Joint Committee on Human Rights examines the immigration detention system
Link: Lord Blunkett questioned on reforms to immigration detention system
Source: Parliamentary News
No plans to change "reasonable grounds requirement" for stop and search
Afzal Khan questions the Government on stop and search powers
Link: No plans to change "reasonable grounds requirement" for stop and search
Source: Parliamentary News
UK Parliament Week 2018 begins with more than 7000 events taking place
Read on to find out more about UK Parliament Week 2018 and some of the events you can expect to see
Link: UK Parliament Week 2018 begins with more than 7000 events taking place
Source: Parliamentary News
The Family Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2018
Link: The Family Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2018
Source: Legislation .gov.uk
Minister and Intellectual Property Director questioned on Brexit impact
EU Justice Sub-Committee takes evidence on Tuesday 13 November at 10.45am
Link: Minister and Intellectual Property Director questioned on Brexit impact
Source: Parliamentary News
Transport Committee visits Bristol to hear about health of bus services
The first public evidence session outside of Westminster, the Committee will visit Bristol where they are holding an evidence session on the health of the bus market.
Link: Transport Committee visits Bristol to hear about health of bus services
Source: Parliamentary News
Press release: Explosive start for triple decker roundabout
Highways experts aiming to transform journeys on a vital part of the road network in North Tyneside had to go back to the classroom and delve into their history books as they started work on the multi-million pound scheme, it was revealed today.
Work on the £75m scheme to improve the A19 Coast Road roundabout is just months away from completion but starting work on site was far from simple as engineers had to check out the region’s war history.
As the region joins the nation in preparing to mark Armistice Day, Highways England has explained the meticulous work which had to be carried out before the project got off the ground.
Highways England’s project manager Julie Alexander said:
Safety is our number one priority and so before we start any project we have to carry out various vital types of work to ensure the ultimate improvement will be safe for everyone using it.
Our work on the A19 involved detailed investigation into the bomb activity on the site. This showed that 2 high explosive bombs fell in the middle of the site during a raid on 30 April 1942 when six were dropped by a single aircraft.
Thankfully no unexploded bombs remained on site so we could proceed. Armistice Day is a chance for us to remember the members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty and the impact it had on the people involved.
Over 70 years ago, long before the A19 Coast Road roundabout was built, the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force, started a sustained aerial attack on British cities targeting docks, industrial premises, power stations and airfields.
Strategic bombing during World War II saw the extensive use of both high explosive and incendiary bombs, although anti-personnel bombs and parachute mines were also used.
Tyneside in the North East was subjected to observation flights by the Luftwaffe in 1939 as they built up evidence of potential targets.
During WWII there were 250 air raid alerts in the region, with the first bombs falling in July 1940. The heaviest raids took place in 1941 and 1942.
In Tynemouth where Highways England is building the North East’s first triple decker roundabout there were 31 air raids which destroyed 447 houses with a further 1,659 properties damaged.
Records show that 2 high explosive bombs fell on the central part of the A19 Coast Road site but both are recorded as having exploded.
The A19 Coast Road scheme will see an extra layer added to the junction and back in August 80,000 cubic metres of soil was finally removed, enough to fill 32 Olympic sized swimming pools.
There are just four months left on the £75m scheme with improvements to the 1,175 metres of cycleway and an extra 247 metres will be created, gantries to be installed and the roundabout completely resurfaced left to complete.
The new road which will reduce congestion, improve journey time reliability for the 35,400 vehicles expected to use it on average a day and expected to improve safety and reduce collisions.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.
Link: Press release: Explosive start for triple decker roundabout
Source: Gov Press Releases
Lords committee recommends longest suspension of a member in recent parliamentary history
The House of Lords Privileges and Conduct Committee has today recommended that Lord Lester of Herne Hill be suspended from the House of Lords until June 2022 following a finding from the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards that he breached the Lords Code of Conduct.
Link: Lords committee recommends longest suspension of a member in recent parliamentary history
Source: Parliamentary News
Press release: Highways England awards design contract to shape North West roads
The Design Services contract for motorways and major A roads in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and South Lancashire is worth £49.7 million, will run for up to 5 years and has been awarded to Amey Consulting as part of Highways England’s Asset Delivery operating model.
The contract, which starts in April 2019, will see Amey Consulting carrying out the designs of structures, drains, barriers, signs, landscaping, lighting, traffic signals and other features across the North West’s 260 miles of motorway and 50 miles of major A road.
Highways England’s Executive Director of Operations, Nick Harris, said:
This contract will enable Highways England to deliver schemes which will improve both journeys for our customer and the condition of the road network. We are delighted to award this contract to Amey Consulting and look forward to establishing a successful, long-term relationship with them.
Amey’s Chief Executive Andy Milner, said:
Collaboration is at the core of Amey Consulting’s approach, and working closely with Highways England and the Asset Delivery Community, we look forward to delivering long-lasting benefits for the communities of the North West.
The Design Services contract is the second of the Asset Delivery suite of contracts to be awarded in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and South Lancashire area. In October Amey were awarded the £325 million Asset Delivery Maintenance and Response contract which will run for up to 15 years. The Construction Works Framework is due to be awarded in the coming months.
Highways England will be working with all the successful contractors to ensure that they are ready to begin delivering key services from April 2019.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.
Link: Press release: Highways England awards design contract to shape North West roads
Source: Gov Press Releases
Press release: Report 18/2018: Runaway hand trolley at Ramsbottom
Summary
At around 11:15 hrs on Thursday 15 March 2018 a hand trolley, loaded with approximately 0.5 tonnes of ballast, ran away from a group of track workers near to Ramsbottom station on the East Lancashire Railway. The trolley derailed when it struck a wooden level crossing gate. The gate was pushed into a road which was open to road traffic.
There were no injuries, although the level crossing gate was damaged.
The immediate cause of the runaway was that the trolley was not fitted with any brakes and was deployed on a gradient without the introduction of any mitigation or safeguard against it running away.
The unbraked trolley was almost certainly available for use because it had been donated to the East Lancashire Railway, which did not have any processes in place to manage donations, and no controls in place for use of trolleys during track maintenance. Additionally, there were no constraints on the use of such trolleys on the railway, nor any competence and training requirements for their operators.
There was no assessment of the risks of using the trolley, either generically or for the specific task on the day, and there was no formal training or briefing of the operators on the day.
The underlying factors were inadequate management systems in the Permanent Way department and, probably, a lack of Safety Management System compliance audits.
Recommendations
The RAIB has made three recommendations as a result of this investigation. The first is made to the Heritage Railway Association and relates to it issuing guidance to its members on limiting the use of trolleys not fitted with fail-safe brakes, and fully assessing the risks where they are to be used. The other two are made to East Lancashire Railway; the first relates to the provision of suitable working procedures in the Permanent Way department, and the other to the implementation of an effective audit process.
The RAIB has also identified three learning points. These relate to the importance of undertaking planned audit and compliance activities; being clear about how vehicles and trolleys are to be controlled before they are deployed; and considering the safety risks associated with assets that are acquired through donations.
Notes to editors
- The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
- RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
- For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.
Newsdate: 12 November 2018
Link: Press release: Report 18/2018: Runaway hand trolley at Ramsbottom
Source: Gov Press Releases