First elected: 9th June 1994
Left House: 30th March 2015 (Retired)
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 Gerry Sutcliffe, 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.
Gerry Sutcliffe has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Gerry Sutcliffe has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Gerry Sutcliffe has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Charges for a paper bill must reflect only the additional costs actually incurred by the business concerned for providing this service. Consumers who believe they have been overcharged should consult the Citizens’ Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06 (www.adviceguide.org.uk).
In many instances, consumers could re-negotiate or find an alternative provider to obtain better value for money overall. Especially for financially or otherwise vulnerable customers, paper bills will not always be the best choice - but any consumer can obtain information from Citizens’ Advice on how to find the best tariff for their needs.
We do not hold data on actual arms sales, only on export licences we have granted. They are available to view at:
https://www.exportcontroldb.bis.gov.uk/sdb/fox/sdb/SDBHOME.
The Department for Education does not collect data on the number of community schools that have made their sports facilities available to members of the public outside of school hours. Schools are not required to report to the Department on how they use their sports facilities.
The Learning Outside the Classroom accreditation is run by an independent organisation. The Department for Education does not collect information on which schools have achieved the accreditation or quality mark. Decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rightly rest with schools, individual teachers and heads, as they are in the best position to make judgements about their requirements to help their pupils achieve good outcomes.
The Department for Education does not collect information on the number of pupils’ participating in outdoor school trips.
The Department for Education cannot provide an accurate estimate of how much of the physical education (PE) and sport premium schools have spent on external providers since funding began in 2013 because schools are not required to provide a breakdown of their spending to the Department.
Independent research has found that 67% of schools have used the premium to employ a new sports coach. 70% of schools reported making changes to staff who deliver curricular PE lessons. There has also been an increase in the number of schools employing specialist teachers from 22% to 54%.
The Department does not retain data on the uptake of the Cycle to Work scheme. This is because the Cycle to Work scheme is an employee benefit covered by an exemption and therefore employers do not have to make an annual tax return regarding the benefit; meaning the Department does not collect the data.
Independently of Government however, the Cycle to Work Alliance have published reports containing information on take up of the scheme: http://www.cycletoworkalliance.org.uk/news.html.
The Department has not assessed the beneficial effects of the cycle to work scheme because the Department does not collect date on the uptake of the scheme. The Cycle to Work Scheme is an employee benefit covered by an exemption and therefore employers do not have to make an annual tax return regarding the benefit. The Government would like to see an increase in the numbers of people cycling and the number of trips made by bicycle as it is an environmentally friendly and healthy way to get around. The Government actively encourages sustainable travel including cycling to work, and works with local authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that the government’s sustainable transport objectives are met.
The Department has not assessed the beneficial effects of the Cycle to Work Scheme because the Scheme is administered by the Cycle to Work Alliance. The Alliance has published a number of research reports, based on extensive surveys of users that have focused on the sustainable transport and public health contribution of the scheme. The reports are available on their website as follows: www.cycletoworkalliance.org.uk.
The Department has not assessed the beneficial effects of the cycle to work scheme because the Department does not collect date on the uptake of the scheme. The Cycle to Work Scheme is an employee benefit covered by an exemption and therefore employers do not have to make an annual tax return regarding the benefit. The Government would like to see an increase in the numbers of people cycling and the number of trips made by bicycle as it is an environmentally friendly and healthy way to get around. The Government actively encourages sustainable travel including cycling to work, and works with local authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that the government’s sustainable transport objectives are met.
The Department has not assessed the beneficial effects of the Cycle to Work Scheme because the Scheme is administered by the Cycle to Work Alliance. The Alliance has published a number of research reports, based on extensive surveys of users that have focused on the sustainable transport and public health contribution of the scheme. The reports are available on their website as follows: www.cycletoworkalliance.org.uk.
In the past, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) dealt with many individual opticians on an ad-hoc basis. Although the individual cost per optician was relatively low, the aggregated spend on the service meant that the contract had to be tendered via the Official Journal of the European Union process. This is in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2006.
As part of the procurement process, the DVLA identified that 2,009 optical practices carried out vision testing services. The new contract means that independent practices are no longer required to carry out on average 20 assessments per year. This equates to around 10 hours of work.
The Department is continuing negotiations with the manufacturer to seek supply of the meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero® at a cost-effective price as recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Imunisation. These negotiations will be completed as quickly as practicable.
The following Member States provided detailed opinions; Romania, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain. Ireland provided a comment.
Further information about member states respondes can be found at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tris/en/search/?trisaction=search.detail&year=2014&num=427
As the Government continues to consider carefully all issues relevant to the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products, the Department currently has no plans to place this information into the Library.
As the Government continues to consider carefully all issues relevant to the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products, the Department currently has no plans to place this information into the Library.
The Government receives representations on a wide range of issues. Providing tax exemptions are often a requirement of the bidding process.
The Government takes the firm view that consumers must be able to easily access clear and transparent information about their accounts. The major current account providers have previously committed to make fees and charges clearer on customers’ monthly statements, and provide an annual statement of charges for each customer.
The Government is continuing to drive forward a wide-reaching and ambitious programme of reforms to make the banking sector more competitive, including enabling innovation in the use of bank data so that customers are able to use online information more effectively. This includes initiatives like the Midata current account tool, which will help customers switch to the best current account for them.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is also currently reviewing cost-cutting initiatives that affect a significant number of customers, including the withdrawal of paper statements.
The Government has supported a wide range of sporting events held in the UK, including by providing specific tax exemptions for overseas sportspersons competing in the following events:
Champions League final (2011)
Olympic & Paralympic games (2012)
London Anniversary Games (2013)
Champions League final (2013)
Glasgow Commonwealth Games (2014)
Glasgow Athletics Grand Prix (2014)
There are a number of reliefs within the tax and National Insurance system for employers who support the physical wellbeing of their employees. For example, a number of benefits in kind that are related to health and wellbeing are exempted from employer National Insurance; these include eye tests, health screening, and medical check-ups.
At Autumn Statement 2013, this government also announced the introduction of a new income tax and National Insurance contributions exemption for employer funding of recommended medical treatments.
I am pleased to confirm that the Chief of Defence Materiel’s contract has been extended for a further year on the existing terms and conditions. He will therefore have served a total of five years in post, in line with existing guidelines for senior civil servants of his rank.
As a member of the Defence Board, details of Mr Gray’s salary and bonus payments are published annually in the Department’s accounts.
The UK has an on-going programme of counter-narcotics assistance for Colombia.
With regard to your first question I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
The UK has an on-going programme of counter-narcotics assistance for Colombia.
With regard to your first question I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Ministry of Defence (MOD) has clear guidelines in place to ensure that Colombian army units receiving British military training have not and will not commit human rights abuses against civilians. This includes carrying out Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments where applicable and liaising with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensure MOD's activity is in line with our international obligations. In addition we make regular representations to the Colombian government on human rights, reflecting the UK's deep commitment in this area. The former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg) both raised human rights with President Santos during their separate visits to Colombia in February 2014. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) also raised human rights with the Colombian government when he visited in June 2014. In all meetings the President's commitment to zero tolerance of human rights abuses was welcomed while also underlining the importance of taking action on threats to human rights defenders and trade unionists.
The Ministry of Defence has an ongoing programme of military support to Colombia in the area of counter-narcotics; however we do not release any detailed information as it would undermine operational effectiveness and would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service administrative staff provide help to courts and tribunals users directly at court buildings and hearing centres. Help is also provided by staff at call centres and through guidance provided on-line. While HMCTS staff cannot provide any legal advice, they are able to provide general help on procedure, including, where appropriate, guidance on the completion of court documents. Depending on the circumstances staff will also signpost users to appropriate advice agencies for this purpose. Through its budgeting and workforce planning processes HMCTS endeavours to ensure all activities are resourced to meet the demands of the service.
Where a party appears unrepresented in the Magistrates’ Court, the Legal Adviser has a general duty to assist and this includes providing assistance with the completion of court forms.
In July 2014 HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) launched a revised fee remission application form and guidance which removed some requirements based on user feedback.
HMCTS is now developing further reforms to the fee remission process which significantly simplifies the application form and guidance, removing the need for applicants to provide supporting documents in most cases. HMCTS expects these reforms to be in place for users by September 2015.