Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the accuracy of vehicle registration data held by the DVLA.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The latest available data shows more than 93 per cent of vehicle keepers are contactable and traceable from the information held on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s record. Of the remainder, around six per cent are in the motor trade where a vehicle may legitimately have no registered keeper.
The DVLA works to reduce the number of vehicles that have no registered keeper or are unlicensed through a combination of enforcement, collaboration and education. The DVLA works with more than 80 local authorities and police forces to identify and act on vehicles which do not have a registered keeper. The DVLA also deploys Automatic Number Plate Recognition vehicles to detect unlicensed or unregistered vehicles and sends reminders as well as promoting easier payment options to encourage people to license their vehicle on time.
There are long-standing legislative requirements in place to ensure that keepers notify the DVLA when they buy and sell a vehicle. It is an offence to use a vehicle that does not have a registered keeper.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the accuracy of vehicle registration plate data held by the DVLA.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The latest available data shows more than 93 per cent of vehicle keepers are contactable and traceable from the information held on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s record. Of the remainder, around six per cent are in the motor trade where a vehicle may legitimately have no registered keeper.
The DVLA works to reduce the number of vehicles that have no registered keeper or are unlicensed through a combination of enforcement, collaboration and education. The DVLA works with more than 80 local authorities and police forces to identify and act on vehicles which do not have a registered keeper. The DVLA also deploys Automatic Number Plate Recognition vehicles to detect unlicensed or unregistered vehicles and sends reminders as well as promoting easier payment options to encourage people to license their vehicle on time.
There are long-standing legislative requirements in place to ensure that keepers notify the DVLA when they buy and sell a vehicle. It is an offence to use a vehicle that does not have a registered keeper.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that data on (a) aircraft noise and (b) emissions from Farnborough Airport is (i) publicly available and (ii) independently verified.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The availability and independent verification of aircraft noise data from Farnborough Airport is a matter for Rushmoor Borough Council.
Farnborough Airport Company Limited has published information through their Annual report and Roadmap to Net Zero 2030 document on the environmental impacts, such as carbon emissions, of the airport and other parts of the company. These documents discuss the company’s adherence to a range of legal requirements concerning the environment. DfT has not verified the information within the reports.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increased weekend flight operations at Farnborough Airport on the (a) wellbeing and (b) quality of life of people in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Assessment of the potential impact of Farnborough Airport’s increased weekend flight operations is a matter for Rushmoor Borough Council as the local planning authority responsible for considering the airport’s planning application.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to review the public safety zone around Farnborough Airport in the context of the proposed increase in flight numbers.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The size of public safety zones at aerodromes is based off the annual commercial air traffic movements. This can extend to 1,500 metres from landing thresholds for those airports with 45,000 or more movements, which includes Farnborough airport. While overall policy is set by the department, administration is via the Civil Aviation Authority and implementation via local planning authorities. There are no current plans to review this approach.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on the disruption caused by Heavy Goods Vehicles in busy (a) village and (b) town centres in the Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department has not discussed this matter with Surrey County Council. Management of traffic, including HGVs, on local roads is the responsibility of the local highway authority. They have a range of measures available to them to manage inappropriate use of roads by HGVs, such as weight restrictions and signing strategies. It is for them to determine what measures are appropriate for individual situations.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with local councils to help ensure (a) transparency in and (b) the public accessibility of the environmental impact assessment consultation process on the proposed expansion of Farnborough Airport’s proposed.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department has not had any discussions with local councils on the environmental impact assessment consultation regarding the proposed expansion of Farnborough Airport. This matter is for the determination of Rushmoor Borough Council as the local planning authority.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of increasing electric vehicle usage on (a) environmental and (b) local infrastructure in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, electric vehicles eliminate tailpipe emissions, improving air quality in local areas in comparison to petrol and diesel vehicles.
In terms of infrastructure, Surrey County Council, which includes Surrey Heath constituency, was allocated over £3 million through the Government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to leverage additional private investment and expand the amount of EV charging infrastructure across the area. We also recently announced a £25 million Electric Vehicle Pavement Channel Grant which is intended to empower local authorities to adopt pavement channels as part of their local charging solutions. Surrey County Council were allocated £225,000 to support the installation of pavement channels.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the DVLA on support for people who wish to appeal a penalty charge notice in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not issue penalty charge notices. These are mostly issued by local authorities in relation to parking offences or congestion charges. Anyone wishing to appeal a penalty charge notice should contact the issuing authority.
Anyone who receives a penalty charge notice or other correspondence for a vehicle they are not responsible for should to contact the issuing authority. If there is a suspicion that the number plate may have been cloned, the DVLA can provide customers with letters that can be used as supporting evidence. The DVLA can also provide a replacement vehicle registration number to help victims of number plate cloning.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve public bus services for (a) secondary school pupils and (b) sixth form students in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Home to School Transport policy is the responsibility of the Department for Education (DfE). The Government knows how important, reliable bus services are enabling people to access education. The Government is committed to delivering better bus services across the country, including to support better access to education.
The Government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in rural areas. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.
As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated over £1 billion to support and improve bus services in 2025/26 and keep fares affordable. This includes £712 million for local authorities that can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability.
The Government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the Government confirmed additional funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.