Tag: Richard Burden

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many members of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Survey and Inspection team are based at the Marine Offices in (a) Tyne, (b) Plymouth, (c) Beverley, (d) Orpington, (e) Harwich and (f) Norfolk.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The table below shows the number of members of the Survey and Inspection team which are based at each of the six Marine Offices listed.

Marine Office	Headcount
(a)	Tyne (includes Ensign Unit)	18
(b)	Plymouth	9
(c)	Beverley	16
(d)	Orpington	11
(e)	Harwich	3
(f)	Norwich (Norfolk)	5

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the measures in place in each EU member state to tackle nationality-based pay discrimination against seafarers.

Mr Robert Goodwill

In 2015 my officials contacted all of the EU member states with a maritime sector to determine how they approached this issue. The responses we received suggested that the general approach harmonised closely with our own.

To seek information from a broader base, as part of the Post Implementation Review of the Equality Act 2010 (currently being undertaken by my department) social partners have been surveyed about any evidence they may have which would indicate that nationality-based pay discrimination is prohibited in other member states. This review is due for publication in summer 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to UK ports of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill

At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

The outcome of the EU Referendum for particular sectors, including UK ports, would depend on the relationship agreed between the EU and the UK if there is a vote to leave. This would have to be negotiated using the detailed processes set out in the EU Treaty.

The Government has published several information documents, setting out the Government’s views on UK membership of the EU; the process for withdrawing from the EU; and alternatives to EU membership. The documents can be viewed at www.eureferendum.gov.uk.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what regulations address the criminal use of drones; and what plans the Government has to bring forward further regulations related to such activity.

Mr Robert Goodwill

There are a range of laws in place to regulate the use of drones, prevent criminal use, and enable enforcement action to be taken when needed.

The Air Navigation Order 2009 (ANO) regulates the use of all aircraft, including drones, and provides for a range of offences to guard against criminal use. For example the offences of endangering the safety of an aircraft, and endangering the safety of any person or property, apply to the users of all drones. There are also offences specific to users of small drones, and those using drones for aerial works. Please see at the end of the answer below for a list of these provisions.

The Civil Aviation (Insurance) Regulations 2005 deal with insurance requirements for drones, and contain offences to enforce these.

Offences relating to personal data are provided for in the Data Protection Act 1998.

Other legislation which is not aviation or transport specific may also be relevant to addressing criminal use of drones.

On future regulation, a proposed new EU Regulation on aviation safety is currently being negotiated with the European Aviation Safety Agency and other EU Member States. This will apply to all drones.

While the Government considers that there are comprehensive rules in place to guard against criminal use of drones, we continue to keep under careful review whether there is any need for further legislation in this area.

Provisions in ANO which are enforced by offences listed in Schedule 13 ANO

a) Relevant to all drones:

• Article 137 – endangering safety of an aircraft
• Article 138 – endangering safety of any person or property

b) Relevant to drones above 20kg (those over 150kg have additional requirements to meet):

• Article 3 – registration (unless comply with B Conditions – see Schedule 2 ANO)
• Article 16 – certificate of airworthiness (unless comply with B Conditions)
• Article 21 – issue of national permits to fly
• Article 31 – dropping articles for purposes of agriculture etc
• Article 129 – dropping of articles and animals

c) Relevant to drones up to 20kg:

• Article 166 – requirements for small unmanned aircraft

Applying to person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft of 20kg or less (without fuel but including equipment):

• article 166(1) – Causing or permitting an article or animal to be dropped from a small unmanned aircraft so as to endanger persons or property.

• article 166(2) – Flying without being reasonably satisfied that the flight can be safely made.

• article 166(3) – Failing to maintain direct, unaided visual contact sufficient to monitor flight path.

• article 166(5) – Flying for the purposes of aerial work without permission.

Applying to person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft 7kg – 20kg (without fuel but including equipment):

• article 166(4)(a) – Flying in Class A, C, D or E airspace without the permission of the appropriate Air Traffic Control unit,

• article 166(4)(b) – Flying within an Air Traffic Zone during the notified hours of watch without permission,

• article 166(4)(c) – Flying at a height of more than 400ft above the surface unless within 166(4)(a) or (b).

• Article 167 – requirements for small unmanned surveillance aircraft.

Applying to person in charge of a small unmanned surveillance aircraft of 20kg or less (without fuel but including equipment):

• article 167(1) – Flight over or within 150m of a congested area,
• article 167(1) & (2)(b) – Flight over or within 150m of an organised open-air assembly or more than 1,000 persons without permission,
• article 167(1) & (2)(c) – Flight within 50m of any vessel, vehicle or structure or person (not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft) without permission,
• article 167(3) – Taking off within 30m of a person (not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to Israeli authorities about reports of further demolitions of EU-funded structures in Jabal al Baba.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We condemn the demolition of Bedouin homes at Jabal Al-Baba, which is a particularly vulnerable community in East Jerusalem. We have not specifically raised the issue, but we are extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv continues to raise our concern about demolitions regularly with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 15 May. We call on Israel to provide a legal route for Palestinians to obtain building permits.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Highways England had agreed with Dartford Borough Council an up-to-date contingency plan for emergencies.

Andrew Jones

Highways England has a Dartford – Thurrock Crossing Emergency Response Plan which covers 11 major stakeholders. Version 9.0 was issued in September 2015, and the document is reviewed annually.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assistance his Department is providing to support research and development into technologies to reduce emissions from ships.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Department has played a leading role – for example, at the International Maritime Organization – in removing legal and technical barriers which could restrict the growth in ‘green technologies’ and distort fair competition.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the UK representatives appointed to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Alok Sharma

The list of the members of the UK delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is available on the country pages of the IHRA website. The current UK delegation is:

Sir Eric Pickles (UK Envoy for Post Holocaust Issues) – Head of Delegation
Sue Breeze (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) – Deputy Head of Delegation
Karen Hamling (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) – Deputy Head of Delegation
Samantha Abrahams (Holocaust Educational Trust) – Communication Working Group
Paula Cowan (University of the West of Scotland – Faculty of Education, Health and Social Sciences, School of Education) – Academic Working Group
Alan Fell (JW3 – Jewish Community Centre London) – Education Working Group
Trudy Gold (JW3 – Jewish Community Centre London)
Jerold Gotel (JW3 – Jewish Community Centre London) – Education Working Group
Ben Helfgott (’45 Aid Society of Holocaust Survivors) – Museums and Memorials Working Group
Olivia Marks-Woldman (Holocaust Memorial Day Trust) – Museums and Memorials Working Group
Alex Maws (Holocaust Educational Trust) – Education Working Group
Michael Newman (Association of Jewish Refugees) – Communication Working Group
Alice Pettigrew (Institute of Education, University of London) – Education Working Group
Karen Pollock (Holocaust Educational Trust) – Education Working Group
Paul Salmons (Institute of Education, University of London) – Education Working Group

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) improve access to and (b) decrease waiting times for services provided by GPs.

David Mowat

To implement the Government’s commitment to transform access to general practice (GP), £175 million has been invested in the GP Access Fund to test improved and innovative access to GP services. Across the two waves of the Access Fund, there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices and 18 million patients – a third of the population – have benefited from improved access and transformational change at local level.

This includes more appointments being made available, especially at times more convenient for patients, such as weekday evenings and weekends. It also includes different approaches like telephone consultations and better use of the wider primary care workforce (such as Advanced Nurse Practitioners, pharmacists, the voluntary sector, physiotherapists and paramedics) to deliver improved access to patients.

These approaches have helped release local GP capacity, improve patient choice, and more appropriately matched the needs of patients with the most appropriate professional to care for them. In addition to Access Fund sites, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) may offer local initiatives for improving access to GPs.

Practices in the GP Access Fund are testing an automated appointment measuring interface (the GP Appointment Tool) to give them detailed information about their activity and how it varies over time. This will help practices match their supply of appointments more closely to demand. It will be available for every practice from 2017-18.

The General Practice Forward View, published in April 2016, announced that an extra £2.4 billion a year will be invested in GP services by 2020-21. As part of overall investment in general practice, NHS England will provide over £500 million of recurrent funding by 2020-21, on top of current primary medical care allocations, to enable CCGs to commission and fund extra capacity across England. This is to ensure that by 2020, everyone has access to GP services, including sufficient routine appointments at evenings and weekends to meet locally determined demand, alongside effective access to out-of-hours and urgent care services.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) status and (b) latest estimated or final cost is of each of the 19 road schemes announced in December 2014 for the Midlands.

Mr John Hayes

The current status of the 19 schemes announced in December 2014 for the Midlands is given in Highways England’s Delivery Plan for 2016-2017, which is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-england-delivery-plan-2016-to-2017

Overall schemes which are under construction are coming in or under budget. For schemes under development we would expect some movement in timescales or costs but overall Highways England is on course to deliver its commitments within the allocated funding.

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