Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of quad bikes.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The technical requirements for quad bikes depends on their intended use. Road or agricultural bikes must be type approved, while those classed as machinery need to meet the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008.
Following research by the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain (HSE) the advice for quad bikes used in workplace settings is that ROPS are not recommended. It was shown that ROPS may lead to an increased risk of injury in the event of an overturn by either preventing the operator from separating from the machine or striking the operator as the machine overturns.
The Government plans to consult on replacing the current, interim, approval scheme for road and agricultural quads, with a full type GB scheme. Any new evidence supplied during this process will be given consideration.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take, if any, to support ferry operators in terms of the recruitment of crews for work on vessels which operate between (1) Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and (2) Great Britain and Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Recruitment is the responsibility of operators. However, to capitalise on future growth areas and attract a diverse range of talent into the industry, my Department promotes maritime skills and careers across the UK. Additionally, we remain committed to improving working conditions for seafarers by boosting their welfare and protection from exploitation.
The Home Office is also engaging with vessel operators serving the routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the recruitment of overseas labour through the Frontier Worker Permit and Skilled Worker visa.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative potential for (1) Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) biofuel, and (2) electric vehicles, to decarbonise road transport, as compared to diesel in each of the next three years.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government has not produced specific estimates of the potential CO2 savings for Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) biofuel or electric vehicles to decarbonise road transport, as compared to diesel in each of the next three years.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of (1) the RTFO-type subsidy, and (2) reductions in mineral oil Excise Duty for biofuels, in the Republic of Ireland; and what plans they have, if any, to implement equivalent policies in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The United Kingdom’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme, introduced in 2008, is not dissimilar to the Biofuel Obligation Scheme (BOS), introduced in the Republic of Ireland in 2010.
The RTFO scheme has been successful for more than a decade in supporting a market for biofuels and is continuously reviewed to ensure that it delivers cost-effective carbon savings. Biofuel suppliers operate in a global market and the Department considers changes to the RTFO in the context of support schemes offered by the UK’S global partners. As the administrator of the RTFO, the Department also participates in the Renewable Fuels Regulators Club, which includes counterparts in the Republic of Ireland, and facilitates the sharing of best practice.
The tax treatment of fuels will not form part of our post implementation review of the RTFO scheme later this year. As with other taxes, His Majesty's Treasury is responsible for fuel duty, which is kept under review. There are currently no plans to change the tax treatment of biofuels. The Chancellor takes decisions on tax rates at fiscal events.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that (1) freight, and (2) passenger, services between Larne and Cairnryan ports are reinstated.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
We have worked closely with the Devolved Administrations on this. Other ferry companies have stepped up to provide the ferry capacity that has been abruptly taken out of the market by P&O Ferries. We have been able to obtain assurances that the further vessel and additional capacity Stena has put in will mitigate the P&O vessel being out of service.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of air pollution from motor vehicles since the restrictions put in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic were eased in August 2020.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Despite increases in some areas as March lockdown measures eased, average roadside NO2 concentrations are below levels observed in the previous 3 years. We continue our ambitious plans to improve air quality with our Clean Air Strategy, tackling NO2 pollution and increasing active travel. Government continues working in partnership with local authorities to help them deliver Clean Air Zones. The Environment Bill will enable greater local action for tackling air pollution.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports have they received about fishing vessels from the West of Scotland and Northern Ireland picking up munitions in their nets (1) from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2020, and (2) from 1 April to 21 September 2020.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency recorded twenty-six incidents of munitions being encountered at sea between 1 January 2016 and 31 March 2020, and one incident from the 1 April to 21 September 2020 in the region of the West of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In the timescale given to respond to this question we were unable to determine whether the encounters detailed above were fishing vessels finding munitions in their nets or due to other circumstances as this requires a manual review of each incident log. Unfortunately, due to the way in which the data from 2010 to 2016 is stored we will require additional time to retrieve data from prior to 2016.
Munitions found at sea West of Scotland/Northern Ireland | ||||
01/04-31/03 | 01/04 - 21/09 | |||
2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020 |
10 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of a trawler registered in Ardglass fishing port in County Down picking up munitions in its catch on 19 September.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
On the 19 September 2020 HM Coastguard responded to a report from the Harbour Master at Ardglass of Second World War munitions having been left at the port by a fishing vessel. The Coastguard assisted the Police Service of Northern Ireland in securing a cordon. Explosive ordinance disposal attended and removed the items for destruction.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suspension of gender pay gap reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic on gender pay gap inequality.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given to HL6083 on 3rd July 2020.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further (1) to the statement by the Airport Operators Association that airports may have lost at least £4 billion in revenue by the end of 2020, and (2) the job losses in the aviation sector, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, what steps they are taking to assist financially the aviation industry. [T]
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation sector as a result of COVID-19. The aviation sector is crucial to the UK’s economy and businesses across the industry will be able to draw on the unprecedented package of economic measures we have put in place during this time.
This includes a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme which facilitates access to finance for businesses affected by the outbreak. Firms are also able to access ‘Time to Pay’ scheme which eases restrictions with tax bills and VAT deferrals.
The Government is also ensuring financial support for employees through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme covering 80% of furloughed employees’ usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, alongside the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions.
The Department is in close contact with the aviation sector ensuring that the Government is kept fully aware of the latest developments with all firms and to understand where additional policy measures may be useful and to address specific industry issues.
The Department has established a Restart and Recovery Unit for aviation. The unit will immediately focus on restart, in particular:
Examining new standards on health and wellbeing across the customer journey;
Measures needed to sustain and boost the sector;
Ensuring new standards are established at an international level; and
Engagement with the sector to ensure the proposals developed are fit for purpose.
The unit will also focus on establishing a clear vision and objectives for the sector looking forward to the recovery phase. We are working closely with the aviation sector to support it to ensure there is sufficient capacity to protect global travel routes, continue repatriation, freight and maintain vital connectivity.