Tag: Richard Burden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Leader of the House, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Government’s policies of the report from the Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy entitled Open Up, published in January 2015; and which recommendations of that report he plans to implement.

Mr William Hague

The majority of the recommendations in the report from the Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy are for the House itself to consider and respond to.

In relation to the recommendations regarding the legislative process, the Government is committed to ensuring that the legislation it puts before Parliament is of a high standard and to ensuring that Parliament has the necessary means by which to perform its scrutiny function.

In April 2013, the Government launched the Good Law initiative, designed to promote law which is effective, clear and accessible. Various initiatives have been introduced this Parliament designed to improve the legislative process, including the use of explanatory statements on amendments, improved explanatory notes and piloting public reading stages of Bills. The Government has also given sufficient time to allow proper scrutiny in public bill committees and provided additional days at Commons report stages where necessary.

The Speaker’s Commission also recommended that secure online voting should be an option for all voters by 2020. To make online voting available for UK elections could be attractive in light of current advances in IT. However, there are concerns that e-voting is not sufficiently transparent or secure.

The major issue raised by those opposed to the introduction of e-voting is that it is not sufficiently robust or trusted. In addition, the cost of introducing such a system would be substantial. Public support for such measures is still far from universal and traditional means of voting (such as polling stations and postal voting) remain popular with the electorate. Therefore, any means of e-voting would have to be introduced as an additional voting channel. Whilst e-voting may be something for the Government to consider in the future, it is not an immediate priority. The experience of the referendum on Scottish independence shows us that if people are engaged in the democratic process they will turn out to vote using the existing mechanism.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 1 of Road Investment Strategy – Key Facts and Figures, how much of the £500 million allocated for the period 2015 to 2021 to address emerging priorities in period and fund staff to design, manage and deliver schemes will be spent on (a) addressing emerging priorities and (b) funding staff; what criteria will be used to select the emerging priorities; and what the cost will be of staff allocated to that task.

Mr John Hayes

The £0.5bn figure cited refers to the expected costs of developing proposals ahead of the next Road Investment Strategy. This includes the development of 14 major schemes to start work early in the next road period, as well as work to develop proposals from the next round of route strategies and strategic studies and any actions to take forward priorities emerging in the next parliament.

The proportion of costs allocated to staff will depend on the precise nature of what is recommended and committed through this process. Given the nature of the design process, it is likely that a high proportion of the money allocated will be spent on engineers, designers, modellers and others involved in the early stages of development.

Any decisions around specific commitments for the next road period, including the criteria by which they will be made, will be made in the next parliament. More detail on this process has been set out in part 6 of the draft licence for Highways England, which has been laid in the Library of the House and is available on gov.uk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK-based private security companies operating in (a) Israel and (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories adhere to the International Code of Conduct for private security service providers; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Government continues to play a leading role in the International Code of Conduct Association, and has a seat on the Association’s Board. We encourage all private security companies (PSCs) working in complex environments overseas to join the Association, which oversees the Code and can monitor that PSCs are adhering to the Code. We are also encouraging all states, companies and Non-Governmental Organisations that contract private security companies to recognise Association membership and accredited certification to relevant standards in their contracting processes. The Government will do likewise.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on introducing a resolution condemning Bahrain’s human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK remains actively engaged with the United Nations Human Rights Council on Bahrain and we will continue to work closely with other member states and to align ourselves with statements which accurately reflect the situation on the ground. The UK is playing a key role in implementing reforms in Bahrain.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in the Israeli government about the treatment of Palestinian child detainees in Israel.

Hugh Robertson

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Mr Grayling) raised the treatment of child detainees with the Israeli Supreme Court President during his visit to Israel in May. I wrote to the Israeli Attorney General on this issue on 31 March 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on how many of the recommendations made by UNICEF in its March 2013 report on children in Israeli military detention have been implemented by the government of Israeli; and what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Israel on the recommendations in that report that are yet to be implemented.

Hugh Robertson

The Government has made no assessment on how many recommendations made by UNICEF have been taken forward by the Israeli authorities. However, we continue to urge the Israeli authorities to take action on the recommendations made in the UNICEF report, and the positive steps they have taken so far, and the earlier independent report by senior British lawyers. I wrote to the Israeli Attorney General on this issue on 31 March 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 710W, on Palestinians, what response Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office made on the issue of demolitions in East Jerusalem or the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Hugh Robertson

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office informed our officials that demolitions take place where building has occurred without a permit from the Israeli authorities. And that – as per the Oslo accords – Israel has planning authority over these areas. They also said that they therefore have the right to evict people and demolish structures, where they consider building to have taken place illegally under Israeli law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made in reviewing the adequacy of the amount of time allowed for pedestrians to use pedestrian crossings including those crossings out of the scope of the consultation on the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Local councils are responsible for setting pedestrian crossing timings with reference to the Department for Transport’s guidance walking speed of 1.2 metres per second.

The Department is conducting a review of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions, which includes all pedestrian crossing types, and once that is complete will consider the need to update the guidance.