Tag: Jim Cunningham

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has provided administrative support to WaterAid in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd

WaterAid received over £24million of DFID funding from April 2013 to March 2016. We have so far committed £4.7million in funding for April 2016 to March 2018.

DFID funding has contributed to WaterAid directly reaching more than 2 million people with safe water and over 3 million people with sanitation in the last year alone. In addition, our Programme Partnership Arrangement (PPA) funding, effective from 2011 until the end of 2016, enabled WaterAid to improve their overall organisational effectiveness by supporting them to develop stronger Monitoring and Evaluation systems; improve their Value for Money framework and supported growth and innovation throughout the organisation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent representations he has received from music and sport event organisers on security at large events; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch

I refer the Hon Member to the answer to PQ 42478.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish guidance for local authority pension schemes on investment in arms companies producing banned munitions; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones

Investment decisions in the local government pension scheme are the responsibility of the 90 designated administering authorities in England and Wales and must be taken on the basis of expert advice and in compliance with the Scheme’s regulatory framework. Since 2000, pension fund authorities have been required to publish a statement of investment principles, including their policy on the extent to which social, environmental or ethical considerations are to be taken into account in the selection, retention and realisation of investments. The regulations also require that each statement is published locally.

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 International Trade, how many meetings have been held between Ministers of his Department and their international counterparts on future trade deals since his Department was created; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Garnier

As the Prime Minister made clear earlier this week, as we leave the EU, Britain will seek to become the global leader in free trade. This is why my team of Ministers and officials at the Department for International Trade are actively engaging with our international partners. Through these discussions, we are working to best promote British trade, and to ensure we take advantage of the great opportunities available to us – including through our future trading relationships.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2016 to Question 46072, what plans he has to replace the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Garnier

I refer the hon. Member for Coventry South to the answer I gave on 19 September 2016 to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Diana Johnson), UIN 46058.

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 who work for his Department work in each EU member state other than the UK; 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 all based in the UK plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels, and we are still growing rapidly.

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 assessment he has made of the potential implications of the UK leaving the EU for quarantine measures for pests and disease of plant material.

Mr David Jones

I refer the Hon Member to the reply previously given on 25th October 2016, PQ UIN49488 by my hon Friend, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, George Eustice.

We recognise that the UK’s exit from the EU may have implications for the way in which current UK plant health services operate, including phytosanitary certification on imports, quarantine measures to mitigate the highest risk pests and diseases, and plant passporting.

We are considering the implications and possible options as part of our planning for, and negotiations on, the UK’s exit.

Continuing to deliver a risk-based, proportionate plant health regime that effectively protects the UK from plant pests and diseases, whilst maximising the free movement of goods, remains of the highest priority.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of the UK leaving the EU for plant passports; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

We recognise that the UK’s exit from the EU may have implications for the way in which current UK plant health services operate, including phytosanitary certification on imports, quarantine measures to mitigate the highest risk pests and diseases, and plant passporting.

We are considering the implications and possible options as part of our planning for, and negotiations on, the UK’s exit.

Continuing to deliver a risk-based, proportionate plant health regime that effectively protects the UK from plant pests and diseases, whilst maximising the free movement of goods, remains of the highest priority.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what material and financial support his Department is providing to people made redundant in the steel industry; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

In relation to SSI’s closure in Redcar, I expect the majority of the fund announced on 2 October to go towards supporting training of former SSI workers and those in the supply chain, helping businesses to grow and create jobs, and the future of the Tees Valley economy more broadly. We are working with the local Task Force, chaired by Amanda Skelton, to shape these proposals and in total, we have agreed over £40 million of support aimed at skills and jobs creation:

• £3 million has been made available to four Further Education colleges in the region to support re-training activity, as well as a further £2.65m skills funding to plug any gaps in skills provision not available via the Further Education Offer;
• £1.7 million to ensure that the fifty apprentices who were with SSI can continue their apprenticeships with alternative employers;
• A £16.5 million Jobs and Skills Fund to help local firms employ former SSI workers or their spouses in full-time or part-time jobs for a minimum of three years;
• £16 million support for firms in the SSI supply chain and wider Tees Valley impacted by the Redcar steelworks closure, to safeguard jobs, provide the stimulus to create new posts and provide expert assistance to help them expand their business
• £750,000 to fund advice and grants to start up a new business.

In addition, we have announced a package, worth up to £9 million, jointly with Tata, to support Scunthorpe steelworkers, the local economy and supply chain. We are working closely with a local Task Force, chaired by my noble Friend Baroness Liz Redfern, to deliver this support.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2015 to Question 14012, what estimate her Department has made of the number of signatories to the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Rory Stewart

The Waste and Resources Action Programme manages four voluntary agreements which support collaborative action to increase resource efficiency and reduce waste. The number of signatories to each agreement is currently as follows:

Courtauld Commitment 3

• 53 signatories including leading retailers, brands and manufacturers in the food sector.

Electrical and Electronic Equipment Sustainability Action Plan

• 69 signatories.

Hospitality and Food Service Agreement

• 115 signatories.

Sustainable Clothing Action Plan

• 45 signatories.