Tag: Jim Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to Question 31008, how many officials of his Department worked full-time on strategies to tackle homelessness in each of the last five years.

Mr Marcus Jones

Over the years, this Department always ensured that policy areas, including homelessness, were suitably resourced in order to provide the best possible response to deal with changing priorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost of hotel bookings for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants of his Department was during the negotiation processes for local authority devolution deals in each of the last three years.

Mr Mark Francois

Ministers, special advisers and civil servants in this department undertake a variety of visits to support the delivery of Government’s devolution and local growth objectives. We do not hold figures for the costs incurred for visits specifically supporting the negotiation of devolution deals in the format requested and this can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-26.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of parents with children who claimed tax credits in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds

Information about the number of parents with children who claimed tax credits in each of the last five years can be found in the publication ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics, UK KAI Benefits & Credits December 2015’. Please see Table1.1. These statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/485170/cwtc-main-Dec15.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of consultation processes on the conversion of all schools to academies in the next 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

Pre-opening support grants are available to schools when they convert. These grants contribute towards the costs of establishing the academy, including legal fees, costs associated with transfer of land, transfer of software licences, the consultation process, Human Resource and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations advice and setting up the Academy Trust.

The precise costs will depend on how schools individually and collectively come forward with academy proposals. There will, however, be a range of help available to support schools to become academies and secure the associated benefits.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of named day written parliamentary questions have been answered after the specified date by each Minister in his Department since May 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey

In an oral evidence session to the House of Commons Procedure Committee on 27th April it was noted by the Minister for Sport that though the department had experienced a dip in its performance for timeliness of answers to written questions since May 2015, there has also been a significant improvement in performance in recent months.

The Table shows Named Day responses from 27th May 2015 to 29th April 2016:

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of hotel bookings his Department made for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in each of the last five years.

Matthew Hancock

Details of Ministerial overseas travel, and senior officials’ business expenses are published on a quarterly basis. The remaining information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many visits (a) by Ministers and (b) officials from her Department were made to Coventry in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb

The table below shows the total number of visits made by Department for Education ministers to Coventry for each of the last five years.

We do not hold data centrally on the number of visits made by civil servants to particular locations. This could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the amount spent by his Department on audio-visual systems intended for buses in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones

The Department has not funded audio/visual equipment on buses, but we understand the importance of accessible on-board information to many passengers, including those who are visually impaired, and have supported initiatives to develop innovative and low-cost approaches for delivering it.

For instance, we worked with the Transport Systems Catapult on the All Aboard Competition, resulting in the development of a prototype vibrating wristband which alerts users to upcoming stops.

Many bus operators have already embraced audible and visual next stop announcements, and I encourage the wider industry to consider the potential benefit for all of its customers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment she has made of the effect on the UK offshore oil and gas industry workforce of the withdrawal of the Super Puma airframes from commercial operation.

Andrea Leadsom

The withdrawal from service of most of the Super Puma helicopter models followed the tragic crash in Norway with the loss of 13 lives on 29 April this year. We are confident that the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board will determine the cause of the crash and that the UK regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, will then decide on the appropriate longer term action to take. It was entirely appropriate for the relevant Super Puma models to be immediately withdrawn from service by the CAA in the light of the circumstances of the accident, and this should have given assurance to the UK offshore oil and gas industry workforce about the regulatory controls in place. Oil and Gas UK, the main trade association for the industry, has formed a Helicopter Resilience Group with members from industry to discuss how logistics can be managed more effectively.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2016 to Question 40701, what estimate he has made of the number of housing association properties sold through right-to-buy which have been replaced since the launch of that policy.

Brandon Lewis

I refer the hon Member to my response of 29 June to Question UIN 40701.