Category: Speeches

  • Stephen Phillips – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Phillips – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to facilitate the integration of remotely piloted aircraft systems into UK civil airspace.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department for Transport leads on policy for the operation of civil remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in the UK. We are working with international Governments, regulators and the industry – including the European Commission and International Civil Aviation Organization – on the development of regulation for the safe integration of RPAS into UK and European airspace.

    The UK Civil Aviation Authority and the European Aviation Safety Agency have a statutory responsibility to deal with the detailed Regulation.

    In addition, the Department for Transport currently chairs the cross-Government Working Group on RPAS and sits on the Autonomous Systems Technology Related Airborne Evaluation & Assessment Steering Board, which both seek to enable the safe and routine use of RPAS in all classes of airspace without the need for restrictive or specialised conditions of operation. This will be achieved through the coordinated development and demonstration of key technologies and operating procedures.

  • Michael Fabricant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Michael Fabricant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2014 to the hon. Member for Crawley, Official Report, column 219W, on War Memorials: World War II, what the reasons are for the disparities between the income per visitor from grant-in-aid and LIBOR fines allocated to the (a) Royal Navy Museum, (b) National Army Museum, (c) Royal Air Force Museum and (d) National Memorial Arboretum; if he will take steps to reduce such disparities in future; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Service museums and the National Memorial Arboretum play an important role in the heritage of the three Services and the nation, and it would be inappropriate for visitor numbers to determine the provision of funding.

  • Julie Hilling – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Julie Hilling – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Hilling on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Government’s welfare reform policies in Northern Ireland.

    Mr Andrew Robathan

    We have worked hard with the Executive to adapt our reforms flexibly to Northern Ireland circumstances. They will ensure work always pays, and help lift people out of poverty by moving them into work. When fully implemented, Universal Credit will make over 3 million low to middle income households across the UK better off.

  • Mr Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mr Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Nick Gibb on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of education standards in primary schools in Surrey. [R]

    Mr David Laws

    In Surrey local authority, 89%, 85% and 86% of primary pupils achieved level 4 or above in the reading test, writing teacher assessment and mathematics test respectively. The performance of Surrey is higher than all schools nationally where 86%, 83% and 85% achieved level 4 or above in reading, writing and mathematics respectively.

    This information is published in table 11 to 16 of the “National curriculum assessments at key stage 2: 2012 to 2013”[1] statistical first release. This is available in the “Local authority and regional tables: SFR51/2013” document. This document also contains information on pupil progress.

    [1]https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2012-to-2013

    “

  • Hywel Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Hywel Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2014-05-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that a bilingual registered duty lawyer is available at all times in Crown courts in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    It has not proved possible to respond to the honourable Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will redraft the code governing detention of teenagers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to ensure that 17 year olds in custody are treated as teenagers by the police.

    Damian Green

    Following the High Court ruling in the judicial review HC vs (1) Secretary of
    State for the Home Department and (2) Commissioner of Police for the
    Metropolis, the Government made changes to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act
    1984 Codes of Practice C & H, which govern the treatment of detained persons in
    police custody. The changes, which came into effect on 21st October 2013, have
    the effect of requiring the police to treat 17 year olds in police custody as
    children by providing, as a matter of course, Appropriate Adults and to inform
    a person responsible for the welfare of the 17 year old of their detention.
    These changes are mandatory.

    I refer the Hon. Member to a statement made by my Rt. Hon. Friend (Damian Green) on 21st October 2013, Official Report, columns 4-6WS explaining these changes.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-12.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, with reference to the Answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 623W, on the electoral register, what steps he has taken to improve student registration in the run up to individual electoral registration.

    Greg Clark

    It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to Articles 122 (1)(a) and 123 of the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, in each of the last four years.

    Simon Hughes

    My department’s Court Proceedings Database holds information on criminal justice statistics only in England and Wales. Criminal Justice Statistics in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland.

  • Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Seabeck on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of seafarer fatigue on maritime safety; and what steps his Department is taking to enforce manning levels on vessels.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch were active participants in the multi-partner HORIZON research project, an EC-funded study, which used simulators to identify the effect on seafarers of working hours and interrupted rest. The project report demonstrates conclusively the links between certain watch keeping patterns and the performance of seafarers (looking particularly at “sleepiness”).

    The Government is committed to reducing the effects of fatigue on maritime safety and the health of seafarers. The output from HORIZON has been used to provide practical guidance to seafarers. The MCA remains involved with research on seafarer fatigue with other industry stakeholders.

    MCA Surveyors routinely inspect UK ships and foreign flag ships in UK waters and verify hours of work records for compliance with the regulations, and check ships are safely manned in accordance the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW).

    The UK is leading the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control Concentrated Inspection Campaign to ensure compliance with the hours of rest requirements of watchkeepers under STCW which will run from 1 September 2014 to 30 November 2014.

  • Robert Halfon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Robert Halfon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Halfon on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money has been spent on repairing potholes in (a) Harlow and (b) Essex since 2004.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department for Transport provides capital funding to local highway authorities, including Essex County Council, from the local highways maintenance capital block grant. Harlow falls within Essex County Council’s area of responsibility and therefore we do not allocate any funds directly to the Borough Council for road maintenance.

    Since 2004 the Department has allocated the following amounts to Essex for highway maintenance:

    Year

    £m
    2004/05

    12.626
    2005/06

    15.782
    2006/07

    16.682
    2007/08

    22.428
    2008/09

    20.706
    2009/10

    21.361
    2010/11

    20.959
    2011/12

    20.728
    2012/13

    19.838
    2013/14

    22.482*
    2014/15

    19.873*

    * includes the top up announced in the 2012 Autumn Statement.

    The Department also allocated additional funding to authorities to help repair roads damaged by various weather events and this included a further £2.116 million to Essex County Council in 2010/11 and £5.301 million in March 2011. More recently the Department for Transport has agreed to allocate over £2.7 million due to the severe wet weather the country has encountered.

    A £200 million Pothole Fund was announced in the Budget on 19 March 2014. From this, £168 million is being made available to councils in England through a bidding exercise. Further details on the fund will be made available in the coming weeks.

    Local authorities are also able to use revenue funding allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant for maintaining their local highways. Neither capital nor revenue highways maintenance funding is ring-fenced and it is for local highway authorities to decide upon their spending priorities across the whole range of services they provide.

    The Department for Transport does not centrally hold information on what proportion of this funding is spent by Essex County Council on repairing potholes.