Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK-trained physiotherapists excluded from NHS employment pathways in (a) Penrith and Solway constituency and (b) the UK.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made an estimate of the number of physiotherapists trained in the United Kingdom who have been excluded from National Health Service employment pathways either in the Penrith and Solway constituency or across England.

Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual NHS trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place and with the right skills mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of raising the VAT threshold for (a) wine merchants and (b) other small businesses; and what steps she is taking to (a) support those businesses and (b) promote economic growth while maintaining compliance with fiscal policies.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This means the majority of UK businesses are kept out of the VAT system.

As set out in the Plan for Change, the Government’s priority mission is to deliver strong, secure and sustainable economic growth to boost living standards in every part of the UK. Supporting businesses to grow is at the heart of this mission. The Government will be announcing further support for small businesses as part of the Small Business Strategy being published later this year.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Simon Hoare (Chair); Richard Baker; Markus Campbell- Savours; Charlotte