Tag: Drew Hendry

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether recent changes to Government Buying Standards to encourage the uptake of safer vehicles will apply to the NHS.

Andrew Jones

The Government Buying Standards (GBS) are recommended for the wider public sector but outside central government they
are not obligatory.

The current GBS has been in place since 2012. As stated in the recent publication “Improving air quality in the UK”, revised standards for cars and vans will be published this year. Revisions will encourage cleaner and safer vehicles where appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure serving Scottish soldiers’ qualifications are recognised by civilian contractors when they wish to undertake trade training while stationed in England.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence, Scottish Ministers and Skills Development Scotland have made representations on this issue previously to the responsible department, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. The issue is being discussed with Department for Education, who now have responsibility for apprenticeships.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of benefit sanctions on mental health.

Priti Patel

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 November 2015 to Questions 901923, 901929 and 901937.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what action he intends to take against employers who neglect their responsibilities for occupational road safety; and whether he plans to support an extension of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 to include work-related road casualties.

Andrew Jones

The main regulatory aspects of driving for work are enforced by the Police. They take the lead in the investigating road traffic incidents and can refer cases to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if they believe there are clear employer management failings contributing to the incident.

In our British Road Safety Statement, published in December, we highlighted helping employers to reduce road related collisions at work as a priority. We will start this process by evaluating existing safer driving for work schemes to understand what works, with a view to promoting existing good practice to employer networks and other occupational drivers.

The government has no plans to extend the scope of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations [RIDDOR] to cover work related road incidents.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to simplify the citizenship application process for EU nationals.

Mr Robert Goodwill

All those applying for naturalisation as a British citizen must meet the statutory requirements that are set out in the British Nationality Act 1981. These include a period of lawful residence, settled status, good character, and knowledge of language and life in the United Kingdom. These apply equally to EEA and non-EEA nationals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in in-work poverty.

Priti Patel

Work is the best route out of poverty, which is why this government is focused on getting people into employment.

With over 2 million more people in work since 2010, and the highest employment rate on record, significant progress has been made.

The latest figures show that there are 200,000 fewer people in working families that are in relative low income, than at its peak in 2008/09.

The latest figures also show that there are half-a-million more people living in working families and not in relative low income than in the previous year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which particular measures his Department has included in its Road Safety Statement of 21 December 2015 to help reduce the number of cyclists killed and injured every year.

Andrew Jones

The government has a manifesto commitment to reduce the number of cyclists and other road users killed or injured on our roads every year and we published our British Road Safety Statement, setting out our priorities in achieving that goal on 21 December 2015.

The Statement describes a series of actions to be undertaken across government over the short, medium and long term. Several of these contribute specifically to cyclist safety, including:

• Continue with £50 million investment to deliver Bikeability training in schools, providing the next generation of cyclists with the skills and confidence to cycle safely on local roads
• Consult on dangerous in-car mobile phone use with a view to increasing penalties for offenders
• Consult on legislative changes on HGV sideguards
• Encourage development and implementation of improved HGV design
• Develop and test new Hazard Perception Test materials to improve learner drivers’ awareness of developing hazards in varying weather and lighting conditions, and broaden the scope of scenarios providing experience of real life situations such as encountering vulnerable road users
• Our commitment to produce a Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy setting out our objectives, activities and funding available for cycling and walking in England in the long term. The Strategy will be published in the summer and will include details of how the £300m committed in the recent Spending Review will be invested to support cycling and walking.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to simplify rail fares for journeys between London and Scotland and reduce the fare anomalies that lead to split ticketing.

Paul Maynard

Rail passengers should always be able to get the best deal and the industry must work harder to make this a reality. We are aware that there are a number of routes for which it can be cheaper to purchase two or more tickets for individual parts of the route than a through ticket for the entire journey. Anyone is entitled to purchase two or more separate tickets for their journey so long as the train they are travelling on stops at the stations indicated at the end of each ticket. Apparent anomalies in pricing that may be experienced on long-distance routes like London to Scotland, can sometimes be a result of competition on the railways encouraging one operator to reduce prices when competing with others on the route. Price competition on the railways can be positive for passengers. The Department would need to consider very carefully any action that removed this incentive for operators.

Train operators are obliged to sell the most appropriate through fare based on the information the passenger gives them. This will depend on what time the passenger wants to travel and how flexible they need to be. The National Rail Conditions of Carriage, which form the basis of the contract you enter into when you buy a rail ticket, allow passengers to use combinations of tickets. However, it is vital that industry improve information available to passengers and I will be raising this with the Rail Delivery Group as a priority.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in what way his Department participates in the European New Car Assessment Programme; and what his policy is on changes to the criteria for awarding five stars for safety.

Andrew Jones

The Department for Transport, as a founding member of Euro NCAP, continues to take a keen interest in the organisation through membership of the Board of Directors.

Euro NCAP has regularly updated the assessment criteria to reflect new technologies and improved designs. As such it has been fundamental to improving road safety of new cars in the UK and the organisation provides a valuable source of information to UK consumers which the government fully supports.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will take steps to match the commitment made by the EU to equip every town and village with free wireless internet by 2020.

Matt Hancock

The Government will consider the European Commission’s detailed plans for implementing their proposal when they are available.

In the meantime we are working to extend digital connectivity further and maintain its position as a world-leading digital economy. The partnership between central Government and local authorities has resulted in £1.7bn of public investment in superfast broadband across the UK and has enabled commercial suppliers to extend coverage of superfast broadband to over 90% of UK homes and businesses. The BDUK programme will see coverage rise to 95% of UK homes and businesses by the end of 2017.

Additionally, Telefonica (O2) has a licence obligation to deliver indoor 4G coverage to 98 per cent of premises in the UK by end 2017 that will further boost local connectivity across the UK.