Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report entitled Annual Shared Micromobility Report 2024 published by CoMoUK.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to growing shared micromobility in Great Britain. The Government continues to trial rental e-scooters so we can learn what works, and on 21 July I announced these trials will be extended to May 2028, and for the first time since the trials began, I am offering new towns and cities the opportunity to join.
Cycle sharing is already here and growing, as highlighted by this report. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill introduced on 10 July included a measure to regulate on-street micromobility services which will give our local leaders the powers to regulate shared micromobility so they can shape these schemes around their needs, connect people to public transport, and ensure they are used safely and responsibly.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of moving to (a) single and (b) double summer time on cumulative carbon emissions.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government believes the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. Therefore, we have no plans to introduce single summertime, double summertime, or other such changes. Since the Government does not intend to make changes to the existing system, we have not conducted a recent assessment of the impact on cumulative carbon emissions. The Government is fully committed to complying with the statutory duties outlined in the Climate Change Act and reaching net zero by 2050.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress he has made on consulting animal welfare organisations on the review of fireworks legislation.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I have met with several animal charities in recent months, including Dogs Trust, the RSPCA and Redwings, through the fireworks working group. I continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks. It is important that we ensure the safe, responsible and considerate use of fireworks for business and consumers alike.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the system of recording abuse against roadworkers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Assaults against a person are already an offence (Common Assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.
Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many arm’s-length bodies provided funding to Understanding Animal Research in the 2024–25 financial year, broken down by the amount of funding provided by each body.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Information on how issued funding is spent by arms length bodies, including any membership of third party organisations, is not gathered centrally.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact the Pension Schemes Bill on the savings of people in (a) Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency and (b) East of England.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Pension Schemes Bill could mean nationally an average earner saving over their career may have around £29,000 more in their Defined Contribution pension pot at retirement. In total, around 20 million savers could benefit from the Bill and around 2 million are estimated to be in the East of England. Breakdowns by constituency are not available. See page 52-53 of the Pension Schemes Bill Impact Assessment for further details.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, when the external windows were last cleaned on (a) Norman Shaw South, (b) Portcullis House and (c) Richmond House.
Answered by Nick Smith
The external windows were last cleaned on the following dates.
(a) Norman Shaw South: South, East and West façade were last cleaned in February 2025, with the next clean scheduled in August 2025. The North façade is unable to be cleaned due to reach and wash equipment unable to access due to the Norman Shaw North works.
(b) Portcullis House: Internal façade (overlooking the Atrium) was cleaned in June 2025 and the external façade was cleaned in May 2025; both areas scheduled to be cleaned in November 2025.
(c) Richmond House windows last cleaned in April 2025 with the next clean scheduled for October 2025.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of transferring responsibility for the licensing of animal testing to the (a) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
It is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office to consider the benefits of any changes to the allocation of responsibilities between different government departments.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the provision of basic life support education in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All state-funded schools are required to teach first aid as part of the statutory health education curriculum, as part of relationships, sex and health education. This includes basic treatment for common injuries, life-saving skills, including how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators and when one might be needed.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is considering taking steps to reform the escalation process for Penalty Charge Notices in cases where the original notice was for a minor offence and was not received by the registered keeper.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
With regard to on-street parking, local highway authorities are responsible for enforcing parking restrictions under the system of Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE). Penalty charge notices must be issued in line with the Secretary of State’s ‘Statutory Guidance on the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions’ which is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-enforcement-of-parking-contraventions/
The Department has no plans to change the process for issuing Penalty Charge Notices.
With regard to private and off-street parking, policy on this including enforcement is the responsibility of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.