Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has undertaken any review of whether expenditure by its arm's length bodies on external affairs and public affairs complies with Cabinet Office guidance on lobbying using public funds since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Accounting Officers of DfT public bodies are bound by Managing Public Money and Cabinet Office guidance. Section 4.1 of the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies also states, 'it will always be an improper use of public funds for public bodies to employ consultants or other companies to lobby Parliament, Government or political parties'.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of light commercial vans that, under normal operating conditions, would require (a) no en route charging, (b) one charging stop, (c) two charging stops and (d) three or more charging stops during a typical working day.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold data on how many charging stops a particular number or proportion of light commercial vans (LCV) would require during a typical working day.
The charging requirements of a van depend on a wide range of factors, including vehicle model and battery size, payload, route characteristics, driving style, weather conditions, auxiliary power use and daily mileage. This is not data the Department maintains.
The Department does publish statistics on van usage in Great Britain. The last Van Ownership and Usage Survey, 2019-2020, found that around half of all vans stayed within 15 miles of their base on a typical day, although usage patterns vary significantly across vehicle operators and sectors. The full van statistics: 2019 to 2020 report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/van-statistics-2019-to-2020
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many veterans with amputations or other permanent injuries were reassessed for disability-related benefits in each of the last three years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the exemptions in the regulations governing the employment of young seafarers.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Regulations relating to seafarer employment are developed in consultation with social partners including the maritime trade unions and shipowner representatives. They may be subject to post-implementation review.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the relationship between the age of commercial minibus drivers and collision risk; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of changing the minimum age requirements for driving a commercial minibus.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not made a specific assessment of the relationship between the age of commercial minibus drivers and collision risk. The Driver Licensing Call for Evidence published in 2023 considered a range of driver licensing issues. The summary of responses noted that the available evidence was not sufficiently robust to support changes to policy, and no further action was taken. That exercise did not specifically assess the relationship between age and collision risk for commercial minibus drivers.
The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the potential merits of changing the minimum age requirements for driving a commercial minibus on a professional basis. Driver licensing policy, including minimum age requirements, is kept under review. Any future changes would be informed by a robust evidence base, including consideration of road safety impacts.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) procurement and (b) local content requirements for publicly supported vehicle purchases.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to supporting British businesses, including vehicle producers. All public procurement and Government subsidy must be compatible with our obligations under international agreements and UK Government Procurement Guidance. All procurement and subsidies remain under review to ensure best value for money.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing additional tariffs on battery electric vehicles manufactured in China.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The UK continues to remain concerned about overcapacity and underlying market distorting practices, in particular the impact this could have on UK domestic industries such as battery electric vehicles. We continue to carefully assess options for addressing this issue including through use of tariffs and will act where necessary, but only in ways that serve UK industry. It is for the independent Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) to investigate whether trade remedy measures are needed to protect our industries. As of today, the TRA has not initiated an investigation into electric vehicles.