Tag: Lord Marlesford

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of passengers departing overseas from each British (1) airport, (2) port, or (3) railway station, are currently having their passports checked by Border Force officers, and when they expect to reach 100 per cent checking for each departure point.

Lord Bates

Exit checks have been in place since April 2015 across all scheduled commercial services departing the UK from air and sea ports and from international rail stations, except those services not within scope such as, for example, journeys within the Common Travel Area. Departure data is collected by carriers and port operators and transmitted to Home Office systems, where work takes place to match it to arrival data, visa conditions and other information as appropriate.

Exit checks are not conducted by Border Force officers; however Border Force officers do from time to time carry out intelligence led operations and interventions which are not part of the exit checks procedures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 May (HL8096), how many bat bridges over roads are (1) currently under construction, and (2) planned for construction; and what is the (a) location, and (b) budgeted cost, of each.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Highways England has no bat bridges currently on schemes under construction and none currently planned for schemes to be constructed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many valid British passports are currently held, and how many of those passport holders also hold passports of another state.

Lord Bates

There are 49 million valid UK passports in circulation. Records are not held centrally of persons holding both a UK passport and foreign passport.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the proposed locations and planned commencement dates of construction for the establishment of new universities referred to in the Queen’s Speech.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

Government is legislating to increase choice and competition in the higher education sector. These measures will enable the establishment of high-quality new universities where there is a need in terms of student and employer demand.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what investigations they have made, or caused to be made, into security at the airport at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, and when they expect to be able to advise airlines flying from the UK that it is safe to resume flights to Sharm el-Sheikh.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government continues to work with the Egyptian Authorities towards a resumption of direct flights to Sharm el-Sheikh as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Department for Transport remains in close contact with airlines that were operating flights from the UK to Sharm el-Sheikh.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of a letter from the Home Secretary, Theresa May, to Lord Marlesford, how a series of sophisticated search algorithms and the search systems incorporating them would be able to make the link between a UK passport holder’s passport and a second passport of another nationality held by the same person if there is not a record of such second passports held by British passport holders held on a central UK government database available online to immigration officers.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

It is longstanding policy not to disclose details of how search systems work, as to do so would not be in the interest of border and national security.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered seeking UN authority to establish safe holding areas outside the EU, to which refugees seeking to enter the EU could be transferred.

Lord Bates

The current migration crisis requires a global response. This may necessitate radical measures to address the unprecedented situation. We regularly engage with EU and multilateral partners, including the UN on a wide range of migration issues in order to find an effective and sustainable solution. Ideas about establishing safe centres outside the EU are at an early stage of development and we will consult appropriate organisations as discussions on these with EU and other partners progress.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the amount of litter currently on the verges of (1) the A13 trunk road between the Limehouse Link and the junction with the A130, and (2) the A12 between the junction with the A130 and the junction with the A14 at Ipswich, and what steps the Highways Agency is taking to monitor the cleanliness of those roads.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Due to the devolution of the highways network, it is necessary to be explicit on who has responsibility for litter on the verges.

The A13 between the Limehouse Link and the Greater London Boundary, nominally the A1306 junction at Wennington, is the responsibility of Transport for London. Between the A1306 Wennington junction and the A1089 junction near Grays, this is the responsibility of Highways England, through its supplier, Connect Plus. For the A13 from the A1089 junction near Grays to the A130 junction near Basildon, this is the responsibility of the local authorities.

The A12 between the A130 junction near Chelmsford and the A14 junction at Ipswich is the responsibility of the local authorities.

Highways England is aware that litter is unsightly and detrimental to the environment and spends significant sums annually in ensuring it is cleared from the strategic road network each year. They are satisfied that Connect Plus grades the route and clears litter in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 but is keen to work collaboratively with the local authority, Thurrock Council, to do more.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all employees at British airports with access to aircraft are being vetted to ensure that they do not constitute a security risk.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

All employees with access to a security restricted area of an UK airport and access to aircraft undergo, as a minimum, background and criminal record checks, on recruitment and thereafter. Those undertaking aviation security duties are subject to additional security vetting. We keep our aviation security measures under constant review in light of new threat information from a wide range of sources.