Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when facial recognition technology for security checks for all passengers travelling through Heathrow Airport will be fully rolled out.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government does not require London Heathrow Airport to use facial recognition technology for security checks. London Heathrow Airport has taken a commercial decision to use biometrics in the hope that this will assist to streamline the passenger journey through the airport. All security checks will remain unchanged. The Department regularly discusses and reviews airport security with all regulated UK airports.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what date facial recognition technology for security checks will be rolled out to airports that serve less than five million passengers per year.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government does not require airports to use facial recognition technology for security checks.
Some airports are planning to introduce biometric technology which they hope will assist the passenger journey through their airports. This use of biometrics will not change the required security checks. The Department regularly discusses and reviews airport security with all regulated UK airports.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings he has had with port authorities in Liverpool to discuss contingency planning in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Grayling
I met Peel Ports on 12 September to discuss various issues. My officials are also in regular contact with Peel Ports. These discussions are intended to ensure that the right preparations are being considered and taken under all EU exit scenarios.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what preparations he has made for the continued operation of the port of Liverpool in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Grayling
I met Peel Ports on 12 September to discuss various issues. My officials are also in regular contact with Peel Ports. These discussions are intended to ensure that the right preparations are being considered and taken under all EU exit scenarios.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the (a) Dublin-Liverpool crossing and (b) consequences of those effects on the port of Liverpool of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Grayling
In general terms, my Department would not expect there to be a major effect on the Port of Liverpool of leaving the EU without a deal, nor therefore, through such impacts, on the regional or national economy.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on levels of employment at the port of Liverpool in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Grayling
In general terms, my Department would not expect there to be a major effect on the Port of Liverpool of leaving the EU without a deal, nor therefore, through such impacts, on the regional or national economy.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on the port of Liverpool and its subsequent effect on (a) national and (b) regional economies.
Answered by Chris Grayling
In general terms, my Department would not expect there to be a major effect on the Port of Liverpool of leaving the EU without a deal, nor therefore, through such impacts, on the regional or national economy.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the reintroduction of foreign language voiceovers and interpreters for candidates taking the UK car and motorcycle theory tests.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency withdrew the facility for driving test candidates to use foreign language voiceovers during theory tests and interpreters during theory and practical tests on 7 April 2014 following a full public consultation.
Some of the reasons for this change were included to address concerns about road safety, specifically the ability of non-English or non-Welsh speakers to understand road signs and other information provided to drivers in the course of their journeys; and to reduce fraud, addressing the problem of an interpreter attending for test with a learner driver and communicating advice beyond a strict translation of the theory test questions or the instructions given by the examiner.
The department has no plans to assess the reintroduction of translation services for non-English speaking candidates taking car and motorcycle theory driving tests.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of unlicensed drivers on UK roads of the withdrawal of foreign language voiceovers and interpreters for candidates taking the UK car and motorcycle theory tests since April 2014.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The then-Driving Standards Agency (now Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) undertook a full consultation between 5 February and 2 April 2013 before withdrawing voiceover and interpreter facilities for driving test candidates whose first language was not English.
The DVSA supports candidates whose English is a second language, or those who have difficulty understanding written English, by offering an English language voice over and writing the multiple-choice theory test questions in an easily understood way.
The DVSA has no evidence to suggest there is a need to make an assessment of the effect on the level of unlicensed drivers since the withdrawal of foreign language voiceovers and interpreters during the theory test on 7 April 2014.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of foreign language voice-overs and interpreters for candidates taking car and motorcycle theory tests on (a) the number of applicants and (b) the pass rate.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) withdrew the facility for driving test candidates to use foreign language voiceovers during theory tests and interpreters during theory and practical tests on 7 April 2014.
The DVSA monitor applications and the overall pass rates for car and motorbike theory tests and has not seen any discernible effect of the withdrawal of foreign language voice-overs and interpreters.