Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that public transport remains accessible for disabled people during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government remains as committed to delivering inclusive transport for all passengers as they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. Our expectation is that transport operators should continue to assist disabled passengers who need assistance. I made this clear in my open letter to the rail industry on 8 April 2020 (www.gov.uk/government/speeches/letter-from-the-rail-minister-to-the-rail-delivery-group-on-maintaining-accessibility-during-the-covid-19-outbreak) .
We have also made clear to local authorities that the Public Sector Equality Duty still applies and that they must continue to consider the needs of disabled people. An accessible public realm is vital to enabling disabled people to access public transport. On 9 May the Department published statutory guidance to local authorities on reallocating road space which makes clear that authorities must consider the needs of disabled people and those with other protected characteristics when making changes to their transport networks (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reallocating-road-space-in-response-to-covid-19-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities/traffic-management-act-2004-network-management-in-response-to-covid-19). Public Sector Equality Duty requirements apply to temporary measures as they do to permanent ones.
I am meeting regularly with key disability stakeholders, including Disability Rights UK, Scope, Guide Dogs and Transport for All, to hear directly from them about the experiences of disabled people using transport. This means we will be able to take action quickly if we find that passengers are not receiving the assistance to which they are entitled.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to distribute protective masks for disabled extremely vulnerable passengers on services provided by Transport for London; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Last month we made it mandatory for passengers to wear a face covering when travelling on public transport in England, unless they are exempt for health, disability or other reasons. We expect people to bring their own coverings and it is not the responsibility of public transport operators to provide them for their passengers. Face coverings are available to purchase at many retailers and public transport hubs, whilst there is advice on the gov.uk website which describes in detail how people can make their own (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering).
To help introduce this policy, we have distributed over two million face coverings which were donated to the Government. These were distributed to local transport providers, National Rail and maritime operators across the country for use by passengers and the transport workforce. In London, TfL has also been helping their customers adjust to the new requirement by temporarily distributing face masks at targeted Tube and bus stations.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) solar panels and (b) wind turbines his Department's buildings (a) have in 2020 and (b) had in each of the last five years.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The information requested is as follows:
Year | Solar Panels | Wind turbines |
2020 | 649 | 3 |
2019 | 649 | 3 |
2018 | 491 | 3 |
2017 | 476 | 3 |
2016 | 164 | 3 |
2015 | 164 | 3 |
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support electric short-haul flights in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government supports the development of new aviation technology such as electric aircraft. We are providing £125m of funding to the Future Flight Challenge and supported the Civil Aviation Authority establish an Innovation Hub to engage with innovative aviation companies. Government will consult on Aviation and Climate Change later this year.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much energy his departmental buildings have used in (a) each of the last five years and (b) 2020 to date.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The information requested is as follows:
kWh | Electricity | Natural Gas | Oil |
2015 | 31,382,315 | 37,923,270 | 1,779,302 |
2016 | 40,726,077 | 41,017,631 | 2,046,502 |
2017 | 36,791,494 | 38,266,104 | 1,298,068 |
2018 | 37,578,398 | 37,105,347 | 1,063,723 |
2019 | 33,752,594 | 33,677,336 | 1,665,576 |
2020 (to 31-03-20) | 9,404,303 | 10,405,464 | 645,728 |
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) make and (b) fuel type is of cars allocated to each Minister.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In 2012, the Government Car Service introduced the Departmental Pool Car Service where cars and drivers are allocated to Government Departments as a shared resource. This service is managed by each individual Department to provide better utilisation; cars are no longer allocated to individual ministers.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Government Car Service departmental pool cars are allocated to each Department; and what the fuel type is of each car.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The table below lists the number of Departmental Pool Cars allocated to each Government Department including fuel type:
Department | Number of Cars | Fuel Type |
Cabinet Office | 3 | Battery Electric |
Cabinet Office | 3 | Diesel |
Cabinet Office | 1 | Petrol |
BEIS | 2 | Petrol Hybrid |
BEIS | 1 | Battery Electric |
BEIS | 1 | Petrol |
MHCLG | 4 | Petrol Hybrid |
DCMS | 1 | Battery Electric |
DCMS | 2 | Petrol Hybrid |
DCMS | 1 | Petrol |
DEFRA | 1 | Petrol Hybrid |
DEFRA | 1 | Petrol |
DFE | 1 | Battery Electric |
DFE | 1 | Petrol |
DFID | 1 | Battery Electric |
DFID | 1 | Petrol Hybrid |
DfT | 3 | Petrol Hybrid |
DfT | 1 | Battery Electric |
DHSC | 2 | Petrol Hybrid |
DHSC | 1 | Petrol |
DHSC | 1 | Battery Electric |
HMT | 1 | Battery Electric |
HMT | 1 | Petrol |
Home Office | 4 | Petrol Hybrid |
AGO | 1 | Battery Electric |
AGO | 1 | Petrol Hybrid |
DIT | 1 | Battery Electric |
DIT | 1 | Petrol |
DWP | 2 | Diesel |
With the support of DfT, the Government Car Service (GCS) is replacing its fleet with Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) as vehicles become due for replacement. Currently 48% of the GCS fleet is now either battery electric, petrol/electric hybrid or hydrogen, and we are actively looking at options to accelerate this transition.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in his Department had caring responsibilities in each of the last five years.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department for Transport (DfT) does not collect data on the number of people with caring responsibilities on its HR systems.
We are, however able to provide data on the numbers responding positively to the Civil Service People Survey question on caring responsibilities over this period. The total number for the Central DfT and its four agencies is broken down as follows:
Department / Agency |
|
|
| |||||
| 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||
Central DfT | 535 | 409 | 322 | 209 | 267 | |||
Driver & Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) | 1329 | 1169 | 1099 | 1107 | 1096 | |||
Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) | 1153 | 906 | 702 | 582 | 659 | |||
Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) | 205 | 150 | 138 | 153 | 136 | |||
Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) | 33 | 27 | 19 | 17 | 24 | |||
Total | 3255 | 2661 | 2280 | 2068 | 2182 | |||
This is not a workforce statistic and is only representative of those who completed the survey and the best available information DfT currently has.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that train companies have effective accessibility plans for passengers with (a) learning disabilities and (b) autism.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
All train operating companies (TOCs) are required as part of their licence condition to have in place a Disabled People’s Protection Policy (DPPP) which sets out their plans to make sure disabled passengers, including those with learning disabilities and autism, are able to use the rail network.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is responsible for monitoring TOCs’ compliance with their DPPPs. ORR has the powers to take enforcement action where there are breaches of licence conditions, and the Department has encouraged them to do so. The Department is working closely with the ORR as they review the requirements in the DPPP guidance.
In the Inclusive Transport Strategy published in 2018, the Department set out the actions it will take to make the rail network more accessible for people with all disabilities, for example requiring train operators to provide enhanced disability awareness training covering a range of disabilities including non-visible disabilities such as learning disabilities and autism to all staff. The strategy can be found on the Gov.UK website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-transport-strategy.
The Williams Rail Review is considering the needs and priorities of disabled passengers in its work, and identifying how accessibility can be improved for everyone.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities with the enforcement of anti-idling legislation.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Local Authorities are able to issue fixed penalty notices under The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002. As set out in the Government’s response to the Joint Committee on Air Quality we are modernising the guidance on use of these powers, which will then be re-issued.