Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 9 March (HL14964), whether they will now answer the question put; namely, whether the TS Shtandart is prohibited from entering UK territorial waters; if so, what is the legal basis for that restriction, including any sanctions, maritime regulations or national security considerations.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to question HL 14964 on 9 March, in which I outlined that, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, any vessel with a valid flag status has the right to innocent passage through the UK’s territorial sea.
The Department cannot provide legal advice regarding domestic sanctions regulations in specific cases due to the Department’s role in administering and enforcing transport sanctions, such as through civil monetary penalties. It is the responsibility of the master and/or owner of the vessel to ensure that they comply with all UK maritime and sanctions law while under UK jurisdiction. Similarly, the decision whether to allow a vessel to dock is a matter for the respective port or harbour authority, who are also responsible for ensuring compliance with UK sanctions legislation. We encourage all entities to seek their own independent legal advice and to review the respective sanctions guidance provided via the government website.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the TS Shtandart is prohibited from entering UK territorial waters; if so, what is the legal basis for that restriction, including any sanctions, maritime regulations or national security considerations; whether any guidance has been issued to port authorities or maritime enforcement agencies regarding the treatment of the vessel; and whether any exemptions or conditions exist by which that vessel may be permitted entry.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As the UK is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, any vessel with a valid flag status has the right to innocent passage through the UK’s territorial sea.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) value for money, and (2) benefit to the community, of the public funding granted to the charity Sustrans.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Department for Transport has previously provided around £75m to Sustrans to maintain and upgrade the National Cycle Network since 2018/19. The Department keeps all funding under close review.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to use all or any of sections 141(1), 142(2) or 143 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to reverse the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
It was the Mayor's decision to expand the ULEZ to the Greater London boundary. There was no legal requirement for the Mayor to consult Government on his decision. The only powers for Government sit under Section 143 of the GLA Act which are focused on correcting inconsistencies between national transport policy and the Mayor's Transport Strategy. Therefore, these powers cannot be exercised.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the scientific evidence and data upon which the COVID-19 rules in place for passengers on direct flights from China to England are based; and what assessment they have made of (1) the cost of imposing the rules, and (2) whether the benefits of the rules outweigh their costs.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The basis for the decision to introduce pre-departure and post-arrival testing for passengers arriving from mainland China is the lack of comprehensive health information being shared by China, low confidence in their published case rates and lack of transparency around genomic sequencing. Domestic infection and hospitalisation rates have surged in China and the measures introduced reduce the number of cases being imported and allow us to monitor for variants.
The measures are proportionate, targeted and time limited. They are being kept under review and will be removed if no longer necessary. HMG and other international partners are encouraging China to provide greater transparency on their COVID data. Passengers may use a PCR or low-cost lateral flow device as their pre-departure test.
Post arrival testing is being managed by UKHSA and it is for them to decide about publishing data.