Results 1-20 of 733 for speaker:Ian Mearns

Health and Social Care (13 May 2013)

Ian Mearns: I am pleased to follow my hon. Friend the Member for City of Durham (Roberta Blackman-Woods) and in particular my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Paul Blomfield), who made a very strong speech about the Government bottling the proposal for plain packaging for cigarettes. The response to the Queen’s Speech from my constituency of Gateshead, the north-east and the whole...

Health and Social Care (13 May 2013)

Ian Mearns: My right hon. Friend may be interested to learn that the Prime Minister wrote to me about plain packaging before the Queen’s Speech was delivered to both Houses. He said in that letter that there were currently no proposals to introduce plain packaging.

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 2) Bill: (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: Further to that point of order, Mr Amess. It strikes me that the Clerk has said that he knew what was happening at the time. I know that this was adjacent to the adjournment for lunch, but why was it not said at the time? I wonder whether the best course of action now is for us to adjourn to get some clarification.

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Clause 4 - Charge and main rate for financial year 2014 (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: The case that my hon. Friend sets out is a true reflection of what is happening in the wider economy. In my constituency, we have a very welcome £150 million development, funded entirely by Tesco, which involves a new store and other commercial and retail activity. Tesco has advertised 80 new jobs, but all of them consist of no more than 22 hours a week. Even so, more than 2,000 people...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Clause 4 - Charge and main rate for financial year 2014 (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way once again. She is being very generous with her time. The scenario that she highlights, with more  British investment going abroad than foreign investment coming in, is happening at a time when British business are cash rich but struggling to find reasons to invest because of the lack of demand in the economy. British business is currently...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Clause 4 - Charge and main rate for financial year 2014 (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: I wonder whether my hon. Friend has heard of the concept of two wrongs not making a right.

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Clause 4 - Charge and main rate for financial year 2014 (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: I apologise, Mr Amess; I do not have a technical point to raise. I just ask the hon. Gentleman to speak up a bit as I am struggling to hear him.

Oral Answers to Questions — Transport: High Speed 2 (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: Scandalous!

Oral Answers to Questions — Transport: Topical Questions (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: The east coast main line has returned £640 million to the public purse since 2009. Sadly, private ownership has failed the travelling public of the east coast franchise. What possible public benefit can be gained by another wasteful and expensive round of refranchising, when east coast is already where the vast majority of the public want it, in public ownership?

Written Answers — Transport: East Coast Main Line: Premium Payments (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much in premium payments has been paid to the Government by National Express and Directly Operated Rail as a result of operating East Coast Main Line rail services since 2007.

Written Answers — Education: Academies (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2012, Official Report, column 325W, on academies, what proportion of the converter academies supporting other schools are supporting (a) another academy and (b) a local maintained school.

Written Answers — Education: Academies (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what action his Department is able to take against an academy chain that fails to address financial weaknesses.

Written Answers — Education: Academies (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many academies have been issued with financial notices to improve since May 2010.

Written Answers — Education: Children: Protection (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether he will publish the findings of the multi-agency inspections of child protection pilots. (2) on what basis the proposed multi-agency child protection inspections have been deferred.

Written Answers — Education: Termination of Employment (25 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many staff have left his Department since May 2010; (2) how many staff in his Department who had reported instances of bullying or intimidation since May 2010 have subsequently left the Department.

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Clause 2 - Personal allowance for 2013-14 for those born after 5 April 1948 (23 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: I cannot help but remember something. Was there not some controversy within the Treasury team at the time of the discussions about the granny  tax? I seem to remember that the hon. Member for Bromsgrove opposed it at the time. Is that not the case?

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Clause 2 - Personal allowance for 2013-14 for those born after 5 April 1948 (23 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: As amendment 8 refers to the living standards of basic rate taxpayers, I crave your indulgence, Mr Crausby, because I think that living standards also include employment prospects and certainty of employment in the future.

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Clause 2 - Personal allowance for 2013-14 for those born after 5 April 1948 (23 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: I certainly hope to prove that I can. From my own constituency’s perspective, the vast majority of employed taxpayers are in the basic rate bracket. I want to demonstrate that this Budget has a different impact on different parts of the country. Despite the claims of job creation and figures illustrating that employment has increased under the coalition Government, every local authority...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Clause 2 - Personal allowance for 2013-14 for those born after 5 April 1948 (23 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: My hon. Friend has demonstrated that the economic impact of the Government’s Budget is very different in different places. We have recently seen a rise in unemployment in the north-east of England of 12,000, while the national increase was 60,000. Only 5% of the population reside in the north-east, but it accounts for 17% of the national unemployment increase. In comparison, there was a...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Clause 2 - Personal allowance for 2013-14 for those born after 5 April 1948 (23 April 2013)

Ian Mearns: I echo my hon. Friend’s sentiments. It does not feel like we are all in this together. Some 60% of the people who benefit from the cut in the top rate of income tax reside in the three south-east regions, and only 1% reside in the north-east. That differentiation in spending power has a major impact on local economies. Conversely, we are sucking money out of local economies by reducing...