Tag: Richard Burden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the legal requirement for drivers in France to carry a breathalyser and its effect on road safety in that country in order to inform his policies.

Andrew Jones

We know that the number of people killed in drink drive collisions remains significantly higher in France than in Great Britain despite the introduction of the legal requirement to carry a breathalyser in 2012. In 2014 Trading Standards in Great Britain looked at the self-testing devices available and concluded that the majority of these were unreliable and may give anyone using them a dangerously false sense of security. We therefore have no plans to introduce any such requirement in Great Britain.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when each allocated route under the Regional Air Connectivity Fund will be launched.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Funding through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund is now available to the 11 successful bids. The start dates of the successful routes are a matter for the airlines. Flybe have announced start dates for their air services from Norwich to Exeter and Southampton to Lyon which will commence operations in March and May respectively. Funding will only be paid to airlines upon the service being provided.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund has not yet been allocated.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Regional Air Connectivity Fund was announced by the previous Government to provide up to £20 million annually to maintain existing domestic air routes to London that may be withdrawn, and to support new air routes from airports handling fewer than 5 million passengers per annum though start-up aid.

The Government has already made £5.2 million available to maintain the existing air links between Dundee and Stansted airports, and between Newquay and Gatwick airports, and will continue to consider support for other routes that may be withdrawn.

In addition, the Department last year undertook a tender process for airlines to bid for funding for start-up aid for new air routes. A total of eleven bids were received and the government announced last November that up to £7 million would be provided to support all eleven routes. It is now for the airlines to start operating these routes, with payments from the fund made upon delivery of the agreed service.

We are now considering whether to take forward further start-up funding rounds and will make an announcement later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) defections from North Korea and (b) unsuccessful defection attempts from that country in the last four years.

Mr Hugo Swire

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold detailed information on the number of defections from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Information on defections from the DPRK can be obtained from the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Unification

http://eng.unikorea.go.kr/content.do?cmsid=3026

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to carry out practical tests on the effect of a drone flying into a jet engine.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Commercial aircraft are already rigorously tested to withstand collisions with small objects, such as birds, but my Department and the Civil Aviation Authority are working with the aviation sector, including manufacturers, airports and airlines, to ensure our understanding of the potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date. This activity is also helping to provide real life evidence of drone risks and the options for preventing collisions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016, to Question 31254, on road: accidents, which 31 local authorities have not yet received an agreement proposal.

Andrew Jones

The 31 local authorities that have not yet received an agreement proposal are:

Local Highway Authority

Bath and North East Somerset Council

Berkshire District Council

Blackburn

Blackpool

Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

Brighton & Hove Council

Bristol

Buckinghamshire County Council

Cumbria

Dorset

Isle of Wight Council

Knowsley

Liverpool

Medway Council

Newcastle

North Somerset

Northumberland

Plymouth

Poole

Portsmouth City Council

Solihull

South Gloucestershire

Southampton City Council

St. Helens

Stoke on Trent

Swindon

Torbay

Transport for London

Wiltshire

Wokingham Borough Council

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether an impact assessment has been carried out on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Survey and Inspection Transformation Programme.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Guidance from Cabinet Office indicates that there is no requirement to complete a Business Engagement Assessment on this activity.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost to Highways England was of its contract with Amey for services in Area 7; and which other companies bid for that contract.

Andrew Jones

The contract awarded by Highways England was for a value of £422,720,000 over 15 years. This is the maximum spend allowable through this contract and includes for inflation over its duration. Other companies that bid for the contract were: –

• Carillion Construction Ltd
• Colas Ltd
• Costain Ltd
• Martin & McCann Ltd
• Ringway Infrastructure Services Ltd
• Skanska Construction Ltd
• GC Landscapes Management Ltd

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to improve national minimum wage enforcement in the shipping industry.

Nick Boles

The application of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for seafarers continues to be considered by the cross-Government working group which is reviewing the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011.

The Government is working with key stakeholders through this working group to agree and finalise revised guidance on the NMW for seafarers which will be published in spring 2016.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is entitled to receive the NMW does so, and we have committed to increasing the enforcement budget again this year in order to secure that aim. HM Revenue and Customs will investigate all NMW complaints from workers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what methodology his Department measures the proportion of UK transport using renewable fuels.

Andrew Jones

The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) requires larger fossil fuel suppliers to demonstrate that sufficient renewable fuel has been supplied to meet their obligation. The obligation is set as a proportion of a supplier’s overall fuel supply by volume.

Renewable fuels supplied for use in transport in the UK are also reported under the RTFO on a volume basis, in litres or kilograms. The energy content of renewable fuels used in transport is calculated using the default energy values set out in Annex III of the Renewable Energy Directive (Directive 2009/28/EC).

Officials from the Department for Transport and the Department for Energy and Climate Change are in regular contact on the development of proposals to meet EU renewable energy targets, under the Directive.