Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2024 to Question 20109 on Rivers: Repairs and Maintenance, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of climate change on future insurance costs for riparian landowners.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has not made an assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on future insurance costs for riparian landowners. It is the responsibility of all riparian landowners to ensure that they have the appropriate insurance, to protect their property and any work they undertake as a riparian landowner.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2024 to Question 20109 on Rivers: Repairs and Maintenance, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the role of conveyancers in advising on the responsibilities of riparian ownership.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government commissioned Review of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Assets has just concluded, and we expect to publish its findings by the summer.
The role of conveyancers (used when purchasing property) was considered as part of the review. The Law Society has published a practice note for solicitors and professional conveyancers on flood risk, which includes mention of riparian ownership and further information they can use.
Whilst the review covered England only, since responsibility for flood risk management is a devolved matter, officials from the Welsh Government and National Resources Wales, and a member from the Wales Flood and Coastal Erosion Committee were members of the Project Board and Project Steering Group.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2024 to Question 20109 on Rivers: Repairs and Maintenance, whether his Department has had discussions with the Welsh Government on the independent review of statutory powers and responsibilities associated with Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government commissioned Review of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Assets has just concluded, and we expect to publish its findings by the summer.
The role of conveyancers (used when purchasing property) was considered as part of the review. The Law Society has published a practice note for solicitors and professional conveyancers on flood risk, which includes mention of riparian ownership and further information they can use.
Whilst the review covered England only, since responsibility for flood risk management is a devolved matter, officials from the Welsh Government and National Resources Wales, and a member from the Wales Flood and Coastal Erosion Committee were members of the Project Board and Project Steering Group.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2024 to Question 20109 on Rivers: Repairs and Maintenance, when he expects the independent review of statutory powers and responsibilities associated with Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management assets across all flood risks and coastal erosion to be published.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government commissioned Review of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Assets has just concluded, and we expect to publish its findings by the summer.
The role of conveyancers (used when purchasing property) was considered as part of the review. The Law Society has published a practice note for solicitors and professional conveyancers on flood risk, which includes mention of riparian ownership and further information they can use.
Whilst the review covered England only, since responsibility for flood risk management is a devolved matter, officials from the Welsh Government and National Resources Wales, and a member from the Wales Flood and Coastal Erosion Committee were members of the Project Board and Project Steering Group.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2024 to Question 20114 on Mortgages, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Financial Conduct Authority's report entitled, Mortgage Charter uptake data, published on 22 March 2024.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The path to lower interest rates is through low inflation, and the Government is fully committed to supporting the Bank of England get inflation back down to the 2% target, including by keeping borrowing under control.
While the pricing of mortgages is ultimately a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene, our plan is working, and the average offered mortgage rates on 2-year and 5-year fixed rates are lower compared to their peak in Summer 2023.
The Government’s Mortgage Charter - in addition to the significant safeguards already in place - is providing support to vulnerable households; and mortgage arrears and repossessions remain low.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of interest rate rises on the affordability of mortgages for low-income mortgage holders.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The path to lower interest rates is through low inflation, and the Government is fully committed to supporting the Bank of England get inflation back down to the 2% target, including by keeping borrowing under control.
While the pricing of mortgages is ultimately a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene, our plan is working, and the average offered mortgage rates on 2-year and 5-year fixed rates are lower compared to their peak in Summer 2023.
The Government’s Mortgage Charter - in addition to the significant safeguards already in place - is providing support to vulnerable households; and mortgage arrears and repossessions remain low.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the fees for a medical professionals' assessment of fitness to drive on the number of such assessments being issued to DVLA driving license applicants.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently engaging with the Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association in respect of the fees paid for medical information required for driver licensing purposes.
The DVLA is also reviewing the questionnaires issued to medical professionals when medical information is required to assist in assessing an individual’s fitness to drive; with a view to simplifying the process wherever possible.
The DVLA has introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This renewal process has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver. The DVLA is considering adding more medical conditions to this process.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this could only be provided by a doctor. This provides GP surgeries and hospital teams greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
These changes will all help to simplify or reduce the number of times the DVLA needs to seek further information from medical professionals.
The length of time taken to process a driving licence application where a medical condition needs to be investigated depends on the condition(s) involved and if further medical information, tests, or examinations are required.
The DVLA, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is required to ensure that all drivers meet the medical standards for driving before a licence is issued. These investigations can often involve seeking further information about an individual’s medical condition(s) from the relevant healthcare professionals. However, it is important to note that the DVLA does not ask medical professionals to assess an individual’s fitness to drive, and as such, figures about how many such assessments have been received from medical professionals are not available.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the time taken to process medical professionals' assessments of fitness to drive on the issuing of driving licences.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently engaging with the Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association in respect of the fees paid for medical information required for driver licensing purposes.
The DVLA is also reviewing the questionnaires issued to medical professionals when medical information is required to assist in assessing an individual’s fitness to drive; with a view to simplifying the process wherever possible.
The DVLA has introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This renewal process has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver. The DVLA is considering adding more medical conditions to this process.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this could only be provided by a doctor. This provides GP surgeries and hospital teams greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
These changes will all help to simplify or reduce the number of times the DVLA needs to seek further information from medical professionals.
The length of time taken to process a driving licence application where a medical condition needs to be investigated depends on the condition(s) involved and if further medical information, tests, or examinations are required.
The DVLA, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is required to ensure that all drivers meet the medical standards for driving before a licence is issued. These investigations can often involve seeking further information about an individual’s medical condition(s) from the relevant healthcare professionals. However, it is important to note that the DVLA does not ask medical professionals to assess an individual’s fitness to drive, and as such, figures about how many such assessments have been received from medical professionals are not available.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many medical professionals' assessments of fitness to drive have been received by the DVLA in each year since 2004.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently engaging with the Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association in respect of the fees paid for medical information required for driver licensing purposes.
The DVLA is also reviewing the questionnaires issued to medical professionals when medical information is required to assist in assessing an individual’s fitness to drive; with a view to simplifying the process wherever possible.
The DVLA has introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This renewal process has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver. The DVLA is considering adding more medical conditions to this process.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this could only be provided by a doctor. This provides GP surgeries and hospital teams greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
These changes will all help to simplify or reduce the number of times the DVLA needs to seek further information from medical professionals.
The length of time taken to process a driving licence application where a medical condition needs to be investigated depends on the condition(s) involved and if further medical information, tests, or examinations are required.
The DVLA, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is required to ensure that all drivers meet the medical standards for driving before a licence is issued. These investigations can often involve seeking further information about an individual’s medical condition(s) from the relevant healthcare professionals. However, it is important to note that the DVLA does not ask medical professionals to assess an individual’s fitness to drive, and as such, figures about how many such assessments have been received from medical professionals are not available.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for publishing the review of medical professionals' fees for driver licensing.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently engaging with the Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association in respect of the fees paid for medical information required for driver licensing purposes.
The DVLA is also reviewing the questionnaires issued to medical professionals when medical information is required to assist in assessing an individual’s fitness to drive; with a view to simplifying the process wherever possible.
The DVLA has introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This renewal process has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver. The DVLA is considering adding more medical conditions to this process.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this could only be provided by a doctor. This provides GP surgeries and hospital teams greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
These changes will all help to simplify or reduce the number of times the DVLA needs to seek further information from medical professionals.
The length of time taken to process a driving licence application where a medical condition needs to be investigated depends on the condition(s) involved and if further medical information, tests, or examinations are required.
The DVLA, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is required to ensure that all drivers meet the medical standards for driving before a licence is issued. These investigations can often involve seeking further information about an individual’s medical condition(s) from the relevant healthcare professionals. However, it is important to note that the DVLA does not ask medical professionals to assess an individual’s fitness to drive, and as such, figures about how many such assessments have been received from medical professionals are not available.