Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to address the shortage of sanitary facilities available to HGV drivers throughout the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Health and Safety Executive has clarified that sanitary facilities must be made available to visiting drivers, such as those delivering at distribution centres. It intends to publish revised guidance to this effect later this year. The Department will continue to work with stakeholders and the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that the change is effectively communicated to relevant parties.
In addition, the Department is working to increase the availability of formal overnight lorry parking, with adequate driver welfare facilities. Ministers have written to local planning authorities to draw attention to the shortage in certain areas and Highways England are reviewing landholdings that could be suitable for development as lorry parking.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the practice of taxi hire firms nominating cars suitable for wheelchairs as private hire taxis only thereby increasing the costs of taxi hire for disabled users.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Both taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) provide disabled people with an essential service, enabling them to complete door-to-door journeys where other forms of transport may not be accessible.
Section 165 of the Equality Act 2010 ensures that drivers of designated wheelchair accessible taxis and PHVs cannot charge wheelchair users more than other passengers, and we encourage licensing authorities to take the steps necessary to ensure the rules apply to drivers in their area.
Authorities should also use their existing powers to ensure that taxi and PHV fleets include an appropriate mix of vehicles to ensure the service they provide is accessible to wheelchair users and other disabled people.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to assess the independence of the rail penalty fares appeals service.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government published its response on the rail fares penalty appeal process consultation in December 2016. The response set out plans to bring forward a new Statutory Instrument which includes provisions requiring that penalty fares appeals bodies should be independent of Train operators and owning companies. The industry has already taken steps towards this objective and the Independent Penalty Fares Appeals Service is currently in the process of winding down consideration of penalty fare appeals.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the management of rail penalty fares and the penalty fare appeals system.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government published a response in December 2016 outlining improvements to the existing penalty fares scheme and appeals procedure. This includes improving the Penalty Fares appeals system by adding a third stage, where appeals will be considered by an independent appeals panel. Train operators and appeals bodies will also be required to provide data on penalty fares appeals. This will strengthen department oversight of penalty fares appeals bodies and operators who issue penalty fares.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to implement his Department's policy that penalty fares appeals bodies should be independent of train operators and owning companies; and whether the ownership of the Independent Penalty Fares Appeals Service by Govia is consistent with that policy.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government published its response on the rail fares penalty appeal process consultation in December 2016. The response set out plans to bring forward a new Statutory Instrument which includes provisions requiring that penalty fares appeals bodies should be independent of Train operators and owning companies. The industry has already taken steps towards this objective and the Independent Penalty Fares Appeals Service is currently in the process of winding down consideration of penalty fare appeals.