Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) concerning requests from staff in those organisations to work overseas; and in which circumstances NDPBs are expected to agree to such requests.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The government does not issue guidance to non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) on temporary working from non-UK locations. Departments have delegated policy responsibility concerning requests from staff in NDPBs to work overseas. However, they must comply with FCDO and other regulatory requirements when posting employees overseas permanently, travelling overseas for business and considering requests from employees to work temporarily overseas. Departments work with their own arm’s length body (ALB) when considering requests from staff in NDPBs to work overseas.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to encourage or support merchant nuclear shipping.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution announced the Advanced Nuclear Fund of up to £385 million to invest in the next generation of nuclear technologies. This includes up to £215 million for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to develop a domestic smaller-scale power plant technology design, and up to £170 million for a research and development programme to deliver an Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR) demonstration by the early 2030s. In the Net Zero Strategy the Government announced up to £120 million for a new Future Nuclear Enabling Fund to provide targeted support to address barriers to entry.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that doctors who are on strike do not take up locum shifts during strike days at another hospital.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the High Court ruling last year it is now unlawful for employment businesses to supply workers, including doctors, to carry out the duties of striking workers. It is not unlawful however for a doctor to take up a locum shift, and current blacklisting legislation does not allow only striking doctors to be targeted and prevented from taking up local shifts.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Port of Dover's border control point for imports will be located 22 miles away at Sevington, and what assessment they have made of the risks to biosecurity.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We remain committed to delivering the best border in the world. The Border Target Operating Model is key to delivering this, protecting the UK’s biosecurity, and ensuring our trading partners have confidence in our standards. The Government’s intention to consolidate SPS checks at Sevington for the Short Straits is based on the need to both safeguard the UK’s biosecurity and minimise the cost to trade.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Mayor of London about his suspension of the requirement for private hire drivers to pass an English language proficiency exam.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Whilst the Government issues guidance to assist local authorities, taxi licensing in London is a matter for the Mayor of London.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to curb the illegal use of e-scooters.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Enforcement of road traffic law, including in relation to the illegal use of e-scooters, is an operational matter for Chief Officers who will decide how to deploy available resources, taking into account any specific local problems and demands.
The Government will continue to support the police to ensure they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation, including those relating to offences involving e-scooters.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to their policy that by 2030 at least 10 per cent of jet fuel used for commercial flights by UK airlines should be sustainable aviation fuel, what actions they are taking to ensure that such fuel is manufactured in the UK.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
To ensure we have a resilient sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply system, the Government wants to see a balance of domestic production, imports and exports. Therefore, the SAF mandate will not differentiate between SAF made in the UK and that made overseas.
However, we recognise that SAF delivers wider benefits when produced domestically, by providing fuel security, potentially supporting up to 5,200 UK jobs by 2035 and a further 13,600 through global exports, and supporting economic growth.
Therefore, we are kickstarting a domestic SAF industry by allocating over £135m for UK SAF production facilities through the Advanced Fuels Fund and committing to design and implement a revenue certainty mechanism to support investment in SAF production.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to investigate, in conjunction with aviation regulators, allegations by Ryanair that a UK-registered company had marketed thousands of engine parts with faked certification documents for Airbus and Boeing models, and what assessment they have made of the implications for air travel safety.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This issue is subject to ongoing investigation. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is leading on investigating and addressing the UK aviation safety risks, which are currently deemed to be low.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the position adopted in the Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-related Sea-Level Rise, published in August 2021 by the Pacific Islands Forum, including that no state should lose territory of any kind as a result of human-caused climate change.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We acknowledge that sea level rise poses challenges with respect to the stability of maritime boundaries and we recognise that this is a significant concern for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other coastal countries including the UK. We have taken careful note of the Pacific Islands Forum declaration on this topic and are considering it in detail. The UK acknowledges that this is a matter of considerable importance to (SIDS) who are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We continue to work with SIDS to drive global ambition of emissions reductions, and support adaptation and resilience in SIDS including through accessing finance. The UK Government has a number of programmes which will support SIDS and which aim to strengthen resilience against climate change, such as the global £500 million Blue Planet Fund.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to ensure that states currently at risk from sea-level rise will not lose their current territory and other entitlements under international law.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We acknowledge that sea level rise poses challenges with respect to the stability of maritime boundaries and we recognise that this is a significant concern for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other coastal countries including the UK. We have taken careful note of the Pacific Islands Forum declaration on this topic and are considering it in detail. The UK acknowledges that this is a matter of considerable importance to (SIDS) who are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We continue to work with SIDS to drive global ambition of emissions reductions, and support adaptation and resilience in SIDS including through accessing finance. The UK Government has a number of programmes which will support SIDS and which aim to strengthen resilience against climate change, such as the global £500 million Blue Planet Fund.