Tag: Lord Marlesford

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2015-10-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish the scoping study on littering from vehicles legislation, and why such legislation was not implemented nationally in April.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

We expect to publish the study later this month.

Before any regulations to tackle littering from vehicles are implemented, it will be important to get the details right. This will include matters such as the size of the fine, the form and content of the penalty notice, and exceptions to the keeper’s liability (for example if the vehicle has been stolen). We will therefore want to seek Local Authorities’ and others’ views before legislating. Any such regulations must be approved by both Houses of Parliament before coming into effect.

Legislation to enable the seizure of vehicles involved in fly-tipping came into force in April 2015. As set out in our manifesto, we will be giving councils the power to tackle small scale fly-tipping through Penalty Notices, as an alternative to prosecutions, in spring 2016, and we will review the case for increasing fixed penalties for littering.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the arrangements with which the Highways Agency ensures that contractors responsible for keeping trunk roads clean fulfil their obligations, and whether they use photographic evidence to record the cleanliness of trunk roads.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Highways England as a Government Owned Company, is responsible for complying with the mandatory legal requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which includes removing litter on England’s motorways and some trunk roads.

Contractors have clear specifications, aligned to the Environmental Protection Act. Compliance is monitored by Highways England, with the use of photographic evidence as one possible method.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-05-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 23 May (HL174), what steps they are taking in particular to ensure that all employees at British airports with access to aircraft are vetted to ensure that they do not hold Islamist fundamentalist views.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

I would refer my noble friend to my Written Answer of 23 May (HL174) to his earlier question on this issue. Those staff undertaking aviation security duties are subject to additional security vetting following the minimum checks that must be completed. These arrangements, like our overall security regime, are kept under close review in light of all current threats. For security reasons, we would not comment on specific staff vetting arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2015-10-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what circumstances they would consider using British military assets to prevent President Assad from using barrel bombs against civilians in Syria.

Earl Howe

We have repeatedly demanded that Assad ceases the use of barrel bombs and called on his allies, Russia and Iran, to apply pressure to that end. Ultimately, a negotiated political transition is the only way to end the conflict and alleviate Syria’s humanitarian crisis. Any decision to commit UK military assets in order to prevent Assad’s use of these indiscriminate weapons would be subject to appropriate legal consideration, close consultation with allies and the endorsement of the House of Commons.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total expenditure, in the most recent year for which information is available, of the Highways Agency on keeping (1) trunk roads, and (2) motorways, clear of litter.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) Highways England is responsible for the management of litter on all England’s motorways and for a small portion of the all – purpose trunk roads. Local authorities are responsible for litter on all other roads, including the A roads within Highways England network.

Highways England’s maintenance contracts are structured so that suppliers are paid a ‘lump sum’ for a wide range of general maintenance duties. These include sweeping, cleaning and litter clearance duties. Highways England does not disaggregate its budget and spend on these types of activities. Exact litter clearance costs cannot be extracted as the activity is performed on both a routine and ad-hoc basis to meet contractual requirements and the legal requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government who authorised the use of RAF aircraft in the 17 September air attack on Syrian government ground forces at Deir ez-Zor in Syria and why; and how many members of the Syrian government military forces were (1) killed, and (2) wounded, in that attack.

Earl Howe

A coalition investigation into the 17 September air attack which inadvertently targeted Syrian government ground forces is ongoing. It would be inappropriate to comment before that process is completed.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2015-10-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the numerical strength of the moderate forces fighting against President Assad in Syria.

Earl Howe

Estimating the numerical strength of armed groups in Syria is challenging given the lack of data, the fluidity of the situation on the ground, and the multiplicity of groups. Nevertheless, we estimate that fighters loyal to the Free Syrian Army, which has close links to the Syrian National Coalition, which is the heart of the political opposition, run into tens of thousands.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the cost to the public purse in each of the last five years of the winter fuel allowance; and what would be the tax receipt if it were subject to the same tax as retirement pensions.

Baroness Altmann

The Government has committed to keeping the Winter Fuel Payment for the lifetime of this Parliament. The cost over the last five years is as follows:

2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
£m 2,759	2,149	2,144	2,140	2,117

The Government has not estimated the corresponding tax receipts had the Winter Fuel Payment been taxable.

There is a total of 11.4 million pensioners in the UK.

National Statistics, published by HMRC, show that in 2013/14, there were 6.12 million taxpayers whose main source of income is from pensions, of which 90 per cent pay the basic rate of tax and 6 per cent pay the higher rate of tax.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the use of the UK’s air power against armed forces of the Syrian government has been authorised by Parliament.

Earl Howe

The UK does not deliberately use air power against the armed forces of the Syrian government and therefore Parliament has not been asked to authorise such a requirement.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 10 November (HL3150) about littering, when they expect to (1) start, and (2) complete, the process of seeking the views of local authorities about the size of the fine, the form and content of the penalty notice and exemptions to the keeper’s liability, and other details that need to be finalised before they implement section 54 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

As set out in our manifesto, we will review the case for increasing the fines for littering, and will begin a consultation on this later this year. The outcome of this work will inform the potential level of any civil penalty for littering from a vehicle.

We plan to begin working with councils early next year to understand better their current enforcement practices and resources, and the barriers to effective enforcement. This will help us to consider the practicalities of implementation of any new regulatory approach (including any necessary exemptions to keepers’ liability). It will also help us to assess the new burdens on councils that would be associated with establishing a new civil penalties regime. Appropriate funding to cover any new burdens would have to be agreed before any regulations can be made.