The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which suppliers have provided Certificates of Performance under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for each Department in 2015.
Matthew Hancock
The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not require the submission of Certificates of Performance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what correspondence he has had with Vauxhall on Vauxhall Zafira car safety issues; and what steps he has taken to help deal with those issues.
Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is in regular contact with Vauxhall regarding their investigation into the cause of the fires. Vauxhall are continuing their action of notifying owners of Zafira’s, requesting the return of the vehicle to a franchised dealer for inspection of the heating and ventilation system.
DVSA have a forthcoming meeting with Vauxhall to evaluate early evidence from the fire damaged vehicles and those vehicles examined as part of the pro-active action. DVSA will continue to work with the manufacturer to identify the cause of the fires and agree an action going forward to address the issue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the use of longer-length or mega lorries in (a) the UK and (b) urban areas.
Andrew Jones
The longest length of lorry allowed on UK roads, including urban areas, is the road train at 18.75m. This is the maximum authorised length of lorry that the General Circulation Directive permits for national and international traffic. The Department is currently trialing longer semi-trailers (which are up to 2m longer than standard sized articulated lorries) although these are shorter than the road trains that are already in circulation across EU roads.
Local authorities have powers under Sections 1 & 2 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to exclude heavy goods vehicles either generally or at specified times from roads for which they are considered to be unsuitable.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Crawley on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the effects of the Government’s welfare programme on social and economic inequalities in Scotland.
Priti Patel
I refer the hon Lady to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon Members for Glasgow North East and Angus.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hamilton of Epsom on 2016-02-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether a member state can withdraw from the EU under (1) a Treaty agreed to under the ordinary revision procedure pursuant to Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union, or (2) under Article 54(b) of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
As the Government noted in its publication “The process for withdrawing from the European Union” (Command Paper 9216), the rules for exit are set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This is the only route available in the EU Treaties to withdraw from the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many claims for underpayment of the national minimum wage have been brought before employment tribunals in each of the last five years; how many such claims were successful; and how much was awarded to claimants in claims related to underpayment of the national minimum wage in that period.
Andrew Selous
The number of National Minimum Wage claims accepted by the Employment Tribunal in each of the last five years, including those accepted by the Tribunal since 1 July 2015, are published in the Tribunal and Gender Recognition Certificate Statistics Quarterly. The number of successful National Minimum Wage claims are also published in the quarterly statistics. The most recent report, for the period October to December 2015, published on 10 March 2016, can be viewed at:
The Tribunal only records and publishes awards made to claimants in discrimination cases. The amount awarded in National Minimum Wage claims in each of the last five years can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
Information relating to the period of time an Employment Tribunal claim refers to underpayment of the National Minimum Wage for a period of more than (a) two and (b) six years is not recorded by the Tribunal and can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many major surface warships were ordered between the 2010 general election and the 2015 general election.
Earl Howe
Her Majesty’s Government did not order any major surface warships between the 2010 and 2015 general elections. However, the work to deliver the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers continued during this period and in August 2014 we placed an order for three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), which will provide valuable capability to the Royal Navy and sustain the skills needed to build the Type 26 Global Combat Ship.
Since the 2015 general election, the White Paper ‘National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015’ (Cmd 9161) has set the Government’s commitment to build eight anti-submarine Type 26 Global Combat Ships, preceded by two additional OPVs, and to launch a concept study and then design and build a new class of lighter, flexible general purpose frigate. Additionally, the White Paper confirmed we will buy three new logistic ships to support the fleet, in addition to the four Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability tankers ordered in 2012.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34235, whether the UN Economic Commission for Europe Regulation 10 specifically covers the potential health risks of electromagnetic emissions by multiple driverless vehicles as well as those from single vehicles.
Andrew Jones
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation No 10 seeks to limit the maximum emission of electromagnetic radiation from vehicles. Recognising the rapid changes in technology in new vehicles, the relevant UN-ECE technical committee has established a task force to consider the implications of new technologies such as those used by driverless vehicles.
The Department is participating in the work of the task force.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-06-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Ethiopian government on the implications for her Department’s supported programmes in Oromia of the response of that government to protests in that region.
Mr Nick Hurd
I visited Ethiopia on the 17th of June and held discussions with senior Ministers in the Ethiopian Government, reiterating our concerns about the response to the protests in Oromia. I emphasised that civil and political rights are an important aspect of DFID’s Partnership Principles assessments, which inform decisions on the shape of our programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will guarantee to fund the remaining period of Peace IV in the event that the UK leaves the EU before the conclusion of that fund in 2020.
Lord Dunlop
The Government has set out that all European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs) projects with signed contracts or funding agreements in place with government, and projects signed before the Autumn Statement, including the PEACE programme will be fully funded, even when these projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU.
For qualifying projects under the PEACE programme signed after the Autumn Statement, we will work with the devolved administrations on funding arrangements to allow them to prioritise projects within their devolved responsibilities. As we make the transition to longer-term arrangements, we will ensure the devolved administrations are treated fairly and that their circumstances are taken into account.