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170327

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Worcestershire
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what grants the Church Commissioners have given to churches in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire from the church roof repair fund in the last four years.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	218801
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners are grateful to the Treasury for making the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund available to its Cathedrals alongside extending the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to include repairs to church roofs and rain water guttering.</p><p>(a) The Cathedral at Worcester has received a total of £330,000 toward to costs of restoring its east window and to replace and weather-proof the ceiling &amp; roof of the cathedral’s ancient library. The Cathedral successfully entered the bids for funding in rounds 1 and 2 of the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund which has so far assisted 32 of the Church of England’s Cathedrals. There is one final round to which Cathedrals both Anglican and Catholic can enter bids before the fund closes, the Church Commissioners hope the last few Cathedrals with substantial works pending who are yet to submit a bid will consider putting applications forward.</p><p>(b) The fund which the Chancellor has made available within the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund has only been available since the 2014 Autumn Statement, no funding or grants for roof repairs have be available centrally prior to this. The Roof Repair Fund is not administered by the Church of England but by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, who will make decisions on grants given. <br> <br>The Church of England has advised all Diocesan Advisory Commissions (who assist Parishes with advice on repairs and alterations to architecture and fabric of buildings) to encourage and assist with applications to the fund which closes on the 30<sup>th</sup> January 2015. From the Diocese of Worcester the Church of England understands 24 parish churches will apply, 7 parishes are currently on the English Heritage, ‘Heritage at Risk Register’ with a further 17 parishes in urgent need. These figures is based on initial responses, rather than formal expressions of interest. Not all parishes will be successful in their bids for assistance and each case will be judged on its merits. This fund like the WW1 Cathedrals Fund will enable the parishes to invest money into their wider community helping those in greatest need rather than spending money just keeping the building watertight. <br></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Sir Tony Baldry question first answered 17/12/2014 17:05:12 answering member 93 label Biography information for Sir Tony Baldry
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

47252

	registered interest
	date	07/04/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what joint trade missions have been undertaken by the UK and the Republic of Ireland since 2010; and what steps he is taking to increase collaboration with the Republic of Ireland on trade and exports.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	195631
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>The UK and Ireland have embarked on a wide programme of cooperation following the visit of HM the Queen to Ireland in 2011. Led by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach, this programme is designed to develop and strengthen the relationship between the UK and Ireland over the next decade across a range of policy areas.</p><p> </p><p>The UK and Ireland delivered the first ever joint trade mission between the two countries to the Singapore Airshow during the week commencing 10 February 2014. The UK-Ireland mission delegation consisted of 25 companies, 16 from the UK (including 9 from Northern Ireland) and 9 from the Republic of Ireland. Delivering a joint trade mission was one of the key deliverables for the 2014 PM/Taoiseach Summit.</p><p> </p><p>UK Trade &amp; Investment is committed to maintaining its work programme with Enterprise Ireland to further develop cooperation on trade promotion in support of UK and Irish business.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

61572

	registered interest
	date	12/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Overseas Trade: Latin America
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps are being taken to promote UK trade with Latin America in connection with the 2014 Football World Cup taking place in Brazil.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	200553
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2014 answer text <p>During the 2014 Football World Cup, the UK Trade and Investment network in Brazil will host a series of events to promote the UK as a destination for business, investment, education and tourism. The programme includes 20 events focussed on our prosperity campaigns to promote British expertise and partnership in priority areas that includes culture, energy, infrastructure, inward investment and legacy opportunities associated to the 2012 London Olympic games.</p><p>Events will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Manaus and Belo Horizonte, the cities hosting the England team which will be supported by Prince Harry, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and my Hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Equalities.</p><p>One of the highlights of the UK programme isthe GREAT Britain House in Sao Paulo. Specially developed for the agenda of events, the venue will be set up at the British Consulate in Sao Paulo to present the best the UK has to offer.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 19/06/2014 14:39:01 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

171780

	registered interest
	date	02/01/2015
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Non-domestic Rates: Valuation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of removing free to use cash machines from the rating list on access to banking and money; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	219652
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2015 answer text <p>The government has reduced the burden of business rates for all ratepayers, including free to use cash machines, in 2014-15 and 2015-16. However, the rating list does not distinguish free to use cash machines and no assessment has been made of removing them.</p><p> </p><p>The availability of free cash machines across the country is at an all-time high, with 97% of all cash withdrawals made by UK cardholders in the UK charging no costs to customers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 08/01/2015 11:03:41 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

170292

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	UK Trade and Investment: West Midlands
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many businesses in the West Midlands have received support from UK Trade and Investment in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	218798
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/01/2015 answer text <p>The figures below detail the number of businesses which have had interactions with UKTI West Midlands in the last 5 financial years.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>West Midlands based</strong></p><p><strong>Businesses Assisted*</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>2333</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>2212</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>2784</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>2993</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>2799 (to Dec 2014)</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>*The figures provided are the total number of unique businesses that benefited from a Service Delivery. Service Delivery is participation in either the Passport To Export or Gateway to Global Growth programme, or a ‘Significant Assist’ – which is the provision of in-depth advice and support from an International Trade Advisor.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 06/01/2015 16:38:13 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

170330

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Non-domestic Rates: Worcestershire
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses in Worcester that have received (a) small business rate relief and (b) the High Street Discount on business rates.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	218800
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The Chancellor announced at the 2014 Autumn Statement an extra £650 million of support for 2015-16 business rates bills, bringing the total support from 2013 and 2014 Autumn Statement polices in 2015-16 to £1.4 billion. Autumn Statement 2014 help includes:</p><p> </p><ul><li>doubling small business rate relief for a further year. In England, this means an estimated 385,000 properties will pay no rates at all, while a further 190,000 properties will benefit from tapered relief.</li><li>a 2% cap on the increase of the small business rates multiplier. This is a continuation of the 2% cap introduced in 2014-15 as part of Autumn Statement 2013 measures;</li><li>increasing the temporary £1,000 discount for shops, pubs and restaurants with rateable values below £50,000 to £1,500 for 2015-16, benefitting an estimated 300,000 properties in England and;</li><li>extending the existing transitional relief scheme for two years for properties with a rateable value up to and including £50,000.</li></ul><p>These policies are in addition to previous Autumn Statement measures that continue into 2015-16, including:</p><ul><li>a 50 per cent discount for 18 months to new occupants of vacant shops;</li><li>allowing businesses to keep their small business rate relief for a year where they take on an additional property; and</li><li>business rates relief for empty new builds.</li></ul><p>Central Government also now funds 50% of any local discount granted.</p><p>The attached table shows the number of properties in 2014-15 within the Worcester City Council boundary that have benefitted from business rates measures in the previous Autumn Statement, including those that have received small business rates relief and the high street discount on business rates.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 18/12/2014 16:26:04 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins attachment 1 file name 218800 Walker - Table.docx title Table
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

170332

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Non-domestic Rates: Worcestershire
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was paid in business rates in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	218749
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>Details of the amount of non-domestic rates that were collected in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire in each of the last 5 years are shown in the table below. The data are the amount that was collected in the year, irrespective of the year to which it relates before the deduction of any allowances for the cost of collection or losses in collection.</p><p> </p><p>The data for Worcestershire is made up from the data for Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Wychavon, Wyre Forest and Worcester.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p>Worcester</p><p>£million</p></td><td><p>Worcestershire</p><p>£million</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>35.0</p></td><td><p>163.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>35.7</p></td><td><p>165.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>37.6</p></td><td><p>176.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>39.2</p></td><td><p>179.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>40.1</p></td><td><p>182.3</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Data were collected on auditor certified national non-domestic rates (NNDR3) outturn forms completed annually by all billing authorities in England.</p><p> </p><p>These figures will reflect changes to the overall size and valuation of hereditaments, new buildings and the change in the multiplier, as well as changes to different types of rate relief.</p><p> </p><p>These data are available on the gov.uk website at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/national-non-domestic-rates-local-authority-level-data" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/national-non-domestic-rates-local-authority-level-data</a></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 18/12/2014 15:44:50 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

172147

	registered interest
	date	06/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Repossession Orders
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of properties repossessed in (a) Worcester, (b) Worcestershire and (c) England in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	219885
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p>The Council of Mortgage Lenders collects data on the number of properties that have been repossessed, and provide this to the Ministry of Justice who publish the data and it can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics</a></p><p> </p><p>The data are for the United Kingdom as a whole. No further geographical breakdown is available. Data for 2005-14 is shown in the attached Table 1.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice collects and publishes mortgage and landlord possession statistics, which include mortgage and landlord possession claim actions in county courts in England and Wales. Data is available at county and local authority level and can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/375809/mortgage-and-landlord-statistical-data-june-to-september-2014.zip" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/375809/mortgage-and-landlord-statistical-data-june-to-september-2014.zip</a></p><p> </p><p>Data for Worcester, Worcestershire and England, 2005-14, is shown in the attached Table 2.</p><p> </p><p>According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the number of mortgage possessions is at its lowest annual figure since 2007.</p><p> </p><p>Moreover, Bank of England statistics published on 9 December 2014 state that the number of new mortgage arrears cases is at its lowest quarterly level since the statistical series began in 2007.</p><p> </p><p>The action that this Government has taken to tackle the deficit left by the last Administration has kept interest rates down and helped reduce the number of repossessions.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 12/01/2015 15:47:54 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis attachment 1 file name 150112 tables 1and2 PQ643713 (UIN219885) Walker.docx title tables 1 and 2 for PQ UIN:219885
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

79306

	registered interest
	date	22/07/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	First Time Buyers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many first-time buyers have (a) bought properties in Worcester and (b) been helped by the help-to-buy scheme to purchase properties in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	206968
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/10/2014 answer text <p>This Government is committed to supporting people’s aspirations to own their own home.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not collate statistics on the total number of first-time buyers at local authority level.</p><p> </p><p>The Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme has been running for 17 months. The Department’s official statistics on sales for the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, to 31 August 2014, broken down by local authority for England, are available at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics</a>. In Worcester, the number of families buying a home with the support of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, as of 31 August 2014, was 79, of which 59 (75 per cent) were bought by first-time buyers.</p><p>The Government does not collect statistics for first-time buyers under Help to Buy: NewBuy. The latest official statistics, to 30 June 2014, are available at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/338725/20140731_Help_to_Buy_Equity_Loan_and_Help_to_Buy_NewBuy_statistical_release.pdf" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/338725/20140731_Help_to_Buy_Equity_Loan_and_Help_to_Buy_NewBuy_statistical_release.pdf</a>. There have been 7 sales in Worcester local authority until that point.</p><p>The Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee scheme is managed by HM Treasury and has been running for 12 months. Figures are currently available only for sales during the first nine months of the scheme, to 30 June 2014. There have been 39 sales in Worcester local authority until that point. The latest data is available at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-june-2014" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-june-2014</a>. This includes total numbers of sales at individual local authority level (Table 7) and UK-wide figures for the number of first-time buyers (Table 6).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 09/10/2014 14:49:13 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

91295

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2014
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Clinical Commissioning Groups: Worcestershire
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what annual funding per head of population was provided to the South Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group in each of the last five years; and what the average such spend was on all Clinical Commissioning Groups in England.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	208786
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2014 answer text <p>NHS England has responsibility for clinical commissioning group (CCG) allocations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>CCGs have only existed since April 2013, so there is only information regarding South Worcestershire CCG allocations for years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16, as detailed in the following table:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Allocation per head 2013-14 (£)</p></td><td><p>Allocation per head 2014-15 (£)</p></td><td><p>Allocation per head 2015-16 (£)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South Worcestershire CCG</p></td><td><p>1,023</p></td><td><p>1,040</p></td><td><p>1,052</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Average CCG</p></td><td><p>1,115</p></td><td><p>1,133</p></td><td><p>1,147</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A copy of the detailed CCG allocations for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16, published by NHS England on 20 December 2013, has already been placed in the Library and is also available at:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ccg-allocation-big-table-v2.pdf</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Central Suffolk and North Ipswich answering member printed Dr Daniel Poulter question first answered 14/10/2014 14:59:22 answering member 3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker