Tag: Jim Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if his Department will conduct a review into the export of UK arms to Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Garnier

Her Majesty’s Government is satisfied that we are not in breach of our international obligations. A licence will not be issued, to Saudi Arabia or any other destination, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. The position is kept under constant review as each licence application is considered carefully on a case-by-case basis but there are no plans to commission a further review of the export of UK arms to Saudi Arabia.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of full-time equivalent officials based in her Department who are working on selective education policies; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb

There are a total of 16 full-time equivalent staff working on the Schools that work for everyone consultation, including policy proposals on selective education.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of levels of food insecurity in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

The UK currently has a high degree of food security as shown by the UK Food Security Assessment (published in 2010 and reviewed in 2012) which analysed the different global factors affecting UK food supply.

Global food security is dependent on a number of factors including increasing production sustainably, reducing waste and ensuring open markets around the world to facilitate trade.

Following a period of higher food price inflation retail food prices have fallen by 7.0% since their peak in February 2014. The proportion of household income spent on food has remained stable at 11% for 2015/16 compared to 2008/09.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the regularity of incursions into UK airspace by foreign jets; and if he will make a statement.

Mike Penning

The airspace around and approaching the UK is permanently monitored on a 24 hour basis. There have been no unauthorised incursions by any foreign military aircraft into sovereign air space around the UK, which projects 12 miles off shore or to mutually agreed mid-points between adjacent nations over narrow straits such as the Straits of Dover. The UK civil air traffic region and the NATO Air Policing Area, which the UK has responsibility for monitoring, include large areas of international airspace through which foreign military traffic may legally transit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people caring full-time for a relative; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

“Caring full-time for a relative” is not a term that is defined in data collections and so the data is not collected centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to implement a strategy to tackle invasive non-native species at the European level; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

The United Kingdom has been instrumental in calling for an EU-wide strategy to tackle invasive non-native species. We support the new EU Regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction of invasive alien species, which came into force on 1 January 2015. Since that time we have been working with the European Commission and other Member States to agree the first list of species that will be subject to the Regulation, and to put the required measures in place to tackle those species as required by the Regulation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15934, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in receipt of carer’s credit in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson

Historical information on the number of people in receipt of Carers Credit in each of the last five years is not available. To comply with Data Protection, dormant Carers Credit cases which have been closed for 14 months or more are removed from the Carers Credit Operating System and clerical records destroyed.

• An estimated 8908 people are currently in receipt of Carers Credit (November 2015).
• 15,477 Carers Credit applications have been made since it was introduced in April 2010.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of permaculture techniques; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

Defra undertakes no specific research into the effectiveness of permaculture techniques, but the principles of permaculture are reflected in our current research programme. We are investing £4 million over three years in research through the Sustainable Intensification Research Platform to improve the environmental and economic performance of farming. This includes exploring integrated farm management techniques and landscape scale opportunities.

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 assessment his Department has made of the security risk posed by areas of the Mediterranean shoreline which are under the control of Islamic State; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are extremely concerned about the growing threat from extremist groups present along the Mediterranean shoreline, including Daesh and groups affiliated with it. These groups pose potential threats to the UK and our interests and citizens overseas, as well as a threat to stability in the region. Where Daesh has a foothold on the Mediterranean shoreline in Libya, we are working closely with international partners to develop our understanding of its presence, and how to tackle it there. We are supporting UN-led efforts to establish a Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, which will be crucial in the long term to tackling the Daesh threat present in that county and across the region.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2015 to Question 18323, what assessment his Department has made of progress on establishing a government of national accord in Libya; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We urgently need to see a conclusion to the UN-led political process and the formation of a Government of National Accord in Libya. The Libyan Political Agreement announced at Skhirat in October is the only basis for peace and security in Libya, and only a Government of National Accord can begin the difficult work of establishing effective, legitimate governance, restoring stability and tackling the threat posed by Daesh. The Rome Conference co-chaired by Italy, the US, and the UN on 13 December will be an opportunity to demonstrate the determination of the international community on the way forward. The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to coordinate international support for a unity Government.