Tag: Alex Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 20 January 2016, Official Report, columns 1425-30, whether there is no predominant colour for the front doors of properties used to house asylum seekers in Teesside.

James Brokenshire

The provision of accommodation for asylum seekers is provided under the COMPASS contracts. It is the responsibility of all of the suppliers to ensure that all accommodation used meets the required contractual standard and complies with the Decent Homes Standards. The accommodation should be safe, habitable and fit for purpose. The COMPASS providers are required to inspect properties each month and UKVI’s contract compliance teams reinforce this by visiting properties regularly.

The Home Office expects the highest standards and where a contractor is found to be falling short of these standards we work with them to ensure that issues are quickly addressed.

Earlier this year, we instructed our supplier (G4S) to repaint the doors of G4S and Jomast managed properties to ensure that no one colour is predominant. I have received confirmation from the Provider that this had been completed, UKVI staff have also confirmed that no one colour is predominant as they have visited properties as part of their inspection regime.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an approach to carbon reduction other than emissions trading after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman

The Government remains committed to ensuring secure, affordable and clean energy, now and in future. The result of the referendum offers an opportunity to examine UK policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the Government will consider the UK’s future participation in the EU Emissions Trading System as part of the wider negotiation on leaving the EU, in consultation with stakeholders.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department has provided to local authorities to improve air quality using liquid petroleum gas; and what further such support his Department has planned.

Andrew Jones

As part of a consultation in 2014 on amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) the department considered the potential benefits of biopropane in delivering GHG savings. In recognition of this, the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation was subsequently amended to increase rewards for suppliers of that fuel from April 2015.

The department, working with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, have evaluated a range of options for tackling poor air quality; this formed the basis of the Government’s draft air quality plans that recently went to public consultation. Switching to LPG can provide air quality benefits but may not be easily deployed in all vehicle types.

As part of the department’s 2014 Clean Vehicle Technology Fund (CVTF) grant scheme, Birmingham City Council were awarded £500,000 to enable the conversion of 80 older black cabs from diesel to LPG which will help improve air quality on some of the most polluted roads. There is a possibility of funding through the current CVTF grant scheme being used to support further LPG conversions in other areas.

We are considering many competing priorities across Government as part of the Spending Review, including measures to tackle air quality pollutants and reduce other harmful emissions. The outcome of the Spending Review will be announced later in the autumn.

The department regularly meets with motor manufacturers and their representative body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Discussions on how manufacturers can act to tackle poor air quality cover a range of measures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce public exposure to lead in the food chain.

Jane Ellison

Government set up the independent Lead Ammunition Group in 2010 to provide advice on risks to wildlife and human health from lead shot game. The Government is considering the independent Lead Ammunition Group’s report on the effect of lead shot on human and wildlife health and will respond as soon as possible The Food Standards Agency (FSA) accepts the expert advice of the UK Committee on Toxicity and the European Food Safety Authority that it is not possible to set a safe level for exposure to lead from food. However, to better understand the potential risk to UK consumers the FSA produced a risk assessment in 2012 based on its survey data from 2007 of game meat samples; Veterinary Medicines Directorate data from the national surveillance scheme was also considered. The FSA risk assessment considered the potential levels of exposure to lead from lead shot game for adults, children and toddlers based on different levels of game meat consumption.

This risk assessment led to FSA issuing targeted advice to frequent consumers of lead shot game in 2012, warning of the potential risks. The advice was promoted as especially important for vulnerable groups such as toddlers and children, pregnant women and women trying for a baby, as exposure to lead can harm the developing brain and nervous system. The FSA risk assessment was published along with this advice. The Government has not estimated the number of people who regularly consume game meat shot with lead.

More generally, the FSA, works on behalf of the UK within the European Union to agree harmonised controls to reduce public exposure to lead in the food chain. EU maximum limits apply for lead in a range of foods and these are regularly reviewed by the EU Commission and member states. These maximum limits apply to all food produced in the EU or imported to the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assistance his Department plans to give to local authorities to ensure that they are able to provide new affordable housing to people on low incomes.

Brandon Lewis

More council housing has been built since 2010 than in the previous 13 years. 2014 saw the highest number of council housing starts for 23 years.

Almost £222 million of extra borrowing headroom has been allocated to 36 councils in England to support over 3,000 new affordable homes in 2015/16 and 2016/17.

The 2011-15 Affordable Homes Programme exceeded expectations – delivering 186,000 new affordable homes -16,000 more than the target. In addition, this Government is committed to delivering a further 275,000 new affordable homes by 2020. Through the 2015-18 Affordable Homes programme, we have already allocated around £1.4 billion to support this delivery

The Government is committed to helping hard working people across the country to own their own home. We believe that shared ownership has an important role to play in helping those who aspire to home ownership but may be otherwise unable to afford it.

We launched a one-off £36 million funding package in August to pave the way for the first wave of Starter Homes on brownfield sites that would otherwise not be built on to help more young people into discounted home ownership. Of this, up to £10million will be made available to councils in England. 200,000 Starter Homes will be built by 2020/21.

Right to buy additions are due within 3 years of sales: 3,694 new Right to Buy addition starts and acquisitions were delivered against 3,054 additional homes sold in the first year of the scheme. Receipts from the sale of Right to Buy homes will continue to help authorities to build new additional properties.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) cost effectiveness and (b) value for money of Rural Community Councils.

Rory Stewart

Defra funds Rural Community Councils via the annual grant it allocates to Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), the national voice for the 38 rural community councils. ACRE allocates this grant using a well-established funding formula. It reports back to Defra on how the grant is spent through quarterly reports and meetings with officials, and in its annual report and accounts. We will review the benefits of this spend in setting levels of grant for future years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on lead ammunition by her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1999.

Rory Stewart

Defra was created in 2001. It is therefore not possible to provide an answer in respect of the years prior to this. Natural England was established on 1 October 2006, so no data is available until the 2006-07 financial year.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has identified that it has spent £300 on lead ammunition in the past three years, but is unable to provide a breakdown by year. Prior to this, the shooting of pests was outsourced and Kew is unable to identify the cost of ammunition provided through this service.

Financial records do not always specify the type of ammunition purchased or the material from which it was made. Our records – with the caveats above – imply that Natural England has spent an average of £253 per year on lead shot since records began.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the welfare measures announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 on the incidence of food poverty in Scotland.

Mr David Gauke

The Spending Review and Autumn Statement set out a plan to move Britain to a higher wage, lower tax and lower welfare society. This will ensure that work always pays while continuing to provide a safety net to protect those who need extra support.

This will benefit people across the country, including in Scotland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many stocks for which the UK has quotas were fished (a) at and (b) below maximum sustainable yield on the last date for which figures are available.

George Eustice

The UK’s provisional assessment is that in 2016, 24 stocks will be fished at or below maximum sustainable yield (MSY). A significant majority of these will be fished (a) at MSY rather than (b) below it; information on the specific stocks will be placed in the House Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 22026, what proportion of the £47 million paid to local authorities under the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme was subsequently paid by local authorities to households which were not entitled to flood compensation payments.

James Wharton

Local authorities are responsible for the administration and delivery of the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme.

They determine how to use the money to best meet local need and ensure value for money. My Department does not collect detailed information on the payments that have been made through the Scheme. However, officials are aware that of more that 15,000 payments made to households, fewer than 50 have been found to be incorrect. Those have been returned to the local authority in question.