To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
SS Richard Montgomery
Thursday 17th September 2020

Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why they decided that the masts of the SS Richard Montgomery should now be removed; and if they will publish the risk assessment that led to this decision.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Whilst the condition of the masts is not believed to have deteriorated seriously over time, the decision to explore reducing the height of the masts was informed by the regular surveys conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

There is a dedicated page on Gov.uk for the SS Richard Montgomery where these surveys can be found.

The procurement process to appoint a contractor to remove the masts is still live and while commercial information on the tender cannot therefore be released, further updates on its progress will be given at the appropriate time. The work to remove these masts has not previously been put out to tender. Further details can be found online in the Official Journal of the EU.

The SS Richard Montgomery is not on the National Risk Register. The National Risk Register is managed by the Cabinet Office, who are currently updating this document.

The relevant local authorities and local resilience forums are aware of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery and routinely factor it into their regular planning work. We are in contact with these organisations regularly to ensure they have the information they need on risks to inform their planning.


Written Question
SS Richard Montgomery
Thursday 17th September 2020

Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in identifying a contractor to carry out the removal of the masts of the SS Richard Montgomery; how many times this work has been put out to tender; how many expressions of interest have been received; and what indemnities are being offered to the contractors.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Whilst the condition of the masts is not believed to have deteriorated seriously over time, the decision to explore reducing the height of the masts was informed by the regular surveys conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

There is a dedicated page on Gov.uk for the SS Richard Montgomery where these surveys can be found.

The procurement process to appoint a contractor to remove the masts is still live and while commercial information on the tender cannot therefore be released, further updates on its progress will be given at the appropriate time. The work to remove these masts has not previously been put out to tender. Further details can be found online in the Official Journal of the EU.

The SS Richard Montgomery is not on the National Risk Register. The National Risk Register is managed by the Cabinet Office, who are currently updating this document.

The relevant local authorities and local resilience forums are aware of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery and routinely factor it into their regular planning work. We are in contact with these organisations regularly to ensure they have the information they need on risks to inform their planning.


Written Question
SS Richard Montgomery
Thursday 17th September 2020

Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the SS Richard Montgomery is in their National Risk Assessment; and what guidance has been offered to the relevant local resilience forums about the approach they should take to the risks associated with it.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Whilst the condition of the masts is not believed to have deteriorated seriously over time, the decision to explore reducing the height of the masts was informed by the regular surveys conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

There is a dedicated page on Gov.uk for the SS Richard Montgomery where these surveys can be found.

The procurement process to appoint a contractor to remove the masts is still live and while commercial information on the tender cannot therefore be released, further updates on its progress will be given at the appropriate time. The work to remove these masts has not previously been put out to tender. Further details can be found online in the Official Journal of the EU.

The SS Richard Montgomery is not on the National Risk Register. The National Risk Register is managed by the Cabinet Office, who are currently updating this document.

The relevant local authorities and local resilience forums are aware of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery and routinely factor it into their regular planning work. We are in contact with these organisations regularly to ensure they have the information they need on risks to inform their planning.


Written Question
SS Richard Montgomery
Tuesday 9th April 2019

Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have provided to the relevant local resilience forum or forums about the wreck of SS Richard Montgomery.

Answered by Baroness Sugg

The government has previously engaged with local resilience forums (LRFs) in Kent and Essex and has provided them with updates on survey results and the condition of the wreck. We will continue to engage with the relevant LRFs on the future management plan for the SSRM including updating them on survey results and condition.


Written Question
SS Richard Montgomery
Tuesday 9th April 2019

Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the resident population within a (1) 2.5 kilometre, and (2) 5 kilometre radius of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery; and how close the petrochemical installations at the Isle of Grain are to that wreck.

Answered by Baroness Sugg

Given the wreck’s distance offshore, (1) a radius of 2.5km from the wreck does not encompass any populated areas. (2) While exact population figures are not available at this scale, a radius of 5km from the wreck would encompass areas of population of the Isle of Sheppey and the Isle of Grain.

The LNG terminal on the Isle of Grain is approximately 6.5km from the wreck.


Written Question
SS Richard Montgomery
Tuesday 9th April 2019

Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated volume of bombs and high explosives that remain unsalvaged on the SS Richard Montgomery.

Answered by Baroness Sugg

The Department for Transport (DfT) is responsible for the long-term management of the wreck, but works closely with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) to monitor its condition.

The management of the SS Richard Montgomery is a key priority for DfT. The MCA undertakes regular surveys of the wreck to monitor its condition and inform management policy.

The regular survey reports of the SSRM are available on the Government’s website. These include an assessment of the wreck’s condition, and note that approximately 1400 tons (Net Explosive Quantity) of munitions remain in the forward section of the wreck. The next survey report will be published later this year.


Written Question
SS Richard Montgomery
Tuesday 9th April 2019

Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government which department has ownership of the risks posed by the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery; and which department or agency is responsible for the surveillance of that wreck.

Answered by Baroness Sugg

The Department for Transport (DfT) is responsible for the long-term management of the wreck, but works closely with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) to monitor its condition.

The management of the SS Richard Montgomery is a key priority for DfT. The MCA undertakes regular surveys of the wreck to monitor its condition and inform management policy.

The regular survey reports of the SSRM are available on the Government’s website. These include an assessment of the wreck’s condition, and note that approximately 1400 tons (Net Explosive Quantity) of munitions remain in the forward section of the wreck. The next survey report will be published later this year.


Written Question
SS Richard Montgomery
Tuesday 9th April 2019

Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the risks posed by the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery.

Answered by Baroness Sugg

The Department for Transport (DfT) is responsible for the long-term management of the wreck, but works closely with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) to monitor its condition.

The management of the SS Richard Montgomery is a key priority for DfT. The MCA undertakes regular surveys of the wreck to monitor its condition and inform management policy.

The regular survey reports of the SSRM are available on the Government’s website. These include an assessment of the wreck’s condition, and note that approximately 1400 tons (Net Explosive Quantity) of munitions remain in the forward section of the wreck. The next survey report will be published later this year.


Written Question
Department for Transport: Internet
Monday 14th May 2018

Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cloud services contracts that were previously delivered by British cloud services providers for the Department for Transport are now delivered by multinational cloud service providers; what is the value of those contracts; and what are the names of the previous providers.

Answered by Baroness Sugg

All cloud services for the Department are delivered by multinational providers; one cloud service was previously delivered by British provider UKCloud (formerly Skyscape). The contract was with DVSA, and the value was £300,000 for the period July 2014 to June 2017.


Written Question
Department for Transport: Databases
Tuesday 8th May 2018

Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the Department for Transport's data is hosted (1) in the UK, and (2) overseas.

Answered by Baroness Sugg

The vast majority of the Department of Transport’s (DfT) data (97%) is stored in the UK, with 3% stored overseas in countries in the European Economic Area.

DfT follows the Cabinet Office’s HMG Offshoring Policy when deciding whether it is appropriate to store data overseas. This involves considering whether it is safe, legal, sensible and right for the business.

This answer does not include information relating to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), as the way DVSA records the number of records for each information asset means it is not possible to provide an accurate percentage split.