Tag: Jim Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the powers of UK pensions schemes to indirectly invest in companies linked with the manufacture of cluster-munitions.

Richard Harrington

Trustees and managers are responsible for acting in the best interests of beneficiaries, including the investment of members’ funds. They must, under existing obligations, prepare a statement of investment principles. This must set out the extent to which social, environmental, or ethical considerations are taken into account in the selection, retention, and realisation of investments.

We have no immediate plans to change these existing obligations, but will keep them under review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many officials in his Department are working on climate change policy; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd

The Department leads on the Government’s clear commitment to tackle climate change. Many teams deliver against multiple cross cutting objectives

Consequently, it is not possible to give an exact figure of the number of staff involved in this work. However, the Government has been clear in the need to meet our remission reduction targets while keeping our energy supply secure and low cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 45147, what his Department’s total spend has been to date.

Mr David Jones

The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) is properly resourced. Detailed work is underway to establish the final budget required and this will be voted on and published as part of the Supplementary Estimate process. Total expenditure by the Department will be set out in the Annual Report and Accounts in the usual way.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many civil servants working in his Department have been seconded from other government departments; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Jones

All departments are equipping themselves with the resources they need to get the best deal for the UK. The Department for Exiting the European Union now has over 250 staff plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels, and we are still growing rapidly.

The term ‘secondment’ to refers to an interchange of staff between the Civil Service and an external organisation as such we have not brought any secondees into the Department from elsewhere in the Civil Service. All joiners from other Government departments have been on a loan basis, which refers to an interchange of staff between Civil Service departments or Agencies.

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 steps he is taking to ensure that the UK leaving the EU does not have a deleterious effect on the operation of UK universities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker

​​The Department for Exiting the EU has engaged with a number of higher education institutions and groups including Universities UK and Royal Academies. Over the next few months the department will continue to engage with key stakeholders in business and civil society, including universities, through a series of roundtables, bi-laterals and visits across the UK.

We have been clear that we want to create an environment in which the UK as a whole can continue to be a world leader in research, science and the tertiary education sector more broadly. The government has already announced that UK researchers can still apply for Horizon 2020 projects and the Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. Equally, EU students applying for a place at an English university or further education institution in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will continue to be eligible for student loans and grants – and will be for the duration of their course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department plans to begin the formal negotiation process for trade deals with (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries after the (i) initiation and (ii) conclusion of the Article 50 process; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands

The Prime Minister has been clear, we are not going to provide a running commentary on the negotiations. We recognise the need for a smooth transition as the UK leaves the EU, which minimises disruption to our trading relationships. Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are working closely with counterparts across a wide range of markets, in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade. We are taking advantage of all the opportunities available to us to ensure that Britain becomes the global leader in free trade once we leave the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-27.

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

George Eustice

Defra produces a number of statistics on UK agricultural productivity and these are published on the GOV.UK website.

The land productivity index (calculated as total agricultural output divided by the amount of land in agricultural production) shows:

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Productivity by land	98.1	100.0	103.8	99.2	100.7	107.7

Index base year = 2010

Care needs to be taken in interpreting this measure, as agricultural output is determined by a number of inputs, both within farmers’ control (eg. labour) and outside their control (eg. weather).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the amount spent on advertising campaigns aimed at teacher recruitment in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb

The estimated amount spent on advertising campaigns aimed at teacher recruitment in each of the last five years is:

	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Total spend	£4,210,000	£4,630,000	£6,020,000	£1,800,000	£4,770,000

These estimates include advertising campaign costs, such as production and purchased media space in TV, newspapers, online and social media.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) complaints and (b) investigations into complaints made by civil servants against special advisers in his Department (i) have been made in each of the last five years and (ii) are currently ongoing.

Harriett Baldwin

There have been no a) complaints and b) investigations into complaints made by civil servants against special advisers in HM Treasury either in the last five years nor are there any currently ongoing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number and accessibility of pharmacy facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

There were 11,674 community pharmacies in England at 31 March 2015. 95% of the population is within a 20 minute walk of a community pharmacy, with access greatest in the most deprived areas. It is not for the Department to determine or advise on how health and social care providers, including pharmacies, comply with equalities legislation. It is up to each pharmacy owner to ensure their pharmacy premises comply with the Equality Act 2010.