Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to introduce formal tribunal rules for traffic commissioner tribunal functions.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I understand the important role that the Traffic Commissioners perform with regards to the licensing and regulation of the HGV and PSV industries, and road-user safety.
My Department are currently considering a range of reform options aiming to ensure that the powers and functions of Traffic Commissioners remain robust and effective. The introduction of formal tribunal rules will form part of these considerations.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on tackling anti-social car driving.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Ministers and officials meet with their counterparts on a regular basis and discuss a wide range of topics.
Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the Government, and a key part of the Safer Streets Mission.
On 25 February 2025, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill includes proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.
On 28 May, the Government launched a 6-week consultation on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially from 14 days to 48 hours.
These measures will strengthen the law and send a clear message that antisocial car driving will not be tolerated.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on the transportation of live lobsters through (a) postal and (b) courier services within the UK.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Animal welfare legislation protects all animals from being transported in a way likely to cause injury or suffering. Lobsters and other live decapod crustaceans are protected from injury or unnecessary suffering during transportation by a general duty of care provision in Article 4 of The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 (WATEO) and equivalent national legislation in Wales. WATEO requires that animals are transported in receptacles or means of transport under conditions (in particular with regard to space, ventilation, temperature and security) and with such supply of liquid and oxygen, as are appropriate for the species concerned.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of (a) recent trends in the level of drought and (b) the potential impact of drought on his Department's tree‑planting plans.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We continue to monitor and adapt to the impact that drought conditions can have on trees, particularly for young trees which are most susceptible. The Government has introduced extraordinary measures to support trees that have suffered because of drought conditions and works closely with tree planting delivery partners to respond to conditions across England. The Nature for Climate Fund has also invested £1 million into research to understand how trees are responding to extreme weather events, including drought, assessing species robustness and resilience. More broadly, the Water Companies’ Drought Code of Practice includes an exemption during hosepipe bans to allow for the continued watering of trees planted in the last three years.