First elected: 6th May 2010
Left House: 3rd May 2017 (Defeated)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by David Mowat, 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.
David Mowat has not been granted any Urgent Questions
David Mowat has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
David Mowat has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Since agreement of the EU2030 climate and energy package, my Right Honourable Friend and I have had many discussions with EU counterparts on implementing the EU’s GHG target, including at the Environment Councils in October and December, and at the COP20 in Lima in December. My Right Honourable Friend met with Commissioner Arias Canete yesterday and discussed a wide range of climate change issues.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not record centrally the professional qualifications of its staff and is therefore unable to answer this question without incurring disproportionate costs.
The CPS treats all allegations of hate crime, including those involving disabled people, extremely seriously and continues to place priority on this work. Legal guidance on disability hate crime was refreshed in 2015 and a supporting training package was delivered to all CPS lawyers by January 2016. This equips prosecutors with up to date knowledge to inform their decision making and approach to building the strongest cases possible. In addition, a National Scrutiny Panel on disability is assisting with the development of further refinements to policy guidance on crimes against disabled people and the preparation of a joint CPS/Police/HMCTS statement concerning support to disabled victims of crime.
A focus of Civil Service Reform is to build the capability of civil servants to ensure they have the skills they need to do their work better.
The 2014 Capabilities Plan Annual Refresh set out the steps which all professions should take in order to improve the capability of their members. These included ensuring talent management programmes are in place, curricula, professional networks, and qualification options.
All Government departments have undertaken two annual reviews of their skills levels and requirements. The results of these reviews are fed into Departmental Capabilities Plans and Departmental Improvement Plans.
However, current estimates suggest that almost 85% of premises in the Warrington South constituency are subject to commercial rollout, and a further 9% of premises (4,615) now have coverage as a result of this Government's Superfast Broadband programme.
Based on DCMS modelled estimates and current delivery plans, 97.7% of premises in the Warrington South constituency will have access to superfast broadband by December 2017. Early gainshare funding that BT will return in response to the high levels of take-up being achieved, could help extend coverage further.
In addition, the Government's intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation will give people the legal right to request a broadband connection, no matter where they live, by the end of this Parliament. Our ambition is that this should be set at 10 Mbps.
The installation and sharing infrastructure to provide mobile phone coverage is a commercial decision for mobile network operators (MNOs). Some MNOs provide wholesale access to their networks to other mobile services providers called Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), such as Asda and TalkTalk. According to Ofcom’s 2014 Infrastructure Report there were 41 MVNOs in the UK as at June 2014.
The Government supports community clubs in a number of ways, including through Sport England’s Inspired Facilities, Protected Playing Fields, and Flood Relief funds. We are also investing with the Premier League and the Football Association over £100 million to the Football Foundation’s Facilities Fund over the next three years to improving grassroots facilities at clubs across the country.
We remain committed to the introduction of a national funding formula after the next spending review, when we can give certainty to schools about how the formula will affect them over a number of years. In the meantime, our allocation of an extra £390 million to the least fairly-funded local authorities in the country will make a real difference to those local authorities, such as Warrington, that gain from the proposals.
According to our indicative figures, Warrington will gain an additional £500,000 in 2015-16.
The UK has pledged to contribute £720m to the Green Climate Fund. The UK is a strong supporter of the Green Climate Fund, as the key new vehicle for helping developing countries adapt to climate change and follow low-carbon development paths.
We received over 10,000 responses to the HS2 Phase Two consultation and we are in the process of considering them. No decisions have been made about Phase Two in relation to the consultation. The Government will make an announcement on how it will take Phase Two forward later this year.
The Department has not estimated the case for the western leg of the Y-shaped route for High Speed 2 without the connection to the West Coast Main Line north of Manchester. However, preliminary analysis undertaken by HS2 Ltd suggested that this section of the line is likely to provide benefits of the order of £1.2 billion, revenue of about £600 million, and is likely to offer very high value for money.
The Department has not estimated the case for the western leg of the Y-shaped route for High Speed 2 without the Wigan Spur. However, preliminary analysis undertaken by HS2 Ltd suggested that this section of the line is likely to provide benefits of the order of £1.2 billion, revenue of about £600 million, and is likely to offer very high value for money.
As the aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has its own internal performance targets for processing licence applications.
The CAA publishes its code of practice on its website. This sets out the standards and the levels of service which both the aviation industry and individuals may expect. Specifically – under Approval, certification and licensing service standards – the CAA say ‘Personnel Licences will be issued within ten working days’.
The Department for Transport does not provide any additional guidance on this issue.
There are currently 362 approved driving instructors (ADI) with a WA postcode. Please note Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) systems do not hold specific data for the Borough of Warrington.
DVSA's training and registration system is a live database and does not hold historical data; therefore it can provide only the current number of ADIs with a WA postcode.
The recent audit of charges and benefits in legacy pension schemes was undertaken by an Independent Project Board, on which the Department for Work and Pensions was represented.
In their report, published on 17 December 2014, the Board made clear that action must be taken quickly to address high charges.
I have since met with the key providers to discuss their plans to ensure members receive value for money. Whilst the details of these discussions are confidential, a picture is emerging of industry action, with several providers outlining significant steps to address high charges. For example, preparations for the default fund charge cap which, subject to Parliamentary approval, will apply to schemes used for automatic enrolment from April, have already triggered a reduction in charges in many schemes. Moreover, some schemes with relatively higher charges are delivering valuable benefits, such as guaranteed investment returns, which may be better than anything available on the market today, and which it may be in members’ interests to keep.
Both the Government and the Financial Conduct Authority have powers to extend the charge cap to legacy schemes, if this is necessary to protect consumers.
The Departmental Group spend on legal fees is captured in the Annual Report and Accounts for 2014-15. The Departmental Group spend on legal fees is separately identified under Legal Fees in Other Administration Costs, £61.159 million and Programme Costs £128,642 million totalling £189,801 million.
The majority of the Core Department’s spend on legal fees is captured as part of ‘Other’ spend under ‘Other Administration Costs’, ‘Programme Costs’ and in “Consultancy services”. The Annual Report and Accounts is available at:
It is intended that from the 2015-16 financial year, spend on legal fees for the core Department will be discussed separately in the accounts.
NHS England now has responsibility for clinical commissioning group (CCG) allocations. These decisions have been taken independently of government.
Between 2013-14 and 2015-16, Warrington CCG will receive a 7% increase in funding which is a £16.1 million uplift. The national average in this period is a 4.7% increase, which if it had been applied to Warrington would have given them £10.8 million, meaning they are £5.3 million better off than average.
Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has continued since the cessation of Operation Protective Edge. In August 2014, the Israeli Government expropriated over 1000 acres of Palestinian land near Bethlehem, the largest expropriation in 30 years. In September 2014, Israeli authorities approved 2610 units in Givat Hamatos. In 2015, according to Israeli Non-Government Office Peace Now, construction for 1800 previously-tendered housing units began in the settlements. New tenders for 1143 housing units were also published, 560 in the West Bank and 583 in East Jerusalem. 2016 has seen a number of concerning announcements, including: the extension of the Gush Etzion settlement to include the former church compound of Beit al Baraka; the declaration of 385 acres of land near Jericho as ‘state land’; and approval for a further 153 settlement units. We strongly urge the Israeli Government to reverse its policy over illegal settlements.
We have briefed the Government of Israel on Coalition efforts to target and disrupt Daesh oil sales through military action and sanctions. Daesh oil sales are a complicated picture. It is known that individuals linked to the Assad regime have bought Daesh oil and there is some smuggling across borders in the region, but the majority of Daesh’s oil is refined and sold within the territory it controls. We have no evidence to suggest that Israel is buying oil from Daesh controlled oilfields.
We are aware of reports that Israel’s Defence Minister said Israel knows that the Duma terror attack was committed by extremist Jews, but that legal investigations are stuck because of insufficient admissible evidence. We have called on the Israeli authorities to ensure that those responsible for this crime are brought swiftly to justice. Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv are closely following Israel's actions to introduce additional measures to combat settler violence.
A negotiated two state solution is the best way to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once and for all.
We are working closely with international partners on how we can support a renewed process. We do not underestimate the challenges, but firmly believe that if both parties show leadership, peace is possible.
The Government has not made any representations about the trial as we do not offer consular support to non-British nationals and it would not be appropriate to interfere in the legal proceedings of the Indian government.
The £100,000 cap for community amateur sports clubs (CASCs) scheme’s non-member trading and property income was assessed to be as generous as the scheme could allow without incurring State aid issues. CASCs benefit from generous tax and business rate reliefs. They should not be competing unfairly, in commercial terms, with private sports clubs or the hospitality sector who do not receive these reliefs. CASCs with high levels of non-member trading income may wish to consider setting up trading subsidiaries which are owned by the CASC, or reduce their income received from non-members and property to ensure they meet the income condition.
Charities can invest their funds in a wide range of investment products. Charity trustees should refer to the Charity Commission's guidance on investments, and should generally seek professional advice before investing.
There are some specific investment products available only to charities. Common Investment Funds and Common Deposit Funds are collective investment and deposit vehicles open to charities.
In addition, the government announced at Budget 2015 the introduction of a new Charity Authorised Investment Fund structure. This will bring new investment funds established for charitable purposes under FCA regulation, ensuring they receive the same regulatory oversight and protections as funds for retail investors.
The FCA is currently consulting on measures to implement the new fund structure. The proposals being consulted on include the registration of the fund as a charity, the role of advisory committees, and provisions on income distribution and capital allocation. The consultation will close on 7 December 2015.
The government has commissioned an independent review of the Money Advice Service, led by Christine Farnish, which will report to me by the end of the year.
MAS has an important responsibility to increase financial knowledge and capability in the UK. The review will consider how effectively and efficiently MAS is meeting the consumer need for education and advice; and make recommendations on any changes to MAS's approach that would better enable it to meet this need.
The Government has introduced legislation in Finance Bill 2014 to clarify the scope of Business Premises Renovation Allowance. The aim is to address exploitation of the allowance, whilst preserving it as an investment incentive and ensuring continued value for money for tax payers.
A fraction of one per cent of the defence budget is spent on legal fees, most of it necessary to protect the interests of the taxpayer in securing value for money or in protecting the operational freedom and reputation of the Armed Forces. We have work in hand to reduce opportunistic litigation which is harmful to Defence and diverts funds from the front line.
The Ministry of Defence administers the £35 million LIBOR Fund on behalf of the Cabinet Office-led Covenant Reference Group. Successful projects are funded on the basis of a standard set of terms and conditions plus additional measures as appropriate. Those who receive funding are required to produce regular monitoring reports, and to retain financial data for audit purposes.
My rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has regular discussions on matters within the full range of his responsibilities. We strongly believe that local government pension fund assets should be invested in a way that provides excellent value for money for taxpayers and scheme members alike.
A parent is entitled to apply for an order under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 regardless of marital status. Information on marital status is not collected in relation to Schedule 1 applications. Applications can also be made by a person who is a special guardian for the child or by a person with whom the child is living under a child arrangements order. The number of all applications issued under Schedule 1 over the period is set out in the table below.
YEAR | No. of Applications |
2000 | 556 |
2001 | 604 |
2002 | 585 |
2003 | 599 |
2004 | 675 |
2005 | 677 |
2006 | 637 |
2007 | 702 |
2008 | 615 |
2009 | 507 |
2010 | 529 |
2011 | 472 |
2012 | 504 |
2013 | 467 |
2014 | 588 |
2015 | 650 |
The information requested can be found in the table below.
Crown Court sittings at Warrington (days):
Period | Courtroom 1 | Courtroom 2 | County Court courtroom |
January to December 2013 | 132 | 120 | 2 |
January to December 2014 | 105 | 182 | 1 |
January to September 2015 | 87 | 104 | 4 |
There are two dedicated Crown courtrooms in Warrington Combined Court, which also houses the County Court. The final column therefore sets out the number of days sat in County Court accommodation when, exceptionally, the Crown courtrooms were unavailable.
Coroners must investigate all deaths which are sudden, unnatural, violent, or of unknown cause. This can include deaths of newborn babies such as in the tragic case of Clara Tully. Coroners cannot by law investigate cases in which a child has not lived independently of its mother, such as stillbirths. They can, however, open an investigation if there is any doubt over whether there was independent life, once they have received a report of the case. There are also hospital and medical investigations into stillbirths.
The Chief Coroner, HHJ Peter Thornton QC, is considering actions to improve consistency and good practice.
The net payments to these firms over the past three years are shown in the table below.
Year | Public Interest Lawyers | Leigh Day & Co |
2010/11 | £439,268.02 | £1,182,080.21 |
2011/12 | £331,238.85 | £1,216,888.66 |
2012/13 | £54,387.48 | £569,730.45 |
These payments cover all work undertaken by the firms under legal aid. The payments made will be offset by recoupment on successful cases where the opponent has paid the costs.
Voluntary sector organisations provide invaluable support for those whose lives have been changed forever as a result of Northern Ireland’s troubled past.
I pay tribute to their work, which I know from my conversations with victims and their families is deeply appreciated by many in Northern Ireland and beyond.
The Government is committed to delivering in full the St David's Day Agreement for Wales.
This includes a commitment to introduce a funding floor at the Spending Review to ensure for the first time that Wales has a funding framework that will stand the test of time.