Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the safety of (a) horses and (b) horse riders on roads.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes the safety of horse riders and other vulnerable road users very seriously and is committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on England’s roads.
Following Parliamentary approval, The Highway Code was updated on 29 January 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vehicles his Department is leasing as of 18 March 2024.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As at 18 March 2024, the Ministry of Defence is leasing 14,806 vehicles
The information provided relates to vehicles leased under the central Departmental contract for vehicle provision, which covers an array of vehicles including cars, minibuses, coaches and vans, as well as specialist vehicles such as dog vans, horse ambulances and mountain rescue vehicles.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value was of commercial civilian vehicle leasing and hire contracts with his Department in each year since 2019.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The information provided below relates to commercial civilian road vehicle lease and hire.
The Ministry of Defence has a central contract in place for hire and leased vehicles including cars, minibuses, coaches and vans, as well as specialist vehicles such as dog vans, horse ambulances and mountain rescue vehicles,
which are booked through the central booking system. The spend on hire and leased vehicles through this contract for the last five financial years is as follows:
Financial Year (FY) | FY2019-20 | FY2020-21 | FY2021-22 | FY2022-23 | FY2023-24 |
Total spend | £116.2 million | £94.6 million | £108.8 million | £132.0 million | £136.5 million |
Please note that there may be circumstances where transportation is booked outside the central booking system, which is not captured here.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government Minister urges pensioners to check eligibility for Pension Credit as Week of Action kicks off, published on 12 June 2023, how many additional claims for pension credit have been received as a result of the Invitation to Claim mailing trial.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial ran from July 2023 in ten Local Authority areas across Great Britain: Eastbourne, Teignbridge, Pendle, Charnwood, Vale of White Horse, Redcar and Cleveland, Craven, Harrow, Powys and West Lothian. Approximately 2,500 pensioner households were sent letters encouraging them to contact DWP and make a claim.
In line with the commitment given last year, we will be publishing a report covering the results from the trial shortly. Once the report has been published, we will have an indication of how many people applied for Pension Credit as a result of the trial.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support local authorities (a) manage and (b) care for neglected horses that have been left to fly-graze.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Control of Horses Act 2015 provides powers for landowners, land occupiers and local authorities to deal with horses placed unlawfully on any land, public or private (including equine abandonments). The 2015 Act allows for action to be taken quickly where horses are placed on land without the land-owner’s permission. If no owner can be identified within four working days, options include rehoming, either privately or via charities, or offering the horses for sale.
Local authorities are responsible for compliance with the legislation and its enforcement. Enforcement will vary according to location, depending on local priorities. We therefore encourage all interested parties to work together at local level to use the available powers to address the problem of abandoned horses.
The Government considers that the relevant legislation and guidance in place provides the right safeguards and powers in respect of protecting equine welfare. We remain committed to working with enforcement agencies and other interested parties to ensure issues of horse abandonments or neglect are effectively addressed.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to help ensure that people who neglect their horses are prosecuted.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 amends the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) to provide one of the toughest sanctions in Europe and strengthens the UK's position as a global leader on animal welfare. The 2006 Act, as amended in 2021, now means a maximum sentence of five years and/or an unlimited fine will apply to the most serious animal cruelty offences, including causing unnecessary suffering, and is a significant step forward in improving animal welfare.
Local authorities have powers under the 2006 Act to act where a horse is suspected to be suffering on any land, public or private. In such circumstances, the local authority may enter the land and take control of the animal.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to tackle horse (a) fly-grazing and (b) abandonment.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Control of Horses Act 2015 provides powers for landowners, land occupiers and local authorities to deal with horses placed unlawfully on any land, public or private (including equine abandonments). The 2015 Act allows for action to be taken quickly where horses are placed on land without the land-owner’s permission.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to comply with principle (d) of schedule 1 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office is fully compliant with principle (d) of schedule 1 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
The Cabinet Office designs work and workplaces to adapt to the needs of individuals. The majority of our Estate has modern, flexible, ergonomic workplaces to accommodate individuals’ requirements.
The Cabinet Office has a major transformation programme, Building A Better Cabinet Office (ABCO) and over the last few years has implemented improvements in workplaces and technology to provide modern, flexible working environments for our people. These improvements include, for example, the modernisation & refurbishment of furniture at London: 1 Horse Guards Road, Newcastle: Benton Park View and York: Imphal Barracks and also the move to new accommodation in Glasgow and in York. These sites now provide access to a series of working environments, including desks, collaborative working spaces and meeting rooms.
The Cabinet Office has a comprehensive framework to ensure individuals who have any additional requirements are not disadvantaged and are adequately supported to have the appropriate workplace adjustments in place.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the suitability of the synthetic material used for busby caps in the Royal Horse Artillery for the King's Guard bearskins.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery soldiers' busby is considerably smaller and lighter than the King's Guards ceremonial bearskin cap, worn much less frequently and for shorter periods of time. For these reasons, the synthetic material used for the soldiers' busby does not meet the faux fur replacement criteria for the bearskin caps and is considered an unsuitable alternative.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason his Department’s criteria for faux fur replacement for the (a) King’s Guard’s bearskin and (b) Royal Horse Artillery's busby caps are different.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery soldiers’ busby is smaller and lighter than the King’s Guards ceremonial bearskin cap, and as such the faux fur replacement criteria differs.