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Written Question
Community Transport: Finance
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating additional funding for volunteer led community transport schemes.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department makes available over £3 million each year to community transport operators through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), supporting them to continue delivering inclusive and accessible transport across the country.

An uplift of 60% has been added to BSOG claims for community transport operators until 31 March 2025. This means operators will receive £1.60 for every £1 claimed, reflecting the increased costs faced by the sector.

We also encourage Local Transport Authorities to engage with community transport operators when preparing their Bus Service Improvement Plans which are vital in setting out an areas’ long term plans for bus services and how they will be improved.

The bus fare cap, only available in England, has proven popular with bus passengers in communities across England, particularly in rural and non-metropolitan areas, where our statistics show the overall price of bus fares between September 2022 and September 2023 dropped by almost 11%.

Our £20 million Rural Mobility Fund (RMF) in England, also devolved, is supporting 16 innovative, demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas across 16 local authorities in England. These pilots are exploring whether Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) can serve these communities more effectively than traditional public transport solutions alone.


Written Question
Driving Tests: Waiting Lists
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Angus, (b) Scotland, and (c) the UK who are awaiting a practical driving test; and how many are awaiting such tests at the Arbroath remote testing centre.

Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

There are four driving test centres (DTC) that service the Angus region. The table below shows the number of people booked to take their test at (a) each of the four DTCs that service the Angus region (b) Scotland, and (c) Great Britain.

(a) Angus region

Number of forward bookings

Number of slots available

Arbroath

234

3

Dundee

1,320

685

Forfar

186

21

Montrose

223

14

(b) Scotland

.

44,080

7,143

(c) Great Britain

.

525,070

51,363

There are four driving test centres (DTC) that service the Angus region. The table below shows the number of people booked to take their test at (a) each of the four DTCs that service the Angus region (b) Scotland, and (c) Great Britain.


Written Question
Driving Tests: Scotland
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many practical driving tests were carried out in Arbroath between 1 March 2022 and 1 March 2023; and what proportion of the examiners recruited in 2022 have commenced their posts in (a) Scotland, and (b) Angus.

Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

There are four driving test centres (DTC) that service the Angus region. The table below shows the number of people booked to take their test at (a) each of the four DTCs that service the Angus region (b) Scotland, and (c) Great Britain.

(a) Angus region

Number of forward bookings

Number of slots available

Arbroath

234

3

Dundee

1,320

685

Forfar

186

21

Montrose

223

14

(b) Scotland

.

44,080

7,143

(c) Great Britain

.

525,070

51,363

Between 1 March 2022 and 1 March 2023, there were 407 car practical driving tests carried out at Arbroath DTC.

9% of driving examiners recruited in Great Britain in 2022 have commenced their posts in Scotland. This is in direct response to Scotland having 8.4% of the total number of forward bookings in Great Britain.

Driving examiners based at Dundee DTC service the four DTCs in the Angus region. 1% of driving examiners recruited in Great Britain in 2022 have commenced their posts at Dundee. This is in direct response to the Angus region having 0.4% of the total number of forward bookings in Great Britain.


Written Question
Driving Tests: Arbroath
Tuesday 17th May 2022

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many practical driving test were carried out per week on average in Arbroath (a) in 2019 and (b) between 1 January and 1 May 2022.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

As of 13 May 2022:

  • 135 people had a practical car driving test booked in Angus.
  • 119,865 people had a practical car driving test booked in the UK.
  • 60 people had a practical car driving test booked at Arbroath test centre.

The waiting time for a practical car test at Arbroath is five weeks.

In 2019, 11 practical car driving tests were carried out, on average, per week, at Arbroath. 12 practical driving tests were carried out, on average, per week, at Arbroath between 1 January and 1 May 2022.


Written Question
Driving Tests: Standards
Tuesday 17th May 2022

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Angus and (b) the UK awaiting a practical driving test; and of those how many are awaiting those tests at the Abroath remote testing centre.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

As of 13 May 2022:

  • 135 people had a practical car driving test booked in Angus.
  • 119,865 people had a practical car driving test booked in the UK.
  • 60 people had a practical car driving test booked at Arbroath test centre.

The waiting time for a practical car test at Arbroath is five weeks.

In 2019, 11 practical car driving tests were carried out, on average, per week, at Arbroath. 12 practical driving tests were carried out, on average, per week, at Arbroath between 1 January and 1 May 2022.


Written Question
Large Goods Vehicles: Dover Port
Thursday 21st April 2022

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of delays at Dover on Scottish hauliers who transport high value, perishable goods long distances and for whom those delays can cause loss of earnings.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Defra, who hold responsibility for the food sector, has well established ways of working with the food industry to monitor issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. Our focus has been to work with our Kent Resilience Forum partners to solve the disruption in Kent as quickly as possible to support all hauliers, recognising the work they have done alongside Port of Dover, Eurotunnel and operators to get people moving as quickly as possible under difficult circumstances.


Written Question
Shipping: Carbon Emissions
Monday 25th October 2021

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic development achievable by investing in maritime decarbonisation in the UK’s coastal communities; and what steps the Government will take to ensure that development is achieved equitably between all nations of the UK.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Department has made no assessment of the level of economic development achievable by investing in maritime decarbonisation in the UK’s coastal communities. However, in 2019, alongside the Clean Maritime Plan, the Department published an assessment which identified that low and zero emissions shipping could result in potential economic benefits to the UK of around £360-£510 million per year by the middle of the century.

Maritime UK has published its views that investment in maritime decarbonisation could in future create jobs in all four nations of the United Kingdom, particularly in coastal communities with a tradition of maritime economic activity, including shipbuilding.

Industry research estimates that in 2017 the UK maritime sector as a whole directly supported more than 220,000 jobs for UK employees.


Written Question
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Correspondence
Monday 25th October 2021

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the DVLA plans to substantively respond to the ongoing case of the constituent of the hon. Member for Angus, reference DD4418.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

A reply to the correspondence referred to was sent by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on 21 October. The reply included an apology for the delay in responding.


Written Question
HM Coastguard
Thursday 15th April 2021

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what functions national maritime operations centres perform; what resources and equipment are located at those centres; and how many staff are stationed at each of those centres.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Her Majesty’s Coastguard has one National Maritime Operation Centre (NMOC) which is based in Fareham in Hampshire. In addition to the National Maritime Operations Centre there are ten Coastguard Operations Centres (CGOCs) which are located at: Aberdeen; Belfast; Dover; Falmouth; Holyhead; Humber; Milford Haven; Shetland; Stornoway; and London.

The NMOC and the CGOCs form a fully integrated and flexible national network which allows Her Majesty’s Coastguard to fulfil its national and international functions, which includes the initiation and coordination of civil maritime and aeronautical search and rescue.

As defined by international convention the six key functions of the integrated national network are; search and rescue; pollution and response; vessel traffic management; maritime safety; maritime security and emergency; and disaster management. All centres are equipped to respond to such incidents 24/7/365.

In addition, the NMOC also incorporates the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre and the Mission Control Centre, which are responsible for tasking of all Her Majesty’s Coastguard search and rescue aviation assets and the receipt and response to distress beacons respectively.

All Her Majesty’s Coastguard centres are equipped to receive, respond and coordinate all distress, urgency and alert situations within the UK Search and Rescue Region. This includes an integrated command and control system, search planning, integrated mapping and communications systems, including satellite-based services.

The below table demonstrates how many full-time equivalent operational staff, by job role, are expected to be at each location.

Maritime Operations Controllers

Team Leaders

Senior Maritime Operations Officers

Maritime Operations Officers

Aberdeen CGOC

1

4

12

4

Belfast CGOC

1

4

12

4

Dover CGOC

1

4

21

6

Falmouth CGOC

1

4

12

4

Holyhead CGOC

1

4

12

4

Humber CGOC

1

4

18

6

London

1

0

6

0

Milford Haven CGOC

1

4

18

6

NMOC

8

8

51

16

Shetland CGOC

1

4

12

4

Stornoway CGOC

1

4

12

4

Two Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Managers also work at the National Maritime Operation Centre. A further two full time equivalent staff work at the Mission Control Centre and thirty-two staff work at the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre.


Written Question
HM Coastguard and Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Staff
Thursday 15th April 2021

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff are employed by (a) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and (b) HM Coastguard in (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) Wales.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

As of 31 March 2021, the employees of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency are broken down as follows, this includes permanent and fixed term employees:

England - 926

Scotland -161

Northern Ireland - 41

Wales – 108

Her Majesty’s Coastguard is a Directorate within the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and therefore is included in the figures above. Disaggregating Her Majesty’s Coastguard figures from above, permanent and fixed term employees within Her Majesty’s Coastguard Directorate as of 31 March 2021 are:

England - 334

Scotland -114

Northern Ireland - 28

Wales – 57