Tag: Grahame Morris

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals in the North East are treating brain tumour patients with stereotactic radiosurgery; and how many patients have been treated in each such hospital in each year since NHS England was created.

Jane Ellison

There was no recorded activity of stereotactic radiosurgery or radiotherapy in 2013-14 for hospitals in the North East¹.

¹Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Hospital Episodes Statistics database 2013-14.

Notes:

1. 2013-14 is the latest data available.
2. Return is based on using the codes supplied by the classifications service (A10.7 Stereotactic radiosurgery on tissue of the brain and Y91.5 Megavoltage treatment for hypofractioned stereotactic radiotherapy).
3. There are no specific OPCS-4.7 codes that classify stereotactic ablative radiotherapy. The terms stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy are sometimes used synonymously.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the Government spent on each infrastructure project in Easington constituency in each of the last five years.

Greg Hands

The information requested is not held centrally. More than 100 infrastructure schemes have been delivered in the North East since 2010. There are 27 projects and programmes in the National Infrastructure Pipeline (published July 2015) with a total capital value of £5 billion, as well as cross-regional and UK-wide projects and programmes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to encourage the growth of stakeholder banks within the UK.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government has taken significant steps to support stakeholder banks. We more commonly refer to stakeholder banks as mutually-owned financial service firms such as credit unions, building societies and mutual savings banks.

The Government has encouraged the growth of the credit union sector by increasing the maximum interest rate that credit unions can charge on loans from 2% to 3% per month; investing £38m in the sector through the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Credit Union Expansion Project; ensuring that universal credit and pensions payments can be paid into any credit union account; and launching a Call for Evidence which allowed all credit unions, regardless of size or influence, the opportunity to contribute their vision for the future of the sector to the wider debate.

This Government has supported the building societies sector through a number of initiatives including: carving out building societies from the Independent Commission on Banking’s ring-fencing regulations; extending ISA eligibility to Core Capital Deferred Shares; allowing building societies to create floating charges for the first time; and applying a £25m sector-specific allowance to carried-forward losses for Corporation Tax.

The Airdrie Savings Bank is the only remaining example of a mutual savings bank in the UK. At the Summer Budget the government announced that savings banks established under the Savings Bank (Scotland) Act 1819 will benefit from the same £25m carried-forward loss allowance for Corporation Tax as the building society sector. This will be backdated to 1 April 2015 and is being actioned through the Finance Bill 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to recruit and retain embryologists in the NHS.

Ben Gummer

Healthcare providers are responsible for ensuring that they have the right level of staffing to provide high quality care.

Health Education England (HEE) has been established to ensure the National Health Service has access to the right numbers of staff, at the right time and with the right skills. In doing so, HEE works with key external stakeholders to develop its National Workforce Plan for England which sets out the number of training places it will commission in the year ahead.

HEE will continue to work with Local Education and Training Boards and others to ensure that there are sufficient Healthcare Scientists, including embryologists, being trained to meet the needs of patients.

Currently HEE has 28 reproductive Scientists in training (which includes embryology) and are planning a further 11 to start in 2016/17.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure that local authorities meet their obligation under the National Planning Policy Framework to meet the housing needs of disabled people requiring wheelchair accessible homes.

Brandon Lewis

Local authorities are best placed to understand the housing needs in their area. We expect them to work closely with key partners and their local communities in deciding what type of housing is needed.

National policy sets out clearly the need for local authorities to plan for the housing needs of all members of the community and that planning should encourage accessibility. The introduction of optional requirements for accessibility in the Building Regulations provides local authorities with the tools needed to ensure that new homes are accessible and that in particular the needs of disabled people are met.

Local authorities are held accountable for their housing delivery via their Local Plans which are tested by local independent planning inspectors and are scrutinised via yearly Authority Monitoring reports which set out progress on delivery against Local Plan targets. In addition local authorities must determine individual decisions in line with the development plan and other material considerations, such as the National Planning Policy Framework and having regard to viability considerations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-03-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the amount currently owed to HM Revenue and Customs in tax credit overpayments and (b) the potential effect of the reduction in the income rise disregard on the amount so owed in each of the next three years.

Damian Hinds

The amount of tax credit debt owed to HMRC as at 31 March 2015, the latest available figure, is published in HMRC’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2014-15. The Annual Report and Accounts for 2015-16 are due to be published in June this year.

The impact on new debt from the reduction in the disregard is not available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what representations he has (a) received and (b) made on the introduction or piloting of a system of automatic electoral registration.

John Penrose

I have considered a range of proposals from local authorities and civil society organisations that could change how registration is currently delivered. The Government is committed to further modernising and improving electoral registration, building on the successful transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER). We are keen to explore further possibilities in this area but are concerned there may be tension between some forms of automatic registration and the principles underpinning IER, namely individual responsibility and ownership over registering to vote.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will request that train operating companies publish the criteria they use for calculating rail fares.

Claire Perry

The rail fares we regulate have been capped at inflation (Retail Price Index) for three years running, and will continue to be capped for the life of this parliament. The Government sets the maximum amount by which regulated fares can rise. Details of how fares regulation applies to train operators can be found in Schedule 5 of the Franchise Agreement which can be found on the Department’s website. Other fares are unregulated, and train operators are permitted to set these on a commercial basis.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-register-of-rail-passenger-franchise-agreements

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which Jobcentre Plus offices he has contacted on the use of their own locally-developed claimant communications rather than using those produced by his Department.

Priti Patel

The Department has guidelines on its intranet for all Jobcentre Plus offices about the use of locally-developed claimant communications. These guidelines make it clear what can and cannot be produced locally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications for retrospective reviews for continuing healthcare in the North of England have been successful in each of the last five years.

David Mowat

NHS England does not collect this information.