Tag: Geoffrey Cox

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the Government’s housing policy on the ability of smaller housing applications in rural villages to succeed.

Brandon Lewis

We believe that meeting the housing needs of rural communities is vitally important.

The National Planning Policy Framework rightly asks local planning authorities to identify and plan to meet the needs of their communities. It is for local planning authorities, in consultation with local people, to use their evidence base to ensure they plan to meet their housing need, shaping where development should and shouldn’t go, through an up to date Local Plan. Over 85,000 affordable homes have been provided in rural local authorities in England between April 2010 and March 2015.

Budget 2016 announced a £60 million fund to help bring forward community-led housing developments in rural and coastal communities. This fund will target those areas which are particularly affected by the impact of second homes. We will be announcing further details on how the fund will be allocated shortly.

The Homes and Communities Agency and my officials meet regularly with those working to deliver homes in rural communities to discuss the provision of affordable rural housing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals in (a) Devon and (b) Cornwall have round the clock mental health support.

Alistair Burt

This information is not held centrally.

NHS England advises that the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust has a 24-hour psychiatric liaison service that has been in operation since the beginning of January 2016 and that 24-hour duty support from the mental health services is available to access for all Devon hospitals.

NHS England also advises secondary care mental health services are commissioned from Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust which includes 24/7 Home Treatment Team services and 24/7 in-patient services. NHS England assures me that NHS Kernow is committed to delivering the requirements of the National Crisis Care Concordat, including ensuring that people with mental health problems can get help 24 hours a day.