The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the National Wildlife Crime Unit on reducing wildlife-related crimes.
Karen Bradley
The Home Office has not conducted an assessment of the effect the Unit has made on reducing wildlife-related crimes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s most recent estimate or calculation is of the cost of each of the road projects described in the Government’s press release, Major Roads Investment in the east of England, published on 1 December 2014.
Andrew Jones
These projects are at various levels of maturity.
Schemes which are now open to traffic and schemes in development/construction are shown below, with the actual out-turn cost and latest estimate respectively:
|
Scheme Name |
Estimated Cost (£m) |
Source of Estimate |
|
A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon |
1,249 to 1,848 |
In development |
|
A5-M1 link road |
162.1 |
Under construction |
|
A11 Fiveways to Thetford |
104.7 |
Scheme complete |
For the remaining schemes outlined in the 1 December 2014 announcement, the current costs are the cost category as quoted in the RIS Investment Plan, which can be found at:
There is currently no cost information for the Strategic Studies as they are in the very early stages of investigating options.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of a drone collision with an emergency helicopter attending a scene in a built-up area.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Department for Transport is currently working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones.
The Department and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector, (including manufacturers, airports, and operators), to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date and mitigations effective.
This collaboration is also considering the need for other potential drone policies, such as geo-fencing. There are a number of drone models already sold in the UK with types of this technology installed and we are assessing the potential for solutions that could restrict drone operations around sensitive locations and key infrastructure.
The Government 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.
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.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25958, when he expects the revised guidance on the national minimum wage for seafarers to be published; and when he last discussed that matter with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The publication of the guidance is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).
My officials have been working collaboratively with officials in BIS and the draft revised guidance has now been submitted to key stakeholders, including employee and employer representatives, for comment. BIS has stated that it remains on target to publish the guidance in spring 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what sanctions are in place to prevent the practice of nationality-based pay discrimination against EEA seafarers employed on (a) UK and (b) non-UK registered vessels working from UK ports.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 makes clear that it is an offence to offer to pay or pay a person who is a national of an EEA State, or of a designated State (as defined in the Regulations), at a different rate based on that person’s nationality, where the seafarer is working wholly or partly in Great Britain and its adjacent waters and is working on a UK or EEA registered vessel.
Similar legislation is applied in Northern Ireland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to industry of 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.
Alistair Burt
In relation to the Department’s recent consultation on extending charging to overseas visitors using the National Health Service in England, a lack of available data means that it has not been possible to estimate the cost to industry of the proposal to remove the exemption from charge category for overseas visitors working on United Kingdom-registered ships. However, the proposal was included in the Impact Assessment and is thought to be small overall.
We are currently analysing responses to the consultation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it remains his policy that Learn Direct will take over the driving theory test contract from September 2016; what arrangements have been made between Learn Direct and the current contract holder to ensure a smooth handover; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the procurement process and associated fees.
Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and learndirect have concluded an exit from the contract for the provision of the UK Driving Theory Test, which was due to transfer to learndirect in September 2016. Pearson Professional Assessments Ltd (formally Pearson Driving Assessments Ltd) will therefore continue to provide the service for some time.
The cost of running the procurement process was reported to have been £510,380. This covers pay costs of £350,865 and £159,515 non-pay costs, which consists primarily of professional fees.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to publish its consultation on drone regulation.
Mr Robert Goodwill
We plan to launch the consultation over the summer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State of 10 March 2016, Official Report, column 419, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing temporary measures to ensure public safety when drones are used while his Department considers the best action to take.
Mr Robert Goodwill
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. There are severe penalties in place for misuse of drones, such as up to five years imprisonment for endangering an aircraft.
The Department for Transport (DfT) 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 DfT is also currently working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones, including potential technical solutions, such as geo-fencing and frequency jammers around airports.
Communication and education of users on current safety restrictions will be key. Officials from my Department are actively considering with the CAA the development of an expanded and diversified communication and education campaign, to include more mediums and supporting products, such as smart phone applications. The CAA is running ‘small UAS’ (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Risk and Hazard workshops with industry as part of the Mid Air Collision Programme.
Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK. The Secretary of State has written to Police to request their assistance in raising awareness of drone risks and restrictions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has commissioned or is funding into wireless charging technology for electric vehicles.
Andrew Jones
A number of private UK interests are actively undertaking research, including TRL who are a partner in the EU’s 7th Framework Programme £7m ‘FABRIC’ project (Feasibility analysis and development of on-road charging solutions for future electric vehicles). This follows their successful completion of a Highways England commissioned study into the feasibility of implementing dynamic wireless power transfer systems on the UK’s strategic road network (http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/publications/1902/).
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