Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will include proposals to end the inclusion of financially burdensome terms in the deeds of (a) freeholds and (b) leaseholds in planned draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Over the course of this Parliament, the Government will further reform the leasehold system. We will enact remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to enfranchisement and the Right to Manage, tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, reinvigorate commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework, and ban the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.
The Government has made clear it intends to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in this session so that it may be subject to broad consultation and additional parliamentary scrutiny. We will announce further details in due course.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing draught duty relief to 20% on (a) pubs and (b) small independent brewers in Carlisle.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Pubs and breweries make an enormous contribution to our economy and society, and this is recognised in the tax system.
The current alcohol duty system supports pubs and breweries through Draught Relief, which ensures eligible products served on draught pay less duty. The duty system also supports small producers by providing a tapered duty discount on products below 8.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Supporting our high streets is a vital part of our economic growth mission and the Government is committed to working in partnership with businesses and local communities to deliver this.
The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the recent reforms and rates that took effect on 1 August 2023. As with all taxes, the Government keeps the alcohol duty system under review during its Budget process.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she plans to take through the alcohol duty system to support (a) pubs and (b) breweries in Carlisle.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Pubs and breweries make an enormous contribution to our economy and society, and this is recognised in the tax system.
The current alcohol duty system supports pubs and breweries through Draught Relief, which ensures eligible products served on draught pay less duty. The duty system also supports small producers by providing a tapered duty discount on products below 8.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Supporting our high streets is a vital part of our economic growth mission and the Government is committed to working in partnership with businesses and local communities to deliver this.
The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the recent reforms and rates that took effect on 1 August 2023. As with all taxes, the Government keeps the alcohol duty system under review during its Budget process.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing draught duty relief for (a) beer and (b) cider served in pubs in Carlisle.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Pubs and breweries make an enormous contribution to our economy and society, and this is recognised in the tax system.
The current alcohol duty system supports pubs and breweries through Draught Relief, which ensures eligible products served on draught pay less duty. The duty system also supports small producers by providing a tapered duty discount on products below 8.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Supporting our high streets is a vital part of our economic growth mission and the Government is committed to working in partnership with businesses and local communities to deliver this.
The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the recent reforms and rates that took effect on 1 August 2023. As with all taxes, the Government keeps the alcohol duty system under review during its Budget process.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has of made of (a) the adequacy of the process and (b) potential barriers for the adoption of roads in new housing estates by Local Authorities.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has published comprehensive guidance, last updated in August 2022, to help local authorities make informed decisions about how new and existing roads can be adopted by highway authorities so that they become maintainable at public expense, pursuant to the 1980 Highways Act (as amended). The guidance should also be of interest to planning authorities, local highway authorities, developers, people living in private streets, and people planning to purchase property.
Once adopted, a road remains publicly maintainable by the highway authority, so it is right that roads are constructed by the developer to an appropriate standard. The biggest potential barrier is roads that have not been completed to the appropriate standard required by the highway authority for adoption.
It is important that developers submit details that are in accordance with both the approved highway layout (from the planning application) and technical specifications in relation to the construction of the roads. Until that time all the required maintenance and safety issues are the responsibility of the developer or owner.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of average waiting times for driving tests on the economy.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) knows that car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this is having on learner drivers.
DVSA does not record, or hold, information about candidates whose driving licence is a requirement of their current, or potential, employment.
DVSA’s main priority is to uphold road safety standards as it reduces car practical driving test waiting times.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Drivers Medical referrals to the DVLA took more than 90 days to (a) resolve and (b) close in (i) 2023, (ii) 2022, (iii) 2021, (iv) 2020 and (v) 2019.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The following table shows the number of drivers medical cases the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has resolved in each of the last five calendar years.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
All drivers medical decisions made | 766,283 | 556,382 | 550,773 | 863,431 | 723,126 |
30 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 275,615 | 278,672 | 368,029 | 584,226 | 380,132 |
Proportion of licensing decisions made over 30 working days | 35.97% | 50.09% | 66.82% | 67.66% | 52.57% |
60 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 129,321 | 167,311 | 263,084 | 453,639 | 213,639 |
90 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 72,897 | 101,363 | 191,618 | 340,712 | 136,735 |
Six months or more to make a licensing decision (182 working days) | 17,651 | 19,328 | 82,895 | 154,507 | 55,854 |
One year or more to make a licensing decision (365 working days) | 346 | 613 | 4,547 | 14,105 | 11,759 |
To note, cases are classed as “resolved” when a licensing decision is made and the appropriate action is taken. Some cases may have been resolved but remain open for administrative reasons, for example, payments to third parties still needing to be fulfilled before the case can be closed.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to make a licensing decision within 90 working days, in 90% of cases where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued.
Medical applications can take longer because the DVLA is very often reliant on receiving information from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a decision can be made on whether to issue a licence.
Drivers with diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, visual impairments, sleep conditions, or heart conditions can renew their driving licence online. The DVLA has also introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this information could only be provided by a doctor. GP surgeries and hospital teams now have greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
Most applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing the driver can meet specific criteria. More information can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Drivers Medical referrals to the DVLA took more than six months to (a) resolve and (b) close in (i) 2023, (ii) 2022, (iii) 2021, (iv) 2020 and (v) 2019.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The following table shows the number of drivers medical cases the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has resolved in each of the last five calendar years.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
All drivers medical decisions made | 766,283 | 556,382 | 550,773 | 863,431 | 723,126 |
30 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 275,615 | 278,672 | 368,029 | 584,226 | 380,132 |
Proportion of licensing decisions made over 30 working days | 35.97% | 50.09% | 66.82% | 67.66% | 52.57% |
60 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 129,321 | 167,311 | 263,084 | 453,639 | 213,639 |
90 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 72,897 | 101,363 | 191,618 | 340,712 | 136,735 |
Six months or more to make a licensing decision (182 working days) | 17,651 | 19,328 | 82,895 | 154,507 | 55,854 |
One year or more to make a licensing decision (365 working days) | 346 | 613 | 4,547 | 14,105 | 11,759 |
To note, cases are classed as “resolved” when a licensing decision is made and the appropriate action is taken. Some cases may have been resolved but remain open for administrative reasons, for example, payments to third parties still needing to be fulfilled before the case can be closed.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to make a licensing decision within 90 working days, in 90% of cases where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued.
Medical applications can take longer because the DVLA is very often reliant on receiving information from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a decision can be made on whether to issue a licence.
Drivers with diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, visual impairments, sleep conditions, or heart conditions can renew their driving licence online. The DVLA has also introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this information could only be provided by a doctor. GP surgeries and hospital teams now have greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
Most applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing the driver can meet specific criteria. More information can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Drivers Medical referrals to the DVLA took more than 60 days to (a) resolve and (b) close in (i) 2023, (ii) 2022, (iii) 2021, (iv) 2020 and (v) 2019.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The following table shows the number of drivers medical cases the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has resolved in each of the last five calendar years.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
All drivers medical decisions made | 766,283 | 556,382 | 550,773 | 863,431 | 723,126 |
30 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 275,615 | 278,672 | 368,029 | 584,226 | 380,132 |
Proportion of licensing decisions made over 30 working days | 35.97% | 50.09% | 66.82% | 67.66% | 52.57% |
60 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 129,321 | 167,311 | 263,084 | 453,639 | 213,639 |
90 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 72,897 | 101,363 | 191,618 | 340,712 | 136,735 |
Six months or more to make a licensing decision (182 working days) | 17,651 | 19,328 | 82,895 | 154,507 | 55,854 |
One year or more to make a licensing decision (365 working days) | 346 | 613 | 4,547 | 14,105 | 11,759 |
To note, cases are classed as “resolved” when a licensing decision is made and the appropriate action is taken. Some cases may have been resolved but remain open for administrative reasons, for example, payments to third parties still needing to be fulfilled before the case can be closed.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to make a licensing decision within 90 working days, in 90% of cases where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued.
Medical applications can take longer because the DVLA is very often reliant on receiving information from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a decision can be made on whether to issue a licence.
Drivers with diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, visual impairments, sleep conditions, or heart conditions can renew their driving licence online. The DVLA has also introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this information could only be provided by a doctor. GP surgeries and hospital teams now have greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
Most applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing the driver can meet specific criteria. More information can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Drivers Medical referrals to the DVLA took more than one year to (a) resolve and (b) close in (i) 2023, (ii) 2022, (iii) 2021, (iv) 2020 and (v) 2019.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The following table shows the number of drivers medical cases the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has resolved in each of the last five calendar years.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
All drivers medical decisions made | 766,283 | 556,382 | 550,773 | 863,431 | 723,126 |
30 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 275,615 | 278,672 | 368,029 | 584,226 | 380,132 |
Proportion of licensing decisions made over 30 working days | 35.97% | 50.09% | 66.82% | 67.66% | 52.57% |
60 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 129,321 | 167,311 | 263,084 | 453,639 | 213,639 |
90 working days or more to make a licensing decision | 72,897 | 101,363 | 191,618 | 340,712 | 136,735 |
Six months or more to make a licensing decision (182 working days) | 17,651 | 19,328 | 82,895 | 154,507 | 55,854 |
One year or more to make a licensing decision (365 working days) | 346 | 613 | 4,547 | 14,105 | 11,759 |
To note, cases are classed as “resolved” when a licensing decision is made and the appropriate action is taken. Some cases may have been resolved but remain open for administrative reasons, for example, payments to third parties still needing to be fulfilled before the case can be closed.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to make a licensing decision within 90 working days, in 90% of cases where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued.
Medical applications can take longer because the DVLA is very often reliant on receiving information from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a decision can be made on whether to issue a licence.
Drivers with diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, visual impairments, sleep conditions, or heart conditions can renew their driving licence online. The DVLA has also introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this information could only be provided by a doctor. GP surgeries and hospital teams now have greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
Most applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing the driver can meet specific criteria. More information can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.