Tag: Jim Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to encourage retailers to source their products from ethical and sustainable sources; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

The Department encourages more responsible supply chain management by businesses, including retailers, by requiring companies to be more transparent about their business operations. UK listed companies are required to report on social and environmental matters where necessary for an understanding of their business.

More widely, the Government supports the Ethical Trading Initiative which helps member companies realise their commitment to continuous improvement in ethical sourcing.

We are also providing £18 million over six years to help Fairtrade International have a greater impact in their work and strengthen the global Fairtrade system.

The Government also supports work by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) on voluntary agreements such as the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan which encourages sustainability of clothing across the product life cycle including, for example, use of lower impact fibres. In addition, Government co-ordinates work on the UK statement on the sustainable production of palm oil, working with retailers and others towards achieving 100% sourcing of credibly certified sustainable palm oil in the UK.

In October the transparency in supply chains provision (section 54) of the Modern Slavery Act came into force.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2015 to Question 13387, what information her Department holds on the number of sites approved for fracking in England and Wales; what the location is of each such site; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

There are currently no sites approved for fracking in England and Wales. Any operator would need a Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence (PEDL) in place before commencing hydrocarbon operations. A PEDL does not, in and of itself, allow an operator to commence hydrocarbon operations. Rather, they grant exclusivity to licensees within a defined area. All operations would also require local planning permission,Environment Agency permits, Health and Safety Executive scrutiny, Oil and Gas Authority consent and access agreement(s) with relevant landowner(s).

The Infrastructure Act 2015 introduced a range of further requirements that must be met before an operator can carry out hydraulic fracturing in a responsible, sustainable and safe manner. A hydraulic fracturing consent will not be issued unless my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State is satisfied that the conditions are met. The Secretary of State must also be satisfied that it is appropriate to issue the consent.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department’s budget is for the 2021 UK City of Culture competition; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The process for determining the winning city in 2021 is due to take place in 2017. All funding is subject to the forthcoming spending review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of infection in NHS hospitals have been attributed to antibiotic resistant infections in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

Public Health England (PHE) collects data only on key pathogens and antimicrobials identified from positive blood specimens reported through hospital laboratories and infection control teams. Data is not collected in a format that allows attribution of antibiotic resistance to all cases of infection in National Health Service hospitals. It is therefore not possible to determine a total number of infections attributed to antibiotic resistance in each of the last five years. PHE is working, with partner organisations, to address antimicrobial resistance through the implementation of the UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent review his Department has conducted of the security and humanitarian situation in (a) Sirte, (b) Ajdabiya, (c) Benghazi, (d) Derma and (e) Az Zawiya in Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We continue to closely monitor the general security and humanitarian situation in Libya. We are particularly concerned by human rights violations and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in areas including Sirte, Ajdabiya, Benghazi, Derna and Az Zawiya. We condemn the use of violence against civilians committed by Daesh and other armed groups in Libya, and call for those responsible for human rights violations and abuses to be held accountable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff were employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones

The figures below provide details of how many staff were employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each of the last five years.

Year:	Headcount:	Full time equivalent:
2010-11	4912 (2607+2305)	4669.11 (2434.16+2234.95)
2011-12	4832 (2584+2248)	4544.03 (2407.61+2136.42)
2012-13	4715 (2450+2265)	4451.75 (2273.07+2178.68)
2013-14	4545 (2277+2268)	4304.19 (2123.53+2180.66)
2014-15	4526	4266.28

The figures in brackets are to show the break-down of staff members before the merger of the Vehicle and Operators Service Agency and the Driving Standards Agency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19589, what the budget for the BIS Automotive sector team has been in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

The administrative budget associated with the BIS Automotive sector team for the last five financial years is illustrated below.

Financial Year	Administrative Cost
11/12	£1,393,614*^
12/13	£1,187,636^
13/14	£1,207,986^
14/15	£1,256,570^
15/16	£1,219,550^

*Includes funding for the Advanced Manufacturing Showcasing team who came under the same administrative budget for these years.

^ Includes one FTE on loan to the Office for Low Emission Vehicles

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his North Korean counterpart on the recent nuclear weapons tests conducted in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

I summoned the North Korean (DPRK) Ambassador on 7 January. During the meeting, I underlined the UK’s firm condemnation of the nuclear test which was a serious violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. I also made clear to the Ambassador that his country risked increased isolation and further action by the international community should it continue to threaten international security. I told the Ambassador that the North Korean regime should focus on feeding its people rather than regional instability.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of crowd control guidelines issued to local police forces for large sporting events; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning

The Home Office has not made any assessment of crowd control guidelines issued to the police.

This is an operational matter for the police and guidance is set out in the Police Authorised Professional Practice on Public Order, which is developed and owned by the College of Policing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many council homes were built in England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis

For completeness the numbers of local authority dwellings built in England over the last 15 years are shown in the table below.

	2000/01	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
England	180	60	200	190	100	300	250	220

	2008/09	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
England	490	370	1,140	1,960	1,360	910	1,360

Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. These statistics are published both annually and quarterly.

More comprehensive statistics on affordable housing, including private registered provider (housing association) houses, are published in the Department’s live tables 1006, 1006a, 1007 and 1008, at: http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

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