Tag: Miss Anne McIntosh

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many projects have received funds from the Regional Growth Fund in (a) Thirsk and Malton constituency, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) the North of England in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon

No Regional Growth Fund (RGF) awards have been made in the constituency of Thirsk and Malton.

The following table shows the number of projects and programmes in the region that have been awarded RGF grants in Rounds 1-4 and the years in which the selected bidders for each round were announced.

RGF Round	Year selected bidders were announced	The North (North East, North West, Yorkshire & Humberside)	North Yorkshire
1	2011	27	0
2	2011	90	1
3	2012	50	0
4	2013	30	0

Selected bidders for Round 5 were announced in April 2014 and Round 5 contracting is under way.

Businesses in the North of England can apply to regional and national RGF programmes for support.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department is giving to small and medium-sized businesses in North Yorkshire.

Matthew Hancock

We continue to work hard to provide the right support to make life easier for small and medium sized businesses everywhere.

www.gov.uk is the home for Government services and information online. One of the tools available is the ‘Finance and Support Finder;’ a searchable database of publicly-backed sources of finance and business support. The website www.greatbusiness.gov.uk also provides support and advice for anyone trying to start or grow a business.

In addition to on-line support, the Business Support Helpline is available to provide a quick response on queries about starting a business, or a personalised and in-depth advice service for more complex needs.

North Yorkshire has benefitted from a number of support schemes. The Start-Up Loan Scheme has provided business advice and 629 loans with a value of £3.3 million to people starting a business. Since May 2010, 165 companies have benefitted from the Government’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme with a drawn down value of over £22 million.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts about reforming the European Union.

Mr David Lidington

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and I regularly speak to our European counterparts on a range of issues, including EU reform. In addition, since July 2014, the Foreign Secretary has been undertaking a series of visits to EU Member States’ capitals to discuss EU reform. During the course of these visits, he has met with the Foreign Ministers of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden. He has raised, with these Foreign Ministers the Government’s position that EU reform is necessary for the EU to become more competitive, democratically accountable and fair for those inside and outside the Eurozone.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Greek counterpart on elections in that country in January 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington

Neither the Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) nor I have discussed the Greek elections with our counterparts in Greece. It is for the Greek people to decide on their government. We look forward to working with the Government of Greece after the elections and maintaining the excellent relations that we enjoy between our two countries, including in the context of our cooperation as members of NATO and the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on strengthening the Armed Forces Covenant.

Anna Soubry

The Armed Forces Covenant annual report, laid before the house on 16 December 2014, sets out the tremendous progress that was made during 2014. For a summary of the key points I refer the hon. Member to the written statement provided by my right hon Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Fallon) on 16 December 2014, (Official Report, columns 82-83WS).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received on the proportion of Government funding which is allocated to health and social care.

Norman Lamb

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has frequent discussions about the proportion of Government funding allocated to health and social care, both internal and external, and receives a large amount of correspondence on the issue.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations he has received on the 50 per cent rule whereby a GCSE grade may only be awarded for course assessment in the event of a student being severely incapacitated through illness; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss

The Secretary of State for Education recently received a letter from the hon Member for Thirsk and Malton on this issue, raising the case of a student in her constituency, to which he has responded. From time to time Ministers receive representations from members of the public, and from hon Members on their behalf, on the same matter.

Neither the Department nor the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation holds information on the number of pupils who have applied to be assessed for a GCSE grade on the basis of coursework. This information may be held by individual awarding bodies.

The rules governing the circumstances in which a GCSE grade may be awarded to a student who has not completed all the elements of the assessment are a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the hon Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will commission a review of the 50 per cent rule whereby a GCSE grade may only be awarded for course assessment in the event of a student being severely incapacitated through illness; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss

The Secretary of State for Education recently received a letter from the hon Member for Thirsk and Malton on this issue, raising the case of a student in her constituency, to which he has responded. From time to time Ministers receive representations from members of the public, and from hon Members on their behalf, on the same matter.

Neither the Department nor the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation holds information on the number of pupils who have applied to be assessed for a GCSE grade on the basis of coursework. This information may be held by individual awarding bodies.

The rules governing the circumstances in which a GCSE grade may be awarded to a student who has not completed all the elements of the assessment are a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the hon Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations he has received on the funding formula for flood defence; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson

Defra regularly receives representation from those seeking Government funding for flood and coastal risk management schemes to be more focussed on delivering a particular type of outcome such as improved protection for homes, agricultural areas or infrastructure at risk of flooding. These representations are not in a consistent direction.

A recent external evaluation found that, on the whole, the current partnership funding approach is progressing well in meeting its policy objectives and that the funding formula should not be changed at present.

Our focus is on working with Risk Management Authorities and local communities to put together a six-year investment programme on the basis of the current funding formula, for announcement this autumn. The programme will reduce flood risk for 300,000 households by March 2021.