Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to increase funding to schools in order to allow them to cover the one per cent shortfall in the planned 3.5 per cent increased pay award for teachers.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to ensure that 16 and 17 year olds in Lancashire classed as not known in respect of their education, training or employment status by Lancashire County Council's internal scrutiny committee are identified and helped into further education and apprenticeships.
Graham Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish in table format (a) a list of the ministerial redundancy payments issued since August 2010 and (b) which former ministers accepted those payments.
Graham Jones: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what discussions the Commission has had on establishing in-house BSL interpretation service for deaf visitors.
Graham Jones: Hyndburn Borough Council has planted an awful lot of trees. In fact, I believe that it has planted more trees than any other borough in Lancashire. When will the Government reward Labour councils such as Hyndburn Borough Council for the work they have done to meet the Government’s targets?
Graham Jones: The Foreign Secretary mentioned Iran’s malign interventions in the region. While the House may be rightly concerned about the strait of Hormuz, terrifying videos were released last week from Yemen of young boys between eight and 18 at the 300 jihadi training camps run by the Iranian-backed Houthis chanting, “Death to America! Death to Israel! Curse upon the Jews! Victory to Islam!” We...
Graham Jones: When will the Government review the empty homes premium, a hypothecated tax that is unfairly distributed between deprived precepting boroughs and shires? Hyndburn is about the 24th most deprived area in the country and collects about £600,000, the majority of which is given to wider Lancashire to spend, not the deprived area. This is totally unfair. Does the Minister recognise it as unfair...
Graham Jones: The Leader of the House mentioned £13 billion of transport funding for the north, but I am sure that figure would be met with great disbelief throughout the north. The latest dithering is over the reinstatement of the Colne-Skipton link to connect East Lancashire to West Yorkshire. That is shameful: it should be a priority for Government expenditure. In this zombie Parliament, perhaps the...
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the regulation of the sale of drones.
Graham Jones: Do you foresee any problems with the roll-out of the business rate retention scheme and this Bill? Do you think any anomalies or complexities will emerge from those twoQ ?
Graham Jones: It is commendable that my hon. Friend has brought this debate to Westminster Hall. I also commend my right hon. Friend the Member for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) for her work on towns. Like many hon. Members, I have two towns in my constituency. People feel not just a sense of loss, but fear and worry when there is no visible police station. Great Harwood and...
Graham Jones: It is disappointing that the Government have scrapped their one-for-one target. My local Labour-run council, Hyndburn Borough Council, wants to build some social houses on the Clayton triangle. What support can the Minister guarantee to make sure that those social homes are built on the Clayton triangle?
Graham Jones: On a point of order, Mr Speaker. To follow on from what my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell) said about the influence that you may have on the business of the House motion on Wednesday, we need now to be brutal about this. The Prime Minister’s deal was last defeated by 58 votes—that is the worst option, so that should get taken off the table. Are we going...
Graham Jones: I apologise for that.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meetings held between HRH the Prince of Wales and officials of the Cuban Government during his recent visit to that country.
Graham Jones: The Conservative manifesto at the last general election was defeated. Is that true?
Graham Jones: May I add my compliments to those paid to the right hon. Member for North East Bedfordshire? The allegations about child soldiers are very serious. I have previously raised them in the House, and it is very disappointing that it has taken us so long to discuss them. UNICEF has reported how many child soldiers were employed by the Houthis, the BBC has reported that they were being shot in the...
Graham Jones: I want to say at the outset: is it not about time that those who win are not precluded from gambling, as seems to be the practice? That is something that the Minister should consider, immediately. I thank the hon. Member for Inverclyde (Ronnie Cowan) for securing the debate, which is part of an ongoing debate on the problem of gambling. I take the issue seriously and have strong views. We...
Graham Jones: My hon. Friend makes a powerful point, which other Members have made in the debate, about children being drawn into gambling by derivatives of money or by tokens simulating money. That is a huge and significant concern and we must all be worried about it. I appreciate that the gambling industry makes a contribution to the economy and provides employment, including in my constituency. I go...
Graham Jones: Nine of the 10 most deprived councils in the country have seen cuts almost three times the national average since 2010. Why is deprivation no longer to be a factor under the fair funding review?