Tag: Richard Burden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2016 to Question 46379, how many instances of fraud have been identified by her Department’s Counter Fraud Section in relation to UK aid spending in each of the last three years; and in which areas of her Department’s spending such instances occurred.

Rory Stewart

The counter fraud section of DFID’s Internal Audit Department is responsible for managing all internal and external referrals on crime, corruption and fraud. The majority of reports are raised through our confidential hotline or through our dedicated e-mail account. Both of these access points are clearly referenced on DFID’s external website.

Our case numbers have increased in recent years. We believe this is as a result of the proactive approach we have taken on fraud awareness and counter fraud activities. Our staff and partners are now much clearer on the action to be taken to report concerns as soon as they arise.

In FY13-14 there were 6 cases of proven fraud across 4 of our central departments. There were 51 cases of proven fraud across 18 of our country offices.

In FY14-15 there were 33 cases of proven fraud across 9 of our central departments. There were 39 cases of proven fraud across 17 of our country offices.

In FY15-16 there were 28 cases of proven fraud across 11 of our central departments. There were 60 cases of proven fraud across 20 of our country offices.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the respective roles of (a) Highways England and (b) its proposed programme management partner in the delivery of the Road Investment Strategy Programme.

Andrew Jones

The government is tripling the capital investment in the Strategic Road Network. Highways England have been given responsibility for delivery of the Road Investment Strategy and operation of the network.

A four year term contract was tendered competitively by Highways England to a consortium consisting of CH2M Hill, Mace and PwC (CMP) in early July 2015 to help provide additional support to improve their capability and available resources to deliver an increasingly demanding and complex programme.

This has no impact on the role, responsibilities and requirements of Highways England.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Volkswagen vehicles have been retested for emissions by the Vehicle Certification Agency to date; what the outcome of those retests has been; how many vehicles are still to be retested; and when he expects all retests to be completed.

Andrew Jones

The Government takes the unacceptable actions of Volkswagen (VW) Group extremely seriously. As we investigate what went wrong and what we can do to stop it happening again, the priority of course remains to protect the public. We expect VW to take every step necessary to protect its UK customers, but it is right that the Government carry out their own thorough and independent investigation.

A written statement was made today (10 November) informing the House of the latest developments on the Department for Transport’s vehicle emissions testing programme, following the revelations that VW had fitted defeat devices to some of its vehicles.

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) is working to confirm that this issue is not industry wide. They have tested two VW group vehicles known to contain a defeat device and will rerun laboratory tests on popular cars sold in the UK to compare real world driving emissions against laboratory performance. This will include measuring CO₂ .

The Secretary of State spoke to Dr Herbert Deiss of VW on 4 November to discuss CO₂ emissions, seeking information on those vehicles affected in the UK and the extent of the discrepancy. VW have stated that they are working hard to clarify the situation and are liaising with relevant approval authorities.

The Secretary of State has written jointly with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to VW seeking clarification on several issues. Separately, officials from the Department for Transport, and its Agencies have held a number of discussions with VW regarding the recall of affected vehicles.

The Department for Transport has not made a specific assessment of on road emissions in relation to type approval requirements, but officials are aware of the findings in published reports suggesting significant differences.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure consistent and comprehensive communications by tour companies and airlines with UK nationals in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Department for Transport has been in constant contact with tour companies and airlines operating in Sharm-el-Sheikh. All have been working in collaboration to ensure that information on flights to the UK has been provided to UK nationals on a timely basis, supported by travel advice issued through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, who have also been providing consular assistance on the ground. Since flights restarted on Friday 6 November 2015, over 16,000 passengers have returned to the UK. This includes those that travelled independently, for example on a flight only basis. Flights on 17 November saw the return of all UK nationals that wished to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli government on the eviction of the Ghaith-Sub Laban family from their home in East Jerusalem.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are concerned about the imminent threat of eviction to the Ghaith-Sub Laban family and about the forcible displacement of protected persons. An official from our Consulate General in Jerusalem attended the court hearing on 31 May. Our Consul-General to Jerusalem raised this issue with the Mayor of Jerusalem on 28 October. Most recently our Consulate General in Jerusalem expressed our concern publicly on 18 November via Twitter, calling for the eviction to be halted.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2015 to Question 16092, how many UK nationals remain in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Regular flights to and from the UK to Sharm el Sheikh were suspended on 4 November. Flights to return UK nationals from Sharm el-Sheikh to the UK, supported by special security measures, ended on Tuesday 17 November. Those flights provided sufficient capacity to return all UK nationals who wished to travel home.In total over 16,000 passengers were returned home, and I commend the carriers who helped in facilitating this process. At the point at which flights stopped, we estimated that there were fewer than 200 UK nationals remaining in Sharm el-Sheikh. UK nationals who chose to remain in Sharm el-Sheikh were advised that they would need to make their own arrangements to travel.

We are working closely with the Egyptian authorities on the implementation of sustainable security measures so that flights between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh can resume as soon as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with (a) HM Treasury and (b) other government departments on the extension of renewable transport fuels obligation beyond road transport.

Andrew Jones

Ministers and officials regularly discuss policy options with Her Majesty’s Treasury and colleagues in other government departments.

I refer the honourable Member to my answer to the honourable Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mark Tami), on 2 November 2015 on the subject of sustainable aviation fuels and representations received as part of the work of the Transport Energy Task Force http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-10-23/13225/. I have also met with representatives from industry to discuss the potential of sustainable low carbon fuels in aviation.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the implications for his policies of the Oxford Research Group’s recent report entitled, The Hostile use of Drones by Non-State Actors against British Targets; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

A cross government working group is maintaining a detailed analysis of the security threats posed by drones. This work includes an assessment of the risks of the use of drones for terrorism and criminal purposes. Further work is now proceeding to capture and evaluate potential mitigation measures and strategies. Initial guidance on tackling the risks has been provided to constabularies across the UK.

The findings of the report align well with the ongoing work of this group. While the government recognises that this emerging technology creates exciting opportunities for the UK economy, the risks for security and safety and its response to them will be kept under constant review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to issue a revised Procurement Policy Note to public authorities on the relationship of their procurement policies to UK foreign policy.

Matthew Hancock

Cabinet Office issues any revision to guidance from time to time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has (a) received and (b) made on the demolition of structures in the South Hebron Hills on 2 February 2016.

Mr David Lidington

We have not received any representations on this issue. An official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns about the demolition of structures in the South Hebron Hills with the Israeli Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories on 3 February.