Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle persistent nuisance parking on public highways.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I fully understand concerns in relation to inconsiderate parking. The responsibility for traffic management generally rests with the appropriate local authority, including the provision or restriction of on-street parking, as they are best placed to consider how to balance the needs of residents, emergency services, local business and those who work in and visit the area. Enforcement generally rests with the local authority; in a few places the police still have a role.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much their Department spent on (a) current and (b) legacy IT infrastructure (i) in total and (ii) purchased in 2013 or earlier in each of the last three years.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The cost to the public purse of external contractors used to maintain legacy IT estate cross-government is not centrally held and we are therefore unable to provide an estimate in relation to the years specified.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the guidance by the Central Digital and Data Office entitled Guidance on the Legacy IT Risk Assessment Framework, published on 29 September 2023, how many red-rated IT systems are used by their Department.
Answered by Anthony Browne
Zero.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time was for a driving test in (a) Reading and (b) the UK in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Richard Holden - Opposition Whip (Commons)
As of 18 September 2023, there were 561,275 car practical driving tests booked, and 64,817 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is taking all the measures it can to reduce driving test waiting times. This includes carrying out overtime, such as at weekends and on public holidays, including at Reading driving test centre (DTC), asking local driving test managers to return to testing for two days each week, buying back leave from driving examiners (DE) and, inviting recently retired DEs to return to work. These measures, together with the ongoing recruitment of DEs, is creating over 40,000 extra car test slots each month.
The DVSA’s next DE recruitment campaign, which launches on 25 October 2023, will target the Reading area. As of 19 September 2023, there were five DEs at Reading DTC, with an additional DE undergoing training. The DVSA is also deploying DEs to Reading from other areas to increase test availability and reduce waiting times.
In August 2023, the national average waiting time was 20 weeks, and 24 weeks at Reading DTC.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving test examiners were based at the Reading Driving Test Centre as of 19 September 2023; and whether he has made an assessment of that adequacy of the number of examiners at that centre.
Answered by Richard Holden - Opposition Whip (Commons)
As of 18 September 2023, there were 561,275 car practical driving tests booked, and 64,817 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is taking all the measures it can to reduce driving test waiting times. This includes carrying out overtime, such as at weekends and on public holidays, including at Reading driving test centre (DTC), asking local driving test managers to return to testing for two days each week, buying back leave from driving examiners (DE) and, inviting recently retired DEs to return to work. These measures, together with the ongoing recruitment of DEs, is creating over 40,000 extra car test slots each month.
The DVSA’s next DE recruitment campaign, which launches on 25 October 2023, will target the Reading area. As of 19 September 2023, there were five DEs at Reading DTC, with an additional DE undergoing training. The DVSA is also deploying DEs to Reading from other areas to increase test availability and reduce waiting times.
In August 2023, the national average waiting time was 20 weeks, and 24 weeks at Reading DTC.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of tests at the Reading driving test centre.
Answered by Richard Holden - Opposition Whip (Commons)
As of 18 September 2023, there were 561,275 car practical driving tests booked, and 64,817 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is taking all the measures it can to reduce driving test waiting times. This includes carrying out overtime, such as at weekends and on public holidays, including at Reading driving test centre (DTC), asking local driving test managers to return to testing for two days each week, buying back leave from driving examiners (DE) and, inviting recently retired DEs to return to work. These measures, together with the ongoing recruitment of DEs, is creating over 40,000 extra car test slots each month.
The DVSA’s next DE recruitment campaign, which launches on 25 October 2023, will target the Reading area. As of 19 September 2023, there were five DEs at Reading DTC, with an additional DE undergoing training. The DVSA is also deploying DEs to Reading from other areas to increase test availability and reduce waiting times.
In August 2023, the national average waiting time was 20 weeks, and 24 weeks at Reading DTC.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse has been in (a) staff time, (b) engaging consultants and agencies to provide advice, (c) tendering and (d) new (i) letterheads, (ii) signage and (iii) website for the proposed rebranding of Highways England.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
No final decision has been made about renaming Highways England. Any decision would of course seek best value for the tax payer.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who authorised the work to rebrand the Highways Agency; what procurement process was used; and what steps he took to ensure that process complied with Government guidance on marketing spending and procurement.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
No final decision has been made about renaming Highways England. Any decision would of course seek best value for the tax payer.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
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 covid-19 outbreak on public transport.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Everyone should do what they can to stop coronavirus spreading.
We are encouraging everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel.
This is having a significant impact on public transport. However, it is vital that our public transport services continue to run in order to ensure that critical workers can get to work, and that the country can return to normal life once this epidemic is over.
We are in daily contact with transport providers and will do whatever we can to ensure vital public services continue throughout this period.
We will continue to anticipate and adapt to needs as the situation develops, as demonstrated by the extensive package of measures the Chancellor has announced to support the economy.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's consultation entitled Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy safety review, published on 9 March 2018, when his Department plans to publish its response to that review.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Safety Review Call for Evidence closed on 1 June 2018. Over 13,000 responses were submitted and are being considered by the Department for Transport. The findings of the consultation will be published over the coming months.