Oral Answers to Questions

Daniel Zeichner Excerpts

Thursday 17th March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Stephenson]

I thank the hon. Lady for her question, with which I have a lot of sympathy. We are committed to making sure that smart motorways are among the safest roads in the country. We want drivers not just to be safe, but, crucially, to feel safe and confident when driving on those roads. That is why we have listened to concerns and are taking forward the Transport Committee’s recommendations. We need to continue to work to ensure that smart motorways are as safe as possible for all road users.

[Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) (Lab)]

15. What recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of working conditions and (b) level of job security of private hire drivers.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Robert Courts)]

The Government support the proportionate regulation of the sector and will shortly be consulting on guidance to licensing authorities on how they might best achieve that, while maintaining high standards in safety, accessibility and workers’ rights.

[Daniel Zeichner]

During the pandemic, the support available for taxi and private hire drivers around the country was patchy, and many experienced people have been lost to the sector. What assessment has been made of the situation and, in hindsight, what could have been done differently?

[Robert Courts]

I pay tribute to the sector for how it dealt with exceptionally challenging times during the pandemic; the hon. Gentleman is quite right to draw attention to that. These have been unparalleled and difficult times across the entirety of the economy. The key thing is that now we have one of the most open societies in the world because of the success of the vaccine roll-out. I am confident that the sector and the wider economy will bounce back.