Tag: Richard Burden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the (a) maintenance of and (b) appropriate location for public weighbridges.

Joseph Johnson

a) Public weighbridges are regulated under the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and the Non Automatic Weighing Instrument Regulations 2000. It is the responsibility of the owner of the instrument to ensure that it is maintained and continues to operate in line with the legal requirements for accuracy. Local Weights and Measures Authorities (LWMAs) are responsible for enforcement of weights and measures requirements and undertake enforcement using a risk based approach. The National Measurement and Regulation Office (NMRO) issues risk ratings for equipment for use by LWMAs which is updated each year and have rated weighbridges as high risk equipment.

b) The operation of public weighbridges is a commercial service and their location will be a commercial decision for the operators concerned.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will direct Highways England to give evidence to the public hearing on 18 March 2016 organised by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner into closures and delays on the M6 on 4 and 5 February 2016.

Andrew Jones

Highways England is aware of the public hearing and has agreed to attend and give evidence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of Syrian refugees in each local authority in the UK.

Richard Harrington

The Home Office holds this information in relation to those Syrian refugees resettled in the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. However, we do not routinely identify which local authorities are participating in this scheme. Participation is voluntary and it is often the case that local authorities do not wish to have their participation published. It is a matter for each local authority to decide whether they want to publish the fact of their participation and the numbers of refugees they take.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will expedite the work of the cross-governmental working group on drones; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to mitigate the safety risks posed by civilian drones.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Government’s primary responsibility is the safety and security of our citizens. That is why we apply the highest regulatory safety standards for commercial aviation in the world.

There is legislation in place that requires users of small drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle, and that requires users to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit their vehicle to endanger any person or property.

It is already illegal to operate a drone recklessly or negligently, and the Crown Prosecution Service has successfully prosecuted where there has been persistent reckless behaviour.

Education of drone users is vital. The DfT is working with the CAA on raising awareness of responsible drone use. This includes the CAA’s ‘Drone Code’ safety awareness campaign and the issuing of safety leaflets at the point of sale.

We will continue to keep our policies and regulation under review to ensure public safety remains paramount. This currently includes working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on commissioning an independent Road Safety Management Capacity Review.

Andrew Jones

The Road Safety Statement, published on 21 December 2015, sets out the government’s plan to undertake a road safety management capacity review, to identify areas for improved joint working, local innovation and efficiency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received on commissioning an inquiry into casualised employment practices in UK universities; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson

The Government engages with stakeholders regularly on a wide range of issues. Universities are autonomous institutions and are responsible for taking decisions on issues such as their staffing and contracting arrangements. In our recent grant letter, we asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England to look into the contractual status of academic staff.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has held discussions with academics and charities in receipt of grants from his Department on the potential effect of the anti-lobbying clause on their work.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Department is currently rolling out the new anti-lobbying clause in its grant agreements and will monitor any feedback on the effect it may have on recipients.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of seafarers that would be affected by the proposal in Question 35 of the Department for Health consultation on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England.

Mr Robert Goodwill

UK regulations implementing Regulation 4.1. of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) make the shipowner responsible for meeting the cost of medical care for seafarers working on their ships, in order to ensure that such care is provided at no cost to the seafarer. Since the Department of Health’s proposal does not affect seafarers’ access to medical care at the point of need, no seafarers should be affected by the proposal, and there should be no impact on the welfare of seafarers. I am satisfied that the proposal in Question 35 of the Department of Health consultation is not contrary to the requirements of the Convention.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the gov.uk contracts finder webpage for the Driving Theory Test And Other Computer Based Testing Services contract is not updated with the latest information for that contract.

Andrew Jones

This section of the gov.uk website is shortly to be updated.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of regulations relating to drones and public safety.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government’s primary responsibility is the safety and security of our citizens. That is why we apply one of the highest regulatory safety standards for commercial aviation in the world.

There are existing regulations in place that require users of drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle and to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK.

The Department and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector, (including manufacturers, airports, and airlines), to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date and mitigations effective. Further work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes to ensure that regulations remain fit for purpose.

The Cross Government Working Group on RPAS has undertaken analysis of the use of drones for criminal purposes, including the potential use of drones for terrorist purposes, and the impacts of their negligent use near sensitive locations, such as airports. This work is kept under review and is being used to inform research and testing to improve mitigation techniques and strategies.

Awareness and education on current restrictions are vitally important. The Civil Aviation Authority is undertaking activities to raise awareness of the basic safety requirements, including an ongoing ‘Dronecode’ safety awareness campaign, issuing safety leaflets at the point of sale, publishing an animated video on their website, and running ‘small UAS’ Risk and Hazard workshops with industry as part of the Mid Air Collision Programme.