Tag: Matthew Offord

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on the Thameslink programme; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry

London Bridge station works are progressing to schedule to enable the planned opening of part of the new concourse in late summer.

The new Class 700 trains are undergoing testing on the network and are due to enter passenger service on the Brighton to Bedford Thameslink route this spring.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of planting noise barriers with vegetation alongside motorways and trunk roads.

Andrew Jones

The Department for Transport has made no recent assessment of the merits of planting noise barriers with vegetation alongside motorways and trunk roads.

Guidance on the design of noise barriers, which includes vegetated barriers, is contained within the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges:

http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/ha/standards/DMRB/vol10/section5.htm

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for disparities between clinical commissioning groups in achieving the recovery target for mental health patients who have received NHS treatment.

Alistair Burt

NHS England monitors clinical commissioning groups’ (CCGs) performance against the recovery target for people who have received psychological therapies through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme.

The Department is working closely with NHS England to reduce the variation in recovery rates across CCG areas. Key factors that have been identified are variation in data quality, waiting times, numbers of sessions completed by patients, leadership and supervision of services and particular challenges in areas with high deprivation.

NHS England is working with good performers and is analysing data from the IAPT programme to better understand factors that impact on recovery performance.

NHS England is also supporting lowest performing IAPT providers to improve their recovery rates and is offering workshops to spread good practice to all commissioners and providers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to identify the best ways to tackle cultural heritage destruction overseas.

Mr Edward Vaizey

This Government is committed to the protection of cultural heritage from destruction overseas. That is why we secured £30m of Overseas Development Assistance from 2016 to 2020 for our newly-established Cultural Protection Fund – to create opportunities for economic development through building capacity to foster, safeguard and promote cultural heritage.

The British Museum’s Iraqi Heritage Emergency Management Programme (announced on the 28th October at the Cultural Protection Summit) is the Fund’s first programme. A period of consultation is now underway with expert stakeholders working in the arts, heritage, museums and development sectors, to help determine its exact scope and identify best practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress is being made to increase the number of train stations with step-free access.

Claire Perry

Under the £390m Access for All Programme, launched in 2005, 150 stations across Great Britain received an accessible route into the station and to and between each platform. A further £160m to extend the programme and deliver step-free access at an additional 68 stations. In addition, whenever infrastructure works are carried out at stations, they must comply with the relevant UK and EU accessibility standards. Each rail franchise also has a Minor Works budget of typically around £250,000 that can be used for small improvements to accessibility.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of installing a continuous noise barrier on the eastern side of the M1 passing through Mill Hill.

Andrew Jones

On the M1 between the A41 near Apex Corner and M1 junction 2 in the Mill Hill area, four areas are identified by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs noise mapping process as being noise ‘Important Areas’ which require further investigation.

One of these areas is located along the M1 southbound carriageway from the beginning of Station Road to Woodland Way, opposite Mill Hill Broadway station and is currently being studied to see if a noise barrier is practical here. There are a number of issues to be investigated, including whether a barrier can be put in place over a structure and along an embankment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the level of awareness among drivers who do not normally use the Dartford Crossing that a charge is made for using that crossing.

Andrew Jones

In July 2014 Highways England undertook research to assess levels of public awareness of the introduction of Dart Charge. Following the Public Information Campaign that ran from October to December 2014, further research took place to assess how the campaign had increased public awareness.

Both surveys were based on samples of over one thousand drivers, consisted of a mix of online responses and face to face interviews, including both regular and infrequent users of the Crossing. Between July and December 2014 awareness rose from 43% to 80% for online respondents and 47% to 89% for those interviewed face to face.

The initial compliance rate is 92.6% since the launch of Dart Charge in November last year, which compares favourably with other similar schemes around the world and indicates strong awareness levels among drivers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to support the inclusion of the Fountain Cavern in Anguilla in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Fountain Cavern is not currently on the UK World Heritage Tentative List, which is the first step in the process towards World Heritage Site status. If the site wishes to progress towards World Heritage Site status in the future, it will be important for the nominators to have prepared a thorough body of research to support the application. Organisations such as the UK National Commission for UNESCO and World Heritage UK are happy to provide advice on this process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the Maldivian government in counter-terrorism efforts.

Mr Hugo Swire

Counter-terrorism is an area on which we are keen to work closely with the Maldivian Government. I discussed this with representatives of the Government, including President Yameen, during my visit to the Maldives in January 2016. Most recently, in April 2016, a group of Maldivian police officers visited the UK to discuss further cooperation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-07-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will review the technical guidance on householder permitted development rights to minimise the visual impact of loft extensions.

Brandon Lewis

Permitted development rights for householders are set out in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. The rights allow for loft extensions to the rear or side of dwellinghouses. To minimise the impact on the amenity of an area there are conditions limiting their size and appearance. These are explained in the Technical Guidance which was reviewed and updated in April 2016. Where the development exceeds the thresholds, or is to the front of a dwellinghouse, an application for planning permission is required.