Tag: Lord Greaves

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-11-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by KPMG Skills to Build?, stating that housebuilding capacity could be restricted by a construction skills shortage; and whether they will take steps to increase the amount of education and training places for construction trades.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government has made no separate assessment of the KPMG report. There are a number of reports that provide a good indication of the skills the construction industry believes it will require between 2015 and 2019, for both housing and wider construction.

The Government values post-16 education, including construction education and training, highly. We have made substantial progress driving up the quality and rigour of the post-16 offer, and area-based reviews of 16+ provision are providing an opportunity for institutions and localities to restructure provision to achieve maximum impact.

Initiatives, by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), or flowing from the work of the Construction Leadership Council, are seeking to encourage more young people into construction careers including the launch of the GO-Construct website and work with the National Careers Service and Construction Ambassadors for schools. In addition the CITBhas developed a range of initiatives, working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Armed Forces resettlement service and Local Enterprise Partnerships, to encourage experienced individuals into the sector.

While CITB returned over £42m last year, supporting 18,500 first, second and third year construction apprentices, it is clear that the sector is not currently offering enough apprenticeships nor opportunities for young people to train. The 17,000 apprenticeships starts in 2015/16 is still some way below the 27,000 offered in 2006. The CITB has developed a number of shared apprenticeships schemes and reformed the grant process to encourage apprenticeship take up. In addition, the Government continues to pay AGE grant, on top of its usual support for the training of young apprentices, to encourage companies to take on their first apprentices.

At the summer budget the Chancellor announced a levy on large employers across all sectors to fund apprenticeships. This will link larger employers directly to its skills investment and promote the value, and drive the uptake, of apprenticeships.

The Chancellor will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy, including the scope and rate, at the Spending Review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of (1) batteries, and (2) other waste electrical and electronic equipment, are recycled by (a) domestic households, (b) small and medium-sized commercial enterprises, (c) large commercial enterprises, (d) government departments, (e) local authorities, and (f) other public sector bodies.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government does not hold information in the form requested, but the overall collection and recycling rates for 2014 for these products and equipment expressed as a percentage of tonnage placed on the market is: –

36% of portable batteries;

37% of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Industrialand automotive batteries are subject to a landfill disposal ban. Accordingly, all such batteries have to be recycled.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what statutory duties local authorities have to provide library and library-related services.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 places a duty on local authorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. It is for individual local authorities to determine how best to provide this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what reasons there are for the recent and proposed closures to road traffic at Allen’s West Level Crossing at Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees, and what action they plan to take to minimise any future unplanned and planned closures.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Network Rail operates at arm’s-length from the Department for Transport and is not expected to involve Ministers in its regular operational decisions such as its proposals for works at level crossings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which national and local authorities have the powers to allow structures and equipment to be erected on or adjacent to highways in order to allow driverless vehicles to use those highways; which authorities would be responsible for giving technical accreditation and approval to such erections; whether a person responsible for the operation of a driverless vehicle requires a driving licence or some other kind of authorisation; and whether a person when operating a driverless vehicle is required to be present in that vehicle while it is moving or otherwise in operation on a highway.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Any structure off the highways would need local planning permission. For structures on the highways, local planning authorities have a power to stop the erection of structures within the permitted development rights of all highway authorities where they think there would be an environmental impact. This includes visual as well as other impacts.

The local Highway authority is responsible for technical approval of structures‎ within the highway boundary. In the case of the Strategic Road Network the agency would be Highways England and design would be in line with the requirements of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB).

In February 2015 the Government published “The Pathway to Driverless Cars”: a detailed review of the regulation around the use of driverless cars on UK roads. It established that it is possible for a driverless vehicle to be tested on UK roads provided that, among other conditions, a suitably qualified test driver or test operator would be in a position to take control of the vehicle if necessary. A test operator is someone who oversees testing of an automated vehicle without necessarily being seated in the vehicle, since some automated vehicles might not have conventional manual controls and/or a driver’s seat.

The Government is currently working to establish what changes to the domestic and international regulatory system will be necessary to safely enable the sale and use of driverless vehicle technology on UK roads.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether train operating companies are required to offer the cheapest relevant ticket to passengers at ticket offices, on websites and from ticket machines; and if so, what action they are taking to make sure that this happens in all cases.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Rail passengers are protected by the National Rail Conditions of Carriage and also the terms of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA), an inter-operator agreement that governs, among other things, the retail of rail tickets. These provisions safeguard passengers’ interests by requiring train operators to provide clear information and to sell the most suitable ticket for their journey. This will, in many cases, be the cheapest ticket. Operators are required, under the terms of the TSA, to ask sufficient suitable questions in order to ascertain and sell the best ticket for each passenger’s needs.

There are a wide range of tickets on offer, including some very low-priced fares which allow more people to travel by rail. However, we recognise that this choice can often be confusing for passengers. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have worked with industry to develop a Code of Practice on ticket retailing, this was published in March 2015. The aim of this Code is to give passengers clearer information and access to the most appropriate tickets, regardless of the sales channel. . Working alongside the ORR in its role as consumer regulator, we continue to challenge the industry to address the remaining issues as soon as possible. The Rail Minister has also raised this with the Rail Delivery Group that represents all train operating companies as there is clearly more to be done.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-11-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) how many refugees are currently around Calais waiting for an opportunity to travel to the United Kingdom, and (2) how many of those refugees are (a) accompanied, and (b) unaccompanied, children; what assessment they have made of the problems that the onset of winter might cause those refugees; and what additional measures they will take to help to address those problems.

Lord Bates

The management of the migrant camps in Calais is the responsibility of the French Government. The French Government has recently stated that there are approximately 6,000 migrants living in makeshift camps in the Calais area. The UK Government does not routinely assess the numbers of migrants in Calais or hold a breakdown of the ages of migrants.

The UK Government is working to decrease the opportunities available for migrants to enter the UK illegally by investing tens of millions of pounds to bolster security infrastructure in Calais as part of a major programme of work in close collaboration with the French Government to improve security in the area. Alongside this, the French Government has opened up thousands of new places in its asylum system encouraging migrants to claim asylum in France and not travel to the UK.

The French Government is responsible for the care of migrants in Calais, including support over the winter. However, both governments are committed to finding a sustainable solution to the situation in Calais. The UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015 committed the UK to providing £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help support a range of work to manage the migrant population in Calais, in particular to provide support and facilities elsewhere in France. Additionally, the UK has provided £530,000 (or €750,000) to fund the France Terre d’Asile Project to identify those in the camps who are especially vulnerable and at risk of trafficking and exploitation, and to provide them with appropriate support within the French system.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which devolution from central government to the North of England should be based on devolving decision-making and administration to (1) local authorities, (2) the areas covered by Local Economic Partnerships, (3) city regions, (4) the three traditional regions of the North West, the North East and Yorkshire, with or without Humberside, and (5) the North of England as a whole.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

This Government is committed to devolving significant powers away from Whitehall, and we have already agreed devolution deals with five great Northern areas. We have been very clear that it is for places to define their own aspirations for devolution. We encourage all relevant local partners, including local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships, to engage in discussions to ensure consensus is reached on the most suitable geography to pursue devolution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government with which local authorities in England they are discussing an arrangement for the settlement of refugees from Syria.

Lord Bates

The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme operates on a voluntary basis, and we are in discussions with local authorities across the UK regarding their participation. Resettlement can be a sensitive issue for local areas, and we therefore cannot disclose which local authorities are considering their involvement without their consent.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will amend guidance to planning authorities in order to strengthen their advice on (1) measures for the prevention and alleviation of flooding when determining planning applications, including off-site improvement works funded by section 106 obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy; (2) effective sustainable drainage systems; and (3) restrictions on building on flood plains and other sites with a high liability to flooding.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

We already have clear, robust planning policy and guidance on flood risk in place. There are strict tests in the National Planning Policy Framework to protect people and property from flooding which all local planning authorities are expected to follow, underpinned by our on-line planning practice guidance.

The Framework is clear that through their Local Plans and planning decisions, local planning authorities should avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. They should develop policies to manage flood risk from all sources and look to safeguard land from development that is required for flood management. They should also use opportunities offered by new development to reduce the causes and impacts of flooding. The Framework makes clear that new development should not increase flood risk elsewhere. In areas at risk of flooding, the Framework states the development should only be considered appropriate where it gives priority to the use of sustainable drainage systems.

Planning law requires that planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The Framework is a material consideration in planning decisions.

Updated planning guidance is designed to support local planning authorities in the effective implementation of these policies. This includes guidance on sustainable drainage systems which was strengthened last year and the use of mitigation measures to make development safe. Where appropriate, local planning authorities can secure off-site works through planning obligations or the Community Infrastructure Levy. We have made very clear in the guidance that where the Framework’s tests to protect people and property from flooding are not met new development should not be allowed.