Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefit of High Speed 2 to the Liverpool City region.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2011, Official Report, columns 217-8W, on banks: regulation, what options for further action he has considered in relation to banks that fail to meet lending targets as set out by Project Merlin.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to encourage the growth of the green economy in the Liverpool city region.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the adequacy of system to provide routes back into education for those who leave formal education at 16.
Esther McVey: I want to add some personal knowledge as someone who has had an apprentice since last October and as the owner of a small business. It is the cost that concerns small businesses. What can the Government do to incentivise them to take on apprentices? We need to look at the cost to employ one and the payroll costs.
Esther McVey: I totally agree. If there is one thing that small companies have told me about the hurdles to taking on apprentices and about why they want incentivising to do so, it is that the hidden cost of spending time with a person, bringing them on, encouraging them and making them work-ready cannot be underestimated.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to encourage the growth of the knowledge economy in the Liverpool city region.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that the small business lending targets set out in Project Merlin are met by the banks who are parties to the agreement.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefit to the North West of High Speed 2.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to carry out appraisals for innovative inhibitor therapies for rare cancers where the target population is very small.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to encourage the development of links between employers and universities.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has assessed the (a) availability and (b) quality of careers advice in universities.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the employment prospects of graduates who undertake integrated work-based placements as part of degree courses.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2011, Official Report, columns 1259-60W, on joint enterprise, what steps he is taking to ensure the prosecution of all those in a gang or group involved in the commission of offences; and if he will conduct a review of the common law practice of joint enterprise.
Esther McVey: Is my hon. Friend aware that there is currently no GamCare treatment provider available on Merseyside? The closest is in Manchester. Does he know whether that will be addressed?
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his Department's 2011 compendium of re-offending statistics and analysis, page 16, if he will draw to the attention of the Sentencing Council the finding in respect of re-offending of (a) offenders given immediate custodial sentences of two years or more but less than four years and (b) offenders who received immediate custodial...
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to improve access to drugs subject to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence funding for cancer patients in the NHS.
Esther McVey: I, along with Opposition colleagues, have tabled amendment 27 to require the Secretary of State to “produce a transition plan…from the current system of careers guidance to the new all-age careers service.’. How that transition is handled—all of it—is vital. First, I want to welcome the Government’s plans for an all-age careers service, but I emphasise the importance of careers...
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the common law doctrine on joint enterprise.
Esther McVey: What fiscal measures he is taking to reduce the costs faced by businesses.