Alex Mayer MP: written questions
719 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Buses and Large Goods Vehicles: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8554More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of extending the zero emission vehicle mandate to include (a) trucks and (b) buses.
Answer: To meet net zero, both the HGV and bus sectors will need to decarbonise. The Government has not made a detailed assessment of the merits or feasibility of extending the zero emission vehicle mandate.
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordToys and Games: SafetyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8553More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to limit the number of dangerous toys sold by third-party sellers on online marketplaces.
Answer: The Office for Product Safety and Standards leads a national programme of regulatory action to tackle risks from unsafe and non-compliant goods from online marketplaces. This includes test purchasing products, including toys, to assess compliance and remo...
Answered 17 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRoad Works: Public ConsultationDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8552More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to publish the results of the consultation on Street works: fines and lane rental surplus funds.
Answer: The Department for Transport consulted earlier in 2024 on reforms to street works fines and the use of surplus lane rental funds. Publication of this response was delayed due to the general election. We plan to publish the response to this consultation in...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordVaccination: Supply ChainsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8551More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of sovereign cold chain partners on the safe (a) storage and (b) delivery of vaccines in healthcare emergencies.
Answer: The UK Health Security Agency has appointed, through a Commercial and Quality Technical Agreement, a third party to provide storage and distribution of vaccines in the event of healthcare emergencies. The United Kingdom-based provider must adhere to the r...
Answered 17 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordIron and Steel: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8550More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will establish a definition for (a) lower emission and (b) net zero steel.
Answer: Building demand for low carbon products is essential for achieving net zero. Public procurement is a key lever for driving demand. At COP28 the UK declared its intention to meet international green procurement pledges for low emission steel and concrete i...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordIron and Steel: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8549More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to implement procurement rules to give greater weight to the inclusion of green steel in purchased goods and services.
Answer: Building demand for low carbon products is essential for achieving net zero. Public procurement is a key lever for driving demand. At COP28 the UK declared its intention to meet international green procurement pledges for low emission steel and concrete i...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordLarger Eight-toothed European Spruce Bark BeetlesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8314More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the damage caused by the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle to trees in (a) Central Bedfordshire and (b) the UK.
Answer: The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle is a quarantine pest of spruce tree species and is not native to the UK. The Forestry Commission have a nationwide surveillance programme in place to monitor for incursions of this pest, which spreads naturally from Eu...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBus Services: RecruitmentDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8313More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage more women to take up careers in the bus industry.
Answer: The government is committed to delivering better bus services for passengers and it is essential that we ensure the sector better represents the people that it serves. Whilst it is the responsibility of individual bus operators to ensure they can recruit ...
Answered 17 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordMedicine: Animal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7968More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps with UK Research and Innovation to increase the proportion of biomedical research funding available for research projects that use non-animal new approach methodol
Answer: In accordance with UK legislation UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) only fund animal research where there is no suitable non-animal alternative available. Around 70% of research funded by their Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Me...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: UniversitiesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7967More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with university vice-chancellors on reducing the use of animals in experiments.
Answer: The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasin...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRoads: Flood ControlDepartment for TransportTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7966More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with National Highways on the effectiveness of using balancing ponds and drains to help prevent flooding on highways.
Answer: National Highways have not made an assessment on the effectiveness of using balancing ponds and drains in the prevention of highway flooding. Balancing ponds are used on the network to manage the risk of downstream flooding and drainage is designed to re...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFaroe Islands: CetaceansForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7965More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Faroe Islands on (a) dolphin and (b) whale hunting.
Answer: The UK strongly opposes the hunting of all cetaceans other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined subsistence needs. We reaffirmed our strong support for the global moratorium on commercial whaling at the September Internati...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCetaceans: Faroe IslandsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7964More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Faroese Minister for Fisheries on cetacean hunts.
Answer: The UK strongly opposes the hunting of all cetaceans other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined subsistence needs. The UK reaffirmed its strong support for the global moratorium on commercial whaling at the September Inter...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDolphins and Whales: HuntingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7963More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions the Joint Committee established by the bilateral Free Trade Agreement between the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom has had about whale and dolphin hunts.
Answer: The Government is strongly opposed to the hunting of whales and dolphins. The Department for Business and Trade utilises the opportunities provided by the UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement to engage the Faroese government on this important matter. The...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSub-national Transport Bodies: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7962More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse is of each sub-national transport body.
Answer: In Financial Year 23/24, the grant provided to each Sub-national Transport Body from the Department for Transport was as follows:Summary of Payments to Sub National Transport Bodies for FY23/24Transport for the North£7,210,000Midlands Connect£5,000,000Tra...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCalling Line IdentificationDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7961More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with providers on implementing revised Call Line Identification Guidance to extend blocking to international calls which display a UK number as a Presenta
Answer: The Government works closely with Ofcom who are responsible for the Call Line Identification (CLI) Guidance. Telecoms providers must comply with Ofcom’s General Conditions, part of which outlines operator’s obligations related to CLI.In July 2024, Ofcom a...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFloods: HousingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7631More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help people adapt their homes to mitigate against the risk of flooding.
Answer: Property flood resilience measures, such as airbrick covers and flood resilient materials, can ensure that new and existing homes are resilient to risks from flooding. The Environment Agency’s Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Framework provides consultancy...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDriving: QualificationsDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6931More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for bringing forward changes to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence.
Answer: Legislative proposals to reform the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence were laid in May. This Government intends to continue with these planned reforms and expect the necessary Debates to be held soon.
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: TemperatureMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6930More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that building regulations take into account the need for homes to be resilient to extreme (a) heat and (b) cold.
Answer: A new requirement was introduced as part of the Building Regulations in 2021 to reduce the risk of overheating in new residential buildings. The requirement came into effect in June 2022 and means that new residential buildings must now be designed in suc...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordEnergy: HousingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6929More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that programmes to retrofit homes to make them more energy efficient protect against extreme heat as well as cold.
Answer: The Government has started delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, including a new Warm Homes: Local Grant, and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. These schemes require installers to be Trustmark registered and measures to be installed in accordance with the P...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFish Products: Faroe IslandsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6928More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating country-of-origin labelling for fish products originating from the Faroe Islands.
Answer: A public consultation on fairer food labelling was undertaken between March and May 2024. This sought views on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory methods of production labelling and looked at country of origin for a range of products includ...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordClimate ChangeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6927More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for the next reviews of the (a) National Adaptation Programme and (b) strategy for climate change adaptation reporting.
Answer: The Climate Change Act 2008 requires the Secretary of State to produce a National Adaptation Programme in response to the Government’s most recent Climate Change Risk Assessment, on a five-yearly cycle. The third National Adaptation Programme was publishe...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordEconomic Situation: RainTreasuryTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6926More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of rainfall levels in September 2024 on (a) Government spending and (b) the local economy in each of the 10 English counties that have had the highest levels of
Answer: Economic stability is a priority for this government. The COBR Unit in the Cabinet Office operates a well-established arrangement for monitoring near-term civil contingency-type risks, including severe weather, for the purpose of ensuring the Government i...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBus Services: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6925More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to expand the Unicard rail ticketing hub to include buses.
Answer: While Unicard’s technology has multi-modal capabilities, its current contract is for the provision of ticketing on Transport for Wales rail, only. The Department is currently working with Transport for West Midlands and the UK’s major bus operators to dev...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordParking: DatabasesDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6924More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to take steps to encourage local authorities to join the National Parking Platform.
Answer: The Department has funded a pilot version of the system led by Manchester City Council since 2021, which now covers nine authorities and around 1% of the national cashless parking market. The pilot has been successful.
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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