Earl Attlee

The Malvern Hills Trust, also known as the Malvern Hills Conservators, is not considered to be a public body.

Mobile cranes mounted on an HGV chassis are not exempt from the requirements contained in the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995. However, cranes which are specially built, or adapted for some lifting operations are exempt from operator licensing, and other regulations, covering Construction and Use, Authorised Weight, and Goods Vehicle Type Approval Regulations. These specially built vehicles are instead authorised to be used on the public highway by Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003 (STGO). The rationale for the difference is that these vehicles are typically used for the purposes of construction and demolition and are normally only used on the public highway on a limited basis to move between sites.

The Department for Transport has previously considered bringing mobile cranes which are not based on an HGV chassis into the scope of operator licensing, most recently when undertaking a review of plating and testing requirements of heavy vehicles which are exempt from roadworthiness testing. At that time, it was not deemed proportionate to include them in the scope of operator licensing. This position is kept under review.

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) did not integrate track and train, nor was it intended to.

Great British Railways will integrate track and train at a route and operating company level, thus reducing costs, increasing revenue and improving performance, thus serving passengers, freight and the taxpayer.

I can confirm that the Department for Transport has received a copy of the noble Lord’s report. In common with other road traffic laws, policing of abnormal loads is an operational matter for the police. Any complaints about West Midlands Police’s handling of abnormal loads movements should be taken up with the Chief Constable.

National Highways did issue a special order for the movement of ten trams from Dudley to Wednesbury.

Whilst the Department cannot respond on behalf of the other relevant authorities, the haulier did give five clear working days’ notice to National Highways for the movement on 15th February.

As at 20 July 2024, the number of driving licence holders with (1) Category C and (2) Category C+E driving entitlement is shown below:

1. Category C – 349,767
2. Category C+E – 626,573

The number of these drivers who hold a valid Driver Certificate of Professional Competence is shown below:

1. Category C – 208,368 drivers
2. Category C+E – 480,988 drivers

Notwithstanding that the comments referred to were made by the previous government, this government’s policy is that the Money Laundering Regulations are a vital part of the UK’s comprehensive economic crime response and should not be a barrier to legitimate customers.

While the process of granting an export licence is thorough, it does not consider the source of funds related to the movement of relevant goods. It is therefore right that firms are required to carry out their own, risk-based due diligence when providing financial services to those engaged in the defence industry, regardless of any licences those customers may hold.

The British Army have two armoured brigades. These are the 12 Armoured Brigade Combat Team (12 ABCT) and the 20 Armoured Brigade Combat Team (20 ABCT).

There are currently four armoured regiments in the British Army that are equipped with the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank. They are The Queen’s Royal Hussars (QRH), The King’s Royal Hussars (KRH), The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR), and the Reserve armoured regiment, The Royal Wessex Yeomanry (RWxY).

The KRH, RTR, and RWxY are assigned to 12 ABCT and The QRH is assigned to 20 ABCT.

The British Army have two armoured brigades. These are the 12 Armoured Brigade Combat Team (12 ABCT) and the 20 Armoured Brigade Combat Team (20 ABCT).

There are currently four armoured regiments in the British Army that are equipped with the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank. They are The Queen’s Royal Hussars (QRH), The King’s Royal Hussars (KRH), The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR), and the Reserve armoured regiment, The Royal Wessex Yeomanry (RWxY).

The KRH, RTR, and RWxY are assigned to 12 ABCT and The QRH is assigned to 20 ABCT.

The following table provides a breakdown, by Service, of the numbers of OF-3 UK Regular Armed Forces personnel (Army Major and equivalent), as at 1 October 2024. Please note that we do not routinely release workforce requirement figures for reasons of operational security.

Table notes:

1. UK Regulars comprise Full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service, Locally Engaged Personnel, Non Regular Permanent Staff, High Readiness Reserve and Expeditionary Forces Institute personnel. Figures include trained and untrained personnel.
2. Figures are based on individual's substantive rank.
3. Figures include all personnel at OF-3 regardless of eligibility for Staff Officer 2 posts. This includes personnel on the Resilience Margin.
4. Figures include all personnel regardless of Medical Deployability Status.

The Department continues to fill the highest priority roles first in accordance with current and future output requirements. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

The UK Government constantly monitors and regularly assesses the security of critical national infrastructure, including energy and telecommunications assets in the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone. This is a whole-of-Government effort involving multiple Departments, including the Ministry of Defence.

While it is not appropriate for us to discuss the specifics of response options, our adversaries should be in no doubt of our ability to protect the UK and its interests, and that any deliberate attack on UK infrastructure would be met with an appropriate response.