Tag: Henry Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-10-20.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to raise the income tax personal allowance during this Parliament.

Mr David Gauke

The government has committed to raising the income tax personal allowance to £12,500 by the end of this parliament, alongside our commitment to raise the higher rate threshold to £50,000. These changes will benefit over 30 million individuals.

Summer Budget 2015 set out the first step in meeting this commitment. The personal allowance will increase from £10,600 in 2015-16 to £11,000 in 2016-17, and £11,200 in 2017-18.

These changes will benefit over 29 million individuals and take 570,000 individuals out of income tax altogether by 2016-17. This will increase to over 660,000 by 2017-18. A typical basic rate taxpayer will see their income tax bill reduced by £905 by 2016-17, compared to 2010.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to meet the demand for school places in Crawley.

Edward Timpson

Local authorities are responsible for planning and securing sufficient school places in their area, and supporting them in doing so is one of this Government’s top priorities. We allocate basic need funding to local authorities to help create new school places where they are needed. West Sussex has been allocated £57 million of basic need funding for the period 2015-18. West Sussex also received £113 million between 2011 and 2015, helping to create 8,565 new school places between 2010 and 2014. In addition to this, the Gatwick School, an all-through free school that opened in September 2014, is due to provide 1,020 additional places once at full capacity.

Information on basic need allocations can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations-2015-to-2018

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many trees the Government plans to plant during the current Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart

A total of £31m per year of new Rural Development Programme funding will be spent on forestry, with £13m being spent on woodland management and £18m on new planting. By investing in woodlands, Countryside Stewardship will help us fulfil the Government’s manifesto commitment to plant another 11 million trees by supporting the creation of around 24,711 acres of new woodland.

I will keep the House updated on our progress.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Attorney General, what steps his Department is taking to improve public understanding of the legal framework applicable to social media.

Jeremy Wright

Judging by the number of referrals from members of the public to my office there is clearly some awareness of the legal framework applicable to social media but I have sought to increase this awareness by, for example, issuing online warnings on social media, including Twitter, in appropriate cases.

In relation to the commission of criminal offences by social media users, the Crown Prosecution Service has also issued detailed guidelines to prosecutors on handling cases involving communications sent via social media.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the level of broadband coverage in (a) the UK and (b) other major European nations.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Ofcom’s European Broadband Scorecard (http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/other/telecoms-research/bbresearch/scorecard-14) stated in figure 8 that the percentages of households in areas served by broadband were:

	Standard broadband	Mobile broadband	Superfast broadband
United Kingdom	95-100%	95-100%	70-75%
France	95-100%	95-100%	20-25%
Germany	95-100%	90-95%	65-70%
Spain	95-100%	95-100%	60-65%
Italy	95-100%	95-100%	10-15%

Ofcom also publishes comparative information in its International Communications Market Report (http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market-data/communications-market-reports/cmr13/international/)

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure a suitable commemoration of the First World War; and if he will support the Royal Sussex Regiment Association’s efforts for a memorial to be erected in Priez, France.

Mrs Helen Grant

The Government will mark the centenary of the First World War with an appropriate programme of national events, cultural activities, educational initiatives and community projects across 2014-18. It is fitting that organisations such as the Royal Sussex Regiment Association are seeking to commemorate the centenary in ways which are meaningful for them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to devolve greater responsibilities to democratically elected county councils and county unitary authorities.

Kris Hopkins

The Government has always believed that local decision-making plays an essential role in building stronger local economies and communities and is open to discussions over possible offers from areas that are interested in greater devolution of powers. This basic principle of localism underpins the Government’s approach and is why programmes such as Growth Deals and Growing Places Fund have been made available to all local areas in England through Local Enterprise Partnerships.

I also refer my hon. Friend to the Government’s publication, "The implications of devolution for England” (CM 8969) which outlines the views of both Coalition parties on the scope for greater decentralisation in England.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/implications-of-devolution-for-england

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2015 to Question 222873, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK users who acquire non-human primates ensure breeders and suppliers they deal with have proper controls and processes in place; how such controls and processes are monitored; and how many UK users have been found not to have sufficient controls and processes in place.

Lynne Featherstone

We have taken a number of steps to gain assurances about the quality of non-human primates being imported for research within the legal constraints available to us. We have emphasised to those UK users who acquire these primates that they are responsible for ensuring that the breeders and suppliers they deal with have proper controls and processes in place. In order to be assured that these animals are of appropriate quality for the work authorised on their project licences, they need to be confident of high standards of care and welfare.

We are aware that, in recent years, these UK users have routinely visited and inspected their overseas primate breeders, and that they do indeed demand these high standards. We are encouraging this to continue.

Home Office Inspectors assigned to establishments holding and using imported primates play a key role in monitoring the situation. Through inspection visits and other contact with animal care staff, inspectors maintain awareness of the importations of primates, both consignments already acquired and those due. This enables appropriately timed inspections to be carried out to monitor the quality of animals being acquired.

We also expect the local inspector to be notified promptly in the event of any significant health or welfare problems which may occur following arrival of an importation of primates. Should a particular source be shown to be delivering primates of unacceptable quality from the perspective of their health and welfare, we will deal with this through the relevant licence authorisation.

No UK users have been found to have insufficient controls and processes in place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2014-07-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2013, what procedures are included in the direct diagnosis category.

Norman Baker

The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2013 report a total of 52,444 procedures were conducted on 6,725 animals with ‘Direct diagnosis’ as the primary purpose. This represents a 3% increase on the total number of procedures, in this category, in 2012 and a 1% increase on the number of animals, in this category, in 2012. Most procedures reported under the category ‘Direct diagnosis’ involve the collection of blood or blood products from either non-immunised animals or animals immunised against various antigens. The procedure of blood collection is classified as being of low severity and, with appropriate licence authority, may be repeated
many times in the same animal. The products from these procedures, including whole blood and antisera, are used in diagnostic tests.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2014-07-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2013, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the changes in the number of procedures in the fundamental biological research category.

Norman Baker

The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2013 report a total of 1.16 million procedures were conducted on animals with ‘Fundamental biological research’ as the primary purpose. This is a reduction of 11% over the figure for 2012. The change in the number of procedures carried out in this category, in any particular year, depends on many factors. These factors include: investment in fundamental biological research; strategic decisions taken by funding bodies; global economic trends; scientific innovation; and, the development and uptake of validated alternative technologies.