Tag: Richard Burden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and test staff representatives in order to seek a resolution of the industrial disputes at that Agency.

Andrew Jones

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) regrets the current industrial action, which is focussed on a modernised employment contract, and the effect it is having on its customers. DVSA has kept dialogue open with the Public and Commercial Services and Prospect unions. Senior DVSA managers have made themselves available for talks, but the unions set unacceptable preconditions to talks, so they could not take place.

DVSA is seeking to come to an agreement on acceptable conditions for talks, seeking the help of Acas on 2 December to do this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which departments have members on the cross-departmental Maritime Business Services working group; and how often he expects that group to meet.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth met for the first time on 30 November 2015. The government departments which attended that meeting were the Department for Transport, the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, the Ministry of Defence, the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Her Majesty’s Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport. Those Government departments with interests in future cross cutting discussions will be invited to further meetings.

The current expectation is that this group will meet twice in 2016 with a review at the end of the year to determine future needs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s (a) budget and (b) spend for maritime surveillance was in each of the last five years; and what the (i) names and (ii) lengths of contract are of companies engaged in UK maritime security.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Her Majesty’s Coastguard monitors shipping off the United Kingdom coast for the purposes of ship safety and pollution prevention. That monitoring uses ships’ Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) where those are fitted under international requirements. Ships are monitored by RADAR in the Dover Strait and the Sunk area in the approaches to the Thames Estuary. Pollution is monitored through the European Union’s SafeSeaNet satellite arrangements. There are no specific contracts in place with companies or organisations for the commercial provision of maritime surveillance information.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has a comprehensive set of maritime security measures in place which port facilities in the UK and ships on the UK Ship Register are required to implement for countering the threat from terrorism. Responsibility for delivering these measures rests with the port and ship owners. As such DfT does not have any contracts with UK maritime security companies for the provision of security services at ports or on board ships.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the working group conducting the Post Implementation Review of the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 will make recommendations on the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage for seafarers employed on (a) UK and (b) non-UK registered vessels.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Although the working group had considered looking at National Minimum Wage (NMW) enforcement it was quickly recognised by all members of the group that due to international law this is a very complex area and that it would be more beneficial to discuss in a separate forum. It has been agreed in principle to convene a cross government and social partners working group to look at the application of national minimum wage in regard to seafarers. As the Department responsible for NMW legislation, this would be led by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

The working group has reviewed the existing guidance produced by BIS for seafarers and it is expected that revised guidance, taking into account recommendations of the group, will be published in Spring 2016. The Nautilus Telegraph will also publicise the revised guidance. This is a respected publication produced by the officer’s union Nautilus International but widely read by all seafarer ranks.

I also understand from officials at RMT that they have recently had positive discussions with my Right Honourable Friend, the Minister of State for Skills and Equalities on the application of NMW to seafarers.

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 assessment he has made of the effects of the demolition of structures in the South Hebron Hills on 2 February 2016 on (a) future compliance with UN resolutions and (b) the peace process; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK position on demolitions is clear: demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; are harmful to the peace process; and are, in all but the most exceptional of cases, contrary to international humanitarian law. The Fourth Geneva Convention is clear that the destruction of any real or personal property in Occupied Territory is not justified unless it is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 24913, what assessment he has made of the likely take-up of the (a) deck and (b) other Maritime Trailblazer ratings apprenticeships (i) before and (ii) after the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy from April 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Apprenticeship Levy will encourage the take up of apprenticeships generally. It is not possible to say how it might impact on individual apprenticeships, particularly those still under development.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the (a) maintenance of and (b) appropriate location for public weighbridges.

Joseph Johnson

a) Public weighbridges are regulated under the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and the Non Automatic Weighing Instrument Regulations 2000. It is the responsibility of the owner of the instrument to ensure that it is maintained and continues to operate in line with the legal requirements for accuracy. Local Weights and Measures Authorities (LWMAs) are responsible for enforcement of weights and measures requirements and undertake enforcement using a risk based approach. The National Measurement and Regulation Office (NMRO) issues risk ratings for equipment for use by LWMAs which is updated each year and have rated weighbridges as high risk equipment.

b) The operation of public weighbridges is a commercial service and their location will be a commercial decision for the operators concerned.

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 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of Syrian refugees in each local authority in the UK.

Richard Harrington

The Home Office holds this information in relation to those Syrian refugees resettled in the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. However, we do not routinely identify which local authorities are participating in this scheme. Participation is voluntary and it is often the case that local authorities do not wish to have their participation published. It is a matter for each local authority to decide whether they want to publish the fact of their participation and the numbers of refugees they take.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will expedite the work of the cross-governmental working group on drones; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to mitigate the safety risks posed by civilian drones.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Government’s primary responsibility is the safety and security of our citizens. That is why we apply the highest regulatory safety standards for commercial aviation in the world.

There is legislation in place that requires users of small drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle, and that requires users to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit their vehicle to endanger any person or property.

It is already illegal to operate a drone recklessly or negligently, and the Crown Prosecution Service has successfully prosecuted where there has been persistent reckless behaviour.

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.

We will continue to keep our policies and regulation under review to ensure public safety remains paramount. This currently includes working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones.