Tag: Grahame Morris

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to encourage the combination of electoral registration of 16 and 17 year olds with related (a) programmes of study and (b) extra-curricular activities in all English educational establishments.

John Penrose

The Government helps promote democratic participation in schools through the Citizenship curriculum. This part of the national curriculum is statutory at Key Stage 3 & 4 and helps to prepare pupils to play a full and active part in society. Pupils learn about democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld. The Government has also developed a number of learning resources, including Rock Enrol! This includes activities that discuss the importance of democratic engagement and can be used with young people in formal and informal educational environments.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential economic benefit of High Speed 2 to Easington constituency.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The North East and County Durham will benefit from direct HS2 services to the West Midlands and the South East when Phase Two is opened in 2033. Economic analysis was published in business case for Phase Two in October 2013, and updated at time of command paper last autumn. A route decision will be made on rest of route, including to the North East this autumn, at which point an updated economic case will be published.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department issued to Jobcentre Plus offices on the use of letters to jobseekers which combine information about attending a mandatory interview with a work coach and non-mandatory group information sessions.

Priti Patel

National guidance is in place for all Jobcentre Plus offices and provides clear instructions on the policy and process to follow when issuing letters to jobseekers. The process within the instructions does not permit the combining of information about attending a mandatory interview with a Work Coach and non-mandatory Group Information Sessions.

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 made in each of the last five years.

David Mowat

NHS England does not collect this information.

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 England treat arteriovenous malformations and pituitary ademomas with stereotactic radiosurgery.

Jane Ellison

There are eight hospitals which currently treat cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

There are 10 hospitals which currently treat pituitary adenomas. This condition falls within the definition of a Tier 2 service in the new service model. It will, therefore, continue to be treated by a range of hospitals across the country.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of fiscal support for the offshore oil and gas sector on (a) employment and (b) pay rates in that sector since 2010-11.

Damian Hinds

The government is committed to maximising the benefits of the UK’s oil and gas resources for the UK economy – the oil and gas industry is the UK’s largest industrial investor, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs, supplying a large portion of the UK’s primary energy needs and making a significant contribution to GDP.

The government has taken action as part of our plan to reform the fiscal regime to make it an attractive destination for investment and safeguard the long-term future of this vital national asset. In the March Budget, the government announced a £1.3 billion package of measures which are expected to deliver over £4 billion of additional investment, supporting jobs and supply chain opportunities, and increase production by 15% by 2019-20, the equivalent of 0.1% of GDP.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the role of stakeholder banks in supporting regional growth.

Harriett Baldwin

Each quarter the British Bankers Association and the Council for Mortgage Lenders publish data showing the outstanding stock of lending in each postcode. This allows challenger banks, smaller building societies, credit unions and community development finance institutions (CDFIs) to find areas where there is a lack of lending so they can offer finance to those customers and support growth in that regional area.

The Government recognises the important role that stakeholder banks play in supporting their communities. We more commonly refer to stakeholder banks as credit unions, building societies and mutually-owned savings banks.

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.