Tag: Lord Soley

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Soley on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they collect any statistics on the number of children being educated at home who are the subject of abuse inquiries, or where the parents or guardian have been convicted of abuse; and whether they will publish any such statistics.

Lord Nash

The Department does not hold any data on the number of children who are the subject of abuse inquiries, whose parents or guardians have been convicted of abuse, or who are alleged to have suffered abuse. We are taking steps to ensure that the education system is as robust as it can be when it comes to protecting young people. It is unacceptable for any child of compulsory school age not to receive a suitable education. Local authorities have a responsibility to ensure that this does not happen.

The Department has taken robust steps to tackle unregistered schools. We are working closely with Ofsted who have agreed to take forward prosecutions for settings operating illegally as unregistered independent schools. We have also published proposals to introduce a new system to regulate out-of-school education settings which teach children intensively, and to intervene and impose sanctions where there are safety or welfare concerns. The call for evidence on out-of-school education settings closed on 11 January 2016 and responses are being analysed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Soley on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they collect any statistics on the number of children who have been attending unregistered schools who are alleged to have suffered abuse; and whether they will publish any such statistics.

Lord Nash

The Department does not hold any data on the number of children who are the subject of abuse inquiries, whose parents or guardians have been convicted of abuse, or who are alleged to have suffered abuse. We are taking steps to ensure that the education system is as robust as it can be when it comes to protecting young people. It is unacceptable for any child of compulsory school age not to receive a suitable education. Local authorities have a responsibility to ensure that this does not happen.

The Department has taken robust steps to tackle unregistered schools. We are working closely with Ofsted who have agreed to take forward prosecutions for settings operating illegally as unregistered independent schools. We have also published proposals to introduce a new system to regulate out-of-school education settings which teach children intensively, and to intervene and impose sanctions where there are safety or welfare concerns. The call for evidence on out-of-school education settings closed on 11 January 2016 and responses are being analysed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Soley on 2016-06-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Verma on 7 June (HL Deb, col 663), what is meant by the phrase depend on securing the right aircraft”.”

Baroness Verma

We are seeking to establish commercial air services using the southern approach to the runway where wind shear is not a significant issue. A number of aircraft types have been identified which should offer reasonable performance using a southern approach (the Airbus A318 and A319, Boeing 737-600 and 737-700). We are in discussions with airlines on how we can bring one of these into service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Soley on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have conducted into (1) understanding how noise emissions from aviation impact on local communities, and (2) the effectiveness of different noise mitigation approaches in reducing the number of individuals affected by aircraft noises.

Viscount Younger of Leckie

In 2012 a National Noise Attitude Survey was carried out on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which included attitudes to noise from transport sources including aircraft.

In 2014/15, Ipsos/MORI conducted on behalf of the Department for Transport a survey on noise attitudes which focused on noise from civil aviation, near to major airports in England. The results of the survey are currently being analysed with a view to publishing a report next year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Soley on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential to reduce aviation emissions through improved air traffic management.

Viscount Younger of Leckie

The UK has set targets for the next five years for air traffic management aimed at reducing flying times and therefore aircraft emissions. These are in line with the environmental target contained within the EU performance scheme. In addition UK industry is actively involved in the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme which is developing new technology and operational procedures that will lead to further improvements in this area. This includes the implementation of the Civil Aviation Authority’s Future Airspace Strategy which has the need to reduce aviation emissions as a key objective.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Soley on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to develop a supportive environment in the United Kingdom for the development and deployment of new aircraft and engine technologies in order to reduce emissions from aviation.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government is supporting industry investment in the development and deployment of technologies for new aircraft, including technologies for new engines, aero structures and advanced systems, to reduce noise and other emissions from aviation.

This support is integral to the work between industry and Government through the Aerospace Growth Partnership and the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), which published its Technology Strategy 2015 in July. To date, 100 ATI projects, worth around a total of £1bn, jointly funded by industry and government have been approved; and the majority of these are focused on technologies required to produce greener, more efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Soley on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to encourage research into sustainable aviation fuels and advanced fuels technologies.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Department for Transport ran an Advanced Fuels Call for Evidence in 2013/14 to examine the potential of advanced fuels in aviation and other transport sectors that cannot be easily decarbonised without low-carbon fuels. A summary of the evidence received was published with the Department’s response to the consultation on the post-implementation review of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in April 2014. Amendments to the RTFO earlier this year increased rewards for gaseous fuels, such as biomethane used in freight, to better reflect their energy content.

The Department also commissioned an independent feasibility study to examine the economic benefits and potential of advanced biofuels in the UK, published in February 2014, the study informed the design of the Advanced Biofuels Demonstration Plant Competition for £25m of matched grant funding. Winning projects were announced on 7^th September 2015.

Following the report of the Transport Energy Task Force in March 2015, we are assessing the benefits of making aviation biofuels eligible for certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and support under that scheme for synthetic fuels from renewable electricity. We aim to include proposals in a public consultation next year on potential amendments to the RTFO scheme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Soley on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to including producers of aviation fuel in the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Department for Transport and the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership established a Transport Energy Task Force in September 2014 to examine options to meet our renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction targets, including through the wider deployment of sustainable biofuel. The Task Force included input from representatives of the Sustainable Aviation group. The Task Force’s report was published in March 2015 by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. My hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, the Hon Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Andrew Jones) met with Task Force representatives, including Sustainable Aviation, in July.

The Task Force recognised that sustainable biofuels have a valuable role in reducing carbon emissions from transport, particularly in sectors where there are limited alternatives such as aviation.

We are assessing the benefits of making aviation biofuels eligible for certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). We aim to include proposals in a public consultation next year on amendments to the RTFO scheme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Soley on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to encourage the development of sustainable aviation fuels in the United Kingdom.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Department for Transport and the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership established a Transport Energy Task Force in September 2014 to examine options to meet our renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction targets, including through the wider deployment of sustainable biofuel. The Task Force included input from representatives of the Sustainable Aviation group. The Task Force’s report was published in March 2015 by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. My hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, the Hon Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Andrew Jones) met with Task Force representatives, including Sustainable Aviation, in July.

The Task Force recognised that sustainable biofuels have a valuable role in reducing carbon emissions from transport, particularly in sectors where there are limited alternatives such as aviation.

We are assessing the benefits of making aviation biofuels eligible for certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). We aim to include proposals in a public consultation next year on amendments to the RTFO scheme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Soley on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support research into new aircraft and engine technologies to reduce noise emissions from aviation.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government is supporting industry investment in the development and deployment of technologies for new aircraft, including technologies for new engines, aero structures and advanced systems, to reduce noise and other emissions from aviation.

This support is integral to the work between industry and Government through the Aerospace Growth Partnership and the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), which published its Technology Strategy 2015 in July. To date, 100 ATI projects, worth around a total of £1bn, jointly funded by industry and government have been approved; and the majority of these are focused on technologies required to produce greener, more efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft.