Tag: Jim Cunningham

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department’s recent estimate is of the number of civilian casualties in the conflict in Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen estimates that over 6,000 people have been killed and over 30,000 people injured since the conflict escalated in March 2015. A political solution remains the best way to bring this conflict and the suffering of the Yemeni people to an end. We continue to urge all those involved in the UN-facilitated peace talks to find a way to bring peace and stability to Yemen which its people deserve.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2016 to Question 38502, what estimate she has made of her Department’s (a) core total evidence spend and (b) core research and development spend in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

The estimated evidence spend for core Defra for 2016/17 is £50m, of which £31m is planned to be spent in research and development (R&D). The estimates for each of the remaining years of the Spending Review 2015 (SR15) period will not be finalised until the annual business planning round is concluded before the new financial year begins.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many full-time trade specialists are employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

There are 40 civil servants in my Department primarily working on trade policy. They are assisted by officials in other Government Departments, notably the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as by other officials within my Department for whom trade policy is not their primary responsibility.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the possible long-term exchange rate fluctuations resulting from the outcome of the EU referendum on the viability of the IceLink project; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman

The UK Government is not considering the Ice Link project.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the financial contributions made by her Department to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in each of the last five years.

James Wharton

The UK is the largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Between 2011 and 2015, the UK contributed £1.32 billion to Gavi. No additional administrative support was provided during this time.

The UK investment over the five year period between 2011 and 2015 immunised over 60 million children against vaccine preventable diseases which is estimated to have saved over 1 million lives.

Between 2016 and 2020, the UK is investing £1.44 billion in Gavi. This investment will deliver the Government’s manifesto commitment to immunise 76 million children against vaccine preventable diseases and save 1.4 million lives.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total number of patients who have received a second allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant for relapsed disease in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne

The information is not held in the format requested.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many international flights have been taken by (a) Ministers, (b) civil servants and (c) special advisers in his Department in an official capacity since his Department was created.

Greg Hands

Following her appointment on 13 July 2016 the Prime Minister established the Department for International Trade (DIT).

Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes the Secretary of State as a corporation sole, the Department for International Trade remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes.

As the Department for International Trade is being formed, accurate data for overseas flights is unavailable.

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.