Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the level of noise exposure for passengers travelling on the London Underground.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department does not hold this information as transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department seeks references for candidates appointed to public positions which fall under the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Applicants for public appointments are asked to provide details of two referees. The Governance Code on Public Appointments sets out that the Advisory Assessment Panel must satisfy itself that all candidates for appointment can meet the Seven Principles of Public Life and adhere to the Code of Conduct for board members of public bodies. In line with the Governance Code, candidates are asked to declare relevant interests and these are discussed at interview.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of legalising the use of electric unicycles.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
In the UK, powered transporters, also known as micromobility devices, are treated like any other motor vehicle under the Road Traffic Act, and this includes electric unicycles.
As part of the Governments Future of Transport regulatory review the Department is running trials of rental e-scooters which will decide whether micromobility devices should be allowed on the road and, if so, what rules should apply to them. We have put in place a national monitoring and evaluation programme and data continues to be collected from the e-scooter trials. An interim report summarizing findings from the data collected so far will be published in autumn 2021, with a final report due in spring 2022.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many items of written correspondence from hon. Members sent to Ministers in his Department have been (a) received and (b) replied to since 1 April 2020; and how many of those responses were responded to by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government recognises the great importance of the effective and timely handling of correspondence.
The Cabinet Office is currently compiling data on the timeliness of responses to Hon. and Rt Hon. members from Government Departments and Agencies. This data will be released, and made available to Members, in due course.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to ensure that airlines repay customer fares promptly where flights are cancelled in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government recognises the challenges businesses and consumers are experiencing regarding refunds for cancelled holidays and flights. Airlines are working hard to answer the high call volumes and to process the very large number of applications for refunds.
We appreciate the frustration consumers may be experiencing. We are clear that refunds must be paid when asked for by the consumer. The Department for Transport is in regular conversation with UK airlines and wider membership bodies. The department is working closely with the sector, the regulator and consumer groups to help ensure airlines deliver on their commitments.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to publish its final response to the Aviation 2050: the future of UK aviation consultation.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
It is important that we consider the Climate Change Committee’s recommendations on aviation and net zero before we publish our Aviation 2050 strategy. Amending the timetable to publishing this year means we are able to ensure our position on climate change is up to date and takes into account recent developments.
We plan to publish a consultation on aviation and climate change shortly.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to ensure that the Access for All accessibility programme includes improving access to public transport for autistic passengers and other people with invisible disabilities.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We recently added 73 stations to the £300m Access for All programme, which provides accessible routes at stations. Network Rail will engage with local disability groups to ensure that designs meet the needs of all passengers.
£20m of this funding is available for smaller scale access improvements and we will welcome nominations for projects that provide improvements for non-visible disabilities, such as autism.
Direct awards and future franchise replacements will also require train operators to deliver staff disability training which includes awareness of non-visible disabilities.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received about plans to redevelop Cardiff Central railway station.
Answered by Claire Perry
I am aware of local stakeholder interest in the redevelopment of Cardiff Central Station which was identified by the rail industry in the Welsh Route Study as a choice for funders for the next five year Network Rail funding period (CP6, 2019-2024). I stand ready to discuss with the Welsh Government and the new Cardiff City Region Capital Transport Authority how a potentially viable and fundable scheme for Cardiff Central Station could be developed.
Later this year, the rail industry will present its initial advice on investment needs for the national network, for 2019 onwards. On the basis of this advice, Government intends to articulate its emerging priorities for improvements to the national network during 2017.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to restrict access to DVLA vehicle ownership records by private parking companies which have a high failure rate in the appeals process.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) discloses vehicle keeper details to allow alleged breaches of the conditions applying to parking on private land to be followed up. The DVLA monitors the use of its data by parking companies and uses information gained from a number of sources, including appeals when considering audits to vehicle keeper information.
The success or otherwise of individual appeals is not the only indicator to determine whether information should continue to be released to a private parking company.
Motorists in England and Wales can appeal parking charges free of charge. The decisions are binding on the parking operator. Parking companies and their accredited trade associations may use the results of these appeals to adjust their business practices. The outcome of appeals cannot therefore be relied upon as a sole indicator of the conduct of parking companies.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the name of the duty Minister in his Department for each day during the most recent parliamentary recess.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Ministers on duty for this parliamentary recess were as follows:
19 - 23 December (inc) – Rt Hon John Hayes MP
24 - 27 December (inc) – Robert Goodwill MP
28 - 31 December (inc) - Baroness Kramer
1 - 4 January (inc) – Claire Perry MP
All Ministers were fully briefed and involved on any issues in their portfolios throughout the recess period.