Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the duration of accessibility to the Bus Recovery Grant beyond April 2022.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have provided unprecedented support for local transport during the pandemic. For bus, operators and local authorities have received funding through the £1.5bn Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant, and the ongoing £226.5m Bus Recovery Grant.
We recognise the ongoing challenges faced by operators and Local Transport Authorities and discussions on how best to support them are underway.
To assist in the short term, the Department is making available an additional £29m in recovery funding this financial year, on top of the previously announced £226.5m. This will be provided through the Bus Recovery Grant in the form of an uplift to recipients, including operators and LTAs. This will assist the sector in maintaining high service levels.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support bus providers that may be unable to offer full services after the cessation of the Bus Recovery Grant in April 2022.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have provided unprecedented support for local transport during the pandemic. For bus, operators and local authorities have received funding through the £1.5bn Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant, and the ongoing £226.5m Bus Recovery Grant.
We recognise the ongoing challenges faced by operators and Local Transport Authorities and discussions on how best to support them are underway.
To assist in the short term, the Department is making available an additional £29m in recovery funding this financial year, on top of the previously announced £226.5m. This will be provided through the Bus Recovery Grant in the form of an uplift to recipients, including operators and LTAs. This will assist the sector in maintaining high service levels.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of the cessation of the Bus Recovery Grant in April 2022 on the ability of bus services to maintain levels of service.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have provided unprecedented support for local transport during the pandemic. For bus, operators and local authorities have received funding through the £1.5bn Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant, and the ongoing £226.5m Bus Recovery Grant.
We recognise the ongoing challenges faced by operators and Local Transport Authorities and discussions on how best to support them are underway.
To assist in the short term, the Department is making available an additional £29m in recovery funding this financial year, on top of the previously announced £226.5m. This will be provided through the Bus Recovery Grant in the form of an uplift to recipients, including operators and LTAs. This will assist the sector in maintaining high service levels.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support Trent Barton bus services continue their regular operation schedule across Ashfield and Eastwood.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have provided unprecedented support for local transport during the pandemic. For bus, operators and local authorities have received funding through the £1.5bn Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant, and the ongoing £226.5m Bus Recovery Grant. Recognising the need for further support, an additional £29m uplift will be provided to recipients of the Bus Recovery Grant this financial year. Trent Barton can access this funding in the same way as other bus services within the sector.
Discussions are ongoing regarding the costs and benefits of measures to support the sector beyond April, and we are working closely with stakeholders to understand the potential challenges and possible mitigations once recovery funding ends.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by his Department as of 21 February 2022.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the current time there are no plans to mandate the use of the risk assessment tools.
As any such risk assessments are voluntary, DfT does not hold data centrally on the number of risk assessments completed or reviewed as of 21 February 2022.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Bus Service Recovery Grant will be extended beyond March 2022.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have provided unprecedented support for local transport during the pandemic. For bus, operators and local authorities have received funding through the £1.5bn Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant, and the ongoing £226.5m Bus Recovery Grant.
The Government is committed to seeing the bus sector return to financial self- sufficiency. Discussions are ongoing regarding the costs and benefits of measures to support the sector beyond April, and we are working closely with stakeholders to understand the potential challenges and possible mitigations once recovery funding ends. Recognising the need for further support, an additional £29m uplift will be provided to recipients of the Bus Recovery Grant this financial year.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the size of the backlog of cases by region within the DVLA as at 8 February 2022.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The quickest and easiest way to apply for a driving licence is by using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online service. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their licence within a few days.
However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.
On 8 February 2022, the total number of paper applications awaiting processing at the DVLA was 1,066,659. Information is not held by region. The DVLA normally has around 400,000 applications awaiting processing as thousands of new applications are received each day.
Information is not held on the number of (a) new and (b) renewal applications for driving licences that were delayed by region in each month since March 2020.
The average time taken to issue driving licences in the last three months across online and paper applications is 29 working days. However, the DVLA has focused extra resource on processing vocational driving licence applications to support the Government’s response to the driver shortage. Since November 2021, routine vocational applications have been processed within normal turnaround times of five working days. As with ordinary driving licences, applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated can take longer.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to help tackle the backlog of cases within the DVLA.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The quickest and easiest way to apply for a driving licence is by using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online service. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their licence within a few days.
However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.
On 8 February 2022, the total number of paper applications awaiting processing at the DVLA was 1,066,659. Information is not held by region. The DVLA normally has around 400,000 applications awaiting processing as thousands of new applications are received each day.
Information is not held on the number of (a) new and (b) renewal applications for driving licences that were delayed by region in each month since March 2020.
The average time taken to issue driving licences in the last three months across online and paper applications is 29 working days. However, the DVLA has focused extra resource on processing vocational driving licence applications to support the Government’s response to the driver shortage. Since November 2021, routine vocational applications have been processed within normal turnaround times of five working days. As with ordinary driving licences, applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated can take longer.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average time taken is by the DVLA to issue (a) driving and (b) HGV licences.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The quickest and easiest way to apply for a driving licence is by using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online service. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their licence within a few days.
However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.
On 8 February 2022, the total number of paper applications awaiting processing at the DVLA was 1,066,659. Information is not held by region. The DVLA normally has around 400,000 applications awaiting processing as thousands of new applications are received each day.
Information is not held on the number of (a) new and (b) renewal applications for driving licences that were delayed by region in each month since March 2020.
The average time taken to issue driving licences in the last three months across online and paper applications is 29 working days. However, the DVLA has focused extra resource on processing vocational driving licence applications to support the Government’s response to the driver shortage. Since November 2021, routine vocational applications have been processed within normal turnaround times of five working days. As with ordinary driving licences, applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated can take longer.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the number of (a) new and (b) renewal applications for driving licences were delayed within the DVLA by region in each month since March 2020.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The quickest and easiest way to apply for a driving licence is by using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online service. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their licence within a few days.
However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.
On 8 February 2022, the total number of paper applications awaiting processing at the DVLA was 1,066,659. Information is not held by region. The DVLA normally has around 400,000 applications awaiting processing as thousands of new applications are received each day.
Information is not held on the number of (a) new and (b) renewal applications for driving licences that were delayed by region in each month since March 2020.
The average time taken to issue driving licences in the last three months across online and paper applications is 29 working days. However, the DVLA has focused extra resource on processing vocational driving licence applications to support the Government’s response to the driver shortage. Since November 2021, routine vocational applications have been processed within normal turnaround times of five working days. As with ordinary driving licences, applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated can take longer.