Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many vehicles have been inspected using the Operator Compliance Risk Score since 2015.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
In 2015, there were 48,726 vehicles inspected (40,725 lorries and 8,001 buses/coaches).
In 2016, there were 43,082 vehicles inspected (33,422 lorries and 9,660 buses/coaches).
In 2017, (to 22 December) there have been 42,885 vehicles inspected (31,920 lorries and 10,965 buses/coaches).
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many weighbridges there are in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
There are 51 weighbridges at Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency sites in Great Britain used for enforcement purposes.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of unadopted roads in England.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of unadopted roads in England.
Decisions on whether to adopt individual streets are a matter for local highway authorities.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether car tax evasion has increased since tax discs in cars were abolished; and what action they are planning to take in response.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The vehicle excise duty evasion statistics 2017 estimated the rate of unlicensed vehicles in traffic in the UK to be 1.8%. Vehicle excise duty evasion was estimated to be 1.4% in the previous survey in 2015. In the last three years, there have been three significant changes in the way vehicle excise duty is administered. The tax disc was abolished in October 2014 and at the same time the ability to transfer vehicle excise duty when a vehicle is sold or transferred was removed. Earlier this year, significant changes were also made to the way vehicle excise duty is calculated for brand new cars and some motorhomes.
However, more than 98% of vehicles on the road are properly licensed, meaning that the vast majority of drivers comply with their legal obligations. It has never been easier to license a vehicle online and motorists can also spread payments across the year using direct debit. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) collects around £6 billion in vehicle excise duty for HM Treasury each year.
The DVLA operates a comprehensive package of measures to tackle vehicle excise duty evasion. These range from reminder letters and fixed penalties, through to court prosecutions and the wheel clamping or removal of unlicensed vehicles. The DVLA has increased the number of unlicensed vehicles it clamps or impounds to around 10,000 every month and will continue to take action against those who do not pay. This enforcement work means that a significant amount of the potential lost revenue is recovered – last year enforcement activities recouped £41 million.
A major national advertising campaign has also recently been launched which targets vehicle excise duty evaders.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the case for audio and CCTV recording in taxi and private hire vehicles.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Local licensing authorities can already require the installation of CCTV in all taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) and a number already do so. The Department for Transport has, however, considered the potential benefits to passengers and drivers of CCTV, with and without audio recording, to inform the Statutory Guidance for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities that will be consulted on in the New Year.
My Right Honourable Friend, the Minister of State for Transport, announced in a Westminster Hall debate that he would be setting up a working group to consider current issues concerning taxi and PHV licensing like this one. It will be reporting its findings in the new year, informing the consultation on Statutory Guidance.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are proposing to take to reduce the number of suicides on the rail network.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The issue of suicide prevention is an important societal one that has much further reaching consequences than the effect on the railway. Recognising this, the Department for Transport has recently introduced a requirement for train operators to produce a suicide prevention strategy that complies with the Suicide Prevention Strategy and the Suicide Prevention Duty Holders’ Group’s 9 Point Plan, against which they will be assessed and accredited by the British Transport Police (BTP) and the cross-industry Suicide Prevention Duty Holders’ Group. We will continue to work with Network Rail and the BTP to introduce further measures into rail franchising. This supports the work already being done across wider industry to reduce the instance of suicides still further. For example the industry has an established programme of suicide awareness training for frontline railway staff which help them to identify vulnerable people.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the operation of the East Coast Main Line since the award of the new contract in 2014.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) is fulfilling its obligations to both the government and passengers alike. VTEC is delivering real passenger improvements, including refurbishing their current fleet, increasing service frequency and introducing new destinations. VTEC operate 15% more services today than in 2016.
Passenger satisfaction is increasing - VTEC topped the independent National Rail Passenger Survey in Autumn 2017 for long distance operators, at 91% satisfaction.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
Her Majesty's Government what projects to electrify rail lines in England are currently subject to delays in (1) commencement, and (2) completion, of works.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Network Rail published an update to its Enhancement Delivery Plan on 30 June 2017. This sets out the outputs, scope and milestones for the projects, including electrification schemes, which Network Rail is committed to deliver. Each project entry includes a milestones table setting out the programme for a project’s delivery.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to simplify rail ticketing for the benefit of passengers.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Transport, through the Action Plan for Information on Rail Fares and Ticketing Information, is working with industry and other stakeholders to make it easier for passengers to choose the right fares for them. An interim report on delivery against this plan will be published in the forthcoming Office of Rail and Road (ORR) Annual Consumer Report.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made to electrify the rail lines to South Wales.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Electrification to Cardiff is scheduled for completion in December 2018.