The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to announce a decision on the planning appeal submitted by the Route 39 free school in Torridge.
Mr Marcus Jones
This decision has now been announced. The announcement was made on Thursday 18 February.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-04-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps other than the social care precept the Government is taking to ensure that local authorities are able adequately to fund services for people with learning disabilities.
Alistair Burt
In addition to the social care precept, which gives local authorities access to up to £2 billion for adult social care by 2019/20; the Government has supported adult social care, which includes care for those with learning disabilities, by giving local authorities access to up to £1.5 billion of new support by 2019/20. This is based on the additional social care monies to be included in the Better Care Fund.
In the national service model and Building the Right Support published in October 2015, NHS England, the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services set out how areas would be supported to deliver lasting change to people with a learning disability and/or autism who display behaviour that challenges.
This includes service transformation – shifting money from some services, such as inpatient care, into others, such as community services.
To support this NHS England is making available up to £30 million of transformation funding over three years, to be matched by clinical commissioning groups, and £15 million in capital funding. This funding is in addition to the £10 million which was made available to six fast track areas in 2015/16.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the overall size of the under-10 metres fishing fleet in (a) England, (b) the South West of England and (c) Devon.
George Eustice
The Department publishes details on the structure of the UK fishing fleet, including vessels of 10 metres and under, annually in the UK Sea Fisheries Statistics. Data on the change in number of vessels and engine size from 2010 to 2014 is shown in the table below.
|
England |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
No. of Vessels |
2569 |
2573 |
2562 |
2602 |
2573 |
|
Engine power (kW) |
141524 |
141164 |
141855 |
144863 |
144045 |
|
South West* |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
No. of Vessels |
982 |
994 |
982 |
1004 |
1002 |
|
Engine power (kW) |
49914 |
49925 |
49262 |
51073 |
51256 |
|
Devon** |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
No. of Vessels |
438 |
447 |
446 |
473 |
465 |
|
Engine power (kW) |
27836 |
27835 |
27854 |
29651 |
29289 |
*using the administration ports of Brixham, Newlyn and Plymouth
**using the administration ports of Brixham and Plymouth
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure that the Supported People programme funding to local authorities reaches vulnerable people in Devon.
Mr Marcus Jones
Funding for the Supporting People Grant was rolled into the local government finance settlement in 2011-12. Decisions on how money should be spent are best made by local authorities. Local authorities have the freedom and flexibility to prioritise and make their own decisions on how they spend their budgets.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to promote battlefield tourism in England in the next 12 months.
David Evennett
The Heritage Lottery Fund is able to support projects concerned with historic battlefield landscapes. Over the coming months the Heritage Minister will be visiting several battlefield sites both at home and abroad to commemorate important events such as the Battle of Hastings and to promote battlefield tourism. The Battlefields Trust is on hand to help preserve and promote battlefield heritage across the UK and local authorities may also be able to help promote battlefields.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to help people in receipt of housing benefit secure private rented accommodation.
Brandon Lewis
The English Housing Survey, funded by the Department, published its Headline Report 2014-15 in February which showed that 27% of privately rented households are in receipt of housing benefit. This demonstrates that the private rented sector remains accessible to housing benefit claimants.
The key to improving choice and affordability for tenants is to increase the supply of private rented homes. That’s why the Government introduced the £1 billion Build to Rent fund, and the £3.5 billion Private Rented Sector guarantee scheme, to finance thousands of extra homes built specifically for private rent.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) protection and (b) funding is available for historic battlefields in (i) England and (ii) Northam in Torridge and West Devon constituency.
David Evennett
Registered battlefields are protected through the planning system under the terms of the National Planning Policy Framework. Historic England maintains the register of historic battlefields on the National Heritage List for England.
I am pleased to say the Heritage Lottery Fund are able to support projects concerned with protecting and promoting large landscapes such as a battlefield site. Funding may also be available from the relevant local authority.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made in his review of the effects of the one per cent rent reduction on small almshouse charities.
Brandon Lewis
The Social Housing Rents (Exceptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2016 provided a one year exception for almshouses from the one per cent rent reduction. We are carefully considering the approach for the second year of the reduction onwards, and my officials recently met the Almshouse Association to discuss this. Our aim is to ensure there is a workable and sustainable solution for almshouses, their residents and for taxpayers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to increase awareness of (a) arthritis and (b) other musculoskeletal conditions; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
Public Health England (PHE) work in partnership with NHS England, professional bodies, the Chief Fire Officers Association, Arthritis Research UK (ARUK), Work Foundation and other private sector system leaders to increase awareness of the prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.
PHE’s Chief Knowledge Directorate have worked collaboratively with ARUK to develop a set of local authority briefings on osteoarthritis based on data from ARUK’s MSK Calculator[1]. A musculoskeletal domain has also been created within PHE’s National General Practice Profiles[2]. The Burden of Disease for England was published by PHE in September 2015, which provides analytics on MSK.
PHE has commissioned and developed a series of resources and tools to raise awareness amongst professionals and the public of Arthritis and MSK conditions such as; a British Medical Journal e-learning module on the benefits of physical activity for osteoarthritis and lower back pain, which has been highly valued by clinicians; a public facing falls prevention booklet.
[1]http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/policy-and-public-affairs/policy-priorities-and-projects/musculosketal-health-services/the-musculoskeletal-calculator.aspx
[2]http://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/general-practice/data#mod,1,pyr,2014,pat,19,par,E38000001,are,-,sid1,2000009,ind1,-,sid2,-,ind2,-
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to promote tourism in the south west of England in the last 12 months.
David Evennett
The Prime Minister’s Five Point Plan for Tourism sets out the Government’s commitment to encourage tourists to explore beyond London.
According to the Office for National Statistics International Passenger Survey, there were 1.9 million inbound visits to the south west of England in the first nine months of 2015 (Jan-Sep); up 6% compared to the same period in 2014. Overseas visitors spent £0.84 billion during these visits, up 2% on Jan-Sep 2014. The £5 million South West Tourism Growth Fund, announced last year, will further promote tourism in the South-West of England.