Asked by: Conor Burns (Conservative - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the economic benefits that major snooker tournaments deliver to host cities and towns.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Neither DCMS or UK Sport are involved in the bidding for or hosting a snooker events, and as such we do not track or assess the economic or other benefits which such events may bring to the towns and cities hosting them.
According to latest Sport England participation statistics, 23,600 adults took part in snooker at least twice in the last 28 days (May 17-18), which is 0.1% of the population.
Between 1 April 2009 and 31 December 2018, Sport England invested into 37 multi-sport projects, benefitting billiards and snooker to a total award value of £7,411,759 (£224,000 Exchequer and £7,187,759 Lottery). There are also 9 multi-sport projects involving snooker currently at various stages of assessment. These include 8 Community Asset Fund and 1 Small Grants applications.
Asked by: Conor Burns (Conservative - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received from (a) Members of Parliament, (b) Dorset County Council, (c) Poole Borough Council, (d) Bournemouth Borough Council and (e) district councils in Dorset on the proposal by Corallian Engery Ltd to drill an appraisal well in the Colter Prospect in Bournemouth Bay.
Answered by Claire Perry
Representations were received from my rt. Hon. Friends the Members for New Forest East, South Holland and The Deepings, and Bournemouth East; and my hon. Friends the Members for Bournemouth West, and Meon Valley. The concerns related, in particular, to the perceived sensitivity of the proposed well location, potential effects on tourism and leisure activities and also potential effects on local seahorse populations. Additional concerns cited related to the potential impact of a major oil spill and the policy of continued exploitation of fossil fuels.
A representation was received from Dorset County Council confirming that there was no objection in relation to landscape and seascape impacts, due to the short-term nature of the operations. Representations was also received from the Borough of Poole Council and Bournemouth Borough Council on concerns regarding the effects on tourism, the risk of a vessel collision with the drilling rig in poor weather or storm conditions, and potential impacts on water quality from operational marine discharges that could affect the area’s ‘Blue Flag’ beaches.
No representations were received from district councils in Dorset.
Asked by: Conor Burns (Conservative - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what discussion he had with First Treasury Counsel in advance of agreeing to act for the Electoral Commission in Vote Leave Ltd's appeal against their recent findings against that organisation; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Geoffrey Cox
The Attorney General does not advise the Electoral Commission who are an independent body and will take their own legal advice. The Attorney General is therefore not representing the Electoral Commission in any proceedings and has not held a discussion with First Treasury Counsel on this basis.
Asked by: Conor Burns (Conservative - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has plans to undertake a review of the enforcement powers available to (a) police forces and (b) local authorities in relation to illegal Traveller encampments.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
My Department published a consultation on 5 April alongside the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, in order to seek views on the effectiveness of powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments. Views were sought on a range of related issues, including the powers available to local authorities and the police. The consultation closed on 15 June and we are currently considering the responses before deciding on next steps. We received over 2,000 representations and we will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Conor Burns (Conservative - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent representations he has received on illegal encampments by the Traveller community.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
My Department published a consultation on 5 April alongside the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, in order to seek views on the effectiveness of powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments. Views were sought on a range of related issues, including the powers available to local authorities and the police. The consultation closed on 15 June and we are currently considering the responses before deciding on next steps. We received over 2,000 representations and we will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Conor Burns (Conservative - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department last undertook a review of enforcement powers in relation to illegal Traveller encampments.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
My Department published a consultation on 5 April alongside the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, in order to seek views on the effectiveness of powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments. Views were sought on a range of related issues, including the powers available to local authorities and the police. The consultation closed on 15 June and we are currently considering the responses before deciding on next steps. We received over 2,000 representations and we will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Conor Burns (Conservative - Bournemouth West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has accrued to the public purse through the removal of personal allowances for annual incomes in excess of £100,000 in each of the last three years.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The taper of the Personal Allowance for those earning above £100,000 is estimated to have accrued £2.7 billion in income tax in 2015-16, £2.4 billion in 2014-15 and £2.2 billion in 2013-14. Changes to the tax system affecting high income individuals involve significant behavioural responses which can impact revenues from such measures.
The Personal Allowance taper was introduced by the last Labour government. While the Government recognises that this feature of the income tax system can cause high marginal tax rates, the continued pressure on the public finances mean that the Government has been unable to remove it to date.
The estimates in this response are based on the 2013-14 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2015-16 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s November 2016 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Asked by: Conor Burns (Conservative - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment he has made of changes in the rate of core spending power per dwelling between (a) 2009-10 and 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 and 2019-20 for (i) Bournemouth Borough Council and (ii) England.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
Spending Power figures are not available for 2009-10 and from 2010-11 to 2014-15 they were not compiled on a consistent basis.
Between 2015-16 and 2019-20 the average Core Spending Power per Dwelling for England is broadly flat and will be £1,872 in 2019/20. Over the same period Bournemouth's Core Spending Power per dwelling will increase from £1,513 to £1,527 which is equivalent to 0.9%.
Asked by: Conor Burns (Conservative - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219468, whether her Department received further copies of the letter emailed on 5 December 2014 to Jackie Godwin of the Home Office Correspondence Team and on 18 December 2014 to Dipesh Lakhani in the Private Office Support Team.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Copies of the letters emailed on 5 December 2014 to Jackie Godwin and on 18 December to Dipesh Lakhani were received and will respond by Thursday 12 February.
Asked by: Conor Burns (Conservative - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of progress on reducing hepatitis C-related liver cancers and mortality since the 2004 Action Plan for hepatitis C.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The most recent data published by Public Health England in its hepatitis C in the UK 2014 Report, show that cases of hepatitis C related end stage liver disease and liver cancer are increasing. NHS England and Public Health England are working together to address this by developing a joint framework to improve the management of this disease. This framework will be launched in due course.