Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the discrepancy between traffic regulations that encourage drivers to use lay-bys for rest breaks to improve road safety and caravan site licensing regulations that require caravans to be sited at prescribed distances apart for fire safety and planning compliance on car and caravan drivers; and whether her Department plans to issue guidance to motorists using caravans or motorhomes on using lay-bys for rest periods.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has no such plans. Provision of lay-bys is a matter for local highway authorities. Advice to drivers on the safe use of roads, including taking appropriate breaks, is given in the Highway Code. There are no traffic regulations that encourage drivers to use lay-bys for rest breaks.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to consult with local authorities, road safety bodies and the caravan and motorhome industry to ensure that any guidance or regulatory changes balance road safety with compliance and fair practice for site operators.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There are no plans to publish any guidance or regulatory changes for caravan site operators. As part of our new Road Safety Strategy, we will be updating guidance on “Setting Speed Limits” for local authorities.
Towing a trailer safely requires skill and knowledge. Taking some training helps drivers build confidence and competence. DVSA encourages anyone who tows, or intends to tow, to sign up to training with an accredited trainer to remain safe on the road.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve transport links between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Whilst transport is devolved, the Department for Transport is committed to is enhancing links between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Department is providing funding for Transport Scotland’s feasibility study to explore options to bypass the villages of Springholm and Crocketford on the A75 and is supporting the Windsor Framework to streamline transport and customs processes. The Government is also supporting key aviation routes, including the Public Service Obligation between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow Airport.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve rail connections between England and the north of Scotland.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Cross Border Connectivity is a priority for the Department, the Department is committed to ensuring that passengers are able to travel by rail between England and Scotland.
Investment in timetable improvements and new infrastructure will enable faster and more frequent services on the East Coast Mainline improving rail connections between England and Scotland. Officials from the Department are in contact with their counterparts at Transport Scotland.
LNER provide a daily train service each way – the Highland Chieftain – between Inverness and London King’s Cross serving Aviemore, Perth, Sterling, Edinburgh, Newcastle, York and Peterborough.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the provision of incentive schemes that encourage businesses to shift from road to rail freight.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Government is determined to encourage a move from road to rail for transporting goods. For example, initiatives currently include setting a long-term rail freight growth target and the Department’s Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) scheme, which assists rail freight operating companies with the costs associated with running freight on rail instead of road, where rail transport is more expensive. A review of the MSRS scheme, which runs until 31 March 2025, will commence soon.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of weighting plug-in vehicle grants towards rural postcodes.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Government grants have been available since 2010 to incentivise more people to make the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) – so far nearly £1.5 billion has been invested, supporting the purchase of over 410,000 vehicles. The grants are offered at the point of sale across the UK on all eligible vehicles and are factored into the advertised price. We have not made an assessment of the merits of weighting plug-in vehicle grants towards rural areas. Doing this could increase the complexity of the scheme and increase the risk of fraud.
Government has recently committed an additional £620m to support the transition to electric vehicles in addition to the £582m committed for the Plug in Vehicle Grant schemes at Spending Review 2020. This additional funding will be focused on supporting the rollout of charging infrastructure and targeted plug-in vehicle grants. The Government also offers generous tax incentives including favourable company car tax rates for EVs. These rates have been a strong driver of sales and are confirmed until FY24/25. Local areas can also put in their own measures to encourage EV ownership, such as reduced rates for residential parking permits.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many blood sample tests requested by DVLA as part of a fitness to drive medical were required to be retaken due to a previous blood test being a (a) haemolysed sample, (b) clotted sample and (c) insufficient sample in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The number of blood tests requested by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency as part of a medical fitness to drive investigation in the last five years is shown in the table below:
Year | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2020/21 |
Total requests | 35,524 | 36,792 | 36,125 | 43,332 | 34,216 |
Information on the number of blood tests that needed to be retaken or the reason why is not readily available. Retrieving this information would require the interrogation of each individual case to identify the reason for which the blood test needed to be re-taken.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many blood samples were requested by DVLA as part of a fitness to drive medical in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The number of blood tests requested by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency as part of a medical fitness to drive investigation in the last five years is shown in the table below:
Year | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
Total requests | 35,524 | 36,792 | 35,040 | 36,125 | 43,332 | 34,216 |
Information on the number of blood tests that needed to be retaken or the reason why is not readily available. Retrieving this information would require the interrogation of each individual case to identify the reason for which the blood test needed to be re-taken.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to work with the Scottish Government to encourage an increase in bus services in the Highlands as part of a UK wide environmental strategy ahead of COP26.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Responsibility for bus services is a devolved matter. The Department engages with the devolved administrations, including Scotland, on issues such as bus services.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) encourage and (b) support the use of electric vehicles among lower wage earners resident in rural and semi-rural settings.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government has announced £2.8 billion to support industry and drivers to make the switch to zero emission vehicles. Reforms to our home and workplace charging schemes will focus support on those that need it most, including those living in flats, rental and leasehold accommodation, SMEs and charities. We will publish an electric vehicle Infrastructure Strategy in 2021 to set out the vision and action plan for charging infrastructure rollout needed to achieve the 2030/35 phase out successfully, this will consider and address both urban and rural charging needs. Electric vehicles can also be cheaper to run: It costs from as little as 1p/mile to run a new electric vehicle, compared to around 10p per mile for new diesel/petrol vehicles. This will be valuable for rural drivers who travel longer distances than average. Electric vehicle drivers also benefit from a favourable tax regime that rewards cleaner vehicles. As manufacturers produce more electric vehicles, we expect their cost to come down over the coming years and for more vehicles to become available on the second hand market.