Tag: Jim Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support his Department is providing to local authorities to meet localised demand for parking spaces; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones

Local authorities have the power and responsibility to provide adequate parking provision in their area. They are best placed to understand and ensure the parking needs of their local communities are met. It would be inappropriate for Central Government to intervene in this matter. Communities now have the opportunity to challenge local authorities’ parking policies if they think provision is inadequate. This is set out at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-challenge-parking-policies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what review his Department has conducted of average waiting times for NHS services across England and Wales in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

Although the Department does not conduct reviews of average waiting times in the National Health Service in England, NHS England publish on a monthly basis a full and comprehensive set of data on NHS performance against operational waiting time standards. Health is a devolved matter in Wales.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has carried out of the adequacy of parking capacity across local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones

Local authorities have the power and responsibility to provide adequate parking provision in their area. They are best placed to understand and ensure the parking needs of their local communities are met. It would be inappropriate for Central Government to intervene in this matter. Communities now have the opportunity to challenge local authorities’ parking policies if they think provision is inadequate. This is set out at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-challenge-parking-policies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 11946, if his Department will provide additional funding for local authorities to assist them in building new homes; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis

The Government provides an annual settlement to local authorities in England to fund delivery of key local services. Since 2013/14 authorities have retained any council tax raised on new homes built. In addition, the Coalition Government introduced the New Homes Bonus, which has to date allocated some £3.4 billion of funding to local authorities to recognise delivery of over 700,000 homes and over 100,000 long term empty properties returned to use.

The 2012 Housing Revenue Account self-financing settlement gave local authorities the freedom to plan their housing businesses in the long term. In the 3 years between 2012/13 and 2014/15 councils built 3,630 local authority dwellings. 2014 saw the highest number of council housing starts for 23 years (2,630 dwellings). In 2015/16 and 2016/17 we are also providing 36 local authorities with almost £222 million of additional borrowing headroom to develop over 3,000 additional homes.

Future spending priorities will be determined through the Spending Review process currently underway.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment her Department has made of the ability of the UK solar industry to meet service demand; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

As set out in the November 2013 Renewable Energy Roadmap Update, analysis indicated a potential deployment range of 7-20 GW (equivalent to 6-18 TWh) of solar PV at all scales, with 20GW being our estimate of the technical maximum level of solar PV deployment by 2020 on the basis of grid and other constraints. Solar PV in the UK was 8.007GW as of August 2015¹.

In the absence of cost effective storage, solar PV can make a contribution to meeting electricity demand but this will be limited by the nature of its diurnal cycle.

REF:

1. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-pv-deployment-august-2015

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of crowded airspace on British military assets operating in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt

The Coalition has implemented safe separation measures for aircraft operating in Syria and keeps the issue under constant review. In addition, we welcome the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the prevention of flight safety incidents between the US, acting on behalf of the global coalition, and Russia. UK aircraft operating over Syria as part of the coalition campaign against ISIL are following these safe separation measures and the procedures in the Memorandum of Understanding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many sites are approved for fracking in England and Wales; what the location is of each such site; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

Licensing and consent of onshore oil and gas activities in England is now a matter for the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA). Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences are not specific to shale gas. They grant exclusive rights to extract hydrocarbons, including shale gas but also other hydrocarbons, within a particular onshore area. A separate consent from the OGA is required before any drilling or hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can take place, as well as planning permission, environmental permits and review of the well design by the Health and Safety Executive.

The OGA does not have any undetermined consent applications.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received from groups representing junior doctors on their current working conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

Junior doctors play a vital role in our National Health Service and deserve a professional and fair contract that supports patient care. We also want to work with NHS staff to better support a seven day NHS. This is why the Government wants to reduce the number of hours worked by juniors and has guaranteed that average earnings will be maintained.

The best deal for junior doctors will be achieved by the British Medical Association (BMA) coming to the table to negotiate on their behalf. This is a view shared by the medical Royal Colleges, NHS Providers and others. To this end, the Government has provided the BMA and junior doctors with cast iron reassurances about its approach to a new contract and sincerely hopes that the BMA will return to the table.

Ministers receive regular representations from groups representing junior doctors.

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State met Mark Porter, BMA Council Chair and Dr Johann Malawana as part of an introductory meeting following Dr Malawana’s election as Chair of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee (JDC). Ministers also meet regularly with representatives of medical Royal Colleges on a range of issues. At a recent meeting junior doctors working conditions were raised and the junior doctor training experience discussed.

Recent written representations on junior doctors working conditions have been received by Ministers from:

Dr Mark Porter, BMA Council chair and Dr Johann Malawana, BMA JDC chair.

Professor Maureen Baker, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners Council.

Dr Clifford Mann, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, on behalf of ten royal college presidents.

Professor Sir Simon Wessely, President of the Royal college of Psychiatrists.

A related e-petition with created by M J Peluso has been published at the following link: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108782

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of crowded airspace on British military assets operating in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon

UK air assets are operating in Iraq as part of the coalition to counter ISIL. The traffic within this airspace is jointly managed by the coalition and the Government of Iraq to ensure that both military and civilian aircraft continue to operate safely.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Russian intervention in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We remain committed to seeking a political solution to the conflict. Russia’s intervention in Syria, including targeting the moderate opposition, has complicated an already difficult situation. We are actively engaging with international partners to address this and to reinvigorate a political process that leads to a solution based on the principles of the Geneva Communiqué.