Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will introduce a time scale that insurance companies must comply with for responding to correspondence relating to car accidents.
Answered by Andrew Jones
It is important that insurance companies are able to fully investigate any claim that they receive. Cases will vary in their complexity and so timescales need to be flexible to ensure that all issues are considered fairly for the benefit of all parties involved. The motor insurance industry is very competitive so it is in their own interest to resolve these cases in a timely manner. Customers can contact their insurance companies and the Financial Ombudsman if they are unhappy about the service they have received.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a decision on the proposed conversion of Class 801 Intercity Express Programme units to bi-mode diesel operation.
Answered by Claire Perry
Following the receipt of a formal proposal from Agility Trains West Ltd, My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport has now approved the conversion of the 21 Class 801 Intercity Express Programme units scheduled for deployment on the Great Western to bi-mode operation. This will enable passengers in the South West and Wales to benefit as soon as possible from brand new trains which will deliver more capacity and more comfort. The first 36 trains will be bi-mode as planned.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will extend the English national concessionary travel scheme for disabled people beyond off-peak times.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Whilst I appreciate that concessionary pass holders might wish to use buses before 9.30am, there are no plans to extend the statutory scheme to include morning peak time travel. Local authorities already have powers to introduce “discretionary concessions” building on the minimum national standard. Authorities can, for instance, enable some disabled pass holders to use services during peak hours, to use modes of transport other than buses or to travel with a companion free of charge. Such enhancements are however, entirely a matter for the respective authorities and are funded locally. It follows that any decision on whether to create such enhancements is a matter for the authority concerned.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve waiting times at driving test centres in (a) Bristol, (b) Chippenham, (c) Trowbridge and (d) Westbury.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to reducing waiting times at Bristol, Chippenham, Trowbridge and Westbury and all other testing sites, and maintaining them at a lower level than currently seen across the UK, this is a priority for DVSA.
DVSA has run several recruitment campaigns during 2015, and continues to do so in 2016. However, due to the critical roles a driving examiner has to play in road safety, the process to recruit the right people
does take time. As a result of the campaigns, 139 new examiners have started work with DVSA and it has made offers of employment to another 115 people, who are currently undertaking training or waiting to attend it.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 11881, if he will discuss with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency the reasons for that agency not approving the pilot scheme for bike racks on the front of buses in Bath in 2015.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) rejected the pilot scheme because the design created significant additional hazards from the original bus design. These included both the structure of the bicycle rack when folded and deployed, projections of any bicycle on the rack, and a significant reduction of vision for the driver to the nearside front with a bicycle on the rack. These features were considered to increase significantly the likelihood of accidents and potential severity of pedestrian injury.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Highways Act 1835 to allow for the use of self-balancing scooters, segways and z-boards on roads.
Answered by Andrew Jones
To maintain the UK’s position as a world-leading location to test, develop, and use connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies, the Department for Transport is planning a wider review of domestic regulations by Summer2017. The review is at an early stage.
While the Highways Act 1835 will form part of the review, decisions have yet to be taken as to which regulatory changes will be necessary to support CAV technologies, or if the review will cover other forms of transport such as Segways, or so-called ‘hoverboards’, ‘balancing scooters’ and ‘z-boards’, all of which may already be used on private land.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the conversion of cars to run on liquefied petroleum gas.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Cars that have been constructed or modified to run on gas, including Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), benefit from a £10 reduction in tax levels for Alternative Fuel Cars under Vehicle Excise Duty. Owners of LPG cars also benefit from paying lower fuel duty on LPG than would be paid on petrol and diesel.
In addition amendments made to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) earlier this year increased the potential rewards for those supplying biopropane (Liquefied Petroleum Gas produced from a biological source) under the RTFO scheme.
As part of the department’s 2014 Clean Vehicle Technology Fund (CVTF) grant scheme, Birmingham City Council were also awarded £500,000 to enable the conversion of 80 older black cabs from diesel to LPG which will help improve air quality on some of the most polluted roads.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the value of economic output lost as a result of industrial action in the transport sector in each of the last three years.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Industrial action in the transport sector has significant and serious disruptive impacts to the country. Indicative analysis undertaken by the Department for Transport to understand the potential immediate costs to the wider economy from a one-off 24 hour National Rail Strike estimated those costs to be around £80million.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve air quality in order to assist people with lung diseases.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Tackling poor air quality is a priority for this government. Our aim is for almost every car and van to be a zero emission vehicle by 2050.
The Department for Transport takes its environmental obligations seriously, and is committed to making journeys cleaner. £2 billion has been committed since 2011 to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, support green transport initiatives and support local authorities to take action. These measures will help address both particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide roadside levels in pollution hotspots.
We also work closely with the Department for Health, Public Health England, and their advisors the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants.
Government is revising its Air Quality plans and launched a consultation on 12 September 2015 to seek views from local and transport authorities, businesses and members of the public on action that can be taken to improve air quality. The Department for Transport have been working with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on these plans, which set out a range of local, national and European actions to lower levels of harmful emissions. The consultation closes on 6 November 2015.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the provision of bike racks on buses on the number of people using public transport.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Government is keen to promote cycling, and I am aware that bike racks on buses are commonplace in some countries. Whilst we have not conducted any assessments on their role in increasing overall bus patronage, I would encourage bus operators to consider fitting such equipment where it is safe and legal to do so.