Tag: Jamie Reed

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect on the agriculture sector in Cumbria of recent flooding and severe weather.

George Eustice

Approximately 600 farmers in Cumbria suffered flooding as a result of Storm Desmond. Considerable damage has been done to stone walls, hedges and tracks. We have established a Farm Recovery Fund which enables farmers to claim grants of between £500 and £20,000 to cover the cost of restoring their farmland. The deadline for fund applications is 1 April 2016.

While recognising the significant impact on those farmers affected, the overall impact on UK livestock prices and production is likely to be limited.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many meetings her Department has had with representatives of Tidal Power Ltd on the proposed Solway Firth Tidal Lagoon project.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government is currently in a bilateral negotiation with Tidal Lagoon Power Ltd regarding a possible Contract for Difference for their proposed project in Swansea Bay and there have been numerous meetings with the developer to discuss this project.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects the regulatory approval processes, including the Generic Design Assessment, to be completed for proposed new nuclear reactors at Wylfa in Wales.

Andrea Leadsom

The regulatory approval process for new nuclear reactors proposed for construction in the UK is run by the UK’s independent nuclear regulators, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW). DECC does not direct or intervene in the assessment process.

Generic Design Assessment of the ABWR reactor proposed for construction at the Wylfa site in Wales is targeted for completion in Q4 2017. Horizon has not yet made applications for site specific regulatory approvals, such as licensing and environmental permits, but DECC expects these to be made in good time, targeting completion for 2018.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to release the funding for Phase 2 of the redevelopment of the West Cumberland Hospital.

George Freeman

This is a matter for the North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust. The Trust provided an update on progress in relation to delivery of Phase 2 of the re-development of West Cumberland Hospital in a press release issued in June 2015:

http://www.ncuh.nhs.uk/news/2015/june/trust-planning-next-phase-of-west-cumberland-hospital-redevelopment.aspx

NHS Improvement advises that the Trust is continuing work to identify options that will enable it to progress Phase 2 of the development.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide support to employers to encourage people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes to attend a diabetes education course soon after they are diagnosed.

Nicola Blackwood

Promoting the best possible care for all people with diabetes is a key priority for this Government.

Patient education will play a crucial part in empowering all people with diabetes to manage their condition more effectively and help avoid complications in the future. We know there is much further to go in the proportion of people with diabetes attending structured education programmes. The Department, NHS England and Diabetes UK are currently looking at a number of ways to improve take up.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department’s policy is on making the pension age for Civil Nuclear Constabulary police officers the same as that for police forces under the responsibility of the Home Office.

Jesse Norman

Government policy is for public sector workers to have a normal pension age equal and linked to the state pension age. Parliament defined ‘members of a police force’ in the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 in such a way as to exclude Civil Nuclear Constabulary officers from the special arrangements that were made for Home Office police forces under that Act. A recent High Court judgement confirmed this interpretation. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will work with the Civil Nuclear Police Authority to put in place the appropriate pension arrangements for Civil Nuclear Constabulary officers, within the parameters set out in the legislation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will visit the A595 in Copeland.

Mr John Hayes

In my capacity as Roads Minister, I will be visiting different parts of the strategic road network around the country over ‎the coming months.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-21.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 10 in the UK.

Mr David Gauke

The government is committed to tackling inequality. According to the latest ONS statistics, original income inequality in the UK is at its lowest level since 1989.

The government believes that the best way to reduce inequality and poverty is through tackling unemployment, and getting workless households into work. Employment has increased by 2 million since the 2010 election, and the percentage of workless households is lower than at any point under the last Labour government.

The Government is tackling low pay by introducing a new National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 25 and above from April 2016. On current OBR forecasts, by 2020 the NLW will be over £9 an hour, meaning a full-time worker aged 25 or above will earn over £4,800 a year more in cash terms than under the current National Minimum Wage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-22.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review to provide ring fenced funding for a feasibility study into the trunk road section of the A595.

Greg Hands

Highways England will soon start a new programme of Route Strategies, aiming to develop an investment programme for the years 2020-25. These will be the forum where MPs and members of the public can make the case for improvements in their area. If improvements to the A595 are proposed through this process, they will be considered carefully for investment in the next Road Investment Strategy.

Further details of Spending Review decisions will be announced on 25 November.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the skills gap in Cumbria.

Nick Boles

It is not for central government to assess local skills needs. Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are working in collaboration with local authorities, colleges and providers in the area to jointly agree key local skill needs and develop a local skills offer that is responsive to local labour market conditions and contributes to improving our productivity.

Cumbria LEP and the Cumbria Employment and Skills Commission are currently refreshing the area skills strategy and this will be finalised in December 2015. It will include a review of the skills needs of the four key sectors denoted in the Cumbria Strategic Economic Plan: Nuclear and Energy; Advanced Manufacturing; Rural and Visitor Economy; and, Infrastructure Improvements. The Skills Commission has noted that the future skills needs of the nuclear sector and BAE Systems Submarine will create significant pressure for skilled labour, particularly in advanced manufacturing and engineering. This will create displacement challenges in other manufacturing businesses in the area.

In September the government announced a programme of area reviews, which will be locally led and will involve key stakeholders. They will be based on the best available evidence of skills requirements and establish a local post-16 education and training offer which is high quality and responsive to employer need. The reviews will support local involvement in the ongoing commissioning of provision, putting responsibility in the hands of people who are best placed to tailor provision to local economic needs. Cumbria will be included in the area review process, due to be completed by March 2017 and an announcement on the date for the review will be announced in due course.