Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with motorcycle manufacturers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ministers have not met with motorcycle manufacturers. Officials continue to meet with the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA), which represents and oversees the interests of motorcycle, moped, scooter and Powered Light Vehicle (PLV) industry.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the uptake of (a) mopeds, (b) motorcycles and (c) other powered light vehicles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At present, the Government has no policy to encourage greater use of motorcycles, mopeds or other powered light vehicles.
The Government supports the purchase of zero emission motorcycles with the plug-in motorcycle grant for those who want to switch to an electric motorcycle. This is available until at least March 2025 and since 2016 has supported the purchase of over 12,000 mopeds and motorcycles.
Resolving the longstanding problems and missed opportunities of micromobility, including e-scooters, is a priority for the Department for Transport and we will work with colleagues across Government to tackle this as soon as possible.
In November, the Government launched its plan to develop an Integrated National Transport Strategy, which will set out how all modes of transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve all the people who use it, and enable them to live fulfilling lives.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of the licensing regime proposed in the report entitled A licence to net zero, published by the Motorcycle Industry Association in October 2023.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has received additional evidence from the Motorcycle Industry Association on the road safety considerations for the proposals set out in their report ‘A Licence to Net Zero’, which proposed changes to the existing licensing regime for mopeds, motorcycles and light powered vehicles. Officials are currently analysing this.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 4347 on Motorcycles: Driving Licences, when the Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group is next scheduled to meet; and whether that meeting will discuss user licensing reform.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The planned meeting of The Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group for autumn 2024 has now been rescheduled for 20 January 2025. The Government is considering plans to review existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing and licensing, taking account of long-standing Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency plans and recent sector proposals.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 4347 on Motorcycles: Driving Licences, whether the Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group met in autumn 2024.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The planned meeting of The Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group for autumn 2024 has now been rescheduled for 20 January 2025. The Government is considering plans to review existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing and licensing, taking account of long-standing Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency plans and recent sector proposals.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of simplifying the licensing process for (a) mopeds, (b) motorcycles and (c) other powered light vehicles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has received additional evidence from the Motorcycle Industry Association on the road safety considerations for the proposals set out in their report ‘A Licence to Net Zero’, which proposed changes to the existing licensing regime for mopeds, motorcycles and light powered vehicles. Officials are currently analysing this.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with her (a) European and (b) international counterparts on end of sales dates for new non zero emission powered light vehicles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not yet had any discussions with international counterparts on end of sales dates for new non-zero emission powered light vehicles. We remain committed to decarbonising transport, including powered light vehicles, as we shift to zero emission mobility.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to respond to (a) attacks on (i) Christian communities, (ii) humanitarian access and (iii) religious freedom and (b) violence in Aleppo.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO has consistently underlined the importance of protecting all civilians, including minorities, publicly and in our engagement with regional and international partners. We are closely monitoring the treatment of religious minorities, including Christians.
No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We will continue to advocate for the right of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Syria and for an inclusive political transition.
We are working closely with the UN and other humanitarian partners to understand any barriers to access. We continue to call on all parties to support humanitarian access, including for humanitarian workers, in all regions of Syria.
In Aleppo, we are urging all parties to refrain from activity that will lead to further loss of civilian life, or damage to civilian infrastructure, to avoid further destabilisation and civilian suffering in the region.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that people with Parkinson's who receive the health element of Universal Credit do not have to prove that they continue to live with a degenerative condition after six months in order to keep the health element of Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) determines entitlement to the extra health-related amount of Universal Credit. It is not based on a person’s condition, but on how it affects their ability to function. It recognises that conditions can vary in their severity and therefore people with the same condition can have different WCA outcomes.
WCA reassessments are prioritised for customers on the health element of UC who report a change in their health condition. Routine department-led reassessments are scheduled according to expected prognosis length for recovery and subject to available assessment capacity.
The healthcare professional who performs the WCA, will advise a DWP decision maker on when an individual should be re-assessed. This advice is based on when the individual’s condition is expected to have improved to the point were looking for work or preparing for work may become a realistic option. For those with Limited Capability for Work, re-referral dates can be 6, 12, 18 or 24 months. For individuals with more serious or complex conditions, who have Limited Capability for Work and Work-related activity (LCWRA), a 3-year re-referral date can be chosen.
Individuals, who have LCWRA, with the most severe and lifelong health conditions or disabilities, whose level of function means that they will always have LCWRA and are unlikely ever to be able to move into work, are not routinely reassessed.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to make changes to the Work Capability Assessment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Work Capability Assessment is not working and needs to be reformed or replaced. This needs to come alongside a proper plan to support disabled people to work, which will, in turn, bring down the benefits bill.
We are taking the time to review this in the round before setting out next steps on our approach in the coming months.