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Written Question
Department for Transport: Apprentices
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

a) £2,100,000

b) £910,851

Written Question
Department for Transport: Feltham and Heston
Tuesday 16th January 2024

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) schemes and (b) grants their Department administers that are open for (i) individuals, (ii) organisations and (iii) other groups in Feltham and Heston constituency to apply for as of 10 January 2024.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport offers grants that are available for individuals, organisations, and groups, including those within the Feltham and Heston constituency. Information about these grants and the application process can be found on:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-government-grants and www.gov.uk.

Written Question
Submarines
Thursday 29th June 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Transport, which (a) Department and (b) Minister is responsible for civilian and tourist submarines.

Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Department for Transport, through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, has responsibility for the regulation of safety on maritime vessels used in UK waters and on UK-flagged vessels wherever they may be. This includes submersibles. Baroness Vere is the Minister with responsibility for maritime issues.

Written Question
Motor Vehicles: Noise
Monday 19th June 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce the results of the noise camera pilots.

Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Roadside trials of noise camera technology commenced on 18 October 2022 and finished on 1 February 2023. The Department is reviewing the trial outcomes before considering next steps.

Written Question
Department for Transport: Billing
Wednesday 19th April 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of invoices received by his Department in (a) quarter three and (b) quarter four of the 2021-2022 financial year were paid within five days.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The Department aims to pay all valid invoices within 5 working days of receipt. In financial year 2021 to 2022 for quarter 3 the Department paid 90% of undisputed supplier invoices within the 5-working day target, and for quarter 4 the Department paid 90% of undisputed supplier invoices within the 5-working day target. The information for financial year 2022 to 2023 will be available in May 2023.

Written Question
Department for Transport: Billing
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the proportion of invoices his Department paid to small and medium-sized enterprises within five days in (a) the 2021-2022 financial year and (b) each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The Department’s financial systems do not record if a supplier is an SME or not.

Written Question
Electric Vehicles
Thursday 9th February 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the level of excess demand for (a) hybrid and (b) electric vehicles.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The UK market for zero emission and hybrid vehicles is growing significantly. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, new battery electric vehicles accounted for a record-breaking 16.6% of registrations in 2022, second only to petrol. Taking into account plug-in hybrids, over 1 in 5 new cars sold came with a plug last year.

The Government continues to monitor the ongoing challenges in global semiconductor supply chains, which are affecting several areas, including the automotive sector. Whilst no specific assessment has been made on excess demand for hybrid and electric vehicles, the Government is in regular engagement with consumers and industry to understand the market and support the transition to zero emission vehicles.

Written Question
Driving Tests: Waiting Lists
Monday 23rd January 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the number of applicants waiting for a practical driving test as of 17 January 2023; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a waiting list for learner drivers wishing to fill any available test slots or cancellations.

Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Car practical driving test waiting times are currently at 15.1 weeks (December average). As at 16 January 2023, there are over 80,000 car practical driving test appointments available within the 24-week booking window.

Since April 2021, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has created an extra 695,000 car practical driving tests appointments to help reduce waiting times. Actions already being taken by the DVSA include asking all those qualified to conduct tests but who do not do so as part of their current day job to return to conducting tests, conducting out of hours testing, and asking recently retired driving examiners to return.

All available practical driving test appointments are shown on the live booking system and any additional tests are added as soon as they become available. The DVSA has a 24 week forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this. Candidates can check for new appointments at their local test centre on the book a driving test or the change your driving test services.

Written Question
Electric Vehicles: Charging Points
Tuesday 24th May 2022

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of (a) ownership of electric vehicles and (b) availability of charging points in each nation and region of the UK.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

Since 2020, Government has committed £2.5 billion to continue to support the transition to zero emission vehicles, with funding to offset their higher upfront cost, and to accelerate the rollout of chargepoint infrastructure.

The Department’s most recently published data concerning the level of (a) ownership of electric vehicles and (b) availability of charging points in each nation and region of the UK is available at each of the links given below:

(a) Licensed ultra low emission vehicles by local authority: United Kingdom:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1046001/veh0132.ods

(See VEH0132b_BEV for Battery Electric Vehicles and VEH0132c_PHEV for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles)

(b) Electric vehicle charging device statistics: April 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electric-vehicle-charging-device-statistics-april-2022/electric-vehicle-charging-device-statistics-april-2022

Written Question
Supply Chains
Tuesday 22nd February 2022

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the article in The House magazine published 7 February 2022, entitled Shelf Preservation Society, if he will publish details of (a) the 32 actions that the Government has taken to support the UK's supply chain, (b) the cost of those actions and (c) his assessment of their effectiveness.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

The Government has published details of the 32 specific measures to deal with the shortage of HGV drivers on Gov.uk at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/hgv-driver-shortage-uk-government-response/about#stay-up-to-date

Costs of the Measures

  • The cost of processing visas for up to 4,700 HGV drivers for the food industry and 300 fuel drivers were borne by the transport operators and included travel, accommodation and the costs of the visas.
  • The cost of processing endorsements for the fuel drivers was met within existing Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy budgets.
  • The extension of cabotage rights for foreign hauliers in the UK to 30 April 2022 has no direct implementation cost to Government.
  • £500,000 was added to the Mode Shift Revenue Support grant scheme
  • The cost of the HGV Skills Bootcamps to train just over 11,000 more people to become HGV drivers is £34 million.
  • Large Goods Vehicle Driver and Urban Driver apprenticeships are funded through the Apprenticeship Levy.
  • The closing date for applications for the £3,000 incentive payment to employers who employed an apprentice is 15 May 2022. Therefore, costs are not yet available.
  • Data is not yet available on how many learners have benefitted from the extra funding for adults who completes a vocational qualification in HGV driving through the adult education budget in the 2021 to 2022 academic year. Therefore, the cost cannot yet be calculated.
  • The cost of the Department for Work and Pension’s driver training pilot delivered through Jobcentre Plus is £82,150.
  • Road to Logistics received £1 million in grant funding.
  • Think Logistics received £50,000 in grant funding.
  • The provisional cost of deploying 24 Ministry of Defence driving examiners to conduct vocational driving tests was £281,000 per month for up to 3 months.
  • The measures to make it easier for former armed forces personnel to qualify as HGV drivers was funded through existing Ministry of Defence budgets.
  • The cost of the letter sent to nearly 1 million HGV drivers was £224,509.04 including printing, overheads and postage.
  • The cost of the review of HGV parking and facilities will be a maximum of £360,038.05 (excluding VAT).
  • £32.5 million is being invested in roadside facilities for HGV drivers, such as security, showers, toilets and eating areas.
  • The flexible support fund is an existing budget to help jobseekers and those on Universal Credit reenter the workplace and is available for Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) training if appropriate.
  • The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Ministry of Defence continue to work together to ensure accurate costs of mobilising military tanker drivers to help make fuel deliveries are captured and re-charged to the haulage industry as appropriate under Military Aid to the Civil Authorities principles and pre-agreed contingency arrangements.
  • The cost of suspension of the HGV road user levy until August 2023 is set out at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heavy-goods-vehicle-hgv-levy-suspension/heavy-goods-vehicle-hgv-levy-suspension
  • Other measures such as the relaxation of drivers’ hours, restrictions on late night deliveries, extension of driver qualifications and changes to regulation have been undertaken using existing departmental budgets.
  • Increases in the number of vocational driving tests taken and the number of driving licence applications received provides addition income for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency. These schemes operate on the basis that users pay fees to cover costs.

Assessment of Effectiveness

These measures are working to assist reducing the driver shortage and its consequences.

For example, the number of available HGV driving tests has increased by over 100% compared to pre-pandemic levels and currently stands at 3,200 tests per week. Test capacity now exceeds demand, and the provision of vocational tests is not a barrier to people becoming HGV drivers. Despite the increase in vocational driving licence applications and licence renewals are being processed within five working days, unless further medical checks are required.

Recent assessments by industry bodies such as Logistics UK suggest that the shortfall in drivers is already reducing.