Michael Dugher

Labour - Former Member for Barnsley East

First elected: 6th May 2010

Left House: 3rd May 2017 (General Election)


Michael Dugher is not a member of any APPGs
3 Former APPG memberships
Brazil, British-Brazilian, Heart Disease
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
14th Sep 2015 - 5th Jan 2016
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
5th Nov 2014 - 14th Sep 2015
Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office
7th Oct 2013 - 5th Nov 2014
Shadow Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
7th Oct 2011 - 7th Oct 2013
Public Administration Committee
12th Jul 2010 - 10th Dec 2012
Shadow Minister (Defence)
8th Oct 2010 - 7th Oct 2011


Division Voting information

Michael Dugher has voted in 1031 divisions, and 2 times against the majority of their Party.

2 Dec 2015 - ISIL in Syria - View Vote Context
Michael Dugher voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 56 Labour No votes vs 139 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 211 Noes - 390
2 Dec 2015 - ISIL in Syria - View Vote Context
Michael Dugher voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 65 Labour Aye votes vs 153 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 397 Noes - 223
View All Michael Dugher Division Votes

All Debates

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lord McLoughlin (Conservative)
(19 debate interactions)
Peter Luff (Conservative)
(6 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Cabinet Office
(26 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(20 debate contributions)
Department for Transport
(17 debate contributions)
Ministry of Defence
(9 debate contributions)
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Legislation Debates
Michael Dugher has not made any spoken contributions to legislative debate
View all Michael Dugher's debates

Latest EDMs signed by Michael Dugher

28th February 2017
Michael Dugher signed this EDM on Tuesday 18th April 2017

SOCIAL SECURITY

Tabled by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit (Miscellaneous Amendments and Transitional and Savings Provisions) Regulations (S.I., 2017, No. 204), dated 23 February 2017, a copy of which was laid before this House on 27 February, be annulled.
78 signatures
(Most recent: 18 Apr 2017)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 42
Scottish National Party: 27
Independent: 6
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Green Party: 1
Plaid Cymru: 1
Liberal Democrat: 1
21st March 2017
Michael Dugher signed this EDM on Tuesday 18th April 2017

SOCIAL SECURITY

Tabled by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations 2017 (S.I., 2017, No. 349), dated 9 March 2017, a copy of which was laid before this House on 13 March 2017, be annulled.
76 signatures
(Most recent: 26 Apr 2017)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 38
Labour: 25
Independent: 6
Conservative: 2
Liberal Democrat: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Green Party: 1
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
Plaid Cymru: 1
View All Michael Dugher's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Michael Dugher, 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.


3 Urgent Questions tabled by Michael Dugher

Monday 17th October 2016
Monday 5th January 2015
Thursday 27th November 2014

1 Adjournment Debate led by Michael Dugher

Tuesday 24th May 2016

Michael Dugher has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

1 Bill co-sponsored by Michael Dugher

Crime (Assaults on Emergency Services Staff) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Holly Lynch (Lab)


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
22 Other Department Questions
13th Nov 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to (a) promote the installation of domestic solar photovoltaic systems and (b) provide funding streams for such installations.

In 2014, renewables provided nearly one fifth of the UK’s electricity needs[1] and we are on track to reach our aim of delivering 30 per cent by 2020. Generation from solar PV is making a significant contribution to achieving this aim, partly due to the support the technology receives through the small-scale Feed-in Tariff (FITs) scheme, and partly through the support to larger, mostly ground mounted solar PV, through the Renewables Obligation (RO); as of the end of October, we had a total of nearly 8.2GW of solar PV deployed across the UK.


We are required by our EU state aid approval to carry out a review of FITs this year to ensure that tariff levels provide sufficient incentive to potential generators whilst not over-compensating applicants to the scheme. The Government proposed changes to FITs as part of that review, on which we consulted widely between 27th August and 23rd October. We are currently analysing feedback submitted during the consultation and intend to publish a Government response in due course.


This review, along with other measures to control costs under the levy control framework, should help ensure that renewables deployment remains affordable. Consultations have closed and we expect to provide the government responses in due course.


[1] Energy Trends

10th Nov 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of people who would be worse off financially if the threshold for student loan repayments were not index-linked in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b )Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student support for each of the UK Government Administrations. Information on English loan borrowers is published annually by SLC in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Loans in England: FY 2014-15’.

http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/england.aspx

The numbers of borrowers at the end of the 2014-15 financial year with post-2012 student loan arrangements who had been domiciled in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber when they applied for financial support is set out in the following table:

Borrowers at the end of the 2014-15 financial year(1) with post-2012 Loan Arrangements by Domicile



Geographical Area

Students (2,3,4)

Barnsley East and Mexborough

1,330

Barnsley

3,610

South Yorkshire

20,350

Yorkshire and the Humber

94,370

Source: Student Loans Company

Notes:

(1) As of 31/03/2015

(2) Includes only students with loans with a non-zero balance

(3) Excludes Further Education students (4) Figures rounded to the nearest multiple of 10


Freezing the repayment threshold will not affect the up-front cost of attending university. It would mean that students on average meet a greater share of these costs over their working life through loan repayments, helping ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the system. Those earning below the repayment threshold will not be affected by the proposed changes.

10th Nov 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the change in the number of jobs in the solar sector that will be lost as a result of the Government changes to the feed-in tariff in (a) Barnsley East, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Government proposed changes to the feed-in tariff scheme (FITs) as part of the FIT review, on which we consulted widely between 27th August and 23rd October.


Part of the purpose of that consultation was to gather views on the broader economic impact of the proposals. The actual impact on the sector will, of course, depend on the options taken forward after all responses to the consultation have been considered. We are currently analysing feedback submitted during the consultation and intend to publish a Government response in due course.


9th Jun 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the number of people employed in the solar power sector in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England.

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills has published information on the number of people employed in in onshore wind, offshore wind and solar PV sectors across the UK as set out in its report, The Size and Performance of the UK Low Carbon Economy.[1]

In 2013, onshore wind employed 12,800 people, offshore wind employed 10,900 people, and solar PV employed 28,700 people in England. 2,100 people were employed in onshore wind, 500 people in offshore wind, and 2,900 people in solar PV, in the Yorkshire and Humber region in 2013.[2]

Information is not broken down to show the number of people employed in these sectors for South Yorkshire or Barnsley.

[1] The Size and Performance of the UK Low Carbon Economy: Report for 2010 to 2013 (March 2015), Department for Business, Innovation & Skills:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416240/bis-15-206-size-and-performance-of-uk-low-carbon-economy.pdf

[2] Employment stated here includes headcount in both direct activates and supply chain.

9th Jun 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the number of people employed in the wind power sector in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England.

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills has published information on the number of people employed in in onshore wind, offshore wind and solar PV sectors across the UK as set out in its report, The Size and Performance of the UK Low Carbon Economy.[1]

In 2013, onshore wind employed 12,800 people, offshore wind employed 10,900 people, and solar PV employed 28,700 people in England. 2,100 people were employed in onshore wind, 500 people in offshore wind, and 2,900 people in solar PV, in the Yorkshire and Humber region in 2013.[2]

Information is not broken down to show the number of people employed in these sectors for South Yorkshire or Barnsley.

[1] The Size and Performance of the UK Low Carbon Economy: Report for 2010 to 2013 (March 2015), Department for Business, Innovation & Skills:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416240/bis-15-206-size-and-performance-of-uk-low-carbon-economy.pdf

[2] Employment stated here includes headcount in both direct activates and supply chain.

5th Dec 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many people have (a) applied and (b) received a grant from the Warm Home Discount scheme in (i) Barnsley East, (ii) South Yorkshire and (iii) the UK.

The Warm Home Discount scheme operates across Great Britain. Data for the number of people applying for or receiving assistance under the Warm Home Discount scheme are not available on a regional or constituency basis.

5th Dec 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many small and medium-sized enterprises have been started in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley local authority area, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) the UK in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such businesses is still trading.

The estimated number of business start-ups in a) Barnsley East constituency, b) Barnsley local authority, c) South Yorkshire and d) Great Britain between 2009 and 2014 are shown in the table below.

These statistics are compiled from BankSearch data, which does not cover Northern Ireland. BankSearch does not report on the size of start-ups, nor the proportion of start-ups that were still trading in subsequent years.

Estimated number of business start-ups (2009 to 2014)

Year

Barnsley East constituency

Barnsley local authority

South Yorkshire

Great Britain

2009

310

1,010

6,630

428,400

2010

400

1,190

7,350

482,830

2011

380

1,150

7,580

507,870

2012

370

1,120

7,400

489,780

2013

360

1,050

6,610

446,830

Source: BankSearch: number of new business bank accounts opened. All figures rounded to nearest 10.

10th Oct 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many start-up loans have been granted, and how much money has been loaned through that scheme, in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England since its inception.

Start Up Loans

Barnsley East

South Yorkshire

England

United Kingdom

Volume of Drawn Loans

12

321

19,901

21,470

Value of Drawn Loans

£60,000

£1,551,421

£106,326,369

£113,485,492

10th Oct 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprentices have been employed by companies in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Data for each of the last 3 years on the number of Apprenticeship starts by workplace location is shown in Table 1. Geographic information for workplace location is not available for earlier years.

Table 1: Apprenticeship starts by workplace location

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

Barnsley East Constituency

350

780

660

South Yorkshire

14,400

16,490

15,130

All Apprenticeships

457,200

520,600

510,200

Source: Individualised Learner Record (ILR)

Additional information on the number of workplaces employing apprentices by geography is published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/309551/apprenticeship-workplaces-by-region-and-constituency.xls

10th Oct 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of students who completed further education went on to (a) university, (b) a full-time job and (c) an apprenticeship in (i) Barnsley East constituency, (ii) South Yorkshire and (iii) England in each of the last three years.

There is no data source that gives a complete answer for all FE students. Data for students under the age of 19 is compiled by the Department for Education (DfE); data for students aged 19 or over is compiled by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The Departments use different methodologies in collecting the data.

DfE has published experimental data on destinations of Key Stage 5 school leavers, by parliamentary constituency, local authority, and institution are published by the Department for Education at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/destinations-of-key-stage-4-and-key-stage-5-pupils-2011-to-2012.

The latest data (published 26 June 2014) are for those who entered an A Level or other Level 3 qualification in 2010/11 and their sustained destination in 2011/12. A summary of this data is shown in Table 1 below. Data for the previous years are available on a different basis and are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/destinations-of-key-stage-4-and-key-stage-5-pupils-2010-to-2011 and https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/destinations-of-key-stage-4-and-key-stage-5-pupils-academic-year-2009-to-2010

Table 1: KS5: Percentage of students, in 2010/11, who entered an A Level or other Level 3 qualification, going to, or remaining in, an education or employment destination in 2011/12: all mainstream schools and colleges, including independents

Number of Students

% into a Higher Education Institution (sustained)

% into Sustained Employment and/or training1

% into apprenticeship

Barnsley East

10

46%

0%

x

Barnsley LA

1,140

43%

4%

6%

Doncaster LA

1,720

48%

5%

6%

Rotherham LA

2,140

47%

6%

7%

Sheffield LA

3,160

51%

5%

5%

England

370,940

54%

6%

4%

x indicates data suppressed due to small cohort size or small numbers in the reporting lines.

1) it is not possible to identify full-time job from other employment and/or training. Data for the Local Authorities in South Yorkshire County have been shown separately. See publication for further details on definitions and measures

BIS publishes destinations data by provider and provider-type for adult (19+) learners and 16-18 Apprenticeships. The data is not compiled on a geographical basis so it cannot be used to answer the PQ directly. A full breakdown of the learner destinations indicators by provider can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-choices-performance-indicators

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many projects in Barnsley East constituency have (a) applied for funding, (b) been selected to receive funding and (c) received final offer letters from the Regional Growth Fund in the latest period for which figures are available.

In Rounds 1-5 of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) three projects in the Barnsley East constituency applied for RGF funding. As of September 2014 one project has been selected to receive RGF funding and it has received a final offer letter.

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprenticeship starts there were in each academic year in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley local authority area, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) England since 2010.

Final data for the 2012/13 academic year show that there were 5,930 adult (19+) learners participating in government funded further education and skills in Barnsley East constituency.

Information on Apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a Supplementary Table to a Statistical First Release (SFR):

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324021/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls

26th Sep 2014
To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many food banks are supported by the Church of England in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and Humber in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14.

The Church of England supports food banks across the country in various partnership models including with other Churches and the Trussell Trust. Figures for the years specified are not currently available in all the areas requested. The Church of England is currently in the process of conducting a large-scale survey of Church of England parishes, which will provide updated figures, due to be published in 2015.

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many people in Barnsley East constituency have received Green Deal funding.

The Department reported that there were 42 Green Deal Cashback vouchers paid in Barnsley East constituency up to 30th June 2014, and 59 ‘live' Green Deal Plans (with measures installed) had been taken out in Yorkshire and The Humber. We cannot break this down to a lower geographic level at present for confidentiality reasons:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-june-2014 .

Geographic breakdowns on the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF) will form part of the more detailed quarterly series planned for publication on 18th December 2014, covering the period up to the end of September 2014.

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many small and medium-sized businesses in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England and Wales have (i) applied for and (ii) been granted loans by the British Business Bank in the last year.

The British Business Bank oversees the management of two loan programmes that can be accessed by small and medium–sized businesses seeking debt finance; Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) and Start-Up Loans (SUL).

EFG is delivered by participating lenders, including all the main high street banks, while SUL is delivered by a network of delivery partners contracted by the Start-Up Loans Company.

The delivery of both programmes is fully devolved to the participating lenders and for consistency they primarily report the numbers of loans offered or drawn rather than the number of applications received.

Programme

Volume of Loans drawn Barnsley East

Volume of Loans drawn

South Yorkshire

Volume of Loans drawn

England and Wales

EFG

22

515

20806

Start Up Loans

12

321

20435

Total

34

836

41241

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people in Barnsley East constituency are enrolled in adult skills sessions.

Final data for the 2012/13 academic year show that there were 5,930 adult (19+) learners participating in government funded further education and skills in Barnsley East constituency.

Information on Apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a Supplementary Table to a Statistical First Release (SFR):

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324021/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls

10th Jun 2014
To ask the Prime Minister, how many members of staff of his Office worked on the review by the Cabinet Secretary of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism.

The Cabinet Secretary will respond to the hon. Member on this matter shortly. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

10th Jun 2014
To ask the Prime Minister, what interviews were conducted as part of the Cabinet Secretary's review of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism.

The Cabinet Secretary will respond to the hon. Member on this matter shortly. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

10th Jun 2014
To ask the Prime Minister, if he will publish the review by the Cabinet Secretary of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism.

The Cabinet Secretary will respond to the hon. Member on this matter shortly. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

10th Jun 2014
To ask the Prime Minister, whether the Independent Advisor on Ministers' Interests was consulted as part of the review by the Cabinet Secretary of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism.

The Cabinet Secretary will respond to the hon. Member on this matter shortly. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

10th Jun 2014
To ask the Prime Minister, if he will publish in full the scope of the Cabinet Secretary's review of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism.

The Cabinet Secretary will respond to the hon. Member on this matter shortly. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

12th Jan 2016
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what forecast he has made of the change in population in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber up to 2030.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

12th Jan 2016
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the change in the proportion of the working age population employed by the public sector in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber since 2010.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

13th Jul 2015
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cases of domestic violence were recorded in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley and (c) South Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

9th Jun 2015
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of carers in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley and (c) South Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

9th Jun 2015
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many patients were diagnosed with (a) breast cancer, (b) lung cancer, (c) prostate cancer, (d) bowel cancer and (e) malignant melanoma in (i) Barnsley and (ii) South Yorkshire in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

5th Dec 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) the UK have been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in the last three years; and how many such patients have been referred to palliative care.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people owned their own home in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there has been in median gross weekly pay for (a) men and (b) women in Barnsley East constituency in each year since 2010.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England and Wales were paid the minimum wage in each year since 2010.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Big Society community organisers living in Barnsley East constituency have been trained to date.

Since 2010, Community Organisers have worked in over 400 neighbourhoods across England. Of the 551 Senior Community Organisers recruited and trained through the Community Organisers programme to date, 63 have worked in Yorkshire and the Humber. Organisers do not necessarily work where they live.

7th Jul 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to tackle copycat websites which are charging for free Government services.

Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly.

We encourage all users of public services to go to our award-winning gov.uk, the official website for government information and services.

The Cabinet Office is working with Google and other search engine providers to address the problem of misleading websites advertising on their search engines. Work with other bodies such as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and Which? continues to raise awareness of this issue and ensures action is taken where appropriate.

7th Jul 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent meetings he has had with internet search engine companies on steps to tackle copycat websites which are charging for free Government services.

Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly.

We encourage all users of public services to go to our award-winning gov.uk, the official website for government information and services.

The Cabinet Office is working with Google and other search engine providers to address the problem of misleading websites advertising on their search engines. Work with other bodies such as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and Which? continues to raise awareness of this issue and ensures action is taken where appropriate.

6th Jun 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish any advice from the Permanent Secretary of Government Communications to political parties on the use of specific terms issued in the last 12 months.

Public government documents are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications. Information on costs is not held centrally.

All Government communications officials are bound by the Civil Service code. There is no longer a Permanent Secretary of Government Communications.

6th Jun 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many publications by Government departments have included the term long-term economic plan in the last 12 months; and how much those publications have cost.

Public government documents are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications. Information on costs is not held centrally.

All Government communications officials are bound by the Civil Service code. There is no longer a Permanent Secretary of Government Communications.

13th Oct 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make assessments of projected installed generating capacity for non-domestic solar panel installations in each of the next five years, based on the (a) current rate of £8 per kilowatt and (b) Valuation Office Agency proposal for up to £61 per kilowatt.

The impact of the proposed changes will be highly sensitive to future ownership models that determine the rateable values to apply; it is therefore not possible to project this impact at present.

13th Oct 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people were employed in the solar energy sector in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) Yorkshire and the Humber, (d) England and (e) the UK in the latest period for which figures are available.

In 2014, 9,500 FTE employees were estimated to have been directly employed in the solar photovoltaic sector in the UK, including 9,000 in England. BEIS does not hold data that is broken down by region, and data for the solar thermal sector is not available.

Further detail can be viewed online through the UK Environmental Accounts: UK Solar Photovoltaic Sector 2014, (part of Low carbon and renewable energy economy, final estimates: 2014) at:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/articles/ukenvironmentalaccountsuksolarphotovoltaicsector2014/uksolarphotovoltaicsector2014

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/datasets/lcreestimatesdataset.

12th Jul 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the recent change in the value of the pound on the purchasing power of British steel companies.

My Department regularly reviews the impact of changing economic conditions on business including in specific sectors such as steel. We also talk regularly to companies to understand their view on market conditions including in formal meetings such as sector councils.

Steel companies are impacted differently by exchange rates depending on the balance of raw materials they import from outside the UK and the location of their export markets.

18th May 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress her Department has made on rolling-out smart meters as standard by the end of 2020; and what estimate she has made of the number of homes that will have a smart meter installed by the end of each year to 2020.

The Government is committed to every home and small business being offered smart meters by the end of 2020. The Programme is making good progress. Over 3 million meters have been installed in homes and business across Great Britain in the Foundation stage of the Programme, ahead of the nationwide roll-out.

Suppliers’ annual projections on the number of smart meters installed each year to 2020 can be found on page 28 of the Fourth Annual Report on the Roll-out of Smart Meters:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/477258/Smart_Meters_Implementation_Programme_Annual_Report_2015.pdf

18th May 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the data security of smart meters.

The Department has worked with industry and security experts, including GCHQ, to design a smart metering system that has robust end-to-end security. The Department’s Data Access and Privacy Framework puts consumers in control of who has access to their data except where energy suppliers and networks have access for regulated purposes, such as to enable accurate monthly billing. All organisations involved in communicating with smart meters are required to comply with a detailed set of security obligations, with each aspect of the system subject to regular, independent security assurance.

Smart meters will not store data such as a consumer’s name, address or bank details. A key design principle for the system is the maintenance of user privacy. Any transaction of data which could be deemed ‘personal’, including energy consumption data, is encrypted so only the intended recipient can see it.

23rd Feb 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the number of people employed in the (a) wind and (b) solar energy sector in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last 10 years.

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills published a report in March 2015 on “The Size and Performance of the UK Low Carbon Economy”. This contains estimates of the number of people employed directly within different sectors of the low carbon economy, and in their supply chains:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/low-carbon-economy-size-and-performance.

The report estimates that for 2013 in Yorkshire and Humber there were 2,900 people employed in the solar photovoltaics sector, with equivalent estimates of 2,100 and 500 for the onshore and offshore wind sectors respectively. These figures include those directly employed by firms in the sector, and resulting jobs within the supply chain.

One thousand new jobs will be created in Hull at Siemens’ offshore wind manufacturing plant which is due to be operational from 2017 and will also create additional jobs in the supply chain.

23rd Feb 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the level of installed capacity was for (a) wind and (b) solar energy in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last 10 years.

The level of installed capacity for wind and solar PV in Yorkshire and the Humber, for the ten years to 2014, is given in the attached table. Data for 2015 will be available on 29 September, 2016.

18th May 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has had discussions with the BBC on levels of accessibility to online archived BBC content.

As part of the discussions leading to the publication of the White Paper, A BBC for the future​: a Broadcaster of Distinction, the government discussed accessibility of the BBC's archive with the BBC. As set out in that White Paper, the government encourages the BBC to do more to open up its archive and ensure that it can be used by the public and as wide a range of institutions and organisations as possible​.

18th May 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will seek information from the BBC on the number of unique visitors to the BBC Food website in each month since May 2010; and if he will place that information in the Library.

Decisions in relation to the BBC's online content are a matter for the BBC which is editorially independent of the Government.

10th Nov 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of his Department's expected DEL underspend in 2015-16; what his Department's current forecast for AME expenditure is in 2015-16; and what that forecast was at the time of the (a) Summer Budget 2015 and (b) March Budget 2015.

The Department does not publish full year DEL and AME forecasts. During the year, expenditure to date is published on the government's transparency website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-transactions-over-25000-2015-16). At the end of the financial year, the Annual Report and Accounts will be published detailing actual expenditure for the year.

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many households in (a) England and Wales, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Barnsley East constituency do not have access to (i) a fibre optic broadband connection, (ii) high speed broadband and (iii) the internet.

Ofcom have reported that Internet availability is virtually 100% across the whole United Kingdom.

Ofcom has also published fixed broadband data by local area, for example in its infrastructure report (stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/other/telecoms-research/broadband-speeds/infrastructure-report-2013/) and map (maps.ofcom.org.uk/broadband/), which included the data for 2013:

Area

Next Generation Access broadband availability 2013

Broadband take-up (including superfast broadband) 2013

Superfast broadband take-up 2013

England

76%

72%

16%

Wales

48%

70%

9%

Barnsley

70.3%

66.9%

17.3%

Doncaster

76.1%

69.3%

15.9%

Rotherham

72.6%

70.3%

13.8%

Sheffield

81.3%

68.5%

17.7%

Ofcom is likely to publish updated numbers later in 2014. It did not however publish data on a constituency basis.

Broadband take-up may be higher than these numbers suggest, as some households use mobile broadband but not fixed broadband and Internet usage likely to be higher still, as some individuals access the internet away from home.

26th Sep 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Arts Council has spent per head of population in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

The total ACE Funding in South Yorkshire in 2013/14 was more than £1 higher than it was in 2009/10. The Barnsley East figure increased by almost four times over the same period.

Barnsley East – Spend per year – per head of population

2009/10

£0.30

2010/11

£0.12

2011/12

£0.71

2012/13

£0.33

2013/14

£1.11

South Yorkshire– Spend per year – per head of population

2009/10

£4.68

2010/11

£3.44

2011/12

£4.39

2012/13

£8.07

2013/14

£5.71

England and Wales – Spend per year – per head of population

2009/10

£10.05

2010/11

£9.33

2011/12

£9.48

2012/13

£13.49

2013/14

£10.91