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The East of England strategic health authority figures show that even though Cambridgeshire PCT has the highest funding allocation per head, it was the biggest overspender in the eastern region. My own PCT has successfully managed down its own modest deficit, but the strategic health authority took some of our money to bail out Cambridgeshire. Will my hon. Friend tell me when we will get it back?
The East of England strategic health authority figures show that even though Cambridgeshire PCT has the highest funding allocation per head, it was the biggest overspender in the eastern region. My own PCT has successfully managed down its own modest deficit, but the strategic health authority took some of our money to bail out Cambridgeshire. Will my hon. Friend tell me when we will get it back?
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
26 June 2007
My hon. Friend has just put his finger on the unfairness of a health funding system that allowed overspending to continue, thereby taking money from other parts of the country that needed the resources to improve the health of the population. I pay tribute to his PCT, which moved from an in-year deficit in 2005-06 to a surplus last year. If his PCT has got its house in order, others can do so too.
Subjects
Health services; NHS; East of England; Finance; NHS trusts
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c156-7
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has made an estimate of the amount of revenue that the new logo will attract for the hosting of the Olympic Games in 2012.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has made an estimate of the amount of revenue that the new logo will attract for the hosting of the Olympic Games in 2012.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answered by
Richard Caborn
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
19 June 2007
For answer on
25 June 2007
Answered on
25 June 2007
The new London 2012 brand, of which the logo is one element, will help the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to raise the £2 billion they need to host and stage the games. Sponsors will buy rights to the brand and it will underpin LOCOG’s merchandising strategy. LOCOG believe that the brand will make an effective and decisive contribution to the full £2 billion budget.
Subjects
Greater London; Olympic Games
Date
25 June 2007
Reference
144654; 462 c37W
House
House of Commons
What I remember about the first quarter of 1997 is that there was no Monetary Policy Committee and the Chancellor at that time artificially held down interest rates in a desperate and fruitless attempt to win the 1997 election. Did that not distort the economy, and does it not make the comparison asked for in the question meaningless? Is not the only real comparison the fact that the Conservatives failed and we have had 10 years of success?
What I remember about the first quarter of 1997 is that there was no Monetary Policy Committee and the Chancellor at that time artificially held down interest rates in a desperate and fruitless attempt to win the 1997 election. Did that not distort the economy, and does it not make the comparison asked for in the question meaningless? Is not the only real comparison the fact that the Conservatives failed and we have had 10 years of success?
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answering body
Treasury
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
14 June 2007
That is precisely the principal comparison. Under this Government we have had low and stable interest rates, low and stable inflation and historically high levels of employment, and that has led to greater wealth in this country.
Subjects
Interest rates; Economic situation; Inflation
Date
14 June 2007
Reference
461 c862-4
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
With reference to burglary, the Crimestoppers page in last week’s Lowestoft Journal showed that there were no burglaries at all in Lowestoft the previous week, in line with the trend. We still have a problem with criminal damage, but recently one of our safer neighbourhood teams, with the local council, blitzed an area of town, clearing away piles of fly-tipped rubbish, returning 16 children to school and seizing or reporting 20 cars. Will my hon. Friend congratulate all the people involved in that and encourage other safer neighbourhood teams throughout the country to get stuck in and deal with criminal damage?
With reference to burglary, the Crimestoppers page in last week’s Lowestoft Journal showed that there were no burglaries at all in Lowestoft the previous week, in line with the trend. We still have a problem with criminal damage, but recently one of our safer neighbourhood teams, with the local council, blitzed an area of town, clearing away piles of fly-tipped rubbish, returning 16 children to school and seizing or reporting 20 cars. Will my hon. Friend congratulate all the people involved in that and encourage other safer neighbourhood teams throughout the country to get stuck in and deal with criminal damage?
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
11 June 2007
I congratulate my hon. Friend on drawing to the attention of the House the excellent work of the Lowestoft Journal and its Crimestoppers page, which seems to be having a dramatic impact on Lowestoft, especially the report of no burglaries that he highlighted. The important point made my hon. Friend—we should draw attention to it because of its relevance to the rest of the country—is the fact that successful neighbourhood policing, as he mentioned, involves not only the police but the council, schools and health services. Effective neighbourhood management, alongside effective neighbourhood policing, means that we get not only the sort of results in Lowestoft that my hon. Friend described, but similar results across the country.
Subjects
Arrests; Police; Crime; Detection rates
Date
11 June 2007
Reference
461 c504-5
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role he expects Safer Neighbourhood Teams to play in reducing the number of criminal damage offences.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role he expects Safer Neighbourhood Teams to play in reducing the number of criminal damage offences.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answered by
Lord Coaker
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
5 June 2007
For answer on
11 June 2007
Answered on
11 June 2007
Neighbourhood Policing Teams can play a vital role with others in tackling criminal damage.They get to know people in their local neighbourhoods so that they have a better understanding of the nature and extent of the problem and what contributions others can make to reducing it. They can then work with a range of agencies who can take action in line with local priorities, as well as taking police enforcement action where appropriate.
Subjects
Neighbourhood policing
Date
11 June 2007
Reference
141138; 461 c880W
House
House of Commons
I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. I welcome the establishment of the Jetco because Brazil is one of the world’s four really big emerging economies and probably the one on which we have focused less than the other three. I am advised that there are real opportunities for British companies in Brazil’s high-quality expanding aerospace industry and in its programme of developing energy infrastructure and tourism infrastructure. What encouragement and support is my right hon. Friend giving to British companies so that they do not leave those opportunities to the French, Germans and Italians?
I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. I welcome the establishment of the Jetco because Brazil is one of the world’s four really big emerging economies and probably the one on which we have focused less than the other three. I am advised that there are real opportunities for British companies in Brazil’s high-quality expanding aerospace industry and in its programme of developing energy infrastructure and tourism infrastructure. What encouragement and support is my right hon. Friend giving to British companies so that they do not leave those opportunities to the French, Germans and Italians?
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answering body
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Oral questions - 1st Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
5 June 2007
I am grateful to my hon. Friend both for his question and for his interest. UK Trade and Investment has transferred more than £5 million of its resources from existing mature markets to focus on emerging markets, including Brazil. As a result, six additional offices have been added to UKTI’s network in Brazil. So undoubtedly there is a determination at government level to assist British companies in increasing their exports to Brazil. I am delighted to be able to say that exports from the United Kingdom to Brazil increased by some 9.5 per cent. in 2006 over 2005.
Subjects
Committees; Energy; Economic situation; Overseas trade; Trade; Tourism; Aerospace industry; Brazil
Date
5 June 2007
Reference
461 c125
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
If she will make a statement on the progress of the joint economic and trade committee with Brazil.
If she will make a statement on the progress of the joint economic and trade committee with Brazil.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answered by
Geoffrey Hoon
(Labour)
Answering body
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Tabled on
24 May 2007
For answer on
5 June 2007
Answered on
5 June 2007
There has been a good deal of progress under the UK-Brazil joint economic and trade committee. It is an excellent initiative for developing our strategic economic relationship with Brazil. Good relationships have been established at both Government and private sector level. The Confederation of British Industry is delivering a comprehensive programme aimed at improving the business environment with Brazil. A full programme of activities is under way for the UK-Brazil year of science.
Subjects
Committees; Overseas trade; Trade; Brazil
Date
5 June 2007
Reference
461 c125; 140312
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
In my area we have a group of very dedicated people who were involved in community health councils, who then became involved in the various patient and public involvement organisations and who want to be involved in the LINKs. However, they are conscious that we are not reaching out to a wider electorate of people who want to get involved in such work. How can we spread the word and get new people involved in these organisations?
In my area we have a group of very dedicated people who were involved in community health councils, who then became involved in the various patient and public involvement organisations and who want to be involved in the LINKs. However, they are conscious that we are not reaching out to a wider electorate of people who want to get involved in such work. How can we spread the word and get new people involved in these organisations?
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
22 May 2007
That is the challenge. We know from consultation that people want to have a greater say. Through some of the draft guidance that we have issued we have looked at how to involve more people. We also have some early adopter sites, which are considering in particular how to widen the range of people who are involved to include voluntary sector and other patient groups.
Subjects
NHS; Public participation
Date
22 May 2007
Reference
460 c1103
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
Does my hon. Friend agree that the position under current law is unfair and illogical? The people involved in creating a recording—composers, sleeve note designers, even those who write the sleeve notes—benefit from a term of life plus 70, while the musicians benefit from a term of only 50 years. That cannot be justified. If my hon. Friend agrees, will he take discussions forward with the Department of Trade and Industry so that we can lead the way in Europe and get this changed?
Does my hon. Friend agree that the position under current law is unfair and illogical? The people involved in creating a recording—composers, sleeve note designers, even those who write the sleeve notes—benefit from a term of life plus 70, while the musicians benefit from a term of only 50 years. That cannot be justified. If my hon. Friend agrees, will he take discussions forward with the Department of Trade and Industry so that we can lead the way in Europe and get this changed?
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
21 May 2007
My hon. Friend makes an important contribution to the debate. I will continue the dialogue with the industry, which I believe really matters. The issue is fairness, which is why my hon. Friend makes a moral argument, but I think that we should be fair to the Gowers report. The critical issue is the contractual arrangements between record companies and artists. For any extended term, many of those rights are signed away with the record companies. My hon. Friend should look again at Gowers, especially the conclusion in box 4.2:"““If the purpose of extension is to increase revenue to artists… it seems that a more sensible starting point would be to review the contractual arrangements for the percentages artists receive.””"
Subjects
Contracts; Copyright; Entertainers; Music; Musicians; Royalties; Intellectual property
Date
21 May 2007
Reference
460 c961
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to work in partnership with the National Care Farming Initiative to help people return to employment.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to work in partnership with the National Care Farming Initiative to help people return to employment.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answered by
Jim Murphy
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
16 April 2007
For answer on
18 April 2007
Answered on
14 May 2007
We are keen to work in partnership with private and voluntary sector organisations and although we have no current plans to work in partnership with the National Care Farming Initiative, we would welcome their engagement with us.
Subjects
Agriculture; Employment schemes
Date
14 May 2007
Reference
132570; 460 c519W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to tackle inequality in Latin America.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to tackle inequality in Latin America.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answered by
Gareth Thomas
(Labour; Co-operative Party)
Answering body
Department for International Development
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
2 May 2007
For answer on
9 May 2007
Answered on
9 May 2007
DFID is primarily working with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and World Bank. We are seeking to help the poor to get better access to markets, and to make their voice heard in Government services. There are signs of improvement: between 2001 and 2005, incomes of the poorest 10 per cent. of people in Brazil rose eight times faster than incomes of the top 10 per cent. This is in part because of the Bolsa Familia programme of cash transfers that the banks and DFID have been supporting.
Subjects
Disadvantaged; Latin America
Date
9 May 2007
Reference
136218; 460 c204W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 2nd May.
To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 2nd May.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answering body
Prime Minister
Prime Minister's questions - Lead
Status
Tabled
Tabled on
26 April 2007
For answer on
2 May 2007
Date
26 April 2007
Reference
135088
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual gross income for each further education college in England was in the latest year for which figures are available.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual gross income for each further education college in England was in the latest year for which figures are available.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answered by
Bill Rammell
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Education and Skills
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
16 April 2007
For answer on
18 April 2007
Answered on
25 April 2007
We have increased public investment in further education by 48 per cent. in real terms between 1997 and 2005. Adult education funding will increase by 7 per cent. between 2005-06 and 2007-08, with funding for young people increasing by 13 per cent. over the same period. This means that overall in 2007-08, through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) we will invest £11.2 billion, an increase of £716 million compared with 2006-07.On the basis of information provided by the LSC, and taken from the colleges' own audited financial accounts, the gross income in 2005/06 for each further education college in England is shown in the table at Annex 1 which has been placed in the House Library.
Subjects
Finance; Further education
Date
25 April 2007
Reference
132571; 459 c1182-3W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support his Department plans to give to the National Care Farming Initiative.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support his Department plans to give to the National Care Farming Initiative.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answered by
Barry Gardiner
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
16 April 2007
For answer on
18 April 2007
Answered on
25 April 2007
Natural England, and its predecessor bodies, have provided financial support to the National Care Farming Initiative in the past and further support will continue in terms of information and advice. Future funding will be considered when budgets are clarified in the middle of May.
Subjects
Agriculture; Employment schemes
Date
25 April 2007
Reference
132569; 459 c1099W
House
House of Commons
I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Has he estimated how much extra money per annum those figures amount to in terms of what comes into the Waveney constituency? It strikes me that it is not just good news for pensioners, but good news for the local economy in which my constituents spend their money. They remember the time when there was no such thing as pension credit.
I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Has he estimated how much extra money per annum those figures amount to in terms of what comes into the Waveney constituency? It strikes me that it is not just good news for pensioners, but good news for the local economy in which my constituents spend their money. They remember the time when there was no such thing as pension credit.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Oral questions - 1st Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
23 April 2007
The average amount that people get from pension credit is just under £50 a week. A quick off-the-top-of-the-head calculation would suggest that about £13 million a year goes into the Waveney constituency from pension credit—a measure that was opposed by the Conservatives and was described last week by their Front Bench as a cancer.
Subjects
Pension credit; Waveney
Date
23 April 2007
Reference
459 c648
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
How many pensioners in Waveney constituency are in receipt of pension credit.
How many pensioners in Waveney constituency are in receipt of pension credit.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answered by
James Purnell
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Tabled on
17 April 2007
For answer on
23 April 2007
Answered on
23 April 2007
Our latest estimates show that in November 2006 there were 6,130 households—7,810 individuals—in the parliamentary constituency of Waveney receiving pension credit. Across Great Britain, there were 2.7 million households—3.3 million individuals—receiving pension credit. This is nearly 1 million more than received the minimum income guarantee that preceded it.
Subjects
Pension credit; Waveney
Date
23 April 2007
Reference
459 c647; 132671
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend knows that the by-catch regulations for skate and dogfish, which were rushed through the Fisheries Council last December, are completely unworkable for the under-10 m fleet. I welcome what he said about trying to get those regulations changed, but will he tell the House the likely time scale and what prospects there are of securing change? While he is thinking about reforming the quota for the under-10 m fleet, will he give special consideration to long-lining, which is an environmentally sustainable form of fishing that needs to be encouraged? Long-lining involves just one hook and one fish, not great big nets full of dead fish which are then discarded, so can we treat it in a better way to encourage it? Long-lining is good for the environment, good for fishing and good for jobs.
My hon. Friend knows that the by-catch regulations for skate and dogfish, which were rushed through the Fisheries Council last December, are completely unworkable for the under-10 m fleet. I welcome what he said about trying to get those regulations changed, but will he tell the House the likely time scale and what prospects there are of securing change? While he is thinking about reforming the quota for the under-10 m fleet, will he give special consideration to long-lining, which is an environmentally sustainable form of fishing that needs to be encouraged? Long-lining involves just one hook and one fish, not great big nets full of dead fish which are then discarded, so can we treat it in a better way to encourage it? Long-lining is good for the environment, good for fishing and good for jobs.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
19 April 2007
I concur with my hon. Friend that the long-lining off Lowestoft falls into the category of a sustainable fishery, but long-lining is not necessarily sustainable. It can cause environmental problems—for example, it can pose a threat to albatrosses in the southern Atlantic. However, I shall look into the points that he makes.
We recently managed to swap some sole quota with the Germans to mitigate the impact felt by some of the under-10 m fleet in the Thames estuary and around our south-eastern coasts. We shall consider carefully what more we can do through the change programme that I outlined earlier.
Subjects
Fisheries; Fishing vessels; Quotas; Reform
Date
19 April 2007
Reference
459 c429
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters she plans to raise at the meeting of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee starting on 30 April; and if she will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters she plans to raise at the meeting of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee starting on 30 April; and if she will make a statement.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answered by
Kim Howells
(Labour)
Answering body
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
16 April 2007
For answer on
18 April 2007
Answered on
19 April 2007
The United Kingdom will work with the EU, with its allies in the Western European and Others’ Group and with the other nuclear weapon states towards strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and the wider nuclear non-proliferation regime. There are a number of issues on which useful work could be undertaken, many of which were set out in the EU Common Position agreed for the 2005 review conference and remain outstanding. It will be important to build consensus on these areas, and any new workstreams, in this and future Preparatory Committees. We hope that this process will culminate in a substantive final document being agreed at the 2010 NPT review conference.
Subjects
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference
Date
19 April 2007
Reference
132572; 459 c738W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial support he plans to allocate to deal with problems caused by floods in Bolivia.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial support he plans to allocate to deal with problems caused by floods in Bolivia.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answered by
Gareth Thomas
(Labour; Co-operative Party)
Answering body
Department for International Development
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
22 March 2007
For answer on
26 March 2007
Answered on
28 March 2007
The EC Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) is providing €1 million emergency funds for flood victims in Bolivia. DFID contributes to this through its 18 per cent. share of the European Community’s external assistance programme. Beyond that, DFID’s Conflict, Humanitarian and Security Department’s assessment is that the urgent humanitarian needs have been met by other donors. In view of this, DFID does not plan to provide further direct financial support.
Subjects
Floods; Bolivia
Date
28 March 2007
Reference
130059; 458 c1529-30W
House
House of Commons
May I urge my hon. Friend not to listen to the views recently expressed by Lord Woolf on sentencing for people convicted of murder? Most people in my constituency tell me that sentences are not long enough, and they do not find credible the idea that people should be let out even earlier. If we want the public to co-operate with the police and to play their part in tackling crime, they must feel that once people are convicted, they are properly punished.
May I urge my hon. Friend not to listen to the views recently expressed by Lord Woolf on sentencing for people convicted of murder? Most people in my constituency tell me that sentences are not long enough, and they do not find credible the idea that people should be let out even earlier. If we want the public to co-operate with the police and to play their part in tackling crime, they must feel that once people are convicted, they are properly punished.
Asked by
Bob Blizzard
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
19 March 2007
I agree wholeheartedly with my hon. Friend, who is clear, as I am, that the public must be protected from people who need to serve the sentences for the crimes for which they are responsible and that the public would expect them to serve. This is a robust debate. It is important that we consider these issues in the context of ensuring that the public have confidence in the criminal justice system. They will not understand if they are not protected from people who commit heinous crimes and are not in prison for the period that they should be.
Subjects
Administration of justice; Sentencing; Reform
Date
19 March 2007
Reference
458 c558
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons