Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the digitisation of the process for applying for driving licences through the DVLA.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The quickest and easiest way to transact with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.
The DVLA is continuing to expand its driver application online services over the next year. This will allow customers to upload their own photograph and signature instead of using one from a UK passport, as the current service requires. The DVLA is also working with the Home Office to create an electronic link to its View and prove your immigration status service. This will allow those with a non-UK passport to be authenticated online and use the DVLA online application service.
Drivers with diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, a visual impairment, a sleep condition or a heart condition are also able to renew their licence online.
The DVLA has also recently introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy and multiple sclerosis and is piloting this for some mental health conditions. This renewal process 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. The DVLA is looking at adding more medical conditions to this new process.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of the (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation sponsored by (i) their Department or (ii) their predecessor Department has undergone a post legislative review in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of post legislative reviews the Department has undertaken on primary and secondary legislation in each of the last ten years is not held within the Department.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many post legislative reviews (a) their Department or (b) their predecessor Department has undertaken on (i) primary and (ii) secondary legislation in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of post legislative reviews the Department has undertaken on primary and secondary legislation in each of the last ten years is not held within the Department.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many pieces of (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation their Department has sponsored in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Due for example to machinery of Government changes to Departmental structures over the past decade, accurate comparisons between years cannot be made. However, based on the best available data, the number of primary and secondary legislation sponsored by the Department in the last 10 years is as follows:
Year | Primary Legislation | Secondary Legislation |
2021 | 2 | 207 |
2020 | 0 | 133 |
2019 | 0 | 226 |
2018 | 4 | 206 |
2017 | 3 | 174 |
2016 | 0 | 139 |
2015 | 1 | 587 |
2014 | 0 | 1825 |
2013 | 2 | 1831 |
2012 | 1 | 1884 |
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to publish the terms of reference for the urgent review into regional connectivity.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Levelling up connectivity across our regions and nations is a top priority for this Government. Our review of regional air connectivity will ensure the UK has the domestic transport connections local communities need. We will publish the terms of reference shortly.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the (a) nations and (b) regions of the UK have access to air connections.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
We are urgently working with industry to identify opportunities to re-establish key Flybe routes throughout the nations and regions of the UK, and have kept in close contact with airlines and airports over the last few days to emphasise this. We are pleased to see that a number of airlines have already committed to operating many of these routes in the near future.
In addition to this immediate work, levelling up connectivity across our regions and nations remains a top priority for this government. This is why we are undertaking a review of regional air connectivity which will ensure the UK has the domestic transport connections local communities need.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of Flybe entering administration on the provision of air freight at each airport in the UK.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Our preliminary assessment is that Flybe entering administration will have a minimal impact on the provision of air freight but we will keep this under review.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Transport for London has the power to defer borrowing from one year to the next.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Transport for London (TfL) may defer its prudential borrowing capacity from one year to the next. TfL is required to give notice to HMG of its intention to defer borrowing before the end of the financial year.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
What steps he is taking to ensure the preparedness of his Department in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Grayling
My Department has undertaken a programme of work to ensure preparedness in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal. The overall programme of work is comprehensive, thorough and is continuously updated to reflect priorities. Industry stakeholders have also been involved where appropriate in our preparations.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
What steps he is taking to ensure the preparedness of his Department in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Grayling
My Department has undertaken a programme of work to ensure preparedness in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal. The overall programme of work is comprehensive, thorough and is continuously updated to reflect priorities. Industry stakeholders have also been involved where appropriate in our preparations.