Tag: Graham Evans

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the average benefit to local economies of devolution deals.

James Wharton

The seven devolution deals that the Government has agreed will give local leaders direct control over the levers of growth in their economies, including new powers and substantial budgets ranging from transport, to adult skills, to long term investment funds. The size of these funds is substantial, for example the West Midlands will receive over £1 billion of additional investment. It will be for mayors and local leaders to set ambitions for growth and job creation as a result of these deals. By giving local areas control over key policies and resources, and making sure that local government more efficient, effective and as possible, devolution deals will give these places the tools that they need to drive forward growth for the benefit of the whole local economy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homeowners have accessed (a) Help to Buy and (b) Right to Buy.

Brandon Lewis

Up to September 2015, over 128,000 homes had been purchased with assistance of Help to Buy Equity and Mortgage Guarantee Loans.

Since 2010/11, over 53,000 thousand tenants have purchased their homes through Right to Buy (and preserved Right to Buy for housing association tenants). The voluntary scheme extending to housing associations will give 1.3 million more families the opportunity to do this.

The Department publishes statistics on Help to Buy and Right to Buy at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/about/statistics

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to devolve powers to the local level under the Northern Powerhouse.

James Wharton

Devolution deals are progressing well across the north having already been agreed with Greater Manchester, Sheffield, Tees Valley, the North East and Liverpool, all of which will see directly elected mayors introduced in return for substantial new powers and budgets. Discussions with other areas across the north are progressing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment she has made of the level of the threat of terrorism in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

The threat level in Northern Ireland is SEVERE meaning an attack is highly likely. Threat levels are kept under constant review.

There were 16 national security attacks in 2015 and there has been one so far this year. Many more attacks and murders by violent dissident republicans have been foiled.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the greatest possible engagement by children and young people in the commemoration of the First World War.

David Evennett

Children and Young People are at the centre of our First World War Centenary Commemorations. We want to see young people across the country learning about the war.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of potential steps to increase provision of (a) court time and (b) relevantly skilled members of the judiciary to ensure the timely management of legal proceedings on complex planning disputes.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The Planning Court was established in 2014 and has greatly increased the speed in which planning cases are dealt with.

A dedicated cadre of lawyers and judiciary have been appointed to deal expediently with all significant planning cases.

The Criminal Courts and Justice Act 2015 introduced a permission stage in applications for statutory review, to remove unmeritorious statutory challenges to planning decisions as early as possible.

Current statistical data shows that the average time taken for a planning case to be dealt with in the Planning Court has reduced from 46.9 weeks in February 2014 to 25.9 weeks in March 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to accelerate the rollout of broadband in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The BDUK programme continues to work with BT and other suppliers to bring forward delivery of superfast broadband across the UK. 9 out of 10 homes and businesses can now receive superfast speeds and we remain on track to reach 95% by end of 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK retains its research and development relationship with Israel after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Garnier

We have a strong research and development relationship with Israel, and that will continue.

We have established a UK-Israel Tech Hub, which creates partnerships between British companies and world class Israeli innovators.

We also have a thriving science and innovation relationship, for example the UK-Israel Science Council whose core mandate is to improve science collaboration between the UK and Israel.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that public-facing staff at sports venues have disability equality awareness training.

Tracey Crouch

I refer my Honourable friend to the answer to PQ 44837, answered on 7^th September.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 441W, on human trafficking: Albania, how much funding has been made available by (a) the Home Office and (b) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to establish the International Organisation Migration voluntary return package; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley

In November 2013, the UK Government and the Albanian Government, working with
the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), established a voluntary
return package for female victims of trafficking who wished to return to
Albania. This package includes the provision of secure accommodation in Albania
(with guards and social services on site), child care assistance where
required, and training or support to establish a business or enter the labour
market. This provides the support and assistance required for victims who wish
to return to Albania to rebuild their lives.

The IOM package is funded by the Returns and Reintegration Fund. This is a
cross-governmental programme, to which the Foreign & Commonwealth Office,
Department for International Development, the Home Office and the Ministry of
Justice contribute resources.

The IOM package is funded to the value of £138,000 over an 18 month period,
commencing in November 2013.