Tag: Richard Burden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received on improving road-side facilities for hauliers on the strategic road network.

Andrew Jones

Since the beginning of the year Transport Ministers and DfT officials have received five letters from MPs and six letters from the public calling specifically for an improvement in roadside facilities for hauliers. I have asked officials to see what can be done to work with the industry to improve the provision and quality of roadside facilities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2016 to Question 39812, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who have benefited from the UK Aid strategy to date.

Mr Nick Hurd

In the first year of the commitment made in the UK Aid strategy, the Department for International Development have helped 11.3 million people get access to clean water and sanitation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-07-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received from the heritage and archaeological communities on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on those communities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain’s future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the DVLA on waiting times for HGV driving licence renewal; what the (a) rate of renewals, (b) number of new applications, (c) total number of renewals outstanding, (d) average waiting time from application to renewal and (e) number of staff processing renewals was for HGV driving licence renewals; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones

The table below shows the average waiting time for straightforward vocational licence renewals and the time taken to process the transaction from the day it is received at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The figures are the latest available and are for the period September 2015 to August 2016 and include applications and renewals of HGV and PSV (bus driving) entitlements.

a) Rate of renewals:

11,675 on average per month

b) Number of new applications:

5,126 on average per month

c) Total number of renewal outstanding:

Approximately 8,000 on 5 September 2016

d) Average waiting time from application to renewal:

The average waiting time from application to renewal is 1.5 working days. September 2015 – August 2016, 99% of straightforward applications were processed within three days of receipt. Applications that are more complex or where there is a medical condition involved take longer to investigate before a licensing decision can be made.

e) Number of staff processing HGV driving licence renewals:

120 staff members work on all types of vocational transactions. This includes both HGV and bus driving licence renewals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms his Department has for measuring the effectiveness of the National Stroke Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat

The National Stroke Strategy remains valid and implementation of it continues. There are, therefore, no current plans to renew the national stroke strategy. Action is being taken to ensure the progress made on stroke continues. This includes;

– publication of the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy in 2013, which includes many stroke specific strategic ambitions;

– a CVD expert forum, hosted by NHS England, to coordinate delivery of the work which was initiated in the CVD Outcomes Strategy; and

– NHS England’s National Clinical Director for stroke working with the Strategic Clinical Networks, Urgent and Emergency Care Networks, clinical commissioning groups, Sustainability and Transformation Plans, voluntary agencies and individual providers to support better commissioning and provision of stroke care.

More generally, the NHS Five Year Forward View recognises that quality of care, including stroke care, can be variable and that patients’ needs are changing and new treatment options are emerging. The Five Year Forward View sets out high level objectives to address these issues.

There has been no formal evaluation of the National Stroke Strategy. However there is a continuous evaluation of the quality of stroke care via the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP). This measures most of the key indicators defined as important in the strategy and findings are available on the SSNAP website:

https://www.strokeaudit.org/

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on a US neo-Nazi music band entering the UK to perform concerts.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Home Office has received representations from the Scottish Government, two MPs and a petition organised by Hope Not Hate. We have also received correspondence from members of the public.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the type approval regime is for (a) aircraft used at UK airports and (b) ships used at UK ports; and whether there are any emissions standard components to either of those regimes.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The certification of aircraft and aero-engines is primarily the responsibility of the certification authority for the state of manufacture. In Europe this is the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) who also have oversight of aircraft and engines certified in other regions that expect to be registered in the UK or any other European country.

The certification requirement for Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Carbon Monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbon is based on operating the engine on a test bed at different thrust settings to simulate the landing and take-off phases of flight below 3000 feet. The visible smoke test identifies the worst case condition for smoke. A new standard for CO2 emissions from aircraft is being developed and is expected to assess the cruise emissions as this phase dominates total fuel burn. EASA certification Engineers would verify the fuel burn on tightly controlled test flights.

Ships are primarily regulated through the United Nations International Maritime Organization and are subject to a range of technical and operational requirements set down in international law.

Emissions from shipping are subject to controls under Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and a related European regime with performance standards in place for both pollutant emissions and energy efficiency. Where these requirements refer to the type approval of specific equipment, an approval process is carried out against the agreed standard to ensure the equipment is fit for purpose. The type approval of equipment on ships is normally carried out by a certification authority on behalf of a State.

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

“