Tag: Jim Cunningham

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) flights, (b) rail journeys and (c) taxi journeys were taken by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants of his Department during the negotiation process for local authority devolution deals in each of the last three years; and what the total cost was of each of those types of journey.

Mr Mark Francois

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 April 2016 to Question 34017.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 20201; what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on safe-standing facilities at higher tier sports stadia on the recent findings of the Hillsborough Inquest.

David Evennett

My Rt Honourable Friend the Home Secretary made a statement on the determinations and findings of the fresh Hillsborough inquests (Official Report, 27 April 2016, columns 1433-1463). The Taylor Report made recommendations after the disaster that would make sports grounds safer, which included the introduction of all-seater stadia in the top two tiers of English football.

The Government remains of the view that that all-seater stadiums are the best means to ensure the safety and security of fans at football in England and Wales. All-seater stadiums have helped improve crowd management, crowd behaviour and policing. They also provide more comfortable facilities for spectators to enjoy football matches. We will, however, monitor the introduction of safe standing accommodation in Scotland closely once evidence from the Scottish experience is available.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the cost of Civil Service support for the Tile Hill Wood and Woodlands Academy consultation to date; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

Part of the Department’s role is to monitor the performance of open academies and intervene where appropriate. As this work forms part of the Department’s regular intervention work it does not have a specific cost associated with it.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of hotel bookings her Department made for its (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in each of the last five years.

George Eustice

Core Defra uses a single provider for all travel and hotel bookings. Provision of this service began in May 2012. Information relating to hotel bookings made prior to that date, through a different provider, is not available.

This table sets out spend on hotels in financial years 2012-13 (from May 2012 onwards) to 2015-16:

2012-13 (£)	2013-14 (£)	2014-15 (£)	2015-16 (£)
Ministers	1,530	2,461	3,157	1,139
Special Advisers	2,952	1,598	2,066	563
Officials	425,676	665,583	743,896	472,544

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, 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.

Harriett Baldwin

Information on hotel spend for Ministers is publically available on gov.uk as part of the Transparency agenda. The information is published quarterly and is up to date for quarter 3 of financial year 2015-16 and can be found at the following web link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on research by her Department in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

Research and development (R&D), analysis and monitoring and surveillance provide important input into evidence for decision-making, ensuring Defra’s polices are based on a sound, comprehensive understanding of current evidence. It helps us find new policy solutions and identify and tackle future issues.

The term ‘evidence’ encompasses material from a variety of disciplines – science research, statistics, economics, social research or operational research, and geographical information.

Core Defra’s spend in ‘evidence’, including its share of Research & Development (R&D), during the last five years is summarised in the table below.

Year	Core Defra total evidence spend	Core Defra R&D spend (within the evidence total)
2010/11	£209m	£106m
2011/12	£199m	£110m
2012/13	£189m	£101m
2013/14	£149m	£91m
2014/15	£123m	£71m

These figures include work commissioned by core Defra from its laboratory agencies, namely the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; the Food and Environment Research Agency and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Due to both financial factors and wider changes in the context for how research and innovation are being organised (e.g. as set out in the Higher Education White Paper), Defra’s approach is evolving more towards that of consumer rather than commissioner of research. Defra’s role will be to set out its key evidence needs and work with providers to co-design research and other evidence, increasingly looking to the wider stakeholder community to deliver the necessary evidence. For that to work effectively Defra will strengthen relationships with research councils, other research funders, other government departments and other overseas governments.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from local transport authorities on the implementation of audio-visual systems on public transport in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones

I am not aware of any representations having been made to the Department by local transport authorities over the past twelve months with respect to the installation of audio/visual equipment on public transport services.

Accessible on-board information can be key to giving many people the confidence to travel by bus, and I encourage operators to consider the benefits of providing it for all their customers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many applications were made by developers for housebuilding on green belt land in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis

The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold information on the numbers of planning applications made in the Green Belt.

The department’s Land Use Change Statistics estimate that 3% of new residential addresses created in 2014-15 were in the Green Belt; unchanged from 2013-14. This equates to an estimated 3,900 homes – 2.9998% of the total homes built in the Green Belt in 2013-14, and 4,600 homes – 2.9997% of the total homes built in 2014-15.

The figures in the 13/14 publication are the first in the new series and so are not directly comparable to the previous Land Use Change Statistics which last published data covering the year 2011. Figures for 2011 and prior are available from the department’s website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/land-use-change-statistics-in-england-2011

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2016 to Question 40363, what estimate she has made of the cost of energy imports by the UK in each of the next five years.

Andrea Leadsom

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not produce projections of the cost of energy imports by the UK. The latest available estimate of the cost of UK energy imports is for the year 2015, valued at £37.9 billion.[1] Future costs of energy imports will depend on the volumes traded and also on fuel prices, which are inherently uncertain.

[1] The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates of the value of trade according to internationally agreed classifications (SITC), with category 3 comprising most energy products (coal, crude oil, oil products, gas and electricity). This data is republished by DECC in table G7 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), and shows estimates of the value of energy trade.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2016 to Question 41301, whether he has made an estimate of the total cost to his Department of hiring additional lawyers, financial and trade experts as a result of the outcome of the EU referendum; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 30 June given in response to PQ 41301. Structures and funding required for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are to be determined.