Tag: Tom Blenkinsop

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on demand for accident and emergency services at James Cook University Hospital of the proposed closure of minor injuries units at (a) East Cleveland and (b) Guisborough hospitals.

    Jane Ellison

    No such assessment has been made. This is a local process, not one led from Whitehall. The Government has made clear that any proposed service reconfiguration should be clinically led, not driven from the top down. A public consultation on the proposed changes in South Tees NHS Foundation Trust is currently taking place and is due to close on 31 July. No decisions have been made on the proposed closure of the minor injuries units at East Cleveland and Guisborough Hospitals.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of Scottish independence on businesses in the North East and Cumbria.

    Michael Fallon

    I have not made such an assessment. The UK Government’s Scotland Analysis Programme identified benefits for UK businesses from common rules and institutions that create a larger domestic market, reduce administrative burdens and encourage fair competition. Diverging regulatory regimes and new burdens created by an international border may affect the level of trade (£48 billion from Scotland to rest of UK in 2012, and £59 billion in the opposite direction) and the 30,000 people who currently travel freely between Scotland and North England each day to work.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the proposed role for National Savings and Investment (NS&I) offering pensioner savings bonds with NS&I’s objective of reducing the cost to the taxpayer of Government borrowing.

    Nicky Morgan

    NS&I’s purpose is to provide cost effective financing for the Government that balances the interest of savers, taxpayers and the wider markets.

    Given that the NS&I fixed-rate savings bond for people aged 65 or over are a Budget measure designed to offer targeted support to a particular group of savers, the costs of raising funding through these bonds, rather than gilts, was represented in Table 2.1 of the Budget 2014 document.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what adjusted change there has been in average gross weekly earnings of (a) full-time workers, (b) men working full-time and (c) women working full-time since January 2010.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what impact assessment he has made of the effect of pensioners savings bonds on the private sector investment market.

    Nicky Morgan

    The Budget set an upper limit of £10 billion for the level of inflows that National Savings and Investments (NS&I) should attract into the fixed-rate savings bonds for people aged 65 or over. This is less than 1% of the total UK retail savings market.

    The NS&I savings bonds announced at Budget should therefore not stop other institutions from attracting deposits or increasing lending. Furthermore, the introduction of New ISAs with an annual subscription limit of £15,000 will provide additional opportunities for banks and building societies to attract retail deposits.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his Written Statement of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 1WS on higher education, what public consultation he has undertaken on the proposed changes to disabled students’ allowance.

    Mr David Willetts

    We are currently consulting with a wide range of stakeholders to help inform both the Equality Analysis and Disabled Students’ Allowances Guidance for 2015/16.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-03-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 12W, on individual savings accounts and with reference to HM Revenue and Custom’s policy paper published on the new ISA and changes to Junior ISA and the Child Trust Fund, what assessment he has made of the consequences for (a) the economy, (b) capital markets and (c) business of a shift in savings portfolio composition away from securities towards cash.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM TREASURY

    Tom Blenkinsop MP

    MIDDLESBOROUGH SOUTH & CLEVELAND EAST

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 12W, on individual savings accounts and with reference to HM Revenue and Custom’s policy paper published on the new ISA and changes to Junior ISA and the Child Trust Fund, what assessment he has made of the consequences for (a) the economy, (b) capital markets and (c) business of a shift in savings portfolio composition away from securities towards cash. 193987

    DAVID GAUKE

    From 1 July 2014 the overall annual New ISA subscription limit will be increased to £15,000 and can be used for either cash or stocks and shares investments, or any combination of the two, up to this limit. At the same time the annual Junior ISA and Child Trust Fund subscription limits will be increased to £4,000.

    These measures were part of a wider Budget packaged aimed at supporting savers. These ISA measures will reduce income tax on savings for people constrained by the current limits, improving incentives to save and increasing real household disposable incomes. Over 6 million people each year are expected to benefit from these increases, including over 5 million adults currently constrained by the cash ISA limit, three quarters of whom are basic rate taxpayers and a third are pensioners.

    As HMRC’s published Tax Information and Impact Note explains, the increase to real household disposable incomes resulting from the New ISA changes might feed through to higher consumption or savings in the household sector. There may also be a shift in the savings portfolio composition towards cash deposits. At the same time there may be an overall increase in savings invested in securities.

    Stocks and shares, and cash offer very different risk and expected return profiles, and the tax treatment will be just one factor affecting investors’ choice between them. In 2012-13, the FTSE All-Share Index grew by 5.6 per cent (excluding dividend yield). In contrast bank and building society deposit returns averaged 1.95 per cent.

    For individuals who prefer to hold their savings portfolio in stocks and shares rather than cash, the New ISA will provide a significant increase to the amount that can be invested and held within the tax-advantaged ISA wrapper for 2014-15, from £11,880 to £15,000.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the quality of provision of primary care in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    No assessment has been made centrally. NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of primary care health services and for securing the best possible outcomes for patients.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the availability of books to prisoners; and if he will make a statement.

    Jeremy Wright

    There have been no changes in the availability of books in prisons Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access. Up to 12 books may be held by prisoners in their cell at any one time and additional volumes may be stored locally at the prison.

    The National Offender Management Service works closely with schemes such as the Shannon Trust Reading Network,which includes peer mentoring.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will meet the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland to discuss the proposed closure of (a) minor injuries units at Guisborough and East Cleveland Hospitals, (b) Skelton Medical Centre, (c) Park End Clinic and (d) Skelton NHS Walk-in-Centre.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    These are matters for the local National Health Service. The hon. Member should engage with the NHS at a local level.

    This Government is committed to devolving decision-making about local NHS services to local clinicians and communities. It is general practitioners clinicians, patients and local authorities who are best placed to determine the nature of their NHS services.