Tag: Stewart Malcolm McDonald

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions has he had with Volkswagen on the timeframe that has been agreed to complete software and technical fixes for all its UK consumers.

Andrew Jones

The Secretary of State has met with the Chief Executive of Volkswagen UK to press him to ensure that the technical fixes are completed as quickly as possible for UK consumers.

The UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency issued the type approval for some Volkswagen Group vehicles. For these the agency is working with the manufacturer to review and approve the proposed fixes. They are carrying out tests to ensure that after the fix is applied the vehicles do not have an illegal defeat device, that they meet all the legal requirements including emissions, and that other vehicles characteristics are unchanged, including fuel consumption and engine noise.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assurances he has received from Vauxhall that all owners of Zafira B models were informed about the changes to the vehicle safety recall relating to those cars.

Andrew Jones

To address the latest reported fires, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency told Vauxhall that a secondary safety recall (R/2016/104) was needed on Vauxhall Zafira B models equipped with manual control heating and ventilation systems. Under the requirements of the Code of Practice on vehicle safety defects and the General Product Safety Regulations, manufacturers are required to inform owners/keepers of vehicles that are affected by a vehicle safety recall of the risk and what action they are conducting to address the issue.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel from Royal Navy 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group were involved in training Bahraini defence force personnel in January 2016; and what such training consisted of.

Penny Mordaunt

The UK enjoys close links with Bahrain, spanning 200 years, that reinforce our commitment to the Gulf region. While on a visit to the region with HMS ST ALBANS, in suppport of this relationship, two personnel from 43 Commando Royal Marines undertook weapon training with the Bahraini Defence Forces.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the independent testing of Vauxhall Zafiras meets the aims set out for that independent testing.

Andrew Jones

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is working closely with Vauxhall to ensure it discharges its responsibility to conduct investigations into the cause of any vehicle safety defects, as set out in the Code of Practice on Vehicle Safety Defects.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) immediate and (b) long-term support the Government is giving to the government of Pakistan in response to the most recent attacks in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

I utterly condemn the attack which took place on Easter Sunday in Lahore, Pakistan.

The UK continues to stand with Pakistan in tackling terrorism, and the extremism that sustains it. In the immediate and long term, we are working with Pakistan to increase its ability to detect and disrupt improvised explosive devices, and to support capacity building and reform of the civilian criminal justice system so that those responsible for attacks are held to account in line with international standards on human rights. We also support Pakistan to confront extremist narratives and address the root causes of extremism and terrorism.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has asked Vauxhall to reclassify the root cause of the risk of fire in Zafira B models that have been subject to vehicle safety recalls to include premature corrosion of the blower motor.

Andrew Jones

Vauxhall has not been requested to reclassify the cause of the fires on the Vauxhall Zafira B models that have been subject to vehicle safety recalls, to include premature corrosion of the blower motor. The investigations into the cause of these fires has determined that the fires are occurring as a result of a manipulated heater motor resistor, or under very specific circumstances, the degradation of the heater motor resistor, which can affect the effectiveness of the unit.

Vauxhall has, however, included the replacement of the heater blower motor as part of its action to remove the risk to those using Zafiras.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will seek assurances from Volkswagen that software and technical fixes made in response to problems with emissions testing will not change engine output, fuel consumption and performance data.

Andrew Jones

The UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency issued the type approval for some Volkswagen Group vehicles. For these the agency is working with the manufacturer to review and approve the proposed fixes. They are carrying out tests to ensure that after the fix is applied the vehicles meet all the legal requirements including emissions, and that other vehicle characteristics are unchanged, including power output, fuel consumption and engine noise.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to stop the shipment of UK nuclear waste to Andnyamantha homelands in Australia up to 2020.

Jesse Norman

There is a very small quantity of Australian owned radioactive waste currently stored in the UK. We anticipate that this will be returned to Australia in due course in line with contractual commitments. The location of any storage and disposal facilities for this waste will be a matter for the Australian authorities.

Any shipment of radioactive material out of the UK will comply with all relevant international laws and use ships which meet national and international requirements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publicly condemn the killing of Xulhaz Mamas, senior editor of Bangladesh’s first LGBT magazine; if he will make representations to the Bangladeshi government on that matter; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

The British Government unequivocally condemns the murder of Xulhaz Mannan. On 25 April I expressed my deep sadness at the senseless murders of Mr Mannan, his friend Tanay Fahim and Professor Rezaul Karim and I called for the killers to be brought to justice. On 9 April, following the brutal murder of Nazimuddin Samad, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) called for the right to freedom of expression and open debate to be upheld in Bangladesh.

Regrettably, the number of violent extremist attacks against minority communities has increased in Bangladesh; many have been claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Indian-Subcontinent and Daesh. Extremism flourishes where there is a culture of intolerance and impunity. I urge the Bangladesh government to do its utmost to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice and to ensure that the right to life, to justice and to free speech for all Bangladeshis is upheld.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to amend the eligibility criteria for pension credit so that all men and women aged 60 and above can access that credit.

Richard Harrington

Pension Credit is an income-related benefit paid out of general taxation which targets help at the poorest pensioners. It is a condition of entitlement for Pension Credit that a person has attained the “qualifying age”, which is linked to the women’s State Pension age. This is the same age at which entitlement to Universal Credit ceases.

Changing the eligibility criteria would mean displacing Universal Credit with Pension Credit. Universal Credit has much better work incentives than Pension Credit, and ensures that work always pays. Universal Credit also disregards pension pots in the means test, encouraging further saving, whereas Pension Credit takes pension pots into account and therefore provides no incentive to increase their size.

For those with disability and care needs, the welfare system already makes provision through benefits and services based on needs assessment. This includes provision for those whose health condition means that it is difficult for them to remain in employment. The Government will be publishing a Green Paper on Work and Health later this year which will consider this issue.