Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the data published by the Office for National Statistics which demonstrates that 19 local authorities in England have recorded excess death rates in 2020 that are more than twice the UK average excess death rates.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We have made no such assessment but we are learning as much as we can, as quickly as we can about this virus, who it affects and how best to keep everyone safe and protect those who may be more vulnerable than others.
We asked Public Health England (PHE) to undertake a rapid review into disparities in deaths from COVID-19 and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) has been tasked with leading the work arising from PHE’s report published on 2 June. The Terms of Reference for that work were published on 4 June.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the introduction of compulsory product registration of white goods at point of sale.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government encourages consumers to register their domestic appliances and is taking proactive steps to increase the rates of product registration in the UK. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has undertaken research to survey over 4,000 consumers to understand their attitudes to product safety, including product registration.
In January 2020, OPSS began a product registration research trial with the aim of increasing product registration rates by applying behavioural principles. The trial will monitor the rates of product registration and the data collected will be used to develop further initiatives to increase product registration by consumers. The Government keeps all options under review and is keen to ensure that any activity to increase the rate of product registration is evidence based and proportionate.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to requiring manufacturers to fit white goods with a standardised rating plate in an identical position on all such goods for the purpose of easy product identification.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the value of being able to identify a product following a product safety incident. Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, before placing electrical equipment on the market, a manufacturer must ensure that it bears a type, batch or serial number to allow for its identification.
Research commissioned by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has identified a number of potential systems for the indelible marking of white goods. OPSS will further explore with key stakeholders the barriers which are currently preventing industry from implementing such a system.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to improving the traceability of white goods.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the value of being able to identify a product following a product safety incident. Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, before placing electrical equipment on the market, a manufacturer must ensure that it bears a type, batch or serial number to allow for its identification.
Research commissioned by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has identified a number of potential systems for the indelible marking of white goods. OPSS will further explore with key stakeholders the barriers which are currently preventing industry from implementing such a system.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to improving the safety of white goods that are sold second hand.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The law requires that only safe products may be placed on the market, whether they are new or second hand. Electrical products placed on the market must comply with the legal safety requirements of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (or of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 if they were placed on the market before December 2016).
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is rolling out training to front line Trading Standards Officers on the safety of second-hand electrical goods later this year. In addition, OPSS will be publishing good practice guidance on the responsibilities for those who sell second-hand electrical goods. The Chief Executive of OPSS has also written to the Charity Retailers Association, urging them to ensure electrical products sold in charity shops are safe. The Association covers almost 9,000 charity and second-hand shops in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the transformative investments to the A1 north of Newcastle proposed by the Prime Minister in his statement on Transport Infrastructure on 11 February; and when they will be implemented.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We have already started on improvements to the A1 North of Ellingham. Junction improvements at Fenham le Moor, Outchester, Adderstone Mains, Newstead Crossroads and Old Mousen have been completed. Work is currently underway on other junctions along this section of the A1 and work will be completed by March 2020.
We are also committed to dualling the A1 between Alnwick and Ellingham and Morpeth and Felton, as well as creating new junctions at Highlaws, Fenrother, West Moor and Charlton Mires. Construction will begin on this scheme in 2021 and both sections will be open for traffic by 2023/24.
The schemes will improve performance and safety for the travelling public on the A1.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commemorate the bicentenary of the opening of George Stephenson's railway between Hetton Colliery and the River Wear in 2022.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government currently has no plans to commemorate the bicentenary of the Hetton Colliery Railway.
Stephenson played a key role in Britain’s position as a pioneer of railway development. If an organisation were to bring forward proposals for such a commemoration, our heritage bodies would be happy to discuss these and to provide expertise as needed. Historic England is supporting the nearby Stockton and Darlington Railway, of which the Hetton Colliery Railway was the forerunner, as part of its Heritage Action Zone programme from 2018-2023. This is likely to increase interest in this area.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide funding for a new railway station building in Sunderland.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The North East city region has been shortlisted for a share of £1.22bn from the second tranche of the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund. A new station building in Sunderland is part of their proposal. The Department is currently reviewing TCF submissions received from all twelve shortlisted city regions and a decision on the allocation of funding is expected in March 2020.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of extending the Tyne and Wear Metro to Doxford International Business Park in Sunderland.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As part of its Continuous Modular Strategic Planning work on long term strategy for the rail network, Network Rail is assessing what is required to make sure that the rail network between York and Newcastle meets the needs of passengers and freight users in the coming decades. This study is considering the potential role of reinstatement of the Leamside line in meeting those needs, including for local connectivity through extension of the Tyne and Wear local conventional rail or Metro network. It will make recommendations for further option development.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether funding announced by the Department for Transport on 28 January to assess the feasibility of re-opening railway lines will include a study into re-opening the Leamside line between Sunderland, Washington, Houghton-le-Spring and Pelaw.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As part of its Continuous Modular Strategic Planning work on long term strategy for the rail network, Network Rail is assessing what is required to make sure that the rail network between York and Newcastle meets the needs of passengers and freight users in the coming decades. This study is considering the potential role of reinstatement of the Leamside line in meeting those needs, including for local connectivity through extension of the Tyne and Wear local conventional rail or Metro network. It will make recommendations for further option development.