First elected: 28th February 2013
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.
These initiatives were driven by Mike Thornton, 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.
Mike Thornton has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Mike Thornton has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to provide for establishing maximum waiting times and establishing standards for access to evidence-based psychological therapies for those with mental health problems; and for connected purposes.
Mike Thornton has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The Education Funding Agency wrote to all 16-19 institutions in October regarding our plans for announcing funding for 2015/16. We plan to confirm the national funding rate for 2015/16 in January 2015, as soon as we have early data on student numbers in 2014/15.
After the national funding rate is confirmed, notification of individual institutions' budgets for 2015/16 (which will be based around the national funding rate) will be sent out in February or March.
The level of funding for education of 16- to 19-year-olds beyond 2015/16 will be subject to the Government’s next spending review.
It is the responsibility of each local authority to balance the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and secure a place for every child of statutory age who wants one.
The Department for Education collects information from local authorities on the number of school places in state-funded primary and secondary schools and local authorities’ own pupil forecasts as part of the annual School Capacity Collection. The most recent data available relates to the position at May 2013, with primary forecasts to 2017/18 and secondary forecasts to 2019/20, and is published online at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2012-to-2013
Between 2009/10 and 2012/13, Hampshire Local Authority created 1,290 school places. There are 9,940 new primary places planned for delivery between 2013/14 and 2015/16 and the Department has estimated that Hampshire needs 920 additional primary places to meet anticipated demand in 2015/16. This information, along with technical notes, is published in the Local Authority Basic Need Scorecards, which is published online:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-school-places-local-authority-basic-need-scorecards
The Department provides capital funding to local authorities in line with the estimated level of need in each local authority. Hampshire has been allocated a total of £77.4 million for the period 2011-2015 and a further £11.5 million targeted basic need funding to create additional school places. The local authority has also been allocated £64.7 million for 2015-2017 to provide places needed by September 2017.
Local authorities are under a duty to promote sustainable travel and transport. The duty applies to children and young people of compulsory school age who travel to receive education or training in a local authority’s area. Local walking, cycling, and bus strategies should inform the local authority’s duty to promote sustainable school travel.
Cancer awareness is important for all young people. However, I do not believe that there should be a statutory requirement for it to be taught in schools. The Government aims to reduce prescription throughout the education system, and trusts schools to provide what is best for their students. The Department for Education does not collect data on this topic.
Schools are free to teach cancer awareness when it is relevant to the national curriculum. For example, the science curriculum requires pupils to learn about the effects of drugs on their bodies, and the importance of physical activity and a healthy lifestyle is included in the requirements for physical education. In design and technology, schools may highlight the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet. Schools may include cancer awareness as part of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, using suitable resources from relevant organisations. The PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study as guidance for teachers, and continues to highlight other sources of expertise.
Cancer awareness is important for all young people. However, I do not believe that there should be a statutory requirement for it to be taught in schools. The Government aims to reduce prescription throughout the education system, and trusts schools to provide what is best for their students. The Department for Education does not collect data on this topic.
Schools are free to teach cancer awareness when it is relevant to the national curriculum. For example, the science curriculum requires pupils to learn about the effects of drugs on their bodies, and the importance of physical activity and a healthy lifestyle is included in the requirements for physical education. In design and technology, schools may highlight the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet. Schools may include cancer awareness as part of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, using suitable resources from relevant organisations. The PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study as guidance for teachers, and continues to highlight other sources of expertise.
The numbers of dogs in contravention of Section 1 that courts have notified to the Index of Exempted Dogs in each year is as follows:
2009 372
2010 674
2011 649
2012 649
2013 700
As I promised during the debate, my Department has written to all local authorities reminding them that the overriding factor when considering whether a dog breeder should be licensed is whether they are in the business of breeding and selling dogs. We also pointed out that local authorities can add conditions to individual pet shop licences restricting the species of animals sold. I have placed a copy of the letter in the House libraries.
Canals and rivers are an important asset for tourism and recreation, which the Government aims to protect and promote. However, the maintenance and dredging of canals and other waterways is an operational matter for the relevant Navigation Authority.
The estimated cost of operating the new system in the calendar year 2015 is £24.5m. This includes costs paid to the service provider (Sanef), third party costs and the Highways Agency’s internal costs.
The Department of Transport estimates the following revenue will be generated by the Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing in the financial years 2014/15 and 2015/16.
| 2014/15 | 2015/16 |
Estimated Revenue | £98.2m | £111.2m |
I recognise concerns passengers have about impacts of fares on household budgets, which is why for the first time in a decade average regulated rail fares were capped at inflation for 2014 and will also be capped at RPI+0% for 2015, removing the previously planned increase of rail fares of RPI+1%. Furthermore, for 2015, train operating companies will no longer be able to increase individual fares by up to 2% more than the permitted increase. By way of context, rail passenger journeys have doubled since privatisation and increased by a quarter in the last five years.
Bus services outside London are deregulated and fares are mainly a matter for the commercial judgment of bus operators. However, the Government has made a commitment to retain the current Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) rate for the remainder of this Parliament. The subsidy means that bus operators’ net fuel costs are around 40% lower which can enable operators to keep bus fares approximately 4% lower than they otherwise would be.
Government has also maintained free bus travel in England for eligible older and disabled people. By way of context, the number of bus journeys in England in 2013/14 was 4.7 billion, the highest recorded number since privatisation. In addition, for the first time since 2008/09, 2013/14 saw a year-on-year increase in overall bus use outside London.
The Department supports any investments in infrastructure that supports growth.
Through the Growth deals agreed this summer, Government funding for this type of scheme has passed to the Local Economic Partnerships (LEPs).
It would be for the promoters of this scheme to work with the Solent LEP to take it forward.
The Department supports any investments in infrastructure that support growth.
Through the Growth deals agreed this summer, Government funding for this type of scheme has passed to the Local Economic Partnerships (LEPs).
It would be for the promoters of this scheme to work with the Solent LEP to take it forward.
The European Noise Directive requires Member States to produce noise maps and noise action plans every five years, which have been produced by Defra. The European Noise Directive does not set any noise limits and there are no ‘EU noise emissions’ for motorways or other roads to violate.
The Highways Agency has informed me that due to the various road surface materials along the M27 between Eastleigh and Fareham, resurfacing of the road is a complex operation and it is not possible to bring the scheme forward. Resurfacing is carried out for maintenance reasons and this work is not expected to be required until 2017/18.
No assessment has been made of the availability of shared accommodation for single people under 35. However the Department commissioned an independent evaluation of the changes to Local Housing Allowance, including the impacts on single people under 35. The final report was published last year and can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-monitoring-the-impact-of-changes
On 8 January 2015, NHS England published the results from the latest GP Patient Survey. The survey provides information on over 880,000 patients’ overall experience of primary care services and their overall experience of accessing these services. The survey contains the questions, Do you have a written care plan?, and the following table provides the results from patients who identified themselves as having either arthritis or a long term joint problem or a long term back problem .
| Do you have a written care plan? | ||
Yes | No | Don’t Know | |
Of patients who have arthritis or a long-term joint problem | 5.6% | 90.8% | 3.6% |
Of patients who have a long-term back problem | 4.5% | 91.2% | 4.3% |
More information about the GP Survey can be found at the following link:
www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/2015/01/08/gp-patient-survey-2014/
The Government’s Mandate to NHS England makes clear that all patients with a long-term condition should be offered a personalised care plan. NHS England is developing resources to support practitioners and commissioners to introduce effective personalised care planning in their local areas, including the recently launched handbooks on personalised care and support planning, which can be found at the following link:
www.england.nhs.uk/resources/resources-for-ccgs/out-frwrk/dom-2/ltc-care/
NHS England is also working with GP practices to identify the 2% of their patient population most at risk of hospital admissions so care plans can be developed for them as the top priority.
The Department wrote to the Medical Director of Arthritis Research UK on 12 May 2014 (a copy is attached) saying NHS England would be willing to engage with them to look at the inclusion of musculoskeletal conditions in the care.data programme.
NHS England has had discussions with a range of stakeholders, including Arthritis Research UK, to establish a range of changes are needed to ensure that the dataset suits the needs of all. These changes include expanding the list of codes to cover a wider range of diagnoses, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, and linking to other datasets, not just to hospital data. The care.data programme board has agreed that a public consultation will be conducted after the end of the pathfinder stage. The purpose of this consultation will be to allow all stakeholders the opportunity to have their say about any expansion to the dataset in an open and transparent manner.
We have no plans to make such an assessment as national prescribing data does not record the indication for which a drug has been prescribed.
The responsibility for prescribing rests with the doctor or prescriber, taking into account their patient’s needs and relevant clinical guidance. Good communication between practitioners and patients is essential and prescribers should always involve patients in decisions about the treatment proposed. When prescribing outside a drug’s licensed indications, practitioners should explain to their patients why they are proposing that course of action.
On 8 January 2015, NHS England published the results from the latest GP Patient Survey. The survey provides information on over 880,000 patients’ overall experience of primary care services and their overall experience of accessing these services. The survey contains the questions, Do you have a written care plan?, and the following table provides the results from patients who identified themselves as having either arthritis or a long term joint problem or a long term back problem .
| Do you have a written care plan? | ||
Yes | No | Don’t Know | |
Of patients who have arthritis or a long-term joint problem | 5.6% | 90.8% | 3.6% |
Of patients who have a long-term back problem | 4.5% | 91.2% | 4.3% |
More information about the GP Survey can be found at the following link:
www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/2015/01/08/gp-patient-survey-2014/
The Government’s Mandate to NHS England makes clear that all patients with a long-term condition should be offered a personalised care plan. NHS England is developing resources to support practitioners and commissioners to introduce effective personalised care planning in their local areas, including the recently launched handbooks on personalised care and support planning, which can be found at the following link:
www.england.nhs.uk/resources/resources-for-ccgs/out-frwrk/dom-2/ltc-care/
NHS England is also working with GP practices to identify the 2% of their patient population most at risk of hospital admissions so care plans can be developed for them as the top priority.
NHS England’s Clinical and Scientific Policy and Strategy Team are responsible for policy relating to molecular diagnostics.
Since 2010 the Department has provided almost £16 million additional funding to improve the provision of cells in the United Kingdom. Bone marrow donors are recruited by NHS Blood and Transplant and the partner charity Anthony Nolan. Departmental funding has allowed these organisations money to recruit young male donors most likely to be suitable to donate bone marrow. Anthony Nolan recruit donors in a variety of ways including groups of university students or ‘Marrow Groups’ that encourage younger individuals to register.
This is a matter for West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
We are advised that ownership of Moorgreen Hospital has been transferred to NHS Property Services and it is working with commissioners to plan for the site’s future use in line with the CCG’s commissioning proposals.
Our Be Clear on Cancer campaigns aim to raise awareness of the possible symptoms of cancer and to prompt people with the relevant symptoms to present to their general practitioner (GP). Following a local pilot which ran from April to July 2012, we ran a regional Be Clear on Cancer pilot campaign in February and March 2014, raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of oesophago-gastric cancer in the North East and North Cumbria. This early diagnosis campaign also aimed to identify patients with Barrett's oesophagus, a precursor to oesophageal cancer.
The campaign included television, radio, press and outdoor advertising. The findings of this pilot will be evaluated by Public Health England (PHE), who works closely with the Department and NHS England to ensure that health care professionals are targeted with campaign information to encourage earlier diagnoses and referrals, before a decision is taken on whether to roll out the campaign nationally.
Alongside supporting PHE to increase symptom awareness amongst the general population, NHS England are also working to increase cancer symptom awareness amongst healthcare professionals, and to provide support to GPs in early diagnosis of cancer and pre-cancerous conditions. In 2013-14, NHS England made £2.3 million available to support improved symptom awareness and early diagnosis.
The cost of policing the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is a matter for each police force and is not held centrally.
Her Majesty's Passport Office regularly reviews the guidance issued to the helpline
provider, and updates it to reflect any changes in processes or customer
requirements.
Information on the progress of applications can be provided from information
that is either live or updated daily, dependent on the nature of the enquiry.
Planning is a quasi-judicial process; it is a long-standing feature of the planning system that there is a right of appeal, just as there are with other local quasi-judicial decisions such as on licensing applications, gambling applications or parking fines.
The Localism Act 2011 has strengthened the role of Local Plans and abolished the last Administration’s top-down Regional Strategies. Our streamlined National Planning Policy Framework strongly encourages areas to get up-to-date Local Plans in place, and we have been actively supporting councils in doing so. Local Plans now set the framework in which decisions on particular applications are taken, whether locally or at appeal, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. We have also allowed local communities to draw up Neighbourhood Plans, which also become part of the area’s statutory development plan.
The table below shows the number of appeals since 2009-10:
Appeal decisions | Allowed | Dismissed |
2009-10 | 5,852 | 11,443 |
2010-11 | 5,195 | 10,633 |
2011-12 | 5,021 | 9,475 |
2012-13 | 4,757 | 8,705 |
2013-14 | 4,884 | 8,995 |
Note: Planning inspectorate decisions, including written representations, hearings and inquiries.
The table shows that since the National Planning Policy Framework was introduced in March 2012, the number of appeals is lower, as is the number allowed. 99% of decisions are made locally with only approximately 1% of planning applications overturned on appeal. This is in the context of rising housing starts, higher housing construction and rising planning permissions. This means there is more local decision-making, and our reforms are supporting badly-needed new homes within a locally-led planning system.
Without minerals, the country cannot provide the raw materials for construction, to help build and maintain homes, roads and railway lines. Traditional materials are also needed to maintain historic buildings. Hence, some extraction will always need to take place.
However, as with housing, this Government has abolished top-down regional targets in the Regional Strategies, and given councils more power and discretion through Local Plans to determine where development should and should not go.
There is no hard evidence that retaliatory eviction is a widespread problem in the private rented sector and the English Housing Survey shows that only 9% of tenancies are ended by the landlord. However, we are aware that this is an issue for some people. We recently published a discussion document on property conditions which invited views on whether restrictions should be placed on issue of possession notices where a tenant has requested a repair. The closing date for replies was 28 March and we are now considering the responses.