The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve tests for Lyme disease to ensure early diagnosis.
Jane Ellison
Public Health England regularly review new tests for Lyme disease and participate in a Europe wide Quality Assurance programme to ensure that the most suitable tests available are used.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-02-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of manufacturing jobs held by women in (a) each English region, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.
Mr Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the rising cost of motor insurance.
Andrew Jones
A combination of legislative changes and working with stakeholders on reducing the frequency and cost of personal injury claims resulted in a 14% drop in average insurance premiums between 2012 and 2014.
This Government is determined to continue working with the insurance industry to tackle uninsured driving and reduce the cost of motor insurance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the potential costs of cleaning pollutants from SSI property in Redcar.
Rory Stewart
Officials in the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive have been working with the Official Receiver to ensure that the SSI Redcar site is closed down in a safe manner and with minimal impact to the environment and human health. The closure Plan which the Official Receiver is now implementing will deliver a ‘safe state’ position.
Government continues to work closely with all relevant parties to establish the potential costs of cleaning pollutants from the site.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide financial support to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council to compensate for the loss in business rates due to closure of the Redcar steel works.
Greg Hands
The Government has announced an £80 million support package for Redcar. We are working with the local Task Force to design a package that will include funding for workers to retrain, support to start their own business, and help for local businesses to grow and create jobs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions Ministers and officials from his Department had with the Insolvency Service on Redcar steelworks prior to the announcement of SSI entering administration.
Anna Soubry
I can confirm that Government agencies, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Insolvency Service discussed the situation at Redcar prior to SSI’s entry into liquidation, given the parlous state of SSI’s finances and its huge losses.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much additional funding his Department will make available to support the retraining of steelworkers recently made redundant.
Anna Soubry
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is continuing to work closely with local Task Forces in Redcar and Scunthorpe to support individuals and businesses affected by SSI’s closure and Tata’s recent announcement.
In Redcar, as part of a support package worth up to £80 million, we have agreed over £40 million of support aimed at skills and jobs creation following proposals put forward by the Task Force chaired by Amanda Skelton:
In Scunthorpe, we have announced a package, worth up to £9 million, jointly with Tata, to support Tata steelworkers, the local economy and supply chain. We are working closely with a local Task Force, chaired by Baroness Liz Redfern, to deliver this support.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what advice the Government has received on Government intervention in the steelworks in Redcar and European Community state aid rules; and what discussions his Department has had on this issue.
Anna Soubry
I received advice from Departmental officials on the legality of supporting a steel company in difficulty. The state aid rules on giving rescue and restructuring aid to steel companies are clear and all such interventions are prohibited.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment she has made of the potential role of ports on Teesside in the decommissioning of offshore oil installations.
Andrea Leadsom
We are setting up the OGA to have a strong role in the decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure in the UK Continental Shelf. OGA are developing a decommissioning strategy, working closely with industry and government, to reduce the costs and increase the efficiency of decommissioning, and to encourage technology development. OGA is seeking to develop a more competitive model for decommissioning which stimulates market solutions and innovation. Decommissioning represents opportunities for UK industry to compete for business and I would encourage companies to engage to give themselves the best chance of winning contracts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what transmission charges (KW/hour) are levied by the National Grid on organisations commuting electricity from one place to another for each region of the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Andrea Leadsom
Transmission Network Use of System charges are charged on £/KW basis and include a locational element to reflect the extent to which the transmission system is used to move electricity from where it is generated to the centres of demand. Details of the 2015-16 charges are in National Grid’s charging statement which can be found at this link:
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