Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made, as part of the Road Safety Strategy, of the contribution of delivery work - involving e-bikes - to deaths and serious injuries.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
No assessment has been made as part of the Road Safety Strategy of the contribution of delivery work, whether involving e-bikes or other modes of road transport, to deaths and injuries. The evidence base for an assessment is limited but it is estimated that approximately 1 in 3 of all road traffic fatalities UK-wide involve someone who is driving/riding for work.
The announced pilot in the Road Safety Strategy of a National Work-Related Road Safety Charter for businesses that require people to drive or ride for them, will be developed in collaboration with business and industry with an aim to collect and monitor data to enable an evaluation of the pilot.
The Department for Transport is commissioning research on the road behaviours of food delivery riders using e-bikes. This is expected to take about a year, and we will of course publish the findings from it.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department has issued to the police on detecting and enforcing traffic contraventions committed by autonomous vehicles where no human driver is actively controlling the vehicle.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Section 39 of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (“AV Act”) sets out the Secretary of State’s duty to identify and investigate incidents involving automated vehicles which have potential regulatory consequences. Chapter 2 of the ongoing Call for Evidence, “Developing the Automated Vehicles Regulatory Framework”, seeks views on the most appropriate methods of detection and enforcement of relevant incidents, including traffic infractions.
In addition, guidance specifically relating to forthcoming pilots of automated vehicles, prior to the introduction of the full AV Act, is currently being drafted in conjunction with first responders.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance she has issued to companies conducting autonomous vehicle trials on public communications on the (a) capability and (b) legal compliance of prototype systems.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The ‘Code of Practice: automated vehicle trialling’ is publicly available online through the government’s website. The Code of Practice was published to support organisations or individuals wishing to trial automated vehicle technologies and services. Further guidance will be published to support organisations wishing to deploy through the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme, which government intends to introduce in spring.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department maintains a record of safety interventions, traffic contraventions and near-misses arising from autonomous vehicle trials.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not retain a specific record as set out in the Honourable Member’s question. However, any data related to any incidents from automated vehicle trials, which take place with a safety driver in the vehicle, would be captured within road safety data regularly published by the Department.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of whether individual ICBs are deviating from NICE guidance.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards are legally required to make funding available for medicines recommended in a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal or highly specialised technology evaluation, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. The effect of this legal obligation is that all NICE-approved treatments must be included in local formularies for use in line with NICE’s recommendations and with no additional funding or formulary restrictions.
As part of commitments made in the 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access, NHS England is developing a local formulary national minimum dataset to increase visibility of local variation in the implementation of NICE guidance, identify where variation in local formularies may be creating barriers to access, and to provide assurance to NHS England when a NICE recommended treatment has been listed on a local formulary.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy that the Road Safety Investigation Branch (a) record and (b) publish data on collisions involving illegally modified e-bikes separately from those involving standard pedal cycles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Road Safety Investigation Branch will be data-led and provide thematic investigations based on robust evidence and linked data. The work of the branch is currently being scoped out and further details will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held discussions with Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board on its policy on access to fertility services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No discussions have been held with the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (ICB) about its provision of National Health Service-funded in vitro fertilisation treatment.
Decisions about the provision of health services in England are made by ICBs and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. They are expected to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.
Updated NICE fertility guidelines are expected in spring. The Department will continue to support NHS England as they work closely with ICBs to ensure the guidance is fully considered in local commissioning decisions.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the flood and safety risk assessments for the proposed SESRO reservoir.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to delivering best value for customers through the water infrastructure programme, while supporting growth and ensuring a resilient water supply. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, regulators and water industry stakeholders to ensure this.
White Horse Reservoir is subject to ongoing assessment through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated process, which includes further investigations and assessments to inform a development consent application.
Through the development consent process consideration is given to flood and safety management and other regulatory requirements. This sits within the safety framework set out by the Reservoirs Act. All required assessments will be submitted by Thames Water to the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for consideration.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department holds information related to an independent comparative assessment of the potential cost to the public pursue of Thames Water's White Horse reservoir proposal with (a) the creation of a smaller reservoir, (b) Severn-Trent Transfer, and (c) a combination of both options.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Thames Water has selected the reservoir as part of its statutory Water Resources Management Plan. Water Resources South East has also conducted an options appraisal process, identifying the reservoir's necessity in its Regional Plan. The plans continue to be scrutinised by the water regulators.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the SESRO project on the water bills of customers of (a) Thames Water, (b) Southern Water and (c) Affinity Water; and whether this estimate has been updated for the most recent increases in the expected cost of the project.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to delivering best value for customers through the water infrastructure programme, while supporting growth and ensuring a resilient water supply. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, regulators and water industry stakeholders to ensure this.
White Horse Reservoir is subject to ongoing assessment through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated process, which includes further investigations and assessments to inform a development consent application.
Through the development consent process consideration is given to flood and safety management and other regulatory requirements. This sits within the safety framework set out by the Reservoirs Act. All required assessments will be submitted by Thames Water to the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for consideration.