Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the official closing date under section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiries entitled (a) Anthony Grainger Inquiry, (b) The Litvinenko Inquiry and (c) Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
a) The Anthony Grainger Inquiry published its report on 11 July 2019.
b) The Litvinenko Inquiry published its final report on 21 January 2016.
c) The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) closed under section 14 of the Inquiries Act on 31 March 2023.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the official set up date under section 5 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiries entitled (a) Jermaine Baker, (b) Manchester Arena Inquiry and (c) Anthony Grainger Inquiry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The official set up dates are as follows:
a) The Jermain Baker Inquiry: 12 February 2020
b) The Manchester Arena Inquiry: 22 October 2019
c) The Anthony Grainger Inquiry: 17 March 2016
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the official closing date under section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiry entitled Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was set up on 9 June 2010 when Sir Robert Francis was appointed as Chair of the Inquiry. On the same date, this was announced to Parliament by the then Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley.
Sir Francis submitted his final report to then Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, on 5 February 2013, which officially closed the public inquiry. The report was published on 6 February 2013.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the official set up date under section 5 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiry entitled Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was set up on 9 June 2010 when Sir Robert Francis was appointed as Chair of the Inquiry. On the same date, this was announced to Parliament by the then Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley.
Sir Francis submitted his final report to then Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, on 5 February 2013, which officially closed the public inquiry. The report was published on 6 February 2013.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to progress proposals for a medal of recognition for police officers injured in the line of service.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.
The Home Office will continue to take steps to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people pay income tax at age (a) 16, (b) 17, (c) 18, (d) 19, (e) 20 and (f) 21.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Estimates for the number of Income Tax taxpayers in thousands aged 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 for the tax year 2022 to 2023 are set out in the table below. Note that the figures here only relate to Income Tax; individuals are likely to pay other taxes as well.
Age | Estimated number of Income Tax taxpayers (thousands) |
16-21 | 713 |
Source: Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2022-23
Notes on the table
1. The tax year 2022 to 2023 is the latest year for which these figures are available.
2. Estimates are presented in thousands.
3. The estimates for 16 and 17 year olds have been combined to avoid suppression due to small sample sizes.
4. The data underlying the Survey of Personal Incomes is based on a large sample of over 900,000 individuals with incomes reported to HMRC. As is the case with the published Personal Incomes Statistics, these figures are statistical estimates and will be subject to sampling variation.
5. This table only covers individuals with some liability to tax.
6. For more information about the Survey of Personal Incomes please refer to the supporting documentation. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-incomes-statistics-for-the-tax-year-2022-to-2023/personal-income-statistics-2022-to-2023-supporting-documentation
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students are required to pay for transport to attend (a) sixth form and (b) college; and what the average cost is per student.
Answered by Janet Daby
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
The responsibility for post-16 transport lies with local authorities, who have a duty to publish a transport policy statement each year that sets out the travel arrangements they will make to support young people to access further education.
Arrangements do not have to be free, but the department expects local authorities to make reasonable decisions based on the needs of their population, local transport infrastructure and the resources they have available.
The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund is also used to help students with travel costs, including those on low incomes. It enables schools, colleges and training providers to support students with transport costs where these have been identified as a barrier to participation.
In addition to their statutory responsibilities, many local authorities do offer some form of subsidised transport which, combined with the 16 to 19 bursary, has been intended to provide financial support to students from low-income households. These decisions are best made locally, in consideration of local needs, the resources available and other local circumstances.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department can provide to establish a technical college in north Dorset.
Answered by Janet Daby
The area of north Dorset is well served by four neighbouring further education (FE) colleges and a range of independent training providers, who provide a broad range of technical and vocation provision.
The department invited applications from general FE colleges to become one of ten construction technical excellence colleges (CTECs). The window for applications closed on 4 July. With one CTEC to be appointed in each region, these colleges will be the first to achieve TEC status, playing a pivotal role in shaping the wider programme and supporting regional providers to meet critical skills needs through a ‘hub and spoke’ model.
The UK's modern Industrial Strategy confirmed that we will be expanding the TECs programme to address shortages in engineering, which is critical to developing the skills needed in priority sectors including Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy Industries and Digital and Technologies. The government will also establish defence technical excellence colleges, provide funding for courses for defence-related skills and invest in cutting-edge university facilities to increase the pipeline of talent into the defence sector.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding will be made available to small and medium size businesses when transitional arrangements for the Rural England Prosperity Fund end.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
After March 2026, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will end. Beyond this, the government is providing targeted, long-term local growth funding to support growth across the UK, completing the transition from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This includes:
For local government as a whole, the government's funding reforms will move funding to the places that need it, ensuring that funding is targeted effectively at the places and services that need it most and allocated in a way that empowers local leaders to deliver against local priorities.
DBT will lead on the broader SME strategy setting out the government's vision for SMEs and we will work across government to ensure effective support.
Funding related to the Rural England Prosperity Fund is a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding will be made available to small and medium size businesses when transitional arrangements for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund end.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
After March 2026, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will end. Beyond this, the government is providing targeted, long-term local growth funding to support growth across the UK, completing the transition from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This includes:
For local government as a whole, the government's funding reforms will move funding to the places that need it, ensuring that funding is targeted effectively at the places and services that need it most and allocated in a way that empowers local leaders to deliver against local priorities.
DBT will lead on the broader SME strategy setting out the government's vision for SMEs and we will work across government to ensure effective support.
Funding related to the Rural England Prosperity Fund is a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.