Lord Young of Cookham

The Government regrets the NATS operational failure and the impact this had on airlines and their customers. The Independent Review into this incident has now concluded and lessons will be learned. NATS is regulated against service targets set by the Civil Aviation Authority. There are annual incentives for NATS linked to its performance so if this falls below target levels it may incur penalties. However, NATS is not penalised for individual incidents such as the technical failure of August 2023.

It is currently not a criminal offence to re-sell driving test slots.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests, often at significant profit. The agency encourages all customers to book a test through the official channel on GOV.UK where customers can book, change and cancel tests. The agency does not license any service to resell test slots.

DVSA operates an online booking service (OBS) for approved driving instructors (ADI) and trainers so that they can book and manage driving and riding tests for their pupils. DVSA has made changes to the OBS by stopping automatic online registrations to use the service, ensuring each company that registers employs an ADI and removing access for any companies not linked to driving instructors.

In January 2023, DVSA changed the terms and conditions for using the booking service to reduce the selling of tests for profit. Since then, the agency has issued 327 warnings, 779 suspensions, and closed 727 business accounts for misuse of its booking service.

DVSA is deploying enhanced bot protection to stop automated systems from buying up test slots unfairly.

DVSA’s work in this area is continuing and will continue to take steps to address these practices.

The Government has not made a detailed assessment of the costs and benefits of such a scheme but will consider it carefully as it develops its future plans for active travel.

The Government Car Service currently has the following number of vehicles in its operational fleet:

1. 36 fully electric.

2. 51 Hybrid.

3. 20 Petrol or Diesel.

Yes. As committed at Second Reading of the Crown Estate Bill, the Government will publish a draft Memorandum of Understanding between the Treasury and The Crown Estate by November. This will be before Report stage of the Bill in the House of Lords.

The Crown Estate provides regular updates to the Treasury on all matters of its business in line with its obligations set out in the Framework Document 2023. This includes notifying Treasury officials of any potential risks to its reputation during regular business engagement.

The Crown Estate meet with Treasury officials on a regular basis, including 6-weekly meetings to discuss business performance. Outside of performance meetings, there are open channels of communications between officials where information is openly shared in a timely manner.

Under the Building Safety Act 2022, every higher-risk occupied building must have at least one named accountable person, who is responsible for managing the fire and structural safety for the building. Accountable persons must have either the relevant competence or appoint someone with the relevant competence to help carry out their duties.

The Building Safety Regulator has published guidance to support accountable persons and this guidance is available on their website. The British Standards Institution (BSI) published standard (PAS 8673) also sets out guidance on competence requirements for the safe management of residential buildings

The Government is still reviewing its policy inheritance from the last government, including in relation to street votes, we have announced on the 8 and 30 July the first steps we are taking to fix the planning system and unlock new housing. The Government will set out its plans for further planning reform in due course.