Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the global supply chain on the (a) repair and (b) maintenance of helicopter models licensed to provide public transport in the offshore oil and gas industry.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Spares and material shortages are not considered a direct safety issue to the operation of the aircraft but may reduce aircraft availability and increase maintenance activity to maintain operational flying of available aircraft. It is recommended that all operators carry out a safety case for their operation within their Safety Management System to identify specific risks and mitigations
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the (a) models and (b) number of helicopters licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority to transport offshore oil and gas workers to and from installations in the North Sea.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2017 the Airbus EC 175 entered UK service in support of Oil and Gas offshore operations, and as of 1 March 2024, there are 19 of these operating in the sector. Since that date no new aircraft types have entered service, nor has the CAA received applications from manufacturers to certify a new type. The average age of sector UK fleet is 9.6 years.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average age of the helicopter transport fleet in the offshore oil and gas sector.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2017 the Airbus EC 175 entered UK service in support of Oil and Gas offshore operations, and as of 1 March 2024, there are 19 of these operating in the sector. Since that date no new aircraft types have entered service, nor has the CAA received applications from manufacturers to certify a new type. The average age of sector UK fleet is 9.6 years.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding Family Hubs to all local authorities in England.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Family Hubs are a one stop shop for families to make it easier for them to get the help they need. The government would like to see Family Hubs across the country. The department has selected 75 local authorities based on levels of disadvantage to target the areas with the highest levels of deprivation and disproportionately poor health and educational outcomes. It is crucial that the department focuses on delivering fairly in these 75 local authorities already committed to and building the evidence base. The department has appointed Ecorys, Sheffield Hallam University and Ipsos to assess the family hubs aspect of the ‘Family Hubs and Start for Life’ programme. The newly commissioned evaluation will explore how the programme is being implemented across local authorities, where improvements can be made, and how it offers value-for-money. The department expects to publish the findings of the evaluation in late 2025.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new helicopter models were licenced by the Civil Aviation Authority for service in the North Sea oil and gas industry between 2016 and 4 March 2024; and how many applications the Civil Aviation Authority received from helicopter manufacturers in that period.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2017 the Airbus EC 175 entered UK service in support of Oil and Gas offshore operations, and as of 1 March 2024, there are 19 of these operating in the sector. Since that date no new aircraft types have entered service, nor has the CAA received applications from manufacturers to certify a new type. The average age of sector UK fleet is 9.6 years.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will have discussions with (a) ministerial colleagues in the Department for Transport, (b) operators, (c) the offshore oil and gas industry and (d) trade unions on the safety of offshore helicopter transport operations.
Answered by Graham Stuart
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State meets regularly with her ministerial colleagues and other stakeholders, including the offshore oil and gas trade association, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), to discuss a wide range of subjects.
Officials also meet regularly with OEUK, who are working closely on offshore safety issues with helicopter operators, oil and gas operators and contractors, offshore trade unions, the pilots’ union BALPA, the relevant regulators (Health and Safety Executive and the Civil Aviation Authority) and trade associations.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with the Department for Transport on the regulation of helicopter transport services for offshore oil and gas workers.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The regulation of helicopter transport services for offshore oil and gas workers is a matter for other bodies, such as the Civil Aviation Authority. Officials are in regular contact with Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), which engages directly on this issue on behalf of the offshore oil and gas sector with relevant bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive, the Civil Aviation Authority, helicopter operators, oil and gas operators and contractors, offshore trade unions, and the pilots’ union BALPA
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to commence section 93A of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department will commence Section 93a of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, making recording and reporting incidents of reasonable force a legal duty. This will be enacted to coincide with the publication of updates to the ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance, originally published in 2013, to ensure that schools have adequate advice on how they should be recording and reporting any incidents where reasonable force, including restrictive interventions, is used.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is to respond to her Department's consultation entitled Use of reasonable force and restrictive practices in schools which closed on 11 May 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The government recognises that the misuse of reasonable force and restrictive interventions can have a significant and long-lasting effect on the pupils, staff members and parents involved, as well as the wider classroom, which can potentially hinder the creation of a calm, safe and supportive school environment. The government is committed to minimising the use of reasonable force and restrictive interventions in all schools in England, including special schools and alternative provision.
This commitment includes updating the ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance, published in 2013, to provide advice for schools on creating environments that minimise the use of reasonable force and restrictive interventions, the powers of school staff to use reasonable force and restrictive interventions safely, appropriately and within the law, and making recording and reporting incidents of reasonable force a legal duty.
Updates to the ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance will be informed by the call for evidence which closed on 11 May 2023, as well as independent research into the use of reasonable force, physical restraint and other restrictive practices in special schools and alternative provision settings, stakeholder engagement, and data collection through departmental omnibus surveys. The department is considering all responses to the call for evidence as part of its work before the ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance goes out for public consultation later this year.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many road haulage businesses trading under SIC code 49410 entered insolvency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Estimated numbers of companies with the SIC code 49410 that entered insolvency in the UK in each of the last five calendar years are presented in the table below.
Calendar Year | Companies entering insolvency (SIC code 49410 – Freight Transport by Road) |
2019 | 280 |
2020 | 189 |
2021 | 265 |
2022 | 408 |
2023 | 494 |