Asked by: Nickie Aiken (Conservative - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with Transport for London to help ensure the safe operation of pedicabs in London.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is introducing the Pedicabs (London) Bill which will give Transport for London powers to regulate London’s pedicab industry. This Bill, which corrects a longstanding legal anomaly in London, will ensure that passengers, pedestrians and other road users can go about their daily business in the Capital safe in the knowledge that these vehicles and their operators are properly licensed and fully regulated.
Asked by: Nickie Aiken (Conservative - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in reference to the rising use of electrical vehicles on roads, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the use of (a) rumble strips and (b) other methods to make pedestrians aware of areas where pavements intersect roads.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. It is for each highway authority to decide on the most suitable materials to be used for surfacing, as well as the standards that should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. The Department for Transport’s guidance on rumble strips is set out in section 5 of our Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/07 ‘Traffic Calming’, the LTN is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-notes.
Asked by: Nickie Aiken (Conservative - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of exempting parents who are separated and whose children live abroad from international travel quarantine restrictions, to allow such working parents to visit their children without the need to take a considerable amount of annual leave.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
International travel is now governed by a new traffic light system. Health measures at the border, after arrival, will vary depending on whether travelling from a green, amber or red country. The decision to implement additional border measures is in direct response to scientific and medical data, which represents an increased risk to UK public health and an increased risk of community transmission of COVID-19 variants of concern identified in those countries. There are a range of border measures in place to protect the UK from the importation of coronavirus and variants of concern (VoCs). These are intended to be temporary measures and the government keeps data for countries and territories under constant review.
We have made enormous progress this year in tackling the pandemic across Britain. That progress has been hard won and it is important that we don't risk undermining it now. International travel is vital. It connects families who have been kept apart, boosts businesses and underpins the UK economy. It is absolutely essential that any steps we take now, lay the groundwork for a sustainable return to travel, as the situation improves globally.
The government has however put in place measures to reduce the impact of border measures on families. For arrivals who have not been in a red-list country in the previous 10 days children are required to self-isolate, however they can do so in the family home and may also move between family homes during that period of isolation. For managed quarantine facilities, family groups will be able to quarantine together as long as the hotel is able to accommodate them. This includes couples and parents with children.
Asked by: Nickie Aiken (Conservative - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the proposal by the online travel agent TravelUp to ringfence civil aviation fares until departure to prevent customers having to wait long periods of time to be reimbursed for cancelled trips.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department has been clear that airlines and travel agents should not deny consumers their legal right to a refund, if it is requested and this should be done in a timely manner. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) undertook a review of the refund policies of all UK airlines, as well as a number of international airlines that operate flights to and from the UK. The CAA has utilised this review to influence airlines to change their processes and practices in order to improve performance in providing refunds. The CAA’s actions have led to an improved quality of service and performance from most airlines. The CAA continues to work with carriers to drive down waiting times, but balancing the support businesses need during this unprecedented situation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a number of challenges. The department is keen to work with the regulator, industry and consumer groups to learn lessons from pandemic, to make changes that are practicable and deliverable.