Tag: Richard Burden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 10 November 2015 HCWS301, how many (a) types and (b) brands of vehicles he estimates (i) the UK, (ii) Germany and (iii) other countries will test as part of the broader testing programme for emissions deficiencies.

Andrew Jones

The cost of the evaluation programme are still being developed, but it is estimated that testing could cost up to £15,000 per vehicle.

We have approved a budget of £675,000 from public funds to ensure that this important work can proceed. However, we have also agreed with ministers in Germany and in France that we will collaborate and secure best value for the taxpayer.

The UK programme will consider, without bias, vehicles from 19 manufacturers. The programme will assess approximately 70 different models. However, we have been in contact with ministers in Germany and in France and we have agreed that we should work cooperatively to ensure that we rationalise our respective test programmes to avoid duplication of testing.

The cost of recalling the vehicles in the UK will be met by Volkswagen group and will not fall to the public purse.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to communicate the requirements of the European Commission’s Interpretative Notice on indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967, published on 11 November 2015, to (a) businesses, (b) importers and (c) consumers.

George Eustice

The principal feature of the Interpretative Notice is a recommendation that goods imported into the EU which originate from Israeli settlements in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 should bear an indication which makes that provenance clear. That recommendation was included in technical advice to UK retailers and importers concerning labelling agricultural produce from the West Bank that was issued by Defra in 2009. We are currently in discussion with other Departments to consider whether revisions need to be made to the 2009 advice in the light of the Interpretative Notice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the timescale is for the availability of postgraduate masters degree loans as announced in the Autumn Statement 2014; and whether he plans to extend the loans policy to postgraduate research masters and doctoral research.

Joseph Johnson

The Government is committed to enhancing its support for postgraduate study and wants more people to have the opportunity to build on their academic success through access to a higher level qualification. The Government has now announced that a Master’s loan will be available to individuals up to age 60 from 2016/17. It also set out details of the next steps to provide more support for Doctoral study.

Further information is available via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/postgraduate-study-student-loans-and-other-support

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on utilising existing airport capacity in the UK to 2030 in the last month.

Mr Robert Goodwill

I have regular meetings with airports, their industry bodies and other aviation partners.

The Government set out in the 2013 Aviation Policy Framework that we would be supportive of airports making best use of their existing capacity, provided economic and environmental impacts are taken into account.

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 Richard Burden on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with the UN Relief and Work Agency of the potential effect of financial shortfalls in (a) 2015-16 and (b) future on the provision of aid to the Palestinian Territories.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The Secretary of State for International Development met UNRWA’s Commissioner General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, in December 2015 to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to UNRWA. Their discussion also focused on the important reforms UNRWA has been undertaking to address their chronic deficit and the need for UNRWA to diversify their donor base. The UK remains the third largest donor to UNRWA’s core budget and emergency appeals, in recognition of the important work that UNRWA does and that Palestinian refugees are a particularly vulnerable group across the region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the Maritime Apprenticeships Trailblazer Working Group (TWG); when he expects Maritime TWG apprenticeships to be available to employees and employers in the shipping industry; and what estimate he has made of the number of new seafarer ratings that will be trained through apprenticeships developed through the Maritime TWG.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Maritime skills and apprenticeships, including the maritime trailblazer, were discussed at the first meeting of the new Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth on 30^th November 2015. The group comprises Ministers and senior officials from across Whitehall including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and industry representative including from the Maritime Apprenticeships Trailblazer Working Group.

The Maritime Apprenticeships Trailblazer Working Group is an employer led group. The able seafarer (deck) standard is now approved and ready for delivery and others are in development. Once a standard is ready for delivery it is open to any employer or training provider for delivery.

It is too early to make an assessment on the number of new seafarer ratings that will be trained through apprenticeships, but the Department is currently reviewing seafarer projections across the industry.

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 from and (b) made to the Israeli government on a ruling by a military court on 28 January 2016 ordering the residents of Ern ar Rashash to demolish their homes and vacate the area.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have not received any representations on this issue. While we have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities, we do, however, regularly raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities over demolitions.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Volkswagen on the provision of additional staffing in the UK during its repair programme.

Andrew Jones

The Government expects Volkswagen to treat its UK consumers fairly and adequately address their concerns. The Secretary of State pressed Volkswagen UK on their plans for the recall of affected vehicles, including for managing the additional workload, in a meeting on 10 December. He urged Volkswagen to resolve swiftly this unacceptable situation for both their customers and the British public. Departmental officials continue to meet regularly with Volkswagen on this issue.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Government policies on ensuring the (a) security of UK ports and (b) identification and checking of containers for contraband, trafficked persons or other illegal activity are the responsibility of his Department; and which such policies which are the responsibility of another department his Department has a secondary role in.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Department for Transport (DfT) is responsible for ensuring that proportionate security measures are in place to protect ports, passengers and ships registered in this country. These measures are risk based and are designed to mitigate the threat from terrorism. This work involves close co-operation with other government departments, the Police and the maritime industry.

The Home Office is responsible for the detection of contraband and trafficked persons at UK Ports. DfT works closely with the Home Office and other partner agencies to counter this type of illegal activity.