Tag: Alex Cunningham

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with the Metropolitan Police Service to reduce the time taken to complete pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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 2016-05-23.

To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the Government’s ability to prosecute criminals who have left the UK.

Jeremy Wright

The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

Through participation in the European Arrest Warrant, the UK is able to extradite foreign suspects and bring suspects back to the UK more quickly and economically. Since April 2011, it has enabled us to transfer around 5,500 suspects out of the UK and to bring back around 650 to face justice here.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of workforce confidence in the safe operation of commercial helicopter transport in the North Sea oil and gas industry.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The UK’s independent safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) takes seriously concerns raised in the safe operation of commercial helicopter transport.

The CAA currently leads the Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) which seeks to drive through safety improvements.

The Group is represented across industry and includes pilot and workforce representatives from key organisations to facilitate dialogue between helicopter operators, workforce representatives, manufacturers and regulators.

The OHSAG has made significant safety improvements, including prohibiting helicopter flights in the most severe sea conditions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of the money pledged by the UK at the donor conference for Palestinians in Cairo in October 2014 has reached beneficiaries in the Gaza Strip; and what that money has been spent on.

Mr Desmond Swayne

In October 2014, the UK pledged £20 million in early recovery assistance at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo. We have fully disbursed our pledge and will exceed it over the coming months, as we disburse residual funds on getting businesses back to work in Gaza.

DFID’s support has included reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation for those injured in the conflict, clearance of unexploded ordnance, short-term employment schemes, shelter and basic services, support to the private sector, funding for the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM), and direct support and technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much game meat has entered the human food chain from licensed hunting activities on land owned by Government Departments or agencies in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison

As part of its regulation of approved meat establishments, the Food Standards Agency collects throughput figures on the number of animals slaughtered or processed at each premises. Game meat processed at approved game handling establishments will come from trained hunters and be supported by an appropriate declaration. There is no requirement to detail on these declarations whether the game is from land owned by Government Departments or Agencies.

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, how much has been spent on flood defences in Dartford in the last 12 months; and what such spending is planned in the next 12 months.

Rory Stewart

Over the past twelve months, the Environment Agency has spent over £240,000 maintaining flood defence assets in the Dartford borough. During the next twelve months the Environment Agency expects to spend over £300,000 for this purpose.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with HM Treasury on the removal of the fuel duty escalator for liquefied petroleum gas as part of government proposals to reduce emissions from road transport.

Andrew Jones

Ministers and officials meet regularly with HM Treasury on a wide range of issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Spending Review 2015, what plans she has for the funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

Rory Stewart

The Government has committed to providing funding to help secure the National Wildlife Crime Unit until at least the end of March next year. Decisions on funding beyond March will be made as part of consideration of the Department’s Spending Review settlement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received on enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act in the last 12 months.

George Eustice

We have received several representations enquiring about various aspects of the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 over the last 12 months. They include representations on local authority powers under the 2006 Act and the ability of the RSPCA to bring forward prosecutions.

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 steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities follow the guidance given by the Environment Agency on the building of houses on floodplains.

Brandon Lewis

National planning policy on flooding must be taken into account by local planning authorities in preparing their local plans and we are clear they should take advice from the Environment Agency and other relevant flood risk management bodies in doing so.

Additionally, a local planning authority must, as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015, consult the Environment Agency on planning applications for development proposed on a floodplain and, in determining the application, they must take into account their advice. As an added safeguard, if a local planning authority wants to approve an application that the Environment Agency has objected to because of concerns about flood risk, they must first refer it to the Secretary of State to consider whether it should be ‘called-in’. Between April 2011 and March 2015 over 99% of proposed new homes had planning outcomes in line with Environment Agency advice where they had been made aware of the decision.