Tag: Mark Garnier

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to encourage recruitment of cadets.

Mr Julian Brazier

We are determined that many more young people benefit from the Cadets experience. Hence we have committed an extra £50 million to increase the number of Cadet Units in schools across the UK to 500 by 2020.

More widely, the Community Cadet Forces continue to recruit new Cadets. Over 3,000 Community Cadet Force Units provide exceptional opportunities for over 131,000 young people to develop key life skills.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2016-03-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to help pressures on local health care services resulting from an increasing population of elderly people.

Alistair Burt

We know there are challenges ahead across the health and care sectors, but the principle with which we will approach the decisions ahead will be to prioritise and maximise funding for frontline services. The Government believes that the answer to these challenges lies in changing the way services are delivered and keeping people well and independent for longer, not in altering the fundamental principles that underpin the National Health Service.

As a result of the Spending Review, NHS funding will be £10 billion higher in real terms by 2020-21 than 2014-15. And the NHS will not have to wait until the end of the parliament for much of this investment. We will be giving the NHS £3.8 billion more next year, over and above inflation, and almost £6 billion of the £10 billion in the first two years of the six year period. This shows that the Government has listened and responded to what the NHS has said about the level of investment it needs to deliver the Five Year Forward View.

The Five Year Forward View – the NHS’s own plan – takes account of rising demand from demographic change and sets out new models of care that can meet the changing needs of patients, including better meeting the needs of the frail elderly, and maximising the opportunities presented by new technologies and treatments. The aim of the new care models programme is to secure the future of the NHS for all of us to continue receiving high quality care, when and where we need it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2016-03-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what provision the Government has in place to provide extra funding for clinical commissioning groups to deal with increasing local pressures on social care resulting from limits on local authority resources and NHS trusts being placed on special measures.

Alistair Burt

The Better Care Fund gives flexibility to local areas to determine how best to invest a joint budget. Local authorities are required to agree with their local health partners how funding is best used within social care in order to best serve local people and reduce pressures on the health service.

The total value of the Better Care Fund in 2015/16 is £5.3 billion, which includes monies provided by local authorities and health partners in 151 local areas.

From April 2017, the Spending Review makes available additional social care funds for local government, rising to £1.5 billion by 2019/20, to be included in the Better Care Fund.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase inward investment to the commercial satellite communications and space industry.

Joseph Johnson

Inward investment is a key pillar in the strategy to grow the UK’s share of the global space economy to £40 billion by 2030. Officials from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) work with overseas commercial satellite operators using specialists through an existing network of inward investment teams in overseas posts, UKTI’s regional Investment Services Team, and local partners to support those wishing to come to the UK. They also work closely with officials in the UK Space Agency who provide advice on licensing and operating a spacecraft from the UK and access to competitive R&D funding either through national programmes, EU programmes or through our membership of the European Space Agency (ESA). The UK Space Agency and UKTI also support overseas satellite operators in their dealings with Ofcom, who are responsible for the allocation of the radio spectrum in the UK – a vital resource for new satellite business ventures. The Government will continue to work with companies to provide practical and tailored support to support their inward investment plans.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2015-10-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the (a) efficiency of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and (b) potential merits of providing emergency payments to councils who face budgeting difficulties due to the time taken by the VOA to re-assess business rates.

Mr David Gauke

1. By July 2015 the Valuation Office Agency had cleared over 94% of outstanding business rates appeals as of 30 September 2013 in England. The Agency continues to focus on clearing outstanding appeals. In order to further improve the efficiency of the Agency, the Government will introduce a more structured, rigorous and transparent appeals system as part of this session’s Enterprise Bill.
2. The business rates retention scheme in England is providing real incentives for councils to support enterprise and economic growth. In 2015-16, 362 authorities expect to retain an extra £544 million in business rates above baseline funding. Under the scheme, local authorities or pools of local authorities are protected against significant declines in business rates income through a safety net that guarantees income at 92.5% of baseline funding. And in a radical reshaping of the state we will ensure that by the end of the Parliament the local government sector will retain 100% of local taxes to spend on local government services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on local councils of the revaluation of business rates levied on GP surgeries.

Mr Marcus Jones

Information on the business rates paid by GP surgeries is not held centrally. My Department continues to work with authorities affected by the business rates appeals on GP surgeries to understand the impact on local authority finances.

Under the business rates retention scheme, local authorities or pools of local authorities are protected against significant declines in business rates income through a safety net that guarantees income at 92.5% of baseline funding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to provide financial assistance to local authorities to deal with unforecastable shortfalls arising from the revaluation of business rates levied on GP surgeries.

Mr Marcus Jones

The business rates retention scheme in England is providing real incentives for councils to support enterprise and economic growth. In 2015/16, 362 authorities expect to retain an extra £544 million in business rates above baseline funding. Under the scheme, local authorities or pools of local authorities are protected against significant declines in business rates income, such as from rating appeals on GP surgeries, through a safety net that guarantees income at 92.5% of baseline funding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to help local councils with pooled funding tackle unpredicted revenue shortfalls due to the revaluation of the business rates levied on GP surgeries.

Mr Marcus Jones

The business rates retention scheme in England is providing real incentives for councils to support enterprise and economic growth. In 2015/16, 362 authorities expect to retain an extra £544 million in business rates above baseline funding. Under the scheme, local authorities or pools of local authorities are protected against significant declines in business rates income, such as from rating appeals on GP surgeries, through a safety net that guarantees income at 92.5% of baseline funding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2015-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 132 of the judgment of the European Court of Justice in the case C-491/01 – British American Tobacco (Investments) and Imperial Tobacco, 10 December 2002, if he will ensure that legislative proposals he plans to bring forward on the standardised packaging of tobacco will meet the standard set down in that judgment for sufficient space to be provided on that packaging to affix other material, in particular concerning trademarks.

Jane Ellison

In coming to its decision to proceed with the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Regulations, the Government has given careful consideration to all the legal issues, including the implications of relevant European case law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2015-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what consideration he gave to owners and other beneficiaries of intellectual property rights relating to tobacco products in deciding to bring forward legislative proposals for standardised packaging.

Jane Ellison

The Government has given careful consideration to all of the wider aspects that relate to standardised packaging of tobacco, including intellectual property rights.

The Government has also published an impact assessment, assessing the costs and benefits of the policy. This can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/standardised-packaging-of-tobacco-products-draft-regulations

“