Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of working with North Lincolnshire Council to use its buildings as driving theory test centres.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Although the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has recently increased the number of theory test centres by over 10%, this specific proposal is not currently under consideration.
Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that (a) insurance write-offs and (b) other faults are clearly advertised when second-cars are marketed.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
As set out in published guidance for vehicle buyers, second-hand vehicles are subject to the Sale of Goods Act 1979 where purchased from a dealer and must be ‘as described’, ‘of satisfactory quality’ and ‘fit for purpose’. Additionally, the sale of a vehicle which is not in a roadworthy condition is an offence per s.75 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. These cover vehicles that have previously been written-off.
The Department encourages buyers to take steps to investigate the safety and history of a vehicle, for example by getting a private history check, checking the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) agree across the vehicle and that they match the VIN recorded in the logbook, and reviewing the vehicle’s MOT history for free on GOV.UK. Buyers may also wish to obtain an independent engineer’s check to confirm the condition of the vehicle.
Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish a timetable for the introduction of the Accessible Information Regulations for buses in England.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
We plan to require the provision of audible and visible information on local bus and coach services across Great Britain and intend to introduce the Accessible Information Regulations shortly.
We have no plans to publish a timetable prior to introducing these Regulations.
Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to roll out audio-visual passenger information on buses in England.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
We have required buses funded through the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme to provide audible and visible information as standard.
We also plan to require the provision of audible and visible information on local bus and coach services across Great Britain, and intend to introduce the Accessible Information Regulations shortly.
We have allocated £3.55m to the Real Time Information Group, who will be supporting small operators with the upfront costs of the planned Regulations.
Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it remains his Department's policy to provide up to £60 million to help bus operators cap single fares on most services in England, outside London, at £2 per journey from January to March 2023.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Yes. We intend for this to operate from 1 January to 31 March 2023.
Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the provenance was of the steel used by Crossrail Ltd in the construction of the Elizabeth Line.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The 57km of steel required for the rails of the Elizabeth line central section, between Paddington and Abbey Wood, was sourced entirely from British Steel in Scunthorpe. This equates to 7,000 tonnes of steel.
Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on improving the range of services available to haulage drivers working in the UK.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government recognises the need to ensure hauliers have access to appropriate services and facilities. DfT and DLUHC Ministers and officials are in close contact to progress work in this area.
Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) access to and (b) quality of service station facilities for haulage drivers in the UK.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We recognise the important contribution that hauliers make to the nation’s economy and are aware of the concerns expressed by many drivers, operators and residents about the provision and quality of lorry parking in the UK. We are committed to looking at both established and new approaches to increase the provision for improved overnight lorry parking in England, along with developing innovative approaches to provide more capacity.
Through the Department for Transport (DfT) Circular 02/2013 "The Strategic Road Network and the Delivery of Sustainable Development", we ensure that Motorway Service Area operators provide, at a minimum, free short-term parking for up to two hours for all types of vehicle allowing people to take a break, use the facilities and or eat a meal as required.
Building on a 2020 review of lorry parking, the department continues to engage with key stakeholders to encourage the development of safe, secure and high-quality lorry parking. This includes the sharing of information and good practice, such as overcoming planning barriers to the development of lorry parks, improving standards of security and facilities to improve driver welfare, and exploring the benefits of innovation and new technology.
Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment officials in (a) his Department and (b) the Driver and Vehicle Safety Agency (DVSA) have made of the potential effect of the decision by the DVSA to discontinue driving tests in Scunthorpe on young people in North Lincolnshire.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has launched a new driving theory test booking service for England, Scotland, and Wales for theory tests taken from 6 September 2021. The DVSA’s priority remains to deliver a theory test that ensures candidates have the correct knowledge and understanding to be able to drive safely on our busy, modern roads.
The structure and content of the theory test will not change, but new software will mean it has a different look and feel. These changes will give the DVSA greater control of managing test content and enable it to update and improve questions and clips more quickly.
Third party suppliers will deliver the actual test to the public, and so from September there will be changes to the theory test centre estate. As the contract has been awarded to more than one company, the number of theory test centres will increase from 180 to 202 across Great Britain. The increased number of theory test centres will result in a more even distribution of test centre locations and will make theory tests more accessible, especially to those in remote areas of the country.
In creating a more even distribution, the location of many theory test centres will change and some places that currently have a theory test centre will no longer do so from 6 September.
The theory test centre in Scunthorpe, Unit 2A, Haldenby House, 1 Berkeley Roundabout, will be one of the affected locations. There are no current plans for a theory test centre in Scunthorpe, but the DVSA thanks the North Lincolnshire Council for its offer of help should that change. The nearest theory test centre for candidates will be in Doncaster and Grimsby.
The DVSA’s key performance measure is that a candidate should not have travel more than 40 miles (rural) or 40 minutes (urban) to get to a test centre unless they choose to travel further.
Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Driver and Vehicle Safety Agency plans to take to ensure that young people in North Lincolnshire will not be negatively affected by the decision to discontinue driving theory tests in Scunthorpe.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has launched a new driving theory test booking service for England, Scotland, and Wales for theory tests taken from 6 September 2021. The DVSA’s priority remains to deliver a theory test that ensures candidates have the correct knowledge and understanding to be able to drive safely on our busy, modern roads.
The structure and content of the theory test will not change, but new software will mean it has a different look and feel. These changes will give the DVSA greater control of managing test content and enable it to update and improve questions and clips more quickly.
Third party suppliers will deliver the actual test to the public, and so from September there will be changes to the theory test centre estate. As the contract has been awarded to more than one company, the number of theory test centres will increase from 180 to 202 across Great Britain. The increased number of theory test centres will result in a more even distribution of test centre locations and will make theory tests more accessible, especially to those in remote areas of the country.
In creating a more even distribution, the location of many theory test centres will change and some places that currently have a theory test centre will no longer do so from 6 September.
The theory test centre in Scunthorpe, Unit 2A, Haldenby House, 1 Berkeley Roundabout, will be one of the affected locations. There are no current plans for a theory test centre in Scunthorpe, but the DVSA thanks the North Lincolnshire Council for its offer of help should that change. The nearest theory test centre for candidates will be in Doncaster and Grimsby.
The DVSA’s key performance measure is that a candidate should not have travel more than 40 miles (rural) or 40 minutes (urban) to get to a test centre unless they choose to travel further.