Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of (a) increasing the number of driving test examiners and (b) introducing a greater number of out-of-hours tests.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 18 December last year, DVSA published measures to bring down car practical driving test waiting times across the country. This included the recruitment of driving examiners (DEs), and DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns as part of this.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions including the reintroduction of overtime pay incentives, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.
Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.
DVSA is committed to providing its customers, including those in rural areas, with the best service possible. DVSA continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of driving tests in rural areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 18 December last year, DVSA published measures to bring down car practical driving test waiting times across the country. This included the recruitment of driving examiners (DEs), and DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns as part of this.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions including the reintroduction of overtime pay incentives, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.
Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.
DVSA is committed to providing its customers, including those in rural areas, with the best service possible. DVSA continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to help reduce waiting times for driving tests.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 18 December last year, DVSA published measures to bring down car practical driving test waiting times across the country. This included the recruitment of driving examiners (DEs), and DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns as part of this.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions including the reintroduction of overtime pay incentives, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.
Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.
DVSA is committed to providing its customers, including those in rural areas, with the best service possible. DVSA continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of (a) trends in the level of pavement parking in rural areas and (b) the potential impact of this on (i) wheelchair users (ii) parents with pushchairs and (iii) partially sighted people.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government fully understands the problems that vehicles parked on the pavement can cause for pedestrians.
This is particularly the case in certain locations and for certain people, such as those with mobility or sight impairments, those pushing prams or pushchairs, and wheelchair users. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response in due course.
In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking, and it is up to them to decide where to restrict pavement parking and what enforcement is appropriate.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing legislation to give local authorities enforcement powers over pavement parking.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government fully understands the problems that vehicles parked on the pavement can cause for pedestrians.
This is particularly the case in certain locations and for certain people, such as those with mobility or sight impairments, those pushing prams or pushchairs, and wheelchair users. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response in due course.
In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking, and it is up to them to decide where to restrict pavement parking and what enforcement is appropriate.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to respond to the 2020 consultation on Pavement parking: options for change.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government fully understands the problems that vehicles parked on the pavement can cause for pedestrians.
This is particularly the case in certain locations and for certain people, such as those with mobility or sight impairments, those pushing prams or pushchairs, and wheelchair users. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response in due course.
In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking, and it is up to them to decide where to restrict pavement parking and what enforcement is appropriate.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reducing speed limits to 20mph outside all schools.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph limits, which are 20mph schemes relying only on signage, on 22 November 2018 20mph Research Study Process and Impact Evaluation Report.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of wheelchair accessible taxis in (a) rural areas and (b) Gloucestershire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Disabled people should be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity and the Government understands the importance of accessible taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) in supporting them to live independent lives.
The Department collects and publishes statistics about the number of wheelchair accessible taxis and PHVs in England. As of 1 April 2024, 18.5% of taxis and 6.2% of PHVs licensed in Gloucestershire were wheelchair accessible. During the same period, in areas that are largely rural, 13.5% of taxis and 6.9% of PHVs met the same standard.
The proportion of licensed vehicles that are wheelchair accessible varies considerably across England and in some areas, it can be difficult for wheelchair users to obtain a suitable wheelchair accessible taxi or PHV when they need one. Ultimately, however, the licensing of taxis and PHVs is a matter for licensing authorities, and the Government expects them to anticipate the needs of people in their area proactively, and to ensure that services meet a wide range of passenger needs.
Government best practice guidance to licensing authorities in England, updated in November 2023, recommends that authorities assess the demand for wheelchair accessible vehicles and take steps to ensure that there are sufficient available, as part of a “mixed fleet” of vehicles suitable for a range of passenger needs.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points installed in (a) small towns and (b) rural communities; and whether she plans to take steps to ensure they are evenly distributed beyond major cities.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle. As of February 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 74,334 publicly available charging devices, up 35% on this time last year. There was particularly strong growth in rural areas last year, with chargepoint numbers increasing by 45% in 2024.
The £381m Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund will support the installation of at least 100,000 local chargepoints across the country. LEVI funding allocations factored in the proportion of residents that are in rural areas. This meant local authorities in rural areas were allocated additional funding compared to urban ones.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) assessments and (b) consultations her Department undertakes when determining locations for the installation of electric vehicle charging points.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department does not determine the locations at which electric vehicle chargepoints are installed. For those in public areas, local authorities are best placed to understand what charging infrastructure is needed and have a key role in planning and enabling the delivery of chargepoints, with particular focus on supporting those who do not have access to off-street parking. The £381m Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) fund includes capability (resource) funding for local authorities to secure dedicated in-house expertise to plan, procure and deliver local chargepoints.