Tag: Richard Burden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government’s review of the Davies Commission on Aviation capacity in the South East includes an assessment of the costs and benefits of government investment in aviation biofuel.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government continues to consider the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report, including on reducing carbon emissions from an expanded airport, before taking any decisions on next steps. Separate to the work on airport capacity, the Government is also assessing the benefits of making aviation biofuels eligible for the incentives which currently apply to biofuels used in road transport through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). We aim to publish a consultation on legislative amendments to this scheme later this year including proposals for aviation biofuel.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what dates the marine offices in (a) Brixham, (b) Leith and (c) Newlyn were closed; and how many Maritime and Coastguard Agency staff were (i) made redundant or (ii) transferred to other marine offices as a result of those closures.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Brixham Marine Office, which was collocated with the Maritime and Rescue Coordination Centre, closed on 31 October 2014 when rescue coordination activity from there stopped. There were no redundancies and two members of staff relocated to other sites.

Leith Marine Office closed on 13 May 2015. There were no redundancies and one member of staff relocated to another site.

Newlyn Marine Office closed on 31 April 2015. There were no redundancies and one member of staff relocated to another site.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether an impact assessment has been carried out on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Survey and Inspection Transformation Programme.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Guidance from Cabinet Office indicates that there is no requirement to complete a Business Engagement Assessment on this activity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2016 to Question 31430, on Anti-Semitism, which legal changes form part of the Government’s position on boycott, divestment and sanctions.

Mr Marcus Jones

Following the announcement on 3 October, the Department issued a public consultation on 25 November on changes to the regulatory framework for investments made under the local government pension scheme. The consultation proposed that guidance would be issued on how pension fund authorities should take non-financial considerations into account when making investment decisions.

The Government’s response to the consultation will be published in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the proposal to the International Maritime Organisation to develop a work plan to define shipping’s fair share in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the meeting on 18 to 22 April 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill

We welcome the paper submitted to the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee proposing the development of a work plan to define international shipping’s fair share in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Negotiations on how the global shipping sector can contribute to the goal in the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature increases to well below 2°C, and to pursue efforts towards 1.5°C, are at an early, technical stage.

Department for Transport officials have been working closely with the Department of Energy and Climate Change and other departments to ensure that the UK is well placed to play a leading role in the upcoming discussions regarding this “fair share” and will continue to do so as progress is made towards a global solution to tackling emissions from international shipping.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the average cost to (a) the public purse and (b) industry of training a seafarer (i) officer cadet, (ii) deck rating, (iii) engine rating, (iv) catering rating and (v) on-board services.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) is the Government’s financial support scheme for merchant navy training and is available to eligible shipping companies who sponsor eligible trainees that take approved courses.

The total amount that can be claimed per trainee is listed in the table below. SMarT funding is not available for on-board services trainees.

Type of Trainee	Maximum SMarT Funding Available (£)
Officer Cadet	18,156
Deck and Engine Room Rating (Traditional Route)	385
Deck and Engine Room Rating (MNTB/MCA approved route)*	1,032
Catering Rating (Ship’s Cook Rating)	385

* MNTB – Merchant Navy Training Board; MCA – Maritime and Coastguard Agency

The MCA does not collate information on the cost to industry of training a seafarer (i) officer cadet, (ii) deck rating, (iii) engine rating, (iv) catering rating and (v) on-board services.

The total cost of training to each shipping company would vary depending upon a number of factors such as the type of course the trainee has taken, the nautical college attended (where applicable) and associated tuition fees, the amount of any training allowance paid, accommodation costs, travel and uniform costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s business case for its Survey and Inspection Transformation Programme.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s business case will be published following conclusion of all the pre-implementation activities, including, but not limited to, the consultation process, negotiations with relevant Trade Unions and communications with staff, customers and stakeholders.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Recognised Organisations for the purposes of survey and inspection of international shipping were certified by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) authorise the following six classification societies to act as Recognised Organisations (ROs) for the survey and inspection of UK registered convention size ships. These are: American Bureau of Shipping; Bureau Veritas; ClassNK; DNV GL AS; Lloyd’s Register; and RINA.

The one change within the past 5 years to the list of authorised ROs was in 2015 following the merger of Det Norske Veritas and Germanischer Lloyd to become DNV GL AS. The MCA separately authorised both of these organisations as ROs prior to their merger.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the implications are for the UK’s autonomous vehicle technology industry of the Declaration of Amsterdam signed by Transport Ministers on 14 April 2016.

Andrew Jones

The Declaration of Amsterdam aims to encourage the deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) through setting the strategic agenda for the discussion on CAVs and ensuring interoperability is discussed at an early stage in the development process. The declaration, which is supported by the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders made specific calls to industry, asking them to work with government to highlight the barriers for deployment, and develop the technologies with interoperability in mind.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to engage with the European Aviation Safety Authority task force assessing the risk of collision between drones and aircraft.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority have regular interaction with the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) on the development of drone safety regulations. This includes engagement on the EASA task force studying the risk of collision between drones and aircrafts, which we expect will be consulting more formally across Member States this summer.