Tag: Jim Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 28328, what estimate his Department has made of the number of officials who will work in the unit dedicated to assisting negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement in each of the next two years; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

No such estimate has been made. The number of officials working in the Transatlantic and International Unit will vary according to the state of the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. There is no predetermined staffing level.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received from volunteer representatives of the Air Cadet Organisation on the review of the Air Cadet Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier

Following the Written Ministerial Statement I released on 10 March 2016, (Official Report, column WS605) concerning the Air Cadet Aviation Relaunch, we have received a range of representations from Cadet Force Adult Volunteer staff of the mainstream Air Cadets and the Volunteer Gliding Squadrons. This includes representations through their direct chain of command.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the level of immigration in each of the next five years to inform its economic forecasts; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

The data can be found in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook charts and tables – March 2016, under Chapter 5, Chart 5.6: Past and projected net migration to the UK, available here: http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/efo/economic-fiscal-outlook-march-2016/

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent officials in his Department working on the BBC Charter Renewal consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

In addition to 3 DCMS BBC policy team officials, 30 other DCMS officials, at an average of 8.1 full-time equivalent people per week, over a 12 week period, supported the process to review the consultation responses.

19 officials seconded from other government departments (7.7 full-time equivalent per week) and 20 agency staff (9.4 full-time equivalent per week) also supported the process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the amount paid in legal fees as part of the Combined Authority negotiation process to date; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois

This Department has not procured any external legal support in the negotiation of devolution deals or the creation of combined authorities, and therefore has not paid any legal fees as part of those processes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the Troops to Teachers scheme in each year since that scheme began; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb

The amount spent on the Troops to Teachers scheme by financial year is listed below:

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase recruitment of teachers of priority subjects in secondary schools.

Nick Gibb

Teaching is a hugely popular career with more teachers in schools than ever before and record levels of top graduates entering the profession. To support recruitment in 2016/17 we have increased postgraduate bursaries, which put a premium on degree class, to attract top graduates in priority subjects such as physics, mathematics and modern foreign languages. Prestigious scholarships, worth £30,000 for physics and £25,000 for mathematics, chemistry or computing, are also available to talented graduates with a first or 2:1 degree who are passionate about their subject and have the potential to be inspirational teachers. We are also continuing to fund Teach First and their mission to get the best graduates into challenging schools.

In addition, we are spending £67 million on a programme of measures to improve the knowledge of the existing mathematics and physics teaching workforce, and increase the number of new mathematics and physics specialists who enter the profession through initial teacher training every year. This package aims to recruit up to 2,500 new teachers and train up to 15,000 existing teachers over the next five years. It also includes programmes to encourage the brightest A level students and undergraduates into teaching; salaried part-time and abridged courses for career changers; a salaried route for post-doctoral mathematics and physics researchers; and support for qualified teachers wishing to return to the profession.

Our marketing campaign, Your Future | Their Future, includes targeted subject specific advertising through a range of media. Those who wish to teach secondary priority subjects are eligible for our enhanced Premier Plus service, which provides support from a dedicated adviser to guide them through the application process. Those applicants who would benefit can also access funded courses to boost or refresh their subject knowledge to a level that will allow them to teach the subject. Officials from the Department also attend more than 35 graduate recruitment events each year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the amount of financial support provided to young carers in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 166,000 young carers in 2011.

The Government has changed the law so that all young carers have been entitled to an assessment of their needs for support since April 2015, regardless of who they care for, what type of care they provide, or how much time they spend caring. Around 60%, of young carers are thought to be eligible for free school meals, and those who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years will attract pupil premium funding to the schools that they attend.

We do not specifically estimate the amount of financial support provided to young carers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of how many full-time equivalent civil servants will support the West Midlands Combined Authority in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois

A range of officials from across Government will work to support the West Midlands Combined Authority in the delivery of their policy outcomes. Civil Servants from my Department, including those based in Birmingham, and from the Homes and Communities Agency, will support the authorities of the West Midlands on a number of key local delivery priorities, including on planning, housing, and programmes to drive local economic growth, such as Enterprise Zones and European funding.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many representations he has made to his (a) Yemeni and (b) Saudi Arabian counterpart in each of the last twelve months on the conflict in Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) is in regular contact with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Al Jubeir regarding the situation in Yemen. During his recent tour of the Gulf, the Foreign Secretary held constructive discussions with all six GCC countries, underlining the UK’s commitment to finding a peaceful resolution and working in partnership with key regional actors to achieve this. I also regularly engage with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen and President Hadi to encourage commitment to the political process and the UK Special Envoy to Yemen, Sir Alan Duncan, visited the region in April and May to deliver messages to key Yemeni and regional interlocutors. Yemen remains a top priority for the UK Government and we are committed to working towards a durable peace.