Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the response to his Department’s consultation entitled, Banning tyres aged 10 years and older, published in June 2019.
Answered by George Freeman
As stated in the consultation document published in June, the Government’s intention, subject to consideration of the views of consultees and any evidence provided by them, is to legislate against the use of tyres aged 10 years or older on heavy goods vehicles, heavy trailers, buses, coaches and minibuses. The consultation included the Government’s intention to consider extending the same requirements to taxis and private hire vehicles.
The consultation closed on 1st September 2019 with over 1100 responses. The Department is currently analysing all responses prior to any decisions being taken.
The Government expects to publish its response to this consultation this year.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many inspections into the age of public service vehicle tyres have been carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in the last 12 months.
Answered by George Freeman
In the 12 months, up to 31st August 2019, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has undertaken 84,286 annual and roadside inspections of public service vehicles, including the age of their tyres.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the recent conclusion of the inquest into the September 2017 M5 van crash in which five people died informed his decision to consult on banning dangerous old tyres.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The decision to consult was taken before the Coroner’s Inquest into the tragic collision on 16 September 2017. It was based on the emerging body of evidence, collated by the Department for Transport, over several years including that obtained from vehicle inspections and the important new research commissioned in January 2018.
The Department also commissioned an independent examiner in relation to the tyre implicated in the collision of 16 September 2017. The Department became aware of new evidence implicating tyre ageing directly in the cause of the collision on 21 February 2019, evidence with which the Department's independent examiner concurred. The analysis from the independent experts included as testimony at the inquest formed an important contribution to the Department's emerging evidence base. Ministers were informed of this new evidence on 22 February 2019
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date his (a) Ministers and (b) officials were informed of the circumstances of the September 2017 M5 van crash in which five people died; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency staff attended the scene of the collision on 16th September 2017, and recognised that tyre damage had occurred. In November 2017, the Department for Transport became aware of a Police report relating to the collision that cited tyre age as an issue and immediately commissioned an independent examination of the tyre. This reported in December 2017 and a further forensic examination was commissioned. This reported in October 2018 and Ministers were informed of the findings in early November 2018.
In parallel with these investigations specialist research was contracted in January 2018 to examine the wider issue of tyre ageing. This is expected to report in spring 2019.
Given the emerging evidence on tyre safety, the Government announced on 26 February that it will consult on options to ban older tyres from use on buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles and minibuses to help keep road users safe.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's policy on serving advisory notices on tyres found to be in a dangerous condition but which are not illegal at MOT examinations; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is committed to improving road safety, and ensuring the compliance of vehicles with safety regulations is important to reducing collisions and casualties.
The condition of tyres is checked at the annual roadworthiness inspection and if they do not meet the standards the vehicle will fail. Advisory notices are issued by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s assessors as part of a heavy vehicle annual test, and by MOT testers as to items the driver should monitor.
The Department for Transport will consult on requirements for a maximum age for tyres on heavy goods vehicles, buses, coaches and minibuses, and how to enforce these new requirements will be considered as part of this process.
In September 2017, a heavy goods vehicle travelling on the M5 suffered a tyre blow-out and crossed the central reservation and collided with oncoming traffic. At the recent Coroner’s inquest independent experts testified that the age of the tyre was a factor. Their analysis fits with the Department’s own emerging body of evidence.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people travelling between Liverpool and London on the West Coast Mainline in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18 have been eligible for delay repay refunds; and how many of those people have received such refunds.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department does not hold this information, however the Department does publish data on the total amount of compensation paid by train operating companies to passengers.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people travelling on the West Coast Mainline in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18 have been eligible for delay repay refunds from Virgin Trains; and how many of those people have received such refunds.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department does not hold this information, however the Department does publish data on the total amount of compensation paid by train operating companies to passengers.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money (a) Network Rail and (b) his Department paid Virgin Trains in (i)2016-17and (ii) 2017-18 as compensation for late running services on the West Coast Mainline.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Network Rail publishes data covering payments between Network Rail and Virgin Trains, which can be found here: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Payments-for-disruption-on-the-railway-made-under-schedule-8.xlsx
The Department does not make payment to Virgin Trains as compensation for late running services.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) Network Rail and (b) his Department paid Virgin Trains during (i) 2016-17 and (ii) 2017-18 as compensation for late running train services on the West Coast Mainline between Liverpool and London.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Network Rail publishes data covering payments between Network Rail and Virgin Trains, which can be found here: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Payments-for-disruption-on-the-railway-made-under-schedule-8.xlsx
The Department does not make payment to Virgin Trains as compensation for late running services.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the Christmas timetable for the West Coast Main Line.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department does not publish timetables as this is the responsibility of individual Train Operating Companies and Network Rail. Information on travel over the Christmas period, including plans for major engineering works, is already available via the National Rail enquiries website which notes that some routes may not be completely accurate until 6 weeks before travel.