First elected: 1st May 1997
Left House: 30th March 2015 (Defeated)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Andrew George, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Andrew George has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Andrew George has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
I refer to the answer I gave to Written Question 222328. Each Parochial Church Council is an independent legal entity and no central record is kept relating to the number of claims made against lay rectors for the recovery of chancel repair liability as this is dealt with at a local parish level. The Church Commissioners are only aware of the case where the Parochial Church Council of Aston Cantlow and Wilmcote with Billesley was awarded £187,000 plus VAT.
A Parochial Church Council is a statutory corporation established for the purpose, among other more specific functions, of "co-operating with the minster in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical”. The Parochial Church Council may properly convey money or property to another charity or community organisation if it considers that doing so would further this charitable purpose. A transfer of land would require the consent of the diocesan authority. No consent is required for a transfer of money or other property.
Each Parochial Church Council is an independent charity and it is for them to individually determine whether or not to register chancel repair liabilities in accordance with their responsibilities set out by the Charity Commission. No central register is kept.
The Church Commissioners are not aware of any litigation by Parochial Church Councils relating to chancel repair liability since the Aston Cantlow case.
The Interdepartmental Ministerial Group on Disability, which I attend, has discussed the proposed changes to the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). The changes should improve the effectiveness of the scheme, and ensure that there is a proper balance between the responsibility of Higher Education Institutions to make reasonable adjustments and a central scheme, the DSA, that provides funding direct to students. The purpose of these allowances is not fundamentally changing.
In West Somerset, the cull company achieved removal of 70% of the estimated starting population of badgers, indicating that industry-led culling can, in the right circumstances, deliver the level of effectiveness required to be confident of achieving disease control benefits.
The results for Gloucestershire show that continued progress is needed taking into account the additional challenges of interference, harassment and criminal damage by activists.
Cull companies were required to provide more detailed information on progress, and based on the information submitted, Natural England were able to build a more accurate assessment of progress. This is described in advice published in August 2014:
As licensing authority, Natural England closely monitored the performance of each cull company and the effort being deployed across the cull area at frequent intervals, taking into account the actual circumstances being experienced by the cull companies.
Details of the number of badgers removed during year two of the culls were published on 18 December 2014, and can be found at:
Defra’s advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum number of badgers to be culled in West Somerset and West Gloucestershire in year 2 of the badger culls can be found at the link above. This advice includes a summary of the methods considered by Defra for estimating the badger populations in these areas. The minimum number is intended to correspond to a 70% reduction of the population relative to the initial starting population before the culls started in 2013. The culling objective is for no more than 30% of the starting population to remain on conclusion of the cull.
Based on the population estimation methodology selected, in Gloucestershire, Natural England set a minimum number of 615. At the conclusion of the 2014 cull 274 badgers were removed.
Based on the population estimation methodology selected, in Somerset Natural England set a minimum number of 316. At the conclusion of the 2014 cull, 341 badgers were removed.
In West Somerset, the cull company achieved removal of 70% of the estimated starting population of badgers, indicating that industry-led culling can, in the right circumstances, deliver the level of effectiveness required to be confident of achieving disease control benefits.
The results for Gloucestershire show that continued progress is needed taking into account the additional challenges of interference, harassment and criminal damage by activists.
Cull companies were required to provide more detailed information on progress, and based on the information submitted, Natural England were able to build a more accurate assessment of progress. This is described in advice published in August 2014:
As licensing authority, Natural England closely monitored the performance of each cull company and the effort being deployed across the cull area at frequent intervals, taking into account the actual circumstances being experienced by the cull companies.
Details of the number of badgers removed during year two of the culls were published on 18 December 2014, and can be found at:
Defra’s advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum number of badgers to be culled in West Somerset and West Gloucestershire in year 2 of the badger culls can be found at the link above. This advice includes a summary of the methods considered by Defra for estimating the badger populations in these areas. The minimum number is intended to correspond to a 70% reduction of the population relative to the initial starting population before the culls started in 2013. The culling objective is for no more than 30% of the starting population to remain on conclusion of the cull.
Based on the population estimation methodology selected, in Gloucestershire, Natural England set a minimum number of 615. At the conclusion of the 2014 cull 274 badgers were removed.
Based on the population estimation methodology selected, in Somerset Natural England set a minimum number of 316. At the conclusion of the 2014 cull, 341 badgers were removed.
In West Somerset, the cull company achieved removal of 70% of the estimated starting population of badgers, indicating that industry-led culling can, in the right circumstances, deliver the level of effectiveness required to be confident of achieving disease control benefits.
The results for Gloucestershire show that continued progress is needed taking into account the additional challenges of interference, harassment and criminal damage by activists.
Cull companies were required to provide more detailed information on progress, and based on the information submitted, Natural England were able to build a more accurate assessment of progress. This is described in advice published in August 2014:
As licensing authority, Natural England closely monitored the performance of each cull company and the effort being deployed across the cull area at frequent intervals, taking into account the actual circumstances being experienced by the cull companies.
Details of the number of badgers removed during year two of the culls were published on 18 December 2014, and can be found at:
Defra’s advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum number of badgers to be culled in West Somerset and West Gloucestershire in year 2 of the badger culls can be found at the link above. This advice includes a summary of the methods considered by Defra for estimating the badger populations in these areas. The minimum number is intended to correspond to a 70% reduction of the population relative to the initial starting population before the culls started in 2013. The culling objective is for no more than 30% of the starting population to remain on conclusion of the cull.
Based on the population estimation methodology selected, in Gloucestershire, Natural England set a minimum number of 615. At the conclusion of the 2014 cull 274 badgers were removed.
Based on the population estimation methodology selected, in Somerset Natural England set a minimum number of 316. At the conclusion of the 2014 cull, 341 badgers were removed.
The calculation of the cost of about £1 billion pounds for the Affordable Homes is solely in relation to Clause 2 (1) (a), (b) and (c). This was estimated using both the administrative data (Single Housing Benefit Extract) and the department’s policy simulation model.
As the estimate was made in this way, it is not possible to place the base data in the Library for this estimate.
The Government does not collect data on the number of applications made under the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme.
The Government publishes quarterly official statistics relating to the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The first of these were published on 29 May 2014.
This report, along with accompanying tables, can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014
The Help to Buy: equity loan scheme is a shared equity scheme. At Budget 2014, the Government announced that it will seek to explore how it can make the Help to Buy: equity loan scheme available for custom build.
Statistics on the legal completions supported by the equity loan scheme are published monthly at: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics
The Government publishes quarterly official statistics relating to the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The first of these were published on 29 May 2014.
This report, along with accompanying tables, can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014
The Government has also recently published statistics on the completions supported by the Help to Buy: equity loan scheme. Full statistics covering the period April 2013 to March 2014 have been published as well as the number of completions, by local authority, to April 2014:
www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics
Under both the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee and the Help to Buy: equity loan schemes borrowers need to declare that the property will be their sole residence.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 11 November 2014, Official Report, House of Lords, Column WA36.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 11 November 2014, Official Report, House of Lords, Column WA36.
I speak regularly with Ministerial colleagues in Defra on fisheries matters, and the UK Government keeps in close contact with the Scottish Government to ensure that the interests of the Scottish fishing industry are reflected in discussions on both UK and intra-UK fishing entitlements.