The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many coastguard operations room staff in Liverpool have left the service in the last two years.
Stephen Hammond
Since April 2012 eight Coastguards that worked in the operations room at Liverpool Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre have left Her Majesty’s Coastguard.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to enable hydrogen fuel to compete equally as a viable part of the transport mix.
Mr Robert Goodwill
As set out in Driving the Future Today our strategy document published last year, the Government is committed to the move to ultra-low emission vehicles. We recognise the economic opportunities for the UK that this transition provides as well its potential contribution to cutting the emissions from road transport.
The Government’s approach to this agenda has been consistently technology neutral and we have been active participants in UKH2Mobility. This is a joint industry-Government project evaluating the potential for hydrogen as a transport fuel and the scope to make the UK an early market for the commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) from 2015 onwards. The UKH2Mobility project is ongoing and both Government and industry participants are working together to consider the steps needed to secure the benefits of moving to hydrogen as a transport fuel for the UK. This includes the clear contribution that studies have shown FCEVs can make to improving air quality in the UK. We have undertaken no specific research on the impact of FCEVs on air quality in London.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many coastguard operations room staff have applied for posts in the restructured coastguard service.
Stephen Hammond
As at 14 April 2014, of those Coastguards currently working in a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, 86 have applied for both new posts in the new coastguard structure and voluntary redundancy, 140 have applied for voluntary redundancy only and 128 have applied for a new post in the new coastguard structure only.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect a hydrogen transport system would have on air quality in (a) London and (b) the UK.
Mr Robert Goodwill
As set out in Driving the Future Today our strategy document published last year, the Government is committed to the move to ultra-low emission vehicles. We recognise the economic opportunities for the UK that this transition provides as well its potential contribution to cutting the emissions from road transport.
The Government’s approach to this agenda has been consistently technology neutral and we have been active participants in UKH2Mobility. This is a joint industry-Government project evaluating the potential for hydrogen as a transport fuel and the scope to make the UK an early market for the commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) from 2015 onwards. The UKH2Mobility project is ongoing and both Government and industry participants are working together to consider the steps needed to secure the benefits of moving to hydrogen as a transport fuel for the UK. This includes the clear contribution that studies have shown FCEVs can make to improving air quality in the UK. We have undertaken no specific research on the impact of FCEVs on air quality in London.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the prevalence of the practice of logbook lending.
Stephen Hammond
No assessment has been made by the Department for Transport. The regulation of consumer credit, including the practice of logbook loans, is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will open discussions with his French counterpart to ensure crews on ferries operating between the UK and France are paid under British or French minimum wage regulations.
Stephen Hammond
The issue was discussed at length at the recent maritime roundtable, at which industry including the maritime unions were present. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, working with this Department and HMRC, will review the application, guidance and enforcement of the national minimum wage towards seafarers, to ensure that employers are aware of their responsibilities and employees are aware of their rights. As part of this, we will consider a targeted enforcement programme for this sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.
Stephen Hammond
The Department does not hold this information centrally and commissioning a stock take of stationery stock levels would represent a disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Ainsworth on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the level of funding per head of the population for transport in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.
Stephen Hammond
The most recent data available for regional expenditure is the Country and regional analysis for 2013, published by HM Treasury.
Table A.15 shows UK identifiable expenditure on services by function, country and region, per head, 2008-09 to 2012-13, of which: Transport
The extract below gives identifiable expenditure per head for the West Midlands and England. Committed spend is not analysed at a lower level.
|
2008-09 |
2009-10 |
2010-11 |
2011-12 |
2012-13 |
|
|
West Midlands |
283 |
258 |
218 |
206 |
202 |
|
England |
317 |
348 |
317 |
288 |
267 |
The Department for Transport is not the only public body responsible for transport and a large proportion of expenditure is covered by local government bodies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require landowners and service suppliers to install manhole covers that have resistance abrasion values to prevent slipping and injury.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The majority of manhole covers on the highway network fall under the responsibility of utility companies, with a small percentage in the ownership of local highway authorities.
The Department for Transport currently has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals for landowners and service suppliers to install high-friction manhole covers to prevent slipping and injury. That said, we are aware of a number of authorities who are taking steps to replace manhole covers with ones having enhanced anti-skid properties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Swales on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will include small and medium-sized enterprises in the procurement process for its contract to manage direct debit payments for vehicle tax discs.
Stephen Hammond
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will deliver direct debits for vehicle excise duty in two phases. Initially, the DVLA will partly use its existing contract for IT service provision with elements being subcontracted via an open competition which will include small/medium enterprise interest.
The full strategic solution will be pursued in an open competition which will start in 2015. This open competition will also invite interest from Government frameworks which support small/medium enterprise involvement.