Asked by: Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for an awareness campaign to help tackle negative perceptions over the long-term (a) viability and (b) reliability of second-hand electric vehicles.
Answered by Anthony Browne
Alongside government, industry plays an important role in communicating factual information on EVs and charging infrastructure to consumers. That is why in the Plan for Drivers, the Government committed to working with industry to address common misconceptions around electric vehicles (EVs) and communicate the many benefits of transitioning to EVs, both new and used.
In February, the Government published information on EVs, including used vehicles, and EV charging infrastructure. The Government is also taking proactive action to counter inaccurate information presented by the media on the subject of EVs, when this arises.
Asked by: Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing the expensive car supplement for electric vehicles at a higher threshold in the context of their relative price compared to petrol and diesel vehicles.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
As with all taxes, the Government keeps the Expensive Car Supplement under review, and any changes will be announced at a future fiscal event.
Asked by: Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many boreholes along the HS2 Phase 2 route have (a) been filled and (b) had land restored since the decision to cancel Phase 2; and when he expects the work of removing boreholes and compounds along the Phase 2 route be completed.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Work continues to develop the closedown, remediation, and demobilisation plan for Phase 2. A further update will be provided in the next HS2 parliamentary report.
Asked by: Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the value engineering report for the design of the proposed Handsacre Junction of HS2 from 2018.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Department does not hold and is not aware of a value engineering report of the proposed HS2 Handsacre Junction from 2018.
Asked by: Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the value engineering report for the design of the proposed Handsacre Junction of HS2.
Answered by Huw Merriman
There have been no value engineering reports on Handsacre junction since Network North. Previous decisions to change the design of Handsacre junction were made to reduce costs and disruption for passengers on the West Coast Main Line during construction, which was value for money given the previous plan to deliver Phase 2a on an accelerated timeframe would have resulted in the use of the junction for more than 1 train per hour in each direction only for a very short period.
Asked by: Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on (a) whether any issues were identified during the testing of new Hitachi AT300 rolling stock to replace Voyager on Avanti West Coast services, (b) whether an assessment has been made of the potential effect of the lack of tilt mechanism for those trains on (i) maintaining safe operation around bends at speed, (ii) journey times and (iii) rail timetables and (c) for what reason the tender for the rolling stock replacement for Voyager on Avanti West Coast services did not specify the inclusion of a tilt mechanism.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The procurement, safety risk assessment, and safe operation of the Hitachi AT300 rolling stock is the responsibility of the operator. When running rolling stock procurements, operators take account of factors such as what products are available to the market, reliability, operating cost, passenger capacity, comfort and environmental performance. Network Rail is currently upgrading infrastructure on parts of the West Coast Main Line to allow higher speed running with non-tilting trains. The Office of Rail and Road is responsible for ensuring the new trains meet rail safety regulatory requirements before they can operate on the mainline.
The Department is looking forward to the introduction of Avanti West Coast's brand new Hitachi rolling stock later this year which will replace its current diesel fleet in line with the Department's goal to run a more sustainable railway, resulting in a 61 per cent cut in carbon emissions, as well as offering more space and a quieter journey for passengers.
Asked by: Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) UK’s vaccine vial production capability, (b) reliance of the UK on the import of medical grade vials and (c) security of UK supply chains in the event of a future pandemic.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Department for Business and Trade has not conducted assessments on these specific goods. The Government has established strategic partnerships with industry to maintain security of vaccine supply in the event of a pandemic. This includes our partnership with Moderna which is building an innovation and technology centre with capacity from 2025 to produce up to 250 million doses of mRNA vaccines annually onshore in the United Kingdom.
The UK Health Security Agency has also agreed an advanced purchase agreement with Seqirus UK Limited to access 100 million vaccines if a future influenza pandemic is declared. The manufacturing process will be based entirely in the UK, giving better security of access if global demand ever outweighs supply. As part of these contracts, the Government regularly assesses risks that may impact the performance of the contract.
Asked by: Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of the UK’s vaccine vial production capability, (b) reliance of the UK on the import of medical grade vials and (c) security of UK supply chains in the event of a future pandemic.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to roll out the implantable cardiac monitoring commissioning system used in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to other Integrated Care Boards in England.
Answered by Will Quince
Implantable cardiac monitors are used successfully by patients across England and within the Stoke-on-Trent South constituency. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance in September 2020 on the use of implantable cardiac monitors. National Health Service trusts are currently using such devices in stroke prevention throughout England. It is for local integrated care systems to determine the appropriate cardiac monitoring devices for their populations’ commissioners.
Asked by: Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to implantable cardiac monitors in (a) England and (b) Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.
Answered by Will Quince
Implantable cardiac monitors are used successfully by patients across England and within the Stoke-on-Trent South constituency. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance in September 2020 on the use of implantable cardiac monitors. National Health Service trusts are currently using such devices in stroke prevention throughout England. It is for local integrated care systems to determine the appropriate cardiac monitoring devices for their populations’ commissioners.