Tag: Jim Cunningham

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice her Department has received from experts on the reintroduction of grammar schools in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb

The Department has reviewed a wide range of external research and evidence on the impact of academic selection, including research on the impact of selection on the educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

The evidence shows that grammar schools provide a good education for those who attend them. Grammar school pupils outperform those of similar ability in comprehensive schools and they also make more progress than other pupils with similar primary school results. Nearly 78 per cent of high ability pupils achieve the English Baccalaureate at grammar school, compared to just over 52 per cent at comprehensive schools, and the attainment gap for disadvantaged students in grammar schools is practically eliminated

This evidence is based on the existing system of grammar schools. We are proposing significant changes to the requirements placed on selective schools to ensure that they raise standards for all pupils as part of a diverse schools system.

Our proposals will help deliver a school system that works for all children and offers parents genuine choice by increasing the number of good and outstanding school places.

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 steps her Department is taking to reduce food waste in government departments and publicly funded bodies; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

Defra is one of the signatories to the Courtauld Commitment 2025. This is a commitment by stakeholders across the UK food and drink system – from producer to consumer – to work together to respond to pressures on increasingly scarce resources. All the food waste from Defra’s London canteen is recycled.

Reducing waste from Government departments is a key focus of the Greening Government Commitments. In 2014-15, Government departments collectively recorded a 22% reduction in overall waste compared to a 2009-10 baseline. The Greening Government target for waste has focused on the top of the waste hierarchy – that is, reducing overall waste, allowing individual departments to take action on different waste streams as appropriate to their specific operations and material impacts.

A new framework of Greening Government targets covering the period to 2020 will be announced soon.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) material and (b) humanitarian assistance the Government is providing to assist civilians fleeing the city of Mosul; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart

The UK has been one of the earliest and largest donors to the UN’s Mosul Flash Appeal, focused on preparing for the humanitarian consequences of Mosul military operations. This includes £40 million announced by my right Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, at the UN General Assembly in September. With this, our partners will provide assistance, including shelter and support kits for 66,000 people, comprising vital equipment for any displaced family, such as blankets, plastic sheets, buckets and other containers for water, cooking items and soap. It will also provide emergency healthcare for 42,000 people, through four mobile medical teams, upgraded emergency medical surgeries, three ambulances and two health facilities with equipment, medication and light rehabilitation.

This brings the UK’s total humanitarian commitment to £90 million in 2016, and £169.5 million since summer 2014.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to encourage retailers to source their products from ethical and sustainable sources; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

The Department encourages more responsible supply chain management by businesses, including retailers, by requiring companies to be more transparent about their business operations. UK listed companies are required to report on social and environmental matters where necessary for an understanding of their business.

More widely, the Government supports the Ethical Trading Initiative which helps member companies realise their commitment to continuous improvement in ethical sourcing.

We are also providing £18 million over six years to help Fairtrade International have a greater impact in their work and strengthen the global Fairtrade system.

The Government also supports work by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) on voluntary agreements such as the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan which encourages sustainability of clothing across the product life cycle including, for example, use of lower impact fibres. In addition, Government co-ordinates work on the UK statement on the sustainable production of palm oil, working with retailers and others towards achieving 100% sourcing of credibly certified sustainable palm oil in the UK.

In October the transparency in supply chains provision (section 54) of the Modern Slavery Act came into force.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2015 to Question 13387, what information her Department holds on the number of sites approved for fracking in England and Wales; what the location is of each such site; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

There are currently no sites approved for fracking in England and Wales. Any operator would need a Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence (PEDL) in place before commencing hydrocarbon operations. A PEDL does not, in and of itself, allow an operator to commence hydrocarbon operations. Rather, they grant exclusivity to licensees within a defined area. All operations would also require local planning permission,Environment Agency permits, Health and Safety Executive scrutiny, Oil and Gas Authority consent and access agreement(s) with relevant landowner(s).

The Infrastructure Act 2015 introduced a range of further requirements that must be met before an operator can carry out hydraulic fracturing in a responsible, sustainable and safe manner. A hydraulic fracturing consent will not be issued unless my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State is satisfied that the conditions are met. The Secretary of State must also be satisfied that it is appropriate to issue the consent.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department’s budget is for the 2021 UK City of Culture competition; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The process for determining the winning city in 2021 is due to take place in 2017. All funding is subject to the forthcoming spending review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of infection in NHS hospitals have been attributed to antibiotic resistant infections in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

Public Health England (PHE) collects data only on key pathogens and antimicrobials identified from positive blood specimens reported through hospital laboratories and infection control teams. Data is not collected in a format that allows attribution of antibiotic resistance to all cases of infection in National Health Service hospitals. It is therefore not possible to determine a total number of infections attributed to antibiotic resistance in each of the last five years. PHE is working, with partner organisations, to address antimicrobial resistance through the implementation of the UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy.

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 recent review his Department has conducted of the security and humanitarian situation in (a) Sirte, (b) Ajdabiya, (c) Benghazi, (d) Derma and (e) Az Zawiya in Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We continue to closely monitor the general security and humanitarian situation in Libya. We are particularly concerned by human rights violations and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in areas including Sirte, Ajdabiya, Benghazi, Derna and Az Zawiya. We condemn the use of violence against civilians committed by Daesh and other armed groups in Libya, and call for those responsible for human rights violations and abuses to be held accountable.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff were employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones

The figures below provide details of how many staff were employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each of the last five years.

Year:	Headcount:	Full time equivalent:
2010-11	4912 (2607+2305)	4669.11 (2434.16+2234.95)
2011-12	4832 (2584+2248)	4544.03 (2407.61+2136.42)
2012-13	4715 (2450+2265)	4451.75 (2273.07+2178.68)
2013-14	4545 (2277+2268)	4304.19 (2123.53+2180.66)
2014-15	4526	4266.28

The figures in brackets are to show the break-down of staff members before the merger of the Vehicle and Operators Service Agency and the Driving Standards Agency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19589, what the budget for the BIS Automotive sector team has been in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

The administrative budget associated with the BIS Automotive sector team for the last five financial years is illustrated below.

Financial Year	Administrative Cost
11/12	£1,393,614*^
12/13	£1,187,636^
13/14	£1,207,986^
14/15	£1,256,570^
15/16	£1,219,550^

*Includes funding for the Advanced Manufacturing Showcasing team who came under the same administrative budget for these years.

^ Includes one FTE on loan to the Office for Low Emission Vehicles