Tag: Ms Margaret Ritchie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnet consequentials for Northern Ireland are of the £50 million additional funding for flood relief; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands

As the Chancellor announced in the House on 9 December, the government is creating a new Community Recovery Scheme to support households and businesses affected by the floods in Cumbria and Lancashire.

The Barnett Formula has been applied to this funding in the normal way, and the Northern Ireland Executive will receive £1.322 million in additional funding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proposals she plans to submit to the European Union Council of Fisheries Ministers on 14 and 15 December 2015 to safeguard fishing effort and quotas in terms of Cod, Haddock, Hake and Nephrops in the Irish Sea (Area VIIA); and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

The UK Government worked hard to get the best possible deal for UK fish stocks and our fishing industry at the annual EU Fisheries Council, where fishing opportunities for 2016 were agreed. For fisheries in the Irish Sea we secured increased quotas for haddock, Nephrops and hake, a rollover of the 2015 quota for plaice, and kept a reduction for cod in line with the scientific advice. We also ensured that “days at sea” effort levels will be maintained at the existing level for all areas of the Cod Recovery Zone, including the Irish Sea.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what contingency plans her Department has put in place in the event of one or more stakeholders in the Hinkley Point C project being unable to raise sufficient funding to complete development.

Andrea Leadsom

The funding of Hinkley Point C is a commercial matter for the parties involved. However, the agreements between EDF and CGN announced in October 2015 show the commitment of all sides to the project. EDF and CGN have confirmed major investment in Hinkley Point C and are working to rapidly conclude the detailed investment documentation.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to be in a position to take her final decision on the Contract for Difference and associated agreements for Hinkley Point C once the documentation relating to equity investment into the project is finalised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of attacks on Christian places of worship in Israel in each of the last three years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The ‘Registry of Attacks on Holy Sites in the Holy Land’ has listed 22 cases of vandalism and arson on Christian places of worship in Israel and the West Bank since February 2013, most recently vandalism against the Dormition Abbey compound on 17 January. We condemn all such attacks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential financial effect of leaving the EU on agriculture in Britain and Northern Ireland.

George Eustice

The Government has not made any assessment of the financial impact that leaving the EU would have on agriculture in Britain and Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the possible effect of reductions in accident and emergency opening hours on public health and medical treatment standards.

Jane Ellison

Changes to front line health services are a matter for local National Health Service commissioners and providers.

Any significant service change should take account of guidance published by NHS England on 29 October 2015: Planning, assuring and delivering service change for patients. This reflects the objective in the mandate from the Government to NHS England to ensure that significant changes to services meet four tests: (i) strong public and patient engagement; (ii) consistency with current and prospective need for patient choice; (iii) a clear clinical evidence base; and (iv) support for proposals from clinical commissioners.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking with the College of Emergency Medicine to help attract middle-grade and senior doctors to local hospitals.

Ben Gummer

Health Education England is working with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine to ensure they have a skilled, trained and motivated workforce in urgent and emergency care. This has included recruiting an additional 75 trainee emergency medicine doctors commissioned per year in 2014-2016, recruiting and appointing 29 international doctors in 2015 and supporting development of the multi-professional workforce.

National Health Service organisations are best placed to determine the size and skill mix of the workforce they need to deliver safe care and how, through local campaigns, they attract middle-grade and senior doctors to local hospitals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnett consequentials are for Northern Ireland of the measures announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Greg Hands

The Northern Ireland Executive’s block grant allocations for the Spending Review period were set out at the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. The allocations were calculated by the application of the Barnett Formula to UK government departmental settlements in the normal way.

Further information regarding the Barnett Formula can be found in HM Treasury’s ‘Statement of Funding Policy’.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report published by Ofcom on 1 December 2015 into broadband speeds in Northern Ireland.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2015 report shows that average download broadband speeds in Northern Ireland have improved over the last year. Work is underway to further improve broadband availability and speeds, and the impact of two additional schemes will be measured in due course.

Meanwhile, this Government is working closely with Ofcom to implement the broadband Universal Service Obligation by 2020, as recently announced by the Prime Minister. This will give people a legal right to request a broadband connection no matter where they live. A consultation will be launched early next year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will reintroduce the Super Highway Broadband Voucher Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The £40m government-funded Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme – which closed to new applications on 12 October 2015 – was a huge success, issuing well over 50,000 vouchers, as well as funding the cost of installation of wi-fi in more than 1500 public buildings. We have no plans to reintroduce the scheme, though it is worth noting that some commercial providers, such as Virgin media, are now offering free installation of business broadband.