Tag: Jim Cunningham

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2016 to Question 40727, if his Department will increase the number of its employees based in Coventry in the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson

In the answer of 27 June 2016 to Question 40727 the reference to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) in the answer was specifically to BIS HQ and not any of its agencies.

BIS has no plans to increase the number of HQ employees in Coventry, given the decision to move to a single HQ and policy centre based in London.

The Skills Funding Agency has a significant presence in Coventry and our estate plans include a further education funding centre whose final location is yet to be decided but will initially be in Coventry.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on preventing the spread of ash dieback disease since that disease was first detected in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart

We are monitoring and managing ash dieback and have invested over £4 million into surveillance and research.

Our surveillance programme involving Government, industry, conservation groups and the public, enables us to monitor the disease and to target resources effectively.

Investing in research on the development of tolerant trees is one of our key commitments in response to the disease. Ash trees have a very wide genetic diversity and have the potential for great levels of resistance compared to other tree species that have been affected by diseases.

The Government-funded research and screening trial of 155,000 ash saplings is unprecedented in its scope. It has now identified native ash trees that show tolerance to ash dieback, raising the possibility of using selective breeding to develop strains of trees that are tolerant to the disease.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to safeguard the status of non-UK EEA students in the UK as a result of the outcome of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

Joseph Johnson

Existing rules on EU and other EEA students remain in force. This means that existing EU and other EEA nationals and their family members eligible to receive student support (including loans) will continue to receive that support until they finish their courses. This applies to those who are either currently studying or who will begin courses in academic year 2016/17.

Further information is provided in a statement made by the Student Loans Company: http://www.slc.co.uk/media/latest-news/eu-nationals-and-student-finance-in-england.aspx

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights record of the government of Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma

As I said during the adjournment debate on Bangladesh on 8 September, we are concerned about the protection of human rights in Bangladesh. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office named Bangladesh as one of 30 Human Rights Priority Countries in its 2015 report. The report cited the confrontational actions of the two main political parties, extremist attacks against secular writers and religious minorities and pressure on free speech, plus continued use of the death penalty as particular areas of concern.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how much her Department will spend on children’s centres in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage

Local authorities have a duty under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet the needs of local families. Local authorities must meet their statutory duties on children’s centres from funding that forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Business Rates Retention Scheme. In addition, other government funding, including that for public health, adult skills training and troubled families may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres.

Since April 2010 local authorities have reported actual and planned expenditure on children’s centres (regardless of the funding source) through annual Section 251 returns. This information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/expenditure-on-education-children-and-young-peoples-services-academic-year-2011-to-2012 and: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/section-251-materials

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has made to the Football League and the Premier League on whether the Fit and Proper Person Test they use is appropriate and effective; and if she will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch

I have regular meetings with the Leagues, and have discussed the Owners and Directors Test (formerly Fit and Proper Persons Test) with them. The test exists to protect clubs from individuals who fall within the disqualifying criteria, and I am pleased that The Football Association, The Premier League and the English Football League have committed to keeping it under constant review so that it is achieving its intended purpose. This commitment is set out in the report by the Government’s Expert Working Group on Supporter Ownership and Engagement published earlier this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-11.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2016 to Question 46494, whether his Department keeps a record of the number of people who have had their tax credits stopped and subsequently reinstated by Concentrix in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not keep records of the number of people who had their tax credits stopped and then re-instated by Concentrix. Only the number of awards that have been amended, which could be stopped, reduced or increased, is recorded.

HMRC is currently focussed on resolving the outstanding cases but will be preparing analysis, which will be available in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of his Department’s spending on hospitality to date.

Mr Robin Walker

Information about spend on hospitality for Senior officials, Ministers and Special Advisers will be published in the usual way through the transparency data on gov.uk.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage retailers to reduce the amount of food waste they produce; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart

Through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the Government is working with food manufacturers and retailers to meet targets to reduce food and packaging waste from the grocery supply chain under the Courtauld Commitment.

Signatories reported a reduction of 7.4% in supply chain waste between 2009 and 2012 under Courtauld 2. Interim results for Courtauld 3 show signatories reported a further 3.2% reduction by 2014 against the overall target of a 3% reduction by the end of 2015.

WRAP is currently brokering a new agreement, Courtauld 2025, which will build on this progress and is expected to start in 2016.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his most recent estimate is of the number of UK military personnel currently involved in military operations in (a) Iraq and (b) Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt

We have over 850 military personnel committed to Operation SHADER (counter-ISIL operations in Iraq and Syria) based across the Middle East