Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Fiona Bruce and Mike Penning

Monday 13th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mike Penning]

Even the last Administration had the sense to recognise that GPs were very close to their patients, and that it was therefore necessary to obtain evidence from other health experts as well, especially consultants. However, the assessment relates not to an illness or other condition, but to a person’s capacity to work. That is what is important.

[Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con)]

6. What recent assessment he has made of the OECD disability spend.

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Mike Penning)]

The most recent OECD figures, from 2009, show that the United Kingdom spent 2.4% of its gross domestic product on benefits for people with disabilities. According to UK figures for 2012-13, we are spending about £50 billion a year on such benefits.

[Fiona Bruce]

Can the Minister explain how that money is being used to help disabled people in my constituency to lead full and independent lives?

[Mike Penning]

The reason we are spending so much money is that we want to ensure that people with disabilities or other long-term conditions can lead lives that are as fulfilling as possible, and, if they are able to do so, enter the workplace. Much of the money is spent on the Access to Work scheme, which has proved very successful. It is interesting that not many Opposition Members seem to approve of the £50 billion that the Government are spending.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Fiona Bruce and Mike Penning

Thursday 12th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con)]

T8. Road crashes are the biggest single killer of young people aged between 17 and 25 in this country today. Will the Minister join me in congratulating Cheshire safer roads partnership’s “Think, Drive, Survive” scheme, which brings officers into schools to teach young drivers about better road safety? What more can the Government do in this respect?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mike Penning)]

I am sure that my hon. Friend is aware that I have done that excellent scheme in Cheshire and have the certificate on the wall in my office. One of the things we can do is ensure that the test taken before someone is given a driving licence is fit for purpose and that it is not simply a case of passing a test, but of giving the skills everyone needs, particularly young people, to be able to drive and enjoy the road safely.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Fiona Bruce and Mike Penning

Thursday 10th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con)]

10. What steps her Department is taking to monitor use of the road network by foreign HGV drivers.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mike Penning)]

The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, for which I am responsible, carried out 67,000 checks last year on foreign-registered heavy goods vehicles for compliance with roadworthiness, overloading and drivers’ hours rules. The Department regularly publishes statistics on the amount of goods transported to and from the United Kingdom by foreign-registered HGVs.

[Fiona Bruce]

I was recently advised by a constituent of an accident that she had on the busy stretch of the M6 between Sandbach and Knutsford, in which she was hit by a foreign lorry driver in a left-hand drive vehicle who did not see her in his mirrors as he moved into the middle lane. In virtually the same place, a family of six were tragically killed in an accident caused by a foreign lorry driver in 2008. What steps can the Government take to prevent such accidents from occurring again?

[Mike Penning]

I am aware of the problems that occur around the country, particularly as a former HGV driver myself, including the problems that foreign drivers have with their mirrors. That is something that we are considering with our European counterparts. However, we must realise that only 3.5% of the HGVs on British roads and 5.2% of those on our motorways are foreign. Although it is a big issue, the biggest issue is with HGV driving and the quality of driving as a whole, not just with overseas drivers.