Tag: Alex Cunningham

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment has been made of the potential cost of works to the former SSI steel works site on Teesside to prepare it for redevelopment.

Anna Soubry

The Official Receiver is currently delivering a safe and secure liquidation of SSI. Once that has been completed, the Government will work with local partners to understand the potential for the redevelopment of the site. The future use or uses of the site will be key in determining the level of remediation required.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assistance is available to people undertaking flood protection measures who cannot afford to pay for the works before claiming a flood protection grant.

James Wharton

The Property Level Resilience scheme has been designed to enable local approaches to be developed which take account of the fact that many households or businesses may not be able to pay for works up front.

Local areas are finding local solutions. For example, Northumberland County Council are making Property Level Resilience payments in advance of works being carried out, but following receipt of a survey which highlights the measures required and at least two quotes for high value items.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2016 to Question 27063, what steps she plans to take to ensure oversight mechanisms are put in place when further powers to dredge watercourses are extended to farmers.

Rory Stewart

The draft Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2016 include conditions that must be followed by those wishing to undertake dredging under an exemption. If works are not undertaken according to the relevant conditions, then the Environment Agency will be able to take enforcement action. This includes suspension notices to stop any further works being carried out, enforcement and remediation notices requiring remediation within a specified period, and the power to prosecute.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the potential costs of making necessary improvements to flood defences in Carlisle since the recent floods affecting that area.

Rory Stewart

The Government will invest up to £58 million in flood defences in Cumbria once the Environment Agency has concluded a review of its need.

The Environment Agency expects their initial assessments will be complete in the summer. Any investments are likely to form a combination of improvements to existing defences, new defences and upstream attenuation / ‘slow the flow’ measures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average waiting time is for the completion of pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley

Performance data for the Disclosure and Barring Service for March 2016 indicates that average processing time for DBS applications was 14.8 days. Certificates dispatched to applicants by the DBS in March 2016 involving (a) Cleveland Police and (b) the Metropolitan Police Service took an average of (a) 24 days and (b) 122 days.

Protecting the public is a priority for this Government and it is important that checks undertaken are thorough; a proportion of the applications received by the DBS must be referred to one or more police forces as part of the enhanced disclosure process. In the vast majority of cases these checks are completed within target. The DBS is working closely with the small number of forces, including the MPS, whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the MPS has established a Gold Group to oversee the recovery plan which they have in place to reduce the time taken. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Answer of 11 May 2016 to Question 36450, what consultation meetings she (a) has had and (b) plans to have with trades unions for UK oil and gas workers on the development of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Oil and Gas plan for the UK oil and gas workforce.

Andrea Leadsom

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is engaging with a range of stakeholders as it develops a UK oil and gas workforce plan. A range of Unions were invited to a workshop on the 21st March 2016 to discuss the emerging proposals. The Department, along with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will continue to engage with Unions as appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the potential role of the UK in developing usable carbon capture and storage technology.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government views Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as having a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s economy. However, CCS is currently too expensive and costs must come down. This is why we are committed to working with industry to help develop the technology and reduce its costs, including by investing over £130 million in CCS Research and Development since 2011.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department’s policy is on carbon capture and storage for coal and gas; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman

We will continue to work with industry going forward and will set out our future approach to carbon capture and storage in due course.

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 assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of partial restrictions on the use of lead ammunition for reducing the incidence of lead poisoning; and what comparative assessment she has made of the effectiveness of that policy and those in place in other jurisdictions.

Rory Stewart

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 has produced advice on the consumption of lead shot game which can be accessed at https://www.food.gov.uk/science/advice-to-frequent-eaters-of-game-shot-with-lead.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has allocated to reducing light pollution in the next five financial years.

Andrew Jones

When environmental impacts of new transport infrastructure projects are identified as part of the assessment and design process, appropriate mitigation is funded from within the budget for that project.

As part of the Road Investment Strategy, Highways England also has a £300m environment fund to deliver environmental improvements on their network, both through retrofitting measures on the existing road network and maximizing opportunities offered by new road schemes. Where there is a strong case, some of this fund could support projects which reduce light pollution.