Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Exchequer Secretary of 24 October 2017, Official Report, column 148, what the evidential basis is that Government transport investment is equal across the different regions in England; and if he will publish per capita transport investment for each region in the last three years.
Answered by Andrew Jones
As set out in my oral answer the Government is investing £13bn into the North. The government publishes the 'National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline' showing planned investment in infrastructure, including transport, on a regular basis. The pipeline aims to provide a comprehensive and informative view of infrastructure investment plans and we will continue to develop it with each publication.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the reasons for disparities in (a) employment, (b) unemployment, (c) average earnings and (d) economic growth in North East England.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The employment rate in the North East is near its record high at 72.2%; the unemployment rate is 5.8%; weekly earnings for an average full-time employee are £504; and nominal Gross Value Added (GVA) per head has grown 13.7% since 2010. The gap between the North East and the UK employment rate has narrowed over the past two years.
The government is addressing the barriers to economic growth in the North East and the rest of the Northern Powerhouse by investing in skills and infrastructure, developing our Industrial Strategy, and devolving more powers to local areas including the Tees Valley Combined Authority. This builds on the £379.6 million Local Growth Fund awarded to the North East since 2014.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to end the public sector pay cap for (a) firefighters, (b) police, (c) teachers, (d) nurses and (e) doctors.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
I set out the Government’s position on public sector pay in the House of Commons on 12 September 2017. A copy of this statement is available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-09-12/HCWS127.
There is a process by which independent pay review bodies make recommendations on the pay award for police, teachers, nurses and doctors. These recommendations will be made public, and the government will respond to them in the usual way. It would be wrong to pre-empt this established process.
For firefighters, Central Government has no role in setting their pay negotiation process, which is a matter for the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to remove the public sector pay cap during the course of the current Parliament.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Our pay policy has always been designed to strike the right balance between being fair to our public servants and being fair to all those whose taxes pay for them. That approach has not changed and we continually assess that balance.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people receiving low pay.
Answered by Simon Kirby
This government is giving low paid workers a pay rise with the National Living Wage set to rise to £7.50 in April. And we are reforming the welfare system to ensure it always pays to earn more. But in the longer term raising productivity is key to higher pay, which is why we’re investing in innovation and infrastructure.