Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what account his Department took of the potential merits of including in Government contracts for the procurement of new rolling stock provisions to support UK engineering capability.
Answered by Paul Maynard
Public sector procurement of new rolling stock is undertaken in accordance with the Utilities Contracts Regulations (UCR) 2016 as railways fall within the definition of a Utility under these regulations. The UCR 2016 requires treatment of all economic operators equally and without discrimination and to act in a transparent and proportionate manner.
However, my department is exploring the scope within these Regulations for encouraging greater value to the UK economy from rolling stock procurement and wider investment in the rail sector. For example, the recently announced prior indicative notice for HS2 rolling stock procurement requires applicants to make clear how their proposals will add value to the UK economy in terms of skills, growth and employment opportunities.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Government contracts for the procurement of new rolling stock contain provisions specifying the use of local contents in the supply chains for manufacturers who win those contracts.
Answered by Paul Maynard
Public sector procurement of new rolling stock is undertaken in accordance with the Utilities Contracts Regulations (UCR) 2016 as railways fall within the definition of a Utility under these regulations. The UCR 2016 requires treatment of all economic operators equally and without discrimination and to act in a transparent and proportionate manner.
However, my department is exploring the scope within these Regulations for encouraging greater value to the UK economy from rolling stock procurement and wider investment in the rail sector. For example, the recently announced prior indicative notice for HS2 rolling stock procurement requires applicants to make clear how their proposals will add value to the UK economy in terms of skills, growth and employment opportunities.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is the Government's policy to negotiate to continue participation in the European Aviation Safety Authority after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for the continued participation in the European Aviation Safety Agency System. Until we leave, EU law still applies, so EU rules in this area will continue to apply in the UK, alongside national rules.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to reach a decision on the Leeds New Generation Transport Trolley Bus scheme.
Answered by Claire Perry
We are continuing to make progress towards announcing the decision on the scheme. You will appreciate the issues raised by the case have required very careful consideration. We are however mindful of the importance in resolving the uncertainty for Leeds as soon as possible and we hope to be in a position to announce our conclusions shortly.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the Answer of 8 January 2015 to Question 219781, for what reason action was not taken against SEAT UK for failing to submit a completed V5C/3 form.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) did not take action against SEAT UK in 2007 because enforcement action in such cases was not always taken, unless it was also connected to a vehicle excise duty offence.
Since 2012, if a registered keeper fails to notify the DVLA in writing that they have disposed of a vehicle and someone applies to become the new keeper, the DVLA will automatically issue an enforcement letter.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency received a completed V5C/3 form from SEAT UK to provide notification of the transfer of a vehicle to a new owner in respect of the sale of vehicle registration number KM06 EUV on 21 February 2002 to Autoworld of Chesterfield.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency did not receive a completed V5C/3 from SEAT UK notifying that they were no longer the keeper of the vehicle bearing the registration number KM06 EUV.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has (a) written to or contacted and (b) initiated legal proceedings against sellers of motor vehicles for failing to use form V5C/3 to notify DVLA of the transfer of a vehicle to a new owner in each of the last five years.
Answered by John Hayes
The registered keeper of a vehicle must notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) that they have disposed of it using the Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C) or otherwise in writing.
If the keeper fails to do so and someone then applies to become the new keeper, the DVLA will issue an automatic enforcement letter.
The letter advises customers to pay an out of court settlement of £55 (or £35 if paid within 17 calendar days). If payment is not received a court summons will be served.
The table below shows the number of letters that the DVLA has issued for failure to notify disposal of a vehicle, the number of summonses served to attend court and the outcome:
Financial Year | Enforcement Letters Issued | Summonses Served | Successful Prosecutions |
2009-10 | 220,768 | 42,858 | 33,869 |
2010-11 | 187,463 | 48,140 | 39,733 |
2011-12 | 177,189 | 54,531 | 45,123 |
2012-13 | 149,565 | 43,475 | 38,279 |
2013-14 | 150,211 | 35,539 | 27,759 |
2014-present day | 93,011 | 10,019 | 10,821 |
Some summonses may not proceed to prosecution as they may be withdrawn following further consideration, such as obtaining additional information from the customer. The outcome of some prosecutions might not be determined until the following financial year from when the summons was served.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of named day written questions were answered by his Department within the prescribed period in the (a) 2012-13 session, (b) 2013-14 session and (c) 2014-15 session to date.
Answered by Claire Perry
Departmental performance information, for ordinary and named day Parliamentary Questions, is collated by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and submitted to the Procedure Committee. This is published on a sessional basis by the committee, and includes evidence regarding departmental performance. The monitoring report relating to the 2012-13 session was published on 13 February 2014 as HC1046. The report covering statistics relating to performance during the 2013-14 session will be published very shortly by the Procedure Committee.
The Department for Transport has answered all named day Parliamentary Questions in the 2014-15 session within the prescribed period.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has undertaken on the relationship between levels of street lighting and (a) road traffic accidents and (b) injuries to pedestrians.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Highways Agency is responsible for lighting on the strategic road network and local authorities for street lighting in their areas. It is for the authorities themselves to decide the level of service they wish their street lighting network to deliver.
No recent research has been undertaken by the Department for Transport on the relationship between levels of street lighting and (a) road traffic accidents and (b) injuries to pedestrians. The Department does, however, collect accident data and this will include factors including whether or not the area was in darkness or lit.
In 2006 investigations were carried out by the Highways Agency which concluded road lighting reduced the number of night-time personal accident injuries on the strategic road network by 10% on motorways & dual carriageways, and 12% on single carriageway roads. The Highways Agency has not conducted any specific research on the impact of road lighting on accidents involving pedestrians due to their low numbers on the strategic road network.
Where the Highways Agency has undertaken the switching off of lights at midnight at certain site locations, these were subject to a detailed safety assessment. By selecting sites with a good safety record and where night-time traffic flows are low, the Highways Agency is confident there will be no adverse impact on road safety.
This Government is providing over £4.5 billion from 2010 to 2015 to local highway authorities in England for highways maintenance, including street lighting. If a local highway authority is considering upgrading or improving their street lighting stock, the Department for Transport encourages them to consider the "Invest to Save" Guidance produced by the Association of Directors of Environment, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) which is available from the Institution of Lighting Professionals.