Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with local authorities on a standardised parking app.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government continues to support the concept of a National Parking Platform (NPP), a digital system designed to connect parking apps across the UK to provide a simpler service for users, by enabling them to use the app of their choice wherever they park. The Government recognises the many benefits of an NPP and the depth of support for it across the parking sector with over 200 local authorities having expressed an interest in joining. However, we are of the view that it could and should be delivered without the need to rely on public funding, particularly given the dire financial position the Government inherited.
The Department is working with the parking industry to explore options for taking forward delivery of a national platform. The industry has responded positively to this and the pilot version of the NPP will continue to be funded to 31 March 2025 while these discussions continue.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the cost of restarting phase 5 of the Dawlish rail resilience project design team.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A team at Network Rail is currently funded to develop the fifth phase of the South West Rail Resilience Programme. A decision on further funding will be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the revenue to the public purse from the sale of car owners' details by the DVLA to private parking enforcement agencies in each year since 2012, broken down by sales to each private parking enforcement agency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The income from the fees charged for providing information about registered vehicle keepers by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is shown in the table below:
Financial year | Total (£m) |
2012 | 6.62 |
2013 | 7.95 |
2014 | 9.52 |
2015 | 11.33 |
2016 | 14.02 |
2017 | 16.68 |
2018 | 19.89 |
2019 | 23.29 |
2020 | 13.18 |
2021 | 23.90 |
2022 | 30.18 |
2023 | 34.08 |
These fees are set to cover the costs of providing services to customers.
Please note that the figures above do not just relate to requests for information from private parking companies. The specific information requested about private parking companies can only be provided at disproportionate cost as it would require the interrogation of each request for information to identify by whom the request was made.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on commercial usage of DVLA vehicle keeper requests that result in failed parking charge notices.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The law permits the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to disclose information to allow the management of parking on private land. Information is provided as a first point of contact to help investigate alleged parking breaches, determine any liability and to help resolve disputes. The information is provided only to companies that are members of an appropriate accredited trade association and are subject to auditing to ensure the information provided is used appropriately.
Private parking operators must follow a code of practice and have processes for private parking charges to be challenged, including referral to an independent appeals service. Motorists may decide to appeal private parking charges for a range of reasons. This is a matter for the private parking sector and the information requested is not held. The DVLA monitors complaints and takes appropriate action, particularly where issues with operators or specific car parks appear to be recurrent.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will hold discussions with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on the potential implications for their policy on the provision of data to private parking companies of trends in the number of faulty private parking machines.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) would not be aware of appeals made by those in receipt of a private parking penalty or the reasons for them. Appeals are made to the parking operator with the reason/mitigation according to the circumstances and can be further referred for consideration by an independent appeals service. Therefore, the DVLA has no information on trends relating to faulty private parking machines. The law allows the DVLA to provide vehicle keeper data as a first point of contact to allow alleged parking breaches to be followed up.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the number of Russian shadow fleet vessels that have entered UK waters in the last 12 months.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK Government proactively monitors a variety of vessels of interest in UK waters to ensure the safety of seafarers, protect the marine environment, and for national security purposes.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to take into account the potential impact on access to health services in (a) Exeter, (b) Torbay, (c) Newton Abbot, (d) Dawlish and (e) Teignmouth when making decisions on (i) transport and (ii) connectivity.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport investment decisions are based upon the development and consideration of a business case, which assesses the costs of investment set against a wide range of benefits to transport users.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to take into account the potential impact on access to health services in (a) Exeter, (b) Torbay, (c) Newton Abbot, (d) Dawlish and (e) Teignmouth when making decisions on phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience programme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport investment decisions are based upon the development and consideration of a business case. Business cases assess the costs of investment against a wide range of passenger benefits, set against the operational cost to the railway.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take into account the potential impact on (a) health, (b) hospitals and (c) health services when making decisions on (i) transport and (ii) connectivity.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport investment decisions are based upon the development and consideration of a business case, which assesses the costs of investment against a wide range of benefits to transport users and the rest of society, including health-related impacts such as air quality, noise, accidents, and physical activity. The Department’s Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) provides comprehensive guidance and tools to support the inclusion of these impacts in business cases.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the letter from her Department to the hon. Member for Truro and Falmouth, published on 10 December 2024, whether she plans to fully fund phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme at Dawlish.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor has been clear about the nation's finances and has launched a multi-year Spending Review. Decisions and timescales about individual projects, including the fifth phase of the South-West Rail Resilience Programme, will be informed by the review process and confirmed in due course.