Tag: Richard Burden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of Vauxhall Zafiras which have caught fire in the last six months; and what discussions his Department has had with Vauxhall on the number of other such cars catching fire in a similar way.

Andrew Jones

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) currently holds 45 reports, since January 2015, of fires on Vauxhall Zafira on its database.It holds 10 reports where owners of Vauxhall Zafiras have raised concerns regarding the issue but have not actually suffered a vehicle fire. DVSA is working with the manufacturer to investigate this serious safety issue and is aware that they hold additional reports of fires on the Zafira model; however, DVSA is not aware of how many. DVSA is not currently aware of any defect trends regarding vehicle fires on any other model of Vauxhall’s or any other make of vehicle.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many claims for grants have been made under the electric vehicle homecharge scheme in each year since its introduction.

Andrew Jones

The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme was introduced in August 2014. In the period from September to December of that year there were 3,744 claims for grants. In the period January to November 2015 there were 12,435 claims for grants. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles is currently processing claims for grants made in December 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on the refusal of the Kurdistan Regional Government to pay tuition fees and living expenses to Kurd students studying in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are aware of instances of non payment of fees by the Kurdistan Regional Government and that a number of students and universities have been affected by the current situation in the Middle East. The Government is continuing to work with Universities UK and the Higher Education International Unit to identify ways to enable students from the region to continue their studies in the UK.

A cross government body, the Responding to International Students Crisis Committee (RISC), has been established to look into issues faced by international students who have their studies disrupted due to crises in their home countries. The RISC provides a co-ordinated Government response on these issues so that affected parties know where to go for advice and guidance.

The Government is committed to ensuring that international students are looked after by our universities as part of our efforts to maintain the excellent reputation our higher education sector enjoys overseas. However there is no scope in the existing student support legislation for the Government to provide funding support for students in the UK. Students facing such difficulties should speak to their University.

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to bring forward a revised procurement policy note for public authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to him on 1 February 2016 to UIN: 24475.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 24475, what his policy is on providing for parliamentary scrutiny any revisions to guidance on procurement policy and its relationship to foreign policy.

Matthew Hancock

Procurement guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) deals with operational matters and clarifies existing policy, set out in the EU Public Procurement Directives and the Public Contracts Regulations (2015), which were subject to Parliamentary process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety on working conditions and safety standards in Bangladesh.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The Accord has played an important role in pushing up working conditions and safety standards in the Garments sector in Bangladesh. Since 2013 the Accord has independently inspected 1, 390 factories in the supply chains of their signatory brands. It has then supported those factories that continue to sell to Accord brands to implement Corrective Action Plans, resulting in safer factories for 2.4 million workers.

A review of the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact, completed by the EU, US and ILO in January 2016, recognised the contribution of private sector initiatives such as the Accord in improving labour, health and safety conditions for Bangladeshi workers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on the (a) number of EU students in the UK university student body, (b) ability of UK universities to recruit EU staff into the academic workforce and (c) number of UK students participating in the European exchange programme.

Joseph Johnson

The Prime Minister has delivered on the commitment to renegotiate a better deal for the United Kingdom in Europe.

Based on this deal the Government has reached a clear view: The UK will be safer, stronger and better off by remaining a member of a reformed European Union.

I recently spoke about the important academic links between the UK and the rest of the EU. The speech is available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/making-britain-the-best-place-in-the-world-for-science.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will direct Highways England to give evidence to the public hearing on 18 March 2016 organised by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner into closures and delays on the M6 on 4 and 5 February 2016.

Andrew Jones

Highways England is aware of the public hearing and has agreed to attend and give evidence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the Government’s policy is on where unsuccessful asylum applicants from North Korea are deported to.

James Brokenshire

Unsuccessful North Korean asylum seekers will normally be removed to South Korea. As with any other nationality, all asylum and human rights applications from North Korean nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations and against the background of the latest available country of origin information from a wide range of well-recognised sources.

The Constitution of Republic of Korea (South Korea) stipulates that all North Koreans are citizens of the Republic of Korea. As citizens of South Korea, North Korean asylum seekers are able to seek the protection of the South Korean authorities.

Any application for asylum owing to a fear of persecution in North Korea is, therefore, likely to fall for refusal on the basis that (i) the applicant will not be removed to North Korea. The applicant could be returned to South Korea which is not a country where they have a well founded fear of persecution; and/or (ii) the applicant could reasonably be expected to avail himself of the protection of South Korea, where they could assert citizenship.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a system of civilian drone registration similar to that used in the USA.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Officials from my department are talking to both the US and Irish authorities about the potential benefits of a registration scheme and impacts that such a scheme would have on the industry and how effective a registration scheme would be in improving transparency of ownership. However registration schemes are only as good as the enforcement mechanisms behind them. Government will be consulting on a range of options over the summer.