Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of official statistics published by the Department for Transport on 26 September which show that there were 1,387 casualties in collisions involving e-scooters in Great Britain in 2023, and that there were six deaths; and what weight they give to these statistics when considering legalising the use of private e-scooters on public roads.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority.
The Department is looking to better understand the safety of e-scooters. That is why we have extended the rental e-scooter trials for a further two years, to 31 May 2026, and commissioned a second national evaluation of the trials to expand the evidence base on e-scooter safety.
We are carefully considering how micromobility can help to deliver our transport objectives safely, including the possibility of legislation on e-scooters. The Government will consult before making any legislative changes and will consider the full range of evidence on e-scooter safety, including road safety statistics.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage more competition between airlines on routes connecting Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We recognise the importance of maintaining a thriving and competitive aviation sector in the UK that supports Union connectivity. The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector, and it is for airports to invest in their infrastructure and airlines to determine the routes they operate.
Northern Ireland is well served by airlines operating routes to Great Britain.
Airlines including Aer Lingus, British Airways, easyJet, Loganair and Ryanair operate routes from Northern Ireland to several cities across Great Britain.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other countries about best practice in the regulation of e-scooters.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Departmental officials engage with public and private sector contacts from many countries to understand how regulation of e-scooters is being used to integrate micromobility into different transport systems, the challenges this has raised and the solutions that have been developed. The Department also monitors international experience through literature research.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether existing legislation relating to the use of e-scooters in urban areas is fit for purpose.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
In the UK, e-scooters are treated like any other motor vehicle under the Road Traffic Act which means that they are subject to laws requiring them to be built and used safely. The law was not drafted with e-scooters in mind and therefore it is not possible for most e-scooter users to comply with the legal requirements for motor vehicles as set out in this paragraph. As a result, the use of private e-scooters is illegal under current legislation, and enforcement is a matter for the police.
The Department is currently running trials of rental e-scooters in 24 areas across England, including urban areas, to assess their safety and wider impacts. The trials will help us to better understand the benefits of e-scooters and their impact on public space, and help consider options for future regulations for e-scooters.
When parliamentary time allows, the Department intends to create a Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle (LZEV) category that is independent of the cycle and motor vehicle categories. The first beneficiaries of this new system will be e-scooters, which we intend to legalise for private and rental use through secondary legislation. No decisions have been made on the details of the regulations for e-scooters, and we will consult in due course.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 March (HL Deb col 906), how Eurotunnel and the expansion of services in the short straits between Southern England and France will directly improve the urgent supply of (1) food, and (2) other items, to Northern Ireland via the Cairnryan to Larne sea route.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
My remarks referred to the Short Straits as an example of what is being done to provide sufficient capacity.
Operators are endeavouring to run additional services across different routes, including the short straits and Cairnryan to Larne route, to absorb the demand created across affected P&O routes. For example, Stena are already running an additional vessel on the Cairnryan to Larne route.
My Department is regularly engaging with all relevant operators, to maintain an up to date picture of demand management across sea routes into the UK and between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I am aware that officials in Defra are regularly engaging with a wide range of food suppliers, to monitor the supply of food to the UK, including Northern Ireland. Officials across Government are conducting similar engagement with suppliers of other goods.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 7 February (HL5872), what plans they have to make causing death by dangerous riding of an e-scooter a criminal offence.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Department for Transport is considering options for how best to regulate e-scooters. New measures being considered will include applicable offences.
Currently, e-scooters are classed as a type of mechanically propelled vehicle under the Road Traffic Act 1988. This means that the offence of causing death by dangerous driving could currently apply to people riding e-scooters, although this is a matter for enforcement authorities and the courts. The Department has no plans to remove e-scooters from the classification of mechanically propelled vehicles.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with (1) road hauliers, and (2) the devolved administrations, about the recruitment of additional HGV drivers across the UK.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
We communicate with the road haulage industry regularly and have recently held additional weekly stakeholder meetings to communicate and engage with proposals, some of which centre on the recruitment of HGV drivers. The Government is actively considering the suggestions put forward by hauliers and continues to support industry in recruiting domestic drivers where appropriate.
We have engaged with devolved administrations through cross-Government discussions, which involves topics such as the situation on the recruitment of HGV drivers.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any department provided advice in the period up to and including 31 January 2020 noting a possible shortage of HGV drivers after the UK’s departure from the EU; and if so, whether they will deposit all internal Government correspondence that relates to this matter in the House of Lords library.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The shortage of HGV drivers is longstanding and predates the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.
Publishing all government advice on this issue could not be done without incurring disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with airlines about restoring flights to and from George Best Belfast City Airport.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government welcomes the resumption of services to and from Belfast City Airport. We recognise that the impacts of COVID-19 on the civil aviation sector will continue for some time, and that connectivity between Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK had already been adversely affected by the collapse of Flybe. The Department speaks regularly to both airlines and airports as part of our engagement on restart and recovery in the sector and will continue to do so as we look to rebuild regional connectivity throughout the UK.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average waiting time for an appointment to have a MOT test in England.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not hold data on the availability of MOT tests in England as the tests are conducted by privately run garages.