Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 14 September (HL1402), whether they are now in a position to provide the data requested on the writing off of fines for failure to pay the Dartford Crossing charge.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Highways England are continuing to finalise the 2016/17 Dartford River Crossing accounts, which are currently being audited by the National Audit Office. As a result, we remain unable at present to provide figures relating to fines for the last 12 months.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total amount of fines for failure to pay the Dartford Crossing Charge that have been written off in the last 12 months; and what are the reasons those fines could not be collected.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Highways England is currently finalising the 2016/17 Dartford River Crossing accounts which will be audited by the National Audit Office in October 2017. As a result, we are unable at present to provide figures relating to fines for the last 12 months.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the one per cent public sector pay cap applies to employees of (a) Highways England, (b) Network Rail, (c) the Civil Aviation Authority, (d) the investigation branches for air, marine and rail accidents and (e) HS2 Ltd.
Answered by John Hayes
The one percent pay cap applies to the accident investigation branches. It does not apply to the CAA, which is a public corporation and is not covered by public sector pay arrangements.
Highways England and HS2 Ltd have agreed separate pay flexibilities outside of the one percent cap with HM Treasury.
From its creation in 2002 as a company classified to the private sector Network Rail did not have a public sector pay cap and since its reclassification to the public sector Network Rail has agreed separate pay flexibilities outside of the one percent cap with HM Treasury.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff of his Department are employed in media relations and communications roles; and how much was spent on the salaries of such staff members in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by John Hayes
The estimated full time equivalent number of staff who worked on communications activities which include internal communications, website and other digital communications, speechwriting, publishing, marketing and public information campaigns, communications strategy and external affairs for the last full financial year (2015-16) is as follows:
Communications staff full time equivalent numbers | 2015-16 |
Department for Transport (Central) | 61.1 |
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency | 53.6 |
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | 14.6 |
Maritime and Coastguard Agency | 8.6 |
Vehicle Certification Agency | Nil |
The estimated pay cost for communications staff for 2015-16 and earlier years is as follows:
Communications pay cost £000s | 2009-10 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
Department for Transport (Central) | 3,691 | 3,537 | 3,526 | 3,745 | 3,901 |
Driving Standards Agency 1 | 956 | 705 | 519 | N/A | N/A |
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency | 1,372 | 1,061 | 1,636 | 1,857 | 1,829 |
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 676 | 635 |
Government Car and Despatch Agency 2 | 51 | Nil | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Highways Agency 3 | 2917 | 2,332 | 2,211 | 3,450 | N/A |
Maritime and Coastguard Agency | 398 | 362 | 351 | 368 | 327 |
Vehicle Certification Agency | N/A | Nil | N/A | Nil | Nil |
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 1 | 296 | 285 | 253 | N/A | N/A |
1. The Driving Standards Agency and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency became the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in April 2014.
2. GCDA ceased to be an agency on 30 September 2012.
3. Highways Agency was replaced by Highways England in April 2015, a government-owned company, and is no longer an executive agency of the Department.
Communications staff pay costs for years not shown above can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to address non-payment of tolls, charges, penalties and fees by non-UK drivers.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government takes the recovery of non-payment of tolls, charges, penalties and fees very seriously by UK and non UK drivers. The following sets out the steps used by the different organisations responsible in addressing the non-payment of UK charges and penalties.
When a non-UK vehicle uses the Dartford Crossing without paying the Dart Charge, Highways England uses a European debt recovery agency to issue a Penalty Charge Notice. Highways England also runs seasonal compliance campaigns, providing translated material at ports, airports and poster sites in the Calais area to build broader awareness for foreign drivers heading to the UK.
For the HGV levy, the Government has effective enforcement procedures that are delivering 95% compliance rates in Great Britain. The Driver and Vehicle and Licencing Agency (DVLA) has the powers to target non-compliant vehicles, and hold them until a penalty is paid.
Enforcement of road traffic legislation is an operational matter for the police. They are able to issue penalties for speeding, and those who cannot provide a verified UK address can be required to make an on-the-spot roadside payment, known as a fixed penalty deposit.
Local authorities have powers to clamp or remove foreign vehicles to ensure drivers comply with parking restrictions and pay any penalties.
The Government will continue to look at the ways we collect tolls, charges, penalties and fees by non-UK drivers and ensure improvements are made where necessary.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to prevent Dart Charge payments made by drivers of leased vehicles being registered to previous drivers of the same vehicle who have not paid that charge.
Answered by Andrew Jones
All drivers have until midnight the day after crossing to pay the road user charge. This extended time period, which provides flexibility for the majority of users, makes it more complex to match payments for a crossing made by a previous hirer of the same vehicle. Highways England and the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association are working together to assess what more can be done to assist the small number of companies and their customers who may be affected by this.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many penalty charge notices have been (a) issued to motorists and (b) subsequently withdrawn or successfully appealed since the inception of the Dart Charge scheme.
Answered by Andrew Jones
From the introduction of Dart Charge on 30 November 2014 to the end of March 2016 3,392,215 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) have been issued for non-payment of the road user charge.
Highways England has taken a balanced approach to enforcement of Dart Charge by being clear to drivers that they need to pay the charge and giving them every opportunity to do so. As part of this approach the first PCN issued for each vehicle includes a warning letter giving the registered keeper an extra 14 days to pay their original road user charge for use of the crossing (and any additional road user charges accrued by the end of the 14 days) without penalty. In total 1,490,319 PCNs have been cancelled due to drivers paying the outstanding road user charges following receipt of a warning letter.
In addition a further 86,195 PCNs have been cancelled following representation or appeal and 354,201 PCNs cancelled for other reasons including payment errors made by customers or early system issues which have since been addressed.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) median and (b) mean wage is of (i) male and (ii) female employees of (A) his Department, (B) Network Rail, (C) Highways England, (D) HS2 Ltd, (E) the Office of Rail and Road, (F) the DVLA, (G) the Driver Vehicle Standards Authority and (H) the VCA on the latest date for which figures are available.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The median and mean wages levels for male and female employees are as follows:
Median wage
|
| |
Organisation | Male | Female |
DfT(c) | £45,747 | £42,103 |
Network Rail | £33,781 | £32,000 |
Highways England | £24,054 | £27,455 |
HS2 Ltd | £51,552 | £38,928 |
Office of Rail and Road | £58,152 | £40,900 |
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency | £19,155 | £19,155 |
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | £25,328 | £25,162 |
Vehicle Certification Agency | £36,565 | £25,758 |
Mean wage
|
|
|
Organisation | Male | Female |
DfT(c) | £51,012 | £45,335 |
Network Rail | £36,789 | £36,073 |
Highways England | £31,608 | £30,974 |
HS2 Ltd | £65,130 | £44,650 |
Office of Rail and Road | £56,597 | £45,445 |
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency | £22,197 | £20,649 |
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | £26,108 | £24,826 |
Vehicle Certification Agency | £36,798 | £25,918 |
The central Department and its Agencies have historically had differences in mean and median pay levels of male and female staff. In 2014, pay, terms and conditions were modernised, including shortening the lengths of pay ranges. As a result of this, and the 2015 pay strategy, the differences in mean and median pay levels of male and female staff have decreased. The central Department and its Agencies are committed to continuing to reduce the differences over the next few years.
Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that public bodies under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 comply with their duty to pick up roadside litter.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Government is committed to localism and the transfer of power to local communities. This is particularly relevant in dealing with litter, which requires a local approach, tailored to the characteristics of the area and the community in which the problems occur.
It is up to councils to decide how best to meet their statutory duty to keep their relevant land clear of litter and refuse and how to prioritise this against other local services.
Councils are responsible for keeping their “relevant land” clear of litter and refuse, including local roads. Highways England (formerly the Highways Agency) is responsible for clearing litter from motorways and some trunk roads. Standards of cleanliness for litter and refuse are set out in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, which provides a practical guide to the discharge of councils’ cleansing duties under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA).
If a litter authority which is responsible for publicly-accessible land fails to keep land clear of litter and refuse, it can be taken to court. If the court agrees that the complaint is justified, it can issue a Litter Abatement Order (LAO) requiring the litter authority to clear land of litter within a certain time. The litter authority can also be ordered to pay the complainant’s costs.
It is a criminal offence not to comply with an LAO - anyone not complying can be fined up to £2,500. They can also get further fines of up to £125 a day for each day the offence continues after conviction. Court action can be avoided if litter authorities clear the land within five days of being notified of the complainant’s intention to seek a Litter Abatement Order.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what bonus payments Highways England (a) staff and (b) Board members are entitled to receive.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Highways England renumeration scheme allows for performance related pay, as was the case with the Highways Agency. There is no automatic entitlement. Entitlement to a payment under this plan for staff (including Board members) is subject to corporate performance against pre-determined targets, aligned to the delivery of the Roads Investment Strategy, and individual performance. Performance related pay could be up to 20% of base salary, but this would only be in the case of outstanding performance by both the individual and Highways England.