Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the timescale for self-driving vehicles to be permitted on UK roads.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We expect self-driving vehicles to be permitted on the roads in two ways:
(1) commercially available self-driving systems, that can drive in certain circumstances and which require a responsible human in the vehicle (such as those compliant with the Automated Lane Keeping System (ALKS) Regulation), will be deployed when a manufacturer brings a vehicle to market and it is approved; and
(2) self-driving passenger transport and logistics vehicles are also being trialled on the roads currently, and we anticipate progress towards the first deployment over the next 5 years.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the decarbonisation of the shipping sector.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
My department is supporting the decarbonisation of the UK Maritime sector through a two-pronged approach: R&D funding and investment; and a comprehensive policy and regulatory programme.
In March 2022, the DfT announced £206m for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions, (or UK SHORE) as part of the refresh of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, marking the biggest UK government investment ever in the commercial maritime sector. In May 2022, we launched the first of a series of packages under UK SHORE, including a second Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
On the policy and regulatory side, we are delivering on commitments made in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan; will publish a summary of responses to a call for evidence on increasing the uptake of shore power shortly which will then be followed by a full consultation; and will be launching consultations on phasing out the sale of new non-zero emission vessels and the course to zero, this year.
We will also continue to build momentum towards the publication of a refreshed Clean Maritime Plan in 2023.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of the Union Connectivity Review’s recommendations on strengthening transport links.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Union Connectivity Review (UCR) was published on 26 November 2021. The UK Government is grateful to Sir Peter Hendy for his work and is considering his recommendations carefully, to identify the solutions that work best for the people of the UK. We expect to publish the UK government’s response in due course.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve electric vehicle infrastructure in the UK.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Government has committed over £1.6 billion to support charging infrastructure at homes, on the street, in workplaces, destinations and along major roads. We have published a landmark electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure strategy setting out our plans to accelerate the rollout of a world-class charging network across the UK. Our strategy sets out our vision and commitments to make EV charging cheaper and more convenient than refuelling at a petrol station.
In addition, we have announced new regulations for public chargepoints to improve confidence in the charging network and make the user experience truly seamless. Drivers will benefit from simplified payment methods as well as the ability to compare prices and access real-time information about chargepoints. We will ensure there is a 99% reliability rate at rapid chargepoints. We will be introducing payment roaming to support the electrification of fleets. Chargepoints will need to have open data so that they are easy to find using maps and apps. We will lay legislation later this year.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs to sanction and detain Russian aircraft and sea vessels.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government has introduced an unprecedented level of sanctions on Russia to maximise economic pressure on Putin's regime. This includes far reaching transport sanctions that prohibit any aircraft or ship owned, controlled, registered, flagged, chartered or operated by a designated person or those connected with Russia from arriving, overflying or landing in the UK. To date, at least 28 vessels have knowingly been disrupted by these sanctions, and we have detained 3 aircraft and 1 superyacht.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to support the launch of rockets and satellites from the UK.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government has bold spaceflight ambitions that we outlined in the National Space Strategy including achieving Europe’s first small satellite launch from the UK this year.
The Department for Transport has put in place the Space Industry Act 2018, the Space Industry Regulations 2021 and is funding the costs of the Civil Aviation Authority, which has been appointed as the spaceflight regulator. Our modern legal framework is internationally competitive - ensuring that new spaceflight activities regulated under these provisions are safe and provide the right opportunities for industry to support innovation and growth in the UK Space Sector.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support UK supply chains.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Supporting supply chains is a top priority for the Government. In response to recent supply chain pressures, we have introduced 33 measures to address HGV driver shortages which are having a positive effect. At a longer-term strategic level, the Future of Freight Plan was published on 15 June which sets out how the Government will adopt a multi-modal approach to freight to support efficient, resilient and sustainable supply chains. Government is also supporting the industry-led Generation Logistics campaign to attract new talent to the logistics sector.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of locating the national headquarters of Great British Railways in Stockton.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) is currently overseeing a process to select a national headquarters for Great British Railways. 42 expressions of interest were received by the deadline of Wednesday 16 March 2022, from towns and cities across Great Britain, including one from Stockton-on-Tees. GBRTT are now assessing these using the published criteria.
A shortlist of the most suitable locations to go to an online consultative public vote will be announced in May. Ministers will then make a final decision on the headquarters location.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of involving abled and disabled non drivers involved in the development of driverless cars and their regulation in the UK.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department for Transport has ongoing research, analysis and public engagement programmes which seek to understand the opportunities associated with new transport technologies. Examples informing our view on the potential benefits of self-driving vehicles (SDVs) include:
In addition, Government is funding world-leading projects to explore how SDVs can improve mobility for an ageing population (in Bristol) and visually impaired people (in Birmingham), including the world’s first 4D tactile display in an automated vehicle. Separately in 2019, Coventry’s Aurrigo partnered with Blind Veterans UK on the world’s first trial of self-driving pods with blind veterans (in Brighton).
The Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission (‘the Commissions’) recently published their recommendations for a legal framework for SDVs, and consulted widely on how to ensure SDVs are made accessible to disabled people as the recommendations were developed. The Commissions’ final recommendations include an advisory panel to guide the issuing of permits for passenger services, which would include representatives for disabled (and older) people. We are considering the Commissions’ final recommendations and will make a formal response in due course.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the possibility of having (a) differently-abled and (b) disabled non-drivers involved in the development of driverless cars and their regulation in the UK.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department for Transport has ongoing research, analysis and public engagement programmes which seek to understand the opportunities associated with new transport technologies. Examples informing our view on the potential benefits of self-driving vehicles (SDVs) include:
In addition, Government is funding world-leading projects to explore how SDVs can improve mobility for an ageing population (in Bristol) and visually impaired people (in Birmingham), including the world’s first 4D tactile display in an automated vehicle. Separately in 2019, Coventry’s Aurrigo partnered with Blind Veterans UK on the world’s first trial of self-driving pods with blind veterans (in Brighton).
The Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission (‘the Commissions’) recently published their recommendations for a legal framework for SDVs, and consulted widely on how to ensure SDVs are made accessible to disabled people as the recommendations were developed. The Commissions’ final recommendations include an advisory panel to guide the issuing of permits for passenger services, which would include representatives for disabled (and older) people. We are considering the Commissions’ final recommendations and will make a formal response in due course.