Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average length of time is an applicant for a new HGV or PSV licence must wait to receive the licence; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is currently prioritising applications for vocational driving licences and has moved additional staff into this area. Applications for provisional vocational licences are being processed within the normal turnaround time of five working days.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the need to mitigate the effect of covid-19 quarantine measures on the (a) aviation industry and (b) regional airports.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department for Transport works closely with HM Treasury on matters related to aviation. The Secretary of State meets regularly with his Cabinet colleagues including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in addition to the many more meetings attended by Junior Ministers or DfT Officials to discuss and achieve the goals to mitigate the effect of COVID-19.
The Government recognises the impact COVID has had on the aviation sector, particularly in light of the continuing restrictions. Firms can continue to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals or the new Airport and Ground Operator Support Scheme (AGOSS).
In total, we estimate the support we have committed to provide to the air transport sector (airlines, airports and related services) through the coronavirus support package, the new AGOSS scheme and through export development guarantees, will benefit the sector by around £6.5bn.
If businesses find themselves in severe and urgent financial difficulties, even following these unprecedented support measures, then we remain open to discussion about bespoke financial support, but only as a last resort. Any intervention would need to be on terms to protect the interests of taxpayers.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish a recovery plan on how his Department will support regional airports to help ensure their continuing viability as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are lifted.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The government is focused on reducing the public health risks posed by community transition of COVID-19 and imported variant cases of the virus from overseas.
We are also developing a forward looking strategic framework on the recovery of the sector, which will include the government’s ongoing priority to support and strengthen regional connectivity.
The Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England. It will provide support up to the equivalent of their business rates liabilities in the 2020/21 financial year, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £8m.
In total, we estimate the support we have committed to provide to the overall air transport sector (airlines, airports and related services) through the coronavirus support package, the new AGOSS scheme and through export development guarantees, will benefit the sector by around £6.5bn.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support regional airports; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel, and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time.
The Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England. It will provide support up to the equivalent of their business rates liabilities in the 2020/21 financial year, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £8m.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned timescale is for the length of time that the compulsory hotel based covid-19 quarantine policy will be in place; and what steps he plans to take to compensate airport operators for loss of business during that time.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government will keep all our measures under constant review, including quarantine measures for international travellers and how long these are required for.
The Government recognises that the aviation sector has been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Firms can continue to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees,VAT deferrals, and the recently-launched Airports and Ground Operations Support Scheme
If businesses find themselves in severe and urgent financial difficulties, even following these unprecedented support measures, then we remain open to discussion about bespoke financial support, but only as a last resort. Any intervention would need to be on terms to protect the interests of taxpayers.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he last met with representatives of (a) Liverpool John Lennon Airport and (b) other regional airports.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Ministers and officials have engaged extensively with the Aviation industry, including regional airports, throughout this crisis. We remain committed to an open engagement with the sector and continue to work with industry to establish relationships that will reflect Government’s priorities, both in terms of sharing information and giving industry the opportunity to feedback as policy develops, with the aim of helping retain jobs and return the sector to growth as soon as possible.