Tag: Matthew Offord

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has issued to the aviation industry on ensuring the safety of pilots by their avoiding the illegal use of lasers from the ground.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published a Safety Notice which provides guidance on laser attacks, including the action that aircraft crew and controllers should take during and immediately after a laser attack. It also includes a self-assessment tool to help those exposed to lasers to make an immediate assessment of their vision and determine whether or not they need to consult an eye specialist.

The CAA is also co-ordinating an industry-wide initiative to decide what further measures might be needed to reduce the risk of an accident arising from the misuse of lasers. As part of this process, the CAA is working with a wide range of key stakeholders including relevant Government Departments, emergency services, air traffic control, airports, and airlines.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department’s policy is on increasing the autonomy of prison governors to make decisions about the day-to-day running of their prisons.

Andrew Selous

We intend to put the tools to drive improvements in how prisons are run in the hands of those at the frontline who know best what works. As the Prime Minister announced on 8 February, we will create 6 new reform prisons to spearhead this, with further change to follow.

Reform prisons will give Prison Governors the freedom to find better ways of rehabilitating offenders. Reform prisons will have one resource budget and discretion over how they spend it, rather than the current system which means Governors cannot transfer money between different budgets. They will be able to opt out of national contracts and services and choose their own suppliers such as education providers – who they can then hold to account for the quality of the service provided. They will also have much more freedom to tailor their own regimes – for example, deciding on additional visits to support family ties, or the amount of time spend ‘out of cell’ doing purposeful activity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of security measures implemented at Israeli airports in order to inform his Department’s policies.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Department for Transport works closely with a number of countries, including Israel, to share knowledge and best practice on a range of aviation security matters, including the development and deployment of new technologies and techniques to protect aviation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her has Department made of the number of UK nationals who have travelled overseas to engage in terrorist activity and have subsequently returned to this country.

Mr Ben Wallace

The Government takes the threat posed by UK nationals who travel overseas to engage in terrorist activity extremely seriously. We are particularly concerned about those who travel to Syria and Iraq to fight; around 850 linked individuals have travelled to engage in the conflict since it began, and just under half of those have returned.

People seeking to travel to engage in terrorist activity should be in no doubt we will take the strongest possible action to protect our national security.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Indian government on re-opening border crossings to Nepal.

Mr Hugo Swire

Our Acting Ambassador in Nepal, and many other Heads of Mission, has discussed the blockage at the border with the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, most recently on 30 October. The British High Commissioner to India, Sir James Bevan, called on Indian Foreign Secretary Jaishankar on 7 October to raise the situation in Nepal with him; and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Director for South Asia and Afghanistan also raised it with Mr Jaishankar during his visit to India from 12-13 October. We continue to engage with India and seek to work with them to help resolve the crisis in Nepal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of signage for the Dart Charge in effectively informing users about that charge.

Andrew Jones

Work was undertaken to assess the signage before the launch of Dart Charge in November 2014, with fifty new signs unveiled ahead of its introduction.

The initial compliance rate is 92.6% which compares favourably with other similar schemes and indicates strong awareness levels among drivers. However Highways England continue to monitor feedback from customers to see if any enhancements can be made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve prisons’ engagement with employers; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous

Supporting offenders into meaningful employment is a vital aspect of the Government’s approach to rehabilitation. We already work with a wide range of employers in prison through One3One Solutions and engagement by Prison Governors. We are keen to grow the number of employers who can provide valuable vocational work for offenders while in prison and who are able to offer them support in preparation for release and employment opportunities following their release and I regularly meet businesses across the country including at 2 successful roadshows at HMP Sudbury and HMP/YOI Drake Hall. I am pleased new businesses are now coming on board as a consequence. The Employers Forum for Reducing Reoffending brings together employers willing to employ offenders and we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the involvement of more businesses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what checks his Department undertakes to ensure that EU Missions are compliant with all European labour laws and that such missions have proper grievance procedures in place for complaints by staff seconded by the UK and other EU member states.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) supports outward secondments that develop the skills and experience of our staff. Our staff are encouraged to take up opportunities where the work is in line with the FCO’s strategic priorities.

The terms and conditions of employees working for international organisations are set by the organisation they work for during the secondment. The host organisation also takes responsibility for ensuring the duty of care to our secondees is properly discharged and that their working conditions are satisfactory. This would include having proper grievance procedures in place. The FCO takes this into account when agreeing to a secondment, and individual volunteers are expected to satisfy themselves that they are aware of any differences between the two organisations terms and conditions before agreeing any contract. Secondees remain our employees during their secondments and continue to enjoy the protection of their employment rights with the FCO.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of UK nationals who have travelled overseas to engage in terrorist activity.

Mr Ben Wallace

The Government takes the threat posed by UK nationals who travel overseas to engage in terrorist activity extremely seriously. We are particularly concerned about those who travel to Syria and Iraq to fight; around 850 linked individuals have travelled to engage in the conflict since it began, and just under half of those have returned.

People seeking to travel to engage in terrorist activity should be in no doubt we will take the strongest possible action to protect our national security.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the airport security at Hurghada and Safaga airports in Egypt.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government’s first priority is the safety and security of British citizens. We keep aviation security arrangements under close review and we will act where we need to, as we have done in the case of Sharm el-Sheikh. It would be inappropriate to comment in detail on security arrangements.