Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with insurers on encouraging car owners to fit car security systems to (a) deter theft and (b) reduce their insurance premiums.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
New cars and light commercial vehicles require systems to prevent unauthorised use, immobilisers and a vehicle alarm system to enable them to be registered.
Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance. However individual insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. The Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent comparative assessment his Department has made of the safety of (a) smart and (b) other motorways; and what evidence was used to make that assessment.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government have cancelled plans for new smart motorways, recognising the lack of confidence felt by drivers and cost pressures. This will allow us to track public confidence and consider safety and economic data over a longer period. The most recent comparative assessment is contained in National Highways Smart motorways stocktake Third year progress report, published in December 2023 (www.nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/smart-motorways-evidence-stocktake/). In terms of deaths or serious injuries, the latest safety data continues to show that overall, all smart motorway types are safer than conventional motorways.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent comparative assessment his Department has made of the number and proportion of breakdowns in which there is a (a) collision and (b) death on (i) smart and (ii) other motorways.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Collisions across all motorway types that involve a stopped vehicles account for 3.9% of all collisions on the strategic road network. The causes of such a stopped vehicle can be due to breakdown or various other reasons.
The information sought is not held in the requested format. Breakdown information is not captured by the Department to this level of detail when compared with other road traffic collision data.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Annex 2 of the guidance entitled Section 19 and 22 permits and obligations: not for profit passenger transport issued by the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency on 30 December 2020, whether the professional inspection of vehicles over 12 years old every six weeks is (a) advisory or (b) mandatory.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is the responsibility of the permit holder to ensure that any vehicle used under a permit is in a safe and roadworthy condition. The Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness (GTMR): Commercial Goods and Passenger Carrying Vehicles (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-maintaining-roadworthiness), produced by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, reflects that older vehicles will need more frequent maintenance. It provides information to help ensure that a vehicle is fully roadworthy when in use.
The GTMR helps permit holders to identify and implement systems that ensure vehicular roadworthiness requirements are met. It is a mandatory requirement that a vehicle is fully roadworthy whenever it is being used, regardless of age, as referenced in the GTMR.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2023 to Question 369 on Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the creation of a UK vehicle category on the (a) attractiveness for investment of the UK market, (b) availability of L-category vehicles to consumers and (c) role for L-Category vehicles as set out in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Vehicle categorisation is very important to enable effective regulation and enable investment planning by industry. The current, temporary, type-approval scheme for these L-category vehicles ends on 31st December 2027 and the Government expects to have a full GB approval scheme in place before then. We will consult stakeholders as part of this process and consider any evidence on the potential for additional categories.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2023 to Question 369 on Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of regulatory divergence with (a) the EU and (b) other markets on the UK L-Category sector.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK’s exit from the European Union has provided the opportunity for this country to develop its own regulatory approach to decarbonising its entire fleet of new road vehicles, which will support UK industry and riders in the process. As previously stated in the answer to Question 369, the Government will consult on any future regulatory framework to deliver and enforce the end of sale dates for new non-zero emission L-category vehicles as is appropriate.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to require rail companies to publish the number of rail tickets sold from (a) ticket offices and (b) ticket machines in all stations for a four week reference period to be agreed with rail operators.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Rail ticket sales data is commercially sensitive and managed by the Rail Delivery Group on behalf of train operators. If a train operator proposes to make a change to the opening hours, or closing of a ticket office, it must follow the rules set out in the rail industry’s Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA). This is not a Government consultation exercise, but an industry led process. It would be for train operators to determine whether to publish information on rail ticket sales.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to provide local councils with additional powers to prevent pavement parking; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department consulted on measures to address inconsiderate pavement parking in 2020 and received over 15,000 responses. We have been considering all views expressed including the options for providing local councils with additional powers. This is a complex issue and we want to ensure that local authorities have appropriate and effective tools at their disposal. We will publish the formal consultation response and announce next steps as soon as possible. In the meantime, local authorities already have the power to prohibit pavement parking in specific streets or wider areas by implementing Traffic Regulation Orders.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the UK has a reciprocal arrangement with Spain on the mutual recognition of drivers licenses from each country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government is working at pace to conclude a driving licence exchange agreement with Spain so that UK licence holders who are resident in Spain for more than six months will be able to obtain a Spanish driving licence without needing to take a test. Until an agreement is reached, UK licence holders who have been resident in Spain for longer than six months, cannot use their UK issued licence to drive in Spain.
This does not affect visiting motorists. UK driving licences are recognised by Spain without the need for a separate International Driving permit. The UK recognises Spanish licences of both those who are resident in the UK and visitors, and will exchange the licences of residents on expiry or request.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to introduce an alternative means of registration and identification for disabled car users to eliminate the problem of blue badge disabled parking discs being taken from cars; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Department of Transport has no plans to make changes to the legislation that governs the Blue Badge Scheme. The Department works closely with local authorities to improve the consistency of local enforcement to tackle fraud and misuse of the Blue Badge Scheme, including the use of powers to tackle abuse provided in the Disabled Persons Parking Badges Act 2013, such as the power to retain and cancel badges found to be stolen.