Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Thames Path at Vauxhall Cross will reopen.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Thames Path has been diverted at this location to facilitate construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel. During this time pedestrians are required to use the footpath along the main road rather than the riverside route between Vauxhall Bridge and Tintagel House. Two new areas of public access are being created at this site that connect the capital's residents and visitors with the river more closely than is currently possible.
Following the completion of the works in mid-2025 the Thames Path that runs through the middle of the site will be reinstated and the two new areas will be opened.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 March (HL5463), how many people the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs employs on zero-hour contracts.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This department does not offer any zero-hour contracts. The number of staff in the department on zero-hour contracts is 0.
Zero hours contracts are not the normal practice or a recommended approach within the Civil Service. Departments may use them in very limited circumstances to help meet exceptional or fluctuating demands on the business.
The flexibility offered by zero hours contracts can benefit both workers and employers, but without proper safeguards this flexibility can become one-sided, with workers bearing all the financial risk. The Government’s Employment Rights Bill will end exploitative zero hours contracts, ensuring that all jobs provide a baseline of security and predictability so workers can better plan their lives and finances.