Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the DVLA on testing blood glucose levels using flash and continuous glucose monitoring technology for the purposes of assessing fitness to drive; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is currently amending the Assessing Fitness to Drive guidance on the use of new monitoring technologies for people with diabetes. The revised guidance is due to be published in February. This will allow the testing of interstitial fluid for driving licensing purposes for people with diabetes who drive cars or motorcycles. Drivers of goods vehicles and buses must continue to monitor blood glucose levels.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the viability of private business proposals to build the Windsor link; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Jones
In March this year we launched a call for ideas for market-led proposals to enhance the railway that are financially credible without government support. The department has now considered and responded confidentially to all proposals, amongst which included a Windsor link. We are now working with promoters whose proposals fell within the scope of this call for ideas to progress their schemes.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the cost benefit ratio of (a) HS2 and (b) the Missing Link solution in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The last business case for HS2 was published in 2017 and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-phase-two-economic-case
It showed that the full network has a benefit to cost ratio of 2.3. This means that for every £1 invested, HS2 will generate more than £2 in economic benefits, constituting high value for money.
The A417 “Missing Link” route options were brought to public consultation in February – March 2018. The two routes taken to consultation had a Value for Money range from low to poor, and Benefit Cost Ratios of 1.04 and 0.68. Highways England are currently undertaking further development of the scheme detail and assessment of the routes’ VfM.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent from the public purse on the High Speed 2 project to date.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Expenditure on delivery of HS2 from 2009/10 until 2016/17 was £2.3bn. This consists of expenditure by both HS2 Ltd on delivering the programme and by the Department for Transport on land and property.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of DVSA testers available to test commercial vehicles; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority is to help people keep their vehicles safe to drive. It is working hard to ensure there is sufficient testing resources across the network to meet demand.
The DVSA has set up a specialist team to address the concerns of authorised testing facilities (ATF), and is holding a series of local events across the country from January to April 2018 to work with ATFs to improve the efficiency of testing.
The DVSA is in the process of making employment offers to an additional 26 new entrant staff to join the agency by April 2018, and plans to launch a further recruitment campaign in early February to ensure it has the right people with the right skills in the right areas.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the reliability and punctuality of train services in the South West.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Government will continue the current record level of funding, with around £48 billion to be spent on the network in the period from 2019 to 2024, which will support more maintenance and a huge uplift in renewals to increase reliability and punctuality for passengers.
We are also delivering the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century, and the Department, working alongside Network Rail and other industry partners, are committed to investing and enhancing the railway so that we have a modern, reliable and punctual railway fit for the future.
In relation to services in the Great Western franchise area specifically, new Intercity Express Trains are already replacing older High Speed Trains and 2 January saw the introduction of electric trains to Didcot, which will enable additional diesel trains to move to the West and South West of England.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to improve the train service between both Cheltenham and Gloucester and London; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
In 2019 an improved level of service will be introduced onto the London to Gloucester and Cheltenham route. The current two-hourly service of through trains with a shuttle from Swindon every other hour will be replaced by a through service to London every hour operated by the new Intercity Express Trains currently being introduced onto the Great Western network.
Before this timetable change, the phased introduction of Intercity Express Trains and withdrawal of the older High Speed Trains should see the first of these new trains introduced on the London to Cheltenham via Gloucester route this summer.
The Department is currently consulting on priorities for the Great Western franchise after the current franchise expires in 2020 and will carefully consider the responses to that consultation.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has issued guidance on the potential merits of people purchasing new (a) diesel and (b) petrol cars.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has announced an end to the sale of all new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040. The Department for Transport has not issued specific guidance on the potential merits of purchasing either a new diesel or petrol car.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what medical evidence motorists are required to provide to the DVLA regarding fitness on reaching the age of 70; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
When renewing their driving entitlement at the age of 70, licence holders must declare that they can continue to meet the relevant medical standards, including as regards their eyesight. The law requires all driving licence holders, regardless of age, to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of any medical condition that could affect their fitness to drive. Failure to do so is an offence.
If a driver of any age notifies the DVLA of a medical condition, an investigation will be carried out. This can involve requesting additional information from the applicant’s doctors, or they may be asked to attend a medical examination with a DVLA-appointed doctor.