Johnny Mercer
Conservative - Former Member for Plymouth, Moor View
First elected: 7th May 2015
Left House: 30th May 2024 (Dissolution)
8 Former APPG memberships
Armed Forces Covenant, Complex Needs, Complex Needs and Dual Diagnosis, Disability, Mental Health, Valproate and other Anti-Epileptic Drugs in Pregnancy, Veterans, Young Disabled PeopleDivision Voting information
Johnny Mercer voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 97 Conservative No votes vs 131 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 420 Noes - 110
Johnny Mercer voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 95 Conservative Aye votes vs 203 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 105 Noes - 509
Johnny Mercer voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 93 Conservative No votes vs 150 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 441 Noes - 105
Johnny Mercer voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 122 Conservative No votes vs 126 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 139 Noes - 422
Johnny Mercer voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 66 Conservative No votes vs 149 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 164 Noes - 374
Johnny Mercer voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 118 Conservative No votes vs 196 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 202 Noes - 432
Johnny Mercer voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Conservative No votes vs 300 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 302 Noes - 221
Johnny Mercer voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 15 Conservative Aye votes vs 289 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 251 Noes - 296
Johnny Mercer voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 72 Conservative Aye votes vs 175 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 215 Noes - 188
Johnny Mercer voted No - against a party majority - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 299 Conservative No votes vs 18 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 49 Noes - 482
All Debates
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
(134 debate interactions)
(29 debate interactions)
(25 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(676 debate contributions)
(253 debate contributions)
(70 debate contributions)
(27 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(25,724 words contributed)
(8,579 words contributed)
(4,402 words contributed)
(1,872 words contributed)
Latest EDMs signed by Johnny Mercer
Federation of Small Businesses’ 10-Point Plan for Disability Employment and Entrepreneurship
Tabled by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)That this House recognises the publication of the Federation of Small Businesses’ 10-Point Plan for Disability Employment and Entrepreneurship; notes the disability employment gap is still more than 28 per cent; commends the FSB’s effort to address this through its well-thought-out plan; and encourages the Government to implement the steps …
(Most recent: 27 Apr 2022)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 5
Labour: 4
Plaid Cymru: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Green Party: 1
Independent: 1
Conservative: 1
THERE BUT NOT THERE
Tabled by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)That this House recognises the extraordinary work of There But Not There, an art installation project which commemorates the fallen heroes of the First World War; notes that the project has raised £4 million for six military charities; further notes that £800,000 of the funds raised will be paid as …
(Most recent: 19 Dec 2018)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 28
Conservative: 15
Liberal Democrat: 5
Independent: 5
Scottish National Party: 4
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
The Independent Group for Change: 1
Plaid Cymru: 1
Green Party: 1
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Johnny Mercer, 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.
Johnny Mercer has not been granted any Urgent Questions
2 Adjournment Debates led by Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
4 Bills co-sponsored by Johnny Mercer
Firearms and Hate Crime Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Luke Pollard (LAB)
Armed Forces (Derogation from European Convention on Human Rights) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Leo Docherty (Con)
Health Impacts (Public Sector Duty) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Luciana Berger (LD)
Armed Forces (Statute of Limitations) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Lord Benyon (Con)
Latest 50 Written Questions
(View all written questions)The review is currently ongoing and is being conducted in support of ongoing implementation of the 2015 National Security Strategy (NSS) and Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), Ministers will consider the conclusions of the review of National Security capabilities in due course.
1 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Questions
(View all Johnny Mercer's BEIS questions)There has been engagement with a number of stakeholders to date and this will continue as the Insolvency Service transitions from 21 offices to 11 regional centres over the next three years.
Individual office business cases and impact assessments will be monitored as the project progresses. The Insolvency Service is in discussion with affected employees on a range of options, including flexible working and help with increased travel costs, to support a move to their nearest regional centre location
1 Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Questions
(View all Johnny Mercer's DCMS questions)No such assessment has been made. The legal requirements around the television licence are set out in the Communications Act 2003 and the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004/692. Further details can be found via http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/
A significant cross-government effort is under way, dubbed ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, to ensure Afghans arriving in the UK receive the vital support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education, and integrate into their local communities.
As part of Operation Warm Welcome, it was announced there would be further funding for up to 300 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Afghans at UK universities. The department will update with further details of this programme in due course.
The Government consulted earlier this year on proposals to ensure that early years funding is allocated efficiently and fairly across the country. Our aim is that funding reaches early years providers so they can deliver on a sustainable basis.
A national funding formula is core to these proposals, and covers the vast majority of funding for early years education. Alongside this, government proposed a targeted funding stream to build the capacity of providers to support disabled children; and indicated that it intended to retain the early years pupil premium to support disadvantaged children.
Government will publish a response to the consultation shortly.
1 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all Johnny Mercer's Defra questions)In November 2015 Defra published an implementation plan highlighting progress in the first year of the National Pollinator Strategy. As an example, over half of mid–tier applications to our new £900 million Countryside Stewardship scheme, launched in July 2015, contain the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package. Monitoring and evaluation of the scheme will include measures to establish the impact on pollinators.
The Strategy has also taken steps to promote public awareness and engagement, including holding the first Pollinator Awareness Week in July 2015.
The Department for Transport is currently working on the scope of the call for evidence on motoring offences.
My Department is committed to the safe restart of cruise and monitoring the risk of transmission and will require passengers and crew to present a negative Covid-19 test prior to embarkation. However, the matter of mandating vaccinations in order to travel on domestic cruises in the UK is a matter for individual operators. This is a commercial matter, with cruise operators formulating their own policies on Covid-19 safety measures.
More information about safe domestic cruise travel in the UK can be found on the gov.uk website.
The Department recognises the support that exists locally for improvements to the A38 in the South West, and is considering them alongside other potential network enhancements for inclusion in the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2). The Department will make decisions on RIS2 later this year, after which it will be possible to develop robust estimates of the costs and benefits of specific options for schemes included in the investment plan.
To help find the right permanent solution to deliver the future resilience of the Dawlish rail route, we have already provided £15million for detailed investigation and design work at three key areas, one of which is the seawall at Dawlish. Following this investigatory work, we have announced that, as we move into the next phase of work, we will invest up to £80m in a brand new, more resilient sea wall at Dawlish. This is planned to be funded as an enhancement scheme during Network Rail's Control Period 6 programme.
I wrote to the Chair of the Peninsula Rail Task Force this week setting out the Governments response to the Task Force report.
Yes. Improved Wi-Fi connectivity has been a strong theme already, in particular among stakeholders in the South West of England.
The Department recognises the importance of providing Wi-Fi to passengers on trains and at stations, allowing them to use their journey time productively for work and leisure and to stay in touch and up to date with the latest information. We are committed to ensuring that at least 90% of services provide free Wi-Fi by the end of 2018 and expect that virtually all trains will be fitted by 2020.
The on-train Wi-Fi services being rolled out across passenger franchises uses the mobile signal provided by mobile network operators.
To support the roll out of free Wi-Fi on trains on the Great Western Rail Route, the new rolling stock in the InterCity Express Programme (IEP) will be fitted with on-board servers that will be capable of using both 3G mobile signals and Wi-Fi services available along the rail route. The design also supports use of 4G and WiMAX (World Wide Interoperability for Microwave Access) communications as an option.
Department for Transport officials are working with Network Rail and the Peninsula Rail Task Force within the context of the changes that will come from Hendy re-profiling and the Bowe review to establish which further studies are required to inform the Peninsula Rail Task Force report of June 2016 and the funding that could be available to support this development work.
I completely understand the concerns about the cost of some rail fares and the impact that this can have on people’s budgets. That is why we have capped the rail fares we regulate at inflation (RPI) for two years running, and will continue to do so for the life of this parliament. We are helping hardworking people with the cost of transport. We’ve put a stop to increases in regulated fares above inflation until 2020. This will save theaverageseason ticket holder £425 in this Parliament and meansearnings growth will outstrip rail fare increases for first time in a decade.
Network Rail iscurrently implementing a £31million package of schemes to improve the resilience of the Great Western route through the Thames Valley and the West of England.
Network Rail is also progressing an Exeter to Newton Abbot geo-environmental study exploring options for providing a more resilient rail route for the future. The work will produce a short-list of options for further strengthening of the existing railway from Control period 6 (2019-2024) and beyond.
As Sir Peter Hendy’s report to the Secretary of State on the 25 November 2015 on the replanning of the CP5 Investment Programme made clear, the Cornwall Capacity Enabling Scheme, which will enable the delivery of the introduction of AT300 trains to the South West peninsula, will be delivered within CP5.
The Secretary of State for Transport asked the new Chair of Network Rail, Sir Peter Hendy Review to review the enhancements programme as detailed in the Network Rail’s Control Period 5 (2014-2019) Rail Enhancement’s Delivery Plan. This did not include the electrification to Plymouth and the South West Peninsula. Electrification of this route is expected to be considered as part of the future strategy for the railway.
Plans to electrify the South Devon Banks section of the rail line between Newton Abbott and Plymouth are not included within the current Great Western Main Line electrification program. The Department expects that an update to the industry electrification strategy will be published by Network Rail as a draft for consultation in early 2016. This will take into account the outcome of Sir Peter Hendy’s Review of Network Rail’s 2014-2019 rail enhancements portfolio which is expected later this Autumn. The draft strategy considers potential routes for further electrification in Great Britain including those in the South West.
Network Rail is carrying out a further study to look at the long term resilience of the rail route through Dawlish. The study is due to be fully complete in April 2016 with an options assessment report available in November 2015.
The Peninsula Rail Task Force has also been asked to look at alternative routes including that via Okehampton and is due to report its findings in June 2016. The Task Force provided progress of their work at the Peninsula Rail Task Force South West reception held on Wednesday 15 July.
The Ombudsman’s investigation is ongoing and section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”. It is not appropriate to comment on the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report of 19 July 2021 on stage 1 of their investigation.
The Department does not publish data on the number of Personal Independence Payment assessments cancelled and re-arranged. To check the validity of the data would incur disproportionate cost.
As at July 2016, of the 466,400 Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment clearances, 10,600 had been disallowed for failure to attend an assessment consultation without good reason.
Notes to the figures: Data has been rounded to the nearest 100.
The information requested is not collected and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Epipen 300 microgram pens and Epipen 150 microgram Epipens continue to be available and alternative brands of adrenaline auto-injectors also remain available.
The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing proposals for dental system reform, working with stakeholders, such as the British Dental Association. This includes proposals to improve patient access, reduce health inequalities and make the National Health Service a more attractive place to work for dentists.
In 2020/2021 there were 23,733 dentists with National Health Service activity in England and 2,560 in the South West. Data is not collected at constituency level.
Following a three-year review of dental education and training, Health Education England set out recommendations in the Advancing Dental Care Review. These aim to tackle recruitment and retention challenges, attracting more dentists into the National Health Service. These recommendations will be implemented through the Dental Education Reform Programme.
The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing proposals to reform the current NHS dental contract, working with the British Dental Association. This aims to improve access for patients and make working for the NHS more attractive for dentists and their teams. The Department is also currently working with the General Dental Council on legislative proposals to allow greater flexibility to expand overseas registration routes open to international applicants.
The Government ended the shielding programme on 15 September 2021. People previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable are advised to follow general guidance, while considering extra precautions to reduce the risk of infection. Updated public health advice was issued on 24 December 2021 for those previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable, which is available at the following link:
We have also issued guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19, which is available at the following link:
NHS England and NHS Improvement have written to general practices and hospital trusts in England to raise awareness of the guidance.
500 medical school places have already been allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to established medical schools in England and will be available to students starting medical school from September 2018.
HEFCE and Health Education England (HEE) are currently undertaking a competitive bidding process for established and prospective new medical schools to bid for the remaining 1,000 places that will be available from September 2019. Amongst other criteria, bids will based on priorities such as widening participation in to the profession, a focus on priority specialties and geographical areas across England.
Bids are being assessed by an expert assessment panel and HEFCE and HEE are expected to confirm the allocation of the additional 1,000 places in March 2018.
The draft health and care workforce strategy that is currently out for consultation proposes that HEE will consider a periodic review of the number and allocation of medical school places.
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
500 medical school places have already been allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to established medical schools in England and will be available to students starting medical school from September 2018.
HEFCE and Health Education England (HEE) are currently undertaking a competitive bidding process for established and prospective new medical schools to bid for the remaining 1,000 places that will be available from September 2019. Amongst other criteria, bids will based on priorities such as widening participation in to the profession, a focus on priority specialties and geographical areas across England.
Bids are being assessed by an expert assessment panel and HEFCE and HEE are expected to confirm the allocation of the additional 1,000 places in March 2018.
The draft health and care workforce strategy that is currently out for consultation proposes that HEE will consider a periodic review of the number and allocation of medical school places.
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Data on the number and proportion of people presenting at accident and emergency (A&E) feeling suicidal who are given treatment, referred to another service and given no treatment or referral is not collected centrally. Through their A&E Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital are able to identify patients who are recorded for ‘self-harm’ and patients diagnosed as having ‘psychiatric conditions’, but these are not specific to ‘suicidal’.
Through the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, we are committed to roll-out liaison mental health teams in general hospitals by 2020/21 with 50% of them meeting the core 24 standard. This means that teams of specially trained mental health professionals will be able to support people who present at emergency departments with mental health issues, which would include providing assessments and referring on to specialist mental health services or community teams.
Data is not collected centrally.
Guidance for 999 call handlers on how to respond to callers who are feeling suicidal is developed and delivered by each local ambulance trust, informed by the Mental Health Care Crisis Concordat. This sets out the principles and good practice that should be followed by health staff, police officers and approved mental health professionals when working together to help people in a mental health crisis.
Data is not collected centrally.
Guidance for 999 call handlers on how to respond to callers who are feeling suicidal is developed and delivered by each local ambulance trust, informed by the Mental Health Care Crisis Concordat. This sets out the principles and good practice that should be followed by health staff, police officers and approved mental health professionals when working together to help people in a mental health crisis.
Data is not collected centrally.
Guidance for 999 call handlers on how to respond to callers who are feeling suicidal is developed and delivered by each local ambulance trust, informed by the Mental Health Care Crisis Concordat. This sets out the principles and good practice that should be followed by health staff, police officers and approved mental health professionals when working together to help people in a mental health crisis.
We recognise that the rising cost of indemnity cover is a source of concern for GPs. That is why, in October 2017, the Secretary of State announced that the Government would develop a state-backed indemnity scheme for general practice in England. This complex piece of work is at an early stage. We are working with GP representatives and others to develop our plans over the next 12-18 months.
Libor funding guidance states that only the following types of organisation are eligible to apply:
- a registered charity;
- a Community Interest Company; or
- an Armed Forces unit with a Unit Identification Number (UIN).
Information and guidance about Libor applications can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libor-funding-applications
All successful Libor bids can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-covenant-libor-fund-successful-projects
and
A version of the dataset has been transferred to the United Kingdom data service. NHS Digital anticipates it will be made available for researchers to apply for within the month of November 2017, subject to the Independent Group Advising on the Release of Data for NHS Digital recommending approval of the proposed terms and conditions for release.
Individual researchers will then need to apply for access to the data and these applications will be reviewed by NHS Digital. NHS Digital has applied additional disclosure control measures to ensure the privacy of individuals is protected while looking to ensure maximum use to be made of these valuable, publicly funded data collections.
The Department is working with the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute to review the practice of general practitioners (GPs) charging patients for completing Mental Health Evidence Forms. The review was launched at a roundtable discussion at No. 10 in July and a review group has been established with representation from the financial and credit sectors, GPs and the debt advice sector. The review is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The Department is considering the Law Commission’s report and recommendations and will respond in due course.
The Department for Communities and Local Government consulted recently on whether the public health grant should be replaced by income from local authorities’ retained business rates. We will review the question of target allocations of funding for public health in the light of the outcome of that consultation.
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.
Count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with (a) a main or secondary procedure of amputation and (b) a primary diagnosis of diabetes and a main or secondary procedure of amputation by the selected hospital provider for the years 2009-10 to 2013-14.
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust | ||
Year | Number of amputations | Amputations with a diagnosis of diabetes |
2009-10 | 178 | 41 |
2010-11 | 215 | 36 |
2011-12 | 216 | 47 |
2012-13 | 238 | 73 |
2013-14 | 203 | 50 |
Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre
Notes
1. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE)
A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.
2. Number of episodes with a main or secondary procedure
The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 4 prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients undergoing a ‘cataract operation’ would tend to have at least two procedures – removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one – counted in a single episode.
3. OPCS codes for amputation procedure
The following OPCS codes were used to define amputation:
X07 - Amputation of arm
X08 - Amputation of hand
X09 - Amputation of leg
X10 - Amputation of foot
X11 - Amputation of toe
X121 – Re-amputation at higher level
One of the following site codes must be assigned in a secondary position to X12.1 in order to identify an amputation:
Z68 - Bone of shoulder girdle
Z69 - Humerus
Z70 - Radius
Z71 - Ulna
Z72 - Other bone of arm or wrist
Z73 - Other bone of hand
Z76 - Femur
Z77 - Tibia
Z78 – Other bone of lower leg
Z79 - Bone of tarsus
Z80 - Other bone of foot
4. Primary diagnosis
The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.
5. ICD-10 diagnosis codes for diabetes
The following ICD-10 codes were used to identify diabetes:
E10 - Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
E11 - Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
E12 - Malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus
E13 - Other specified diabetes mellitus
E14 - Unspecified diabetes Mellitus
6. Hospital Provider
A provider code is a unique code that identifies an organisation acting as a health care provider (e.g. NHS trust). Data from some independent sector providers, where the onus for arrangement of data flows is on the commissioner, may be missing. Care must be taken when using these data as the counts may be lower than true figures.
7) Assessing growth through time (Admitted patient care)
HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information.
Note that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.
At the end of Operation Pitting 311 principals called forward to Hamid Karzai Airport under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme had not been evacuated. 99 of them are now in the UK and 45 in third countries. Helping all those who want to leave Afghanistan and who are eligible to come to the UK remains a priority. The Government has made clear to the Taliban the need to ensure safe passage of those entitled to go to another country. The Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit, staffed by officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home Office and Ministry of Defence, is taking forward the UK's commitment to resettle those eligible to come to the UK. The ARAP scheme remains open.
Shadow Home Secretary
The safety of British nationals is our overriding priority. This Government has set out a clear strategy to tackle terrorism at home and abroad. We will continue to work with our partners and in countries where terrorist groups operate in order to prevent attacks. We will continue to produce objective travel advice based upon the latest Joint Terrorism Assessment Centre security assessments to allow British people to make informed decisions about travel.
Data on licences issued will be provided in OFSI’s Annual Review 2021-22 which is due to be published this year.
Shadow Paymaster General