Tag: Mark Pritchard

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce regulations to monitor the sale of drones for private and commercial use.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Civil Aviation Authority keeps a record of all the permissions they have issued to fly commercial drones in UK airspace. However this does not extend to leisure users of drones. To address this the Department for Transportis currently looking at a range of options including regulation, registration and licensing options and a database to increase transparency on the use of drones for the general public. We will be looking to address these issue without placing unnecessary bureaucratic burden on this emerging industry. We intend to consult on all of these issues and other possible solutions in 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what research his Department has commissioned on the (a) age profile of rural counties and (b) ability of older residents to generate business rates.

Mr Marcus Jones

The Office for National Statistics publish population estimates and population projections at the local authority level, broken down by age. We are not aware of any evidence to suggest a correlation between levels of business rates income and the age profile of residents.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will discuss with vehicle manufacturers improvements to in-vehicle technology to prevent vehicle hacking.

Anna Soubry

Government recognises that vehicle security is a priority to ensure the safety and security of the public and their data. Government is actively engaging with the automotive industry, including vehicle manufacturers and suppliers to develop understanding and capability around the rapidly evolving cyber threats to vehicles.

As vehicle technology is advancing rapidly, particularly with respect to connectivity and automation technologies, the nature and level of threat, together with vulnerabilities and the potential impact of any successful exploit is changing. It is important that vehicles are "secure by design" and government is working with industry to ensure the opportunities of these new technologies can be realised safely and securely.

Connected technologies present cyber security challenges across a broad range of sectors. The recent Strategic Defence Spending Review, and the recently announced National Cyber Security Centre provide cross-cutting strategy for cyber security and it is important that automotive is considered as a part of this wider agenda.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to introduce a statutory workplace maximum temperature.

Penny Mordaunt

The Government has no plans to introduce a statutory workplace maximum temperature. For information on the existing law and guidance on workplace temperature, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 09 September 2016 to Question UIN 44106.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will discuss with the Treasury the introduction of three-year funding plans for colleges to align with the period of the Spending Review.

Mr Sam Gyimah

16-19 funding is based on the level of recruitment institutions delivered in the previous year. That means institutions’ funding keeps pace with changing student numbers with the minimum delay. The Government has no plans to change the 16-19 funding system.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who his Department has consulted on the development of the UK’s Air Power Doctrine; and when he expects to publish that doctrine.

Penny Mordaunt

Work will commence on the next UK Air and Space Doctrine in the summer of 2016 and it is expected to be published in 2017. As with the previous version published in 2013, the RAF will consult widely across Defence as well as in the academic community. Research will draw on similar work from sources such as NATO and the United States Air Force.

In addition, the Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC) will review the related Joint Doctrine Note (JDN): The UK Approach to Unmanned Systems. The intention is to publish the revised doctrine by autumn 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had on increasing the number of armed response (a) officers and (b) vehicles in the West Mercia police force area.

Mike Penning

It is for Chief Officers in conjunction with Police and Crime Commissioners to determine the number of armed response officers and vehicles in their areas based on a thorough assessment of threat and risk. As announced in the Police Grant Report for England and Wales Written Ministerial Statement on 17 December 2015, this Government will provide £34 million in 2016-17 to enable a national uplift in armed policing capability and capacity to respond more quickly and effectively to a firearms attack. Decisions over where this money will be distributed are yet to be made, however for reasons of national security we do not publically disclose the detailed allocation of funding for counter terrorism by force area or by capability.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will discuss with the European Aviation Safety Agency agreeing a minimum numbers of hours for airline pilots between each flight for EU and non-EU carriers entering EU airspace.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Under the Convention on International Civil Aviation the responsibility for establishing minimum rest periods for airline pilots rests with the state in which an airline is based. The EU cannot therefore impose requirements for rest periods on non EU airlines. Minimum rest periods for the crew of EU airlines are already established by Commission Regulation 83/2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the UK’s contribution to the EU Strategy on Citizen Security in Central America and the Caribbean is for 2014-15.

Mr Hugo Swire

The United Kingdom supports the EU Strategy on Citizen Security in Central America and the Caribbean, which is aligned with our own bilateral efforts and priorities. The United Kingdom has been actively involved in negotiations to develop both the Strategy and subsequent delivery-focused Action Plan. The United Kingdom’s contribution to the delivery of the Strategy in 2014-15 is reflected in our contribution to the EU Annual Budget (15.7% in2015), and in ensuring that UK and EU activities in the region are complementary.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will establish a Coastal Watch of volunteers who can work alongside police and other agencies to report unusual or suspicious activities in the UK’s harbours and ports.

James Brokenshire

National Crime Agency, police, and Border Force have established Project Kraken, an initiative aimed at increasing public vigilance on matters related along the UK’s coastal and maritime security. Project Kraken encourages the public to report any unusual or suspicious behaviour in harbours, ports and other maritime environments.

In addition, Border Force is already working closely with the National Coastwatch Institution volunteer network. The network use their expert knowledge of the maritime environment to spot and report unusual or suspicious activities along the coastline. Any such information is provided directly to the National Maritime Information Centre (NMIC) which is a cross-government organisation that is focussed on sharing intelligence concerning maritime security issues. Border Force is actively exploring similar arrangements with other maritime related organisations