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 2015-09-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many catheter associated urinary tract infection related deaths there were in the last three years.

Jane Ellison

This information is not available in the format requested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-09-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were admitted to hospital as an emergency case with acute retention of urine due to a blocked Foley catheter in the last three years.

Jane Ellison

The requested information is not available centrally as Hospital Episode Statistics cannot identify blocked catheters or the type of catheter in use.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-09-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with NHS England regarding the (a) commissioning of continence services and (b) guidelines for continence services.

Jane Ellison

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets representatives from NHS England on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues, including the commissioning of local NHS services.

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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