in half from 15 per cent in 1995 to less than 8 per cent today. And there are now 161 WTO Members comprising 98% of world trade, with the new (post-1995) members contributing 21% of this total. Further benefits are likely from negotiations currently underway: for example the Information Technology Agreement 2 (ITA2) should liberalise tariffs that affect around £12 billion of UK exports and imports.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the benefit to the UK economy of the preferential trade agreements the EU has negotiated with countries outside the EU.

Anna Soubry

The cumulative impact of all concluded, on-going and potential trade negotiations currently being undertaken by the EU could boost UK GDP by over £ 20 billion in the long run.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the benefits to the UK economy of (a) the absence of tariff barriers for intra-EU trade and (b) other aspects of the single market.

Anna Soubry

The EU provides the biggest single market in the world. EU countries trade twice as much with each other as they would without it. The absence of tariffs contributes to this. The single market also brings benefits for consumers. For example, between 2000 and 2006, the cost of making a 10-minute call in the EU fell by an average of 74%, and roaming charges will be abolished completely in 2017. As part of our agenda for EU reform, we want to go further and faster on economic competitiveness including liberalisation of the services sector, trade, and de-regulation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed in (a) the UK and (b) each region by companies (i) with headquarters in the EU and (ii) owned in the EU.

Mr Rob Wilson

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 Emma Reynolds on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed by non-British EU companies in (a) the UK and (b) each region.

Mr Rob Wilson

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 Emma Reynolds on 2015-10-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on foreign direct investment of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Gauke

As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) has noted, the best outcome for the UK economy is that we achieve major economic reform of the EU. The Prime Minister is focused on success: he believes he can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU, and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.

The Confederation of British Industry and British Chambers of Commerce have both come out to say they support the reform agenda the Prime Minister is seeking to deliver.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many pieces of land that have been disposed of under that Community Right to Reclaim Land were sold to the community groups that submitted the bid to his Department.

Brandon Lewis

I have attached a table which outlines the actions we have taken in response to each substantive request under the Right to Reclaim since its introduction in 2011. Each case is considered on its individual merits. Even where a direction to dispose is not issued, the whole process of challenging the local authority can help fast-track their own disposal plans. We do not hold information on the status of the applicant.

The act of Whitehall forcing councils to dispose of land is controversial, there is a high threshold for deciding whether a disposal can be ordered..

There is a strong commitment from the Government to making the best use of its land and disposing of land that is no longer needed. As such in addition to the Right to Reclaim Land powers which relate primarily to local government or other public bodies, a new Right to Contest was created in January 2014. This gives individuals, communities and businesses the ability to challenge Government on land and property owned by Whitehall departments and their agencies which is being used, but where, if sold, a better economic use could be made of it. Whilst theoretically people can still use the Community Right to Reclaim Land for Government land, in practice, most will now be dealt with under Right to Contest.