Tag: Grahame Morris

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 the number of people in Easington constituency who will be affected by the reduction of the income rise disregard for tax credits to £2,500.

Damian Hinds

This information is not held and statistically reliable projections at constituency level could only be provided at disproportionate cost. From April 2016, the income rise disregard – the amount by which a tax credit claimant’s income can increase within a year before their tax credit award is adjusted – will be reduced from £5,000 to £2,500.

The only people who will be affected by this will be those who see an increase in their in-year income by more than £2,500. There will be no net cash losers because their income will have increased.

In the subsequent tax year, a claimant’s tax credits award will be calculated in the usual way, using their full annual income for the previous year to determine their tax credit entitlement. This means that after the change in the tax year, whether the claimant’s increase in income was above or below the disregard level, their tax credit award for the following year will be adjusted to what it would have been had no disregard existed

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, by what date he estimates there will be universal access to high-speed broadband services in Easington constituency.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Current estimates suggest that almost 90% of premises in the Easington constituency are subject to commercial rollout, and a further 6% of premises (2,410) now have coverage as a result of the Government’s Superfast Broadband programme.

Based on DCMS modelled estimates and current delivery plans, 97.2% of premises in the Easington constituency will have access to superfast broadband by December 2017. Early gainshare funding that BT will return in response to the high levels of take-up being achieved, could help extend coverage further.

In addition, the Government’s intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation will give people the legal right to request a broadband connection, no matter where they live, by the end of this Parliament. Our ambition is that this should be set at 10 Mbps.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on the proposal from the French government to convene a conference on the Israel-Palestine peace process.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are in close contact with the French about the proposed conference in Paris next month. We share the frustration at the lack of progress in the Middle East Peace Process. We believe that peace will ultimately only come through negotiations between the parties. Regional players, the EU and the Quartet can play a role in supporting progress.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effectiveness in delivering medicines savings in the community of the not-dispensed scheme for community pharmacies proposed by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.

Alistair Burt

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Workington (Sue Hayman) on 14 June 2016 to Question 40161.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the merits of including GPs on the occupation shortage list.

Ben Gummer

There have not been any specific discussions with the Home Office about the merits of including general practitioners (GPs) on the national shortage occupation list.

In 2014 the Department of Health commissioned the Centre for Workforce Intelligence to engage with stakeholders and report to the Migration Advisory Committee in response to their call for evidence. Although the Centre for Workforce Intelligence report recommended the inclusion of GPs on the 2015 shortage occupation list, the Migration Advisory Committee concluded that there was insufficient evidence at that time.

International recruitment of GPs under Tier 2 of the immigration points-based system continues to be an option for employers where genuine and continued difficulties exist in meeting demand from domestic and European Economic Area supply.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she plans to (a) launch a public consultation on her Strategy to Maximise Economic Recovery of North Sea oil and gas reserves, and (b) lay the final version of that strategy before Parliament.

Andrea Leadsom

Our oil and gas industry is incredibly important. It supports around 375,000 jobs, provides secure energy for our homes and businesses and generates billions of pounds for our economy every year, at home and through exports. The industry is an essential part of the Government’s plans to provide a secure, reliable energy source to UK homes for decades to come and we are committed to backing it.

We are working hard to implement the recommendations of the Wood Review – most importantly setting up the Oil and Gas Authority and, even with the challenges presented by lower oil prices, the North Sea still provides opportunities and remains fully open for business.

The consultation will be launched shortly. The Strategy will be laid before Parliament after the consultation has closed and Government has considered the responses it receives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-17.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support greater diversification in forms of lending in the UK banking sector.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government is committed to competition and diversity in financial services and would like to see firms with a range of business compete and succeed.

The Government has supported both the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and Crowdfunding sectors, which provide alternative sources of finance for both businesses and individuals, by introducing a proportionate regulatory regime as well as other policies, such as the inclusion of P2P loans in ISAs.

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 contained two policies to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in accessing finance. The first requires the major banks share information on their SME customers with other lenders through designated Credit Reference Agencies. This will improve the ability of challenger banks and alternative finance providers to conduct accurate risk assessments and level the playing field between providers. The second requires major banks to refer SMEs they reject for finance, with the SMEs permission, to ‘finance platforms’ that can match SMEs with alternative finance providers.

The Government has established the British Business Bank to support the development of diverse finance markets for smaller businesses in the UK. The British Business Bank’s £950m Business Finance Partnership aims to diversify the sources of finance available to smaller and mid-sized firms and reduce their dependence on bank finance. £863m has been allocated to funds supporting mid-sized firms, with £333m already invested alongside private money, generating over £1bn of lending to businesses.

The Government has also continued to support the building societies sector through a number of measures including: carving out building societies from the Independent Commission on Banking ring-fencing regulations, extending ISA eligibility to Core Capital Deferred Shares, and applying a £25m sector-specific allowance to carried-forward losses for Corporation Tax. More recently, the Government listened to the concerns of smaller organisations, including building societies, when taking steps to remove the reverse burden of proof from the senior managers regime.

The Government has also taken significant steps to support the credit union sector by investing £38m in the sector through the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Credit Union Expansion Project, changing legislation to allow credit unions to admit corporate members, providing £500,000 to help armed forces personnel access credit union services 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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much is spent daily on food on each serving solider.

Mr Philip Dunne

Ministry of Defence personnel in the UK and permanent bases overseas are primarily catered for through a number of multi-activity contracts. Armed Forces personnel serving on operations, exercises and HM Ships and Submarines, are catered for under a single food supply contract with Purple Foodservice Solutions Ltd.

The cost of feeding Service personnel when on operational deployments and on training exercises varies, depending upon a defined kilocalorie output, which is based on the level of activity being undertaken. Furthermore, the cost will vary across the world reflecting the cost of locally procured food.

For the vast majority of UK bases, the provision of catering services, including food supply, has been out-sourced to commercial contractors. Service personnel accommodated in these bases "pay as they dine" on a meal by meal basis, but are not obliged to take any meals on site.

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 secure the adequate supply of accessible homes suitable for disabled people.

James Wharton

In 2015 the Government updated planning policy and Building Regulations to support local authorities in meeting the housing needs of disabled and older people in their communities. This included the introduction of two optional levels of accessibility in the Building Regulations, Category 2 – Accessible and adaptable dwellings, and Category 3 – Wheelchair user dwellings which local authorities can apply to new development in their local area subject to needs and viability assessments.

These new options work as planning conditions to planning applications. Accessibility needs are met by each project’s own finance, be it for public, social or private homes. Some adaptations by individuals are eligible for funding through disabled facilities grants.

Accessibility to buildings has always been central to Approved Document M and greater concern and detail has been worked in since Disability Discrimination Act regulations 1995, 2005 and with the Equality Act 2010. Each update of Approved Document M further embeds government commitment to inclusivity and accessibility in guidance.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the potential effect on the cost of health and criminal justice services of the proposed housing benefit cap for people living in supported accommodation.

Justin Tomlinson

The Department for Work and Pensions jointly with the Department for Communities and Local Government commissioned an evidence review into the shape, scale and cost of the supported housing sector.

Off the back of this evidence, we will conduct a policy review to ensure support is focused on the most vulnerable and the appropriate groups are safeguarded.