Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) driving lessons, and (2) driving tests, are (a) available, and (b) affordable.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.
As of 9 September 2024, there were 556,774 car practical driving tests booked, and 91,059 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.
Measures already in place to reduce waiting times for customers at driving test centres. These include the recruitment of driving examiners, conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners. The Secretary of State for Transport has met with the Chief Executive of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to discuss solutions to barriers to obtaining a driving test.
The DVSA also continues to deploy examiners from areas with lower waiting times into those centres with longer waiting times. This is in addition to the DVSA recruiting additional examiners across the country into areas where waiting times are highest.
The DVSA does not employ driving instructors so has no control over what they charge for their services, including lessons.
Driving test fees are set in legislation.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the current state of the global crude oil fleet, and (2) the number of vessels that have 'gone dark' since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport holds data on the number and type of vessels within the world fleet, and as of 31 December 2023 there were 15,700 chemical and oil tankers in the world fleet with a total deadweight tonnage of 714 million tonnes.
The Government are aware of 'going dark' activities conducted by vessels since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, it is not possible to ascertain the exact figure of 'dark vessels' or 'dark periods', as while they can be due to deceptive practices, they may also be for safety reasons in high-risk areas or arise from technical issues and GPS jamming. The Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC) have established a (Russian) Maritime Sanctions Assessment Team focusing on the movements of oil tankers that are assessed to be associated with the movement of Russian oil.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are making available for the development of Northern Powerhouse Rail between now and April 2025; and how many staff are currently engaged on this project.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Northern Powerhouse Rail accounting officer assessment summary published on 30 July set out that £54m has been budgeted for development work on the scheme in 2024/25. Expenditure of a further £34m is anticipated on the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, excluding purchase costs for land and property.
There are around 40 full-time equivalent officials in the Department for Transport working on Northern Powerhouse Rail. This is reflective of the current stage of development and proposals. The Department for Transport is supported in its development of Northern Powerhouse Rail by Network Rail, HS2 Ltd and Transport for the North.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of Network Rail in replacing the Oxford railway bridge which has involved closing the main road (A420) into the city centre for the past 16 months and postponing the reopening indefinitely.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network Rail has not undertaken an assessment of the impacts and social costs resulting from the continuing closure of the A420 (Botley Road) to deliver the Oxford station improvements. Network Rail is working to produce a plan to complete the works and re-open the road. When this has been finalised I propose to meet with stakeholders to discuss it. I wrote to you on 2 September and explained that Network Rail and Great Western Railway are executing a plan to mitigate the impacts of the road closure on those accessing the station and city centre, including persons with restricted mobility. I expect Network Rail to continue to promote Oxford as being open for business throughout this critical and challenging phase.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic and social cost to Oxford of the closure of the A420 into the city; and what steps they plan to take, if any, to ensure that Network Rail is held accountable for the impact of the long-term closure of the road.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network Rail has not undertaken an assessment of the impacts and social costs resulting from the continuing closure of the A420 (Botley Road) to deliver the Oxford station improvements. Network Rail is working to produce a plan to complete the works and re-open the road. When this has been finalised I propose to meet with stakeholders to discuss it. I wrote to you on 2 September and explained that Network Rail and Great Western Railway are executing a plan to mitigate the impacts of the road closure on those accessing the station and city centre, including persons with restricted mobility. I expect Network Rail to continue to promote Oxford as being open for business throughout this critical and challenging phase.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Network Rail concerning the impact on (1) local businesses, (2) older people, (3) disabled people, and (4) pregnant people, of the extended closure of Botley Road as part of the redevelopment of Oxford's rail station; and whether they intend to make resources available to Network Rail to mitigate that impact.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
I wrote to you on 2 September and explained that Network Rail and Great Western Railway are executing a plan to mitigate the impacts of the closure of Botley Road on station users, the wider public and businesses during the current closure of Botley Road. Work is under way to provide additional support for persons with reduced mobility as well as improvements to wayfinding, lighting and access to the station. Network Rail is working to produce a plan to complete the works and re-open the road. When this has been finalised I propose to meet with stakeholders to discuss it.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many journeys have been booked using a Veterans Railcard in each month since its introduction.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Data on the number of journeys made using a Veteran's Railcard is collected by the Rail Delivery Group but is not published due to its commercially sensitivity. Access to this data can be requested, on application, from RDGPublicAffairs@raildeliverygroup.com.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Veterans Railcards have been issued since they were introduced.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Data on the number of Veteran's Railcards issued is collected by the Rail Delivery Group but is not published due to its commercially sensitivity. Access to this data can be requested, on application, from RDGPublicAffairs@raildeliverygroup.com.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department will introduce a new National Airport Strategy.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to securing the long-term future of the UK aviation sector, recognising the vital connectivity it provides between the UK and the rest of the world. Currently, the Department has no plans to introduce a new National Airport Strategy.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that stations without step free access are made accessible for all.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are carefully considering the best approach to accessibility at stations across Britain. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.