Tag: Alex Cunningham

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 inform consumers about the lead content of game meat shot with lead ammunition.

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 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost of maintaining flood defences in each year of this Parliament.

Rory Stewart

The Environment Agency spent directly £171 million maintaining flood defences in 2014/15. Many more flood defences are maintained by Local Authorities and Internal Drainage Boards.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what decision his Department has made on the use of the £6 billion of funding allocated for the implementation of phase 2 of the Care Act 2014 now that the implementation of that phase has been postponed.

Alistair Burt

The Government recognises that social care is vital to enabling people to live healthy and independent lives.

Funding decisions for 2016/17 onwards, including on adult social care, are subject to the forthcoming Spending Review.

Officials in the Department and across government are working hard to understand pressures on the care system and will consider adult social care expenditure and future demand as part of this process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer to Question 13261, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of conducting an area-based review of post-16 education and training institutions in (a) Tees Valley, (b) Birmingham and Solihull, (c) Greater Manchester, (d) Sheffield City Region, (e) Sussex Coast, (f) Solent and (g) West Yorkshire.

Nick Boles

The area reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-12-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether support for energy-intensive industries is part of the Northern Powerhouse agenda; and what assessment the Government has made of the importance of carbon capture and storage for the future of those industries.

Andrea Leadsom

The provision of ring-fenced capital support for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) was judged against other Government funding priorities as part of the Spending Review. Government has not taken the Spending Review decision lightly. The Government continues to view CCS as having a potential role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s power and industrial sectors. Neither CCS Competition project proposed to capture CO2 from energy intensive industries.

The detailed design and implementation of CCS policy changes have yet to be determined. The Industrial 2050 Decarbonisation and Energy Efficiency Roadmaps reports published in March 2015 identified a potential role for industrial CCS technologies in decarbonising the steel, oil refining, chemicals and cement sectors. DECC and BIS continue to engage with the energy intensive industries and academics to develop decarbonisation Action Plans by the end of 2016 as the second phase of this process.

The Government remains committed to working with energy intensive industries including those in the Northern Powerhouse area. DECC provided £1million funding to Tees Valley Unlimited as part of the 2013 City Deal agreement to undertake an Industrial CCS feasibility study based on the chemicals and steel industry in the Teesside cluster and we continue to support that work. The devolution deal for Tees Valley, published in October this year, also included a commitment to explore how it can continue to develop its industrial CCS proposals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on the guidance given to local authorities regarding housebuilding on floodplains.

Brandon Lewis

The Department, together with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, holds regular discussions with the Environment Agency on a variety of matters including to ensure the safeguards in national planning policy to protect people and property from flooding are being applied. Between April 2011 and March 2015 over 99% of proposed new homes had planning outcomes in line with Environment Agency advice where they had objected because of concerns about flood risk and had been made aware of the decision.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the total paid out by his Department in flood compensation grants to households who were not entitled to such payments in the last six weeks.

James Wharton

To date my Department has paid out £47 million to local authorities under the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme. The Scheme is intended to support local authorities with community recovery, business support and property resilience.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to assist unaccompanied child refugees in Europe.

James Brokenshire

Unaccompanied children in other EU countries should be able to access the support needed in those countries. The European countries in which they arrive have international obligations and a duty to provide adequate protection and support to refugees within their territory.

We are working closely with UN agencies, NGOs and the Member States involved to ensure that protection is provided. We will provide further resources to the European Asylum Support Office to help in border “hotspots” in Greece and Italy to help identify and register children at risk on first arrival in the EU.

The Government remains concerned about the needs of vulnerable children on the move in Europe and the Balkans, and the needs of those who become stranded along the route. The UK has therefore increased its aid to refugees and migrants, including children, in Europe and the Balkans to £46 million, divided among the most affected countries and including specific support of £2.75 million to UNICEF, which will benefit 27,000 children. In addition, the Department for International Development (DFID) is creating a new fund of up to £10 million to support the needs of vulnerable refugee and migrant children in Europe, the Refugee Children Fund for Europe.

This will include targeted support to meet the specific needs of unaccompanied and separated children who face additional risks. The support will be delivered through a range of UN agencies and NGOs. Unaccompanied children that have a close family link to the UK and claim asylum in another EU country may be entitled to be transferred to the UK under the family unity provisions of the Dublin Regulation. We want to ensure we reunite children with any close family in the UK as quickly and as safely as possible, and we work closely with EU partners on this issue.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-05.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23778, on civil servants: pensions, and with reference to his letter to the hon. Member for Stockton North of 7 January 2016, for what reason a deduction was made from the refund on the Principal Civil Service Pension of the constituent referred to in that letter.

Matthew Hancock

Like other occupational pension schemes, the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) is required by law to provide a widow’s pension, in respect of service from 6 April 1978, whenever a member dies and leaves an eligible widow – irrespective of when that marriage took place. To cover the risk of the scheme having to pay a widow’s pension in respect of a marriage that took place after a member leaves service, a non-refundable insurance-type premium is deducted from the refund of members of the classic section of the PCSPS who remain single throughout service. This premium is a type of group insurance against the specific risk of a member dying and leaving an eligible widow/widower.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the deadline is for making an application to the EU Solidarity Fund in relation to the Cumbria floods.

James Wharton

Applications for the European Solidarity Fund must be received by the Commission within 12 weeks of the date of first damage caused by the disaster.