Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on allegations in relation to agents working on behalf of HS2's property acquisition team.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Officials in the Department engaged on HS2-related land and property matters meet periodically with their counterparts in RICS to update each other and to discuss issues of mutual interest. The conduct of RICS members generally and the oversight of professional standards by RICS is one issue that has been discussed, although those discussions have not narrowed to consider specifically the conduct of RICS members employed by or otherwise contracted to HS2 Ltd. Neither the Department nor HS2 Ltd has received any notification of an investigation by RICS into HS2 Ltd or its suppliers. The Department and HS2 Ltd would always give RICS their full support in the event of any allegations being raised.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure good practice by agents working for HS2's property acquisition team.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department expects any agent contracted to HS2 Ltd to maintain high professional standards. As members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), HS2 Ltd’s suppliers must adhere to the RICS rules of conduct and any RICS professional statements relevant to the advice they provide. HS2 Ltd continuously monitors supplier performance through regular case review meetings and supplier relationship management meetings.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish a response to the noise camera trials carried out by his Department between October 2022 and February 2023.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Roadside trials of noise camera technology commenced on 18 October 2022 and finished on 1 February 2023. As set out in the Government’s recent Plan for Drivers, the Department intends to publish the findings of the trial shortly and issue guidance to local authorities setting out minimum requirements and best practice for the use of noise cameras.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's consultation on Pavement parking: options for change, which closed on 22 November 2020, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the consultation.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Pavement parking is a complex issue. We want to take the right step for communities and ensure that local authorities have appropriate and effective tools at their disposal. We are working through the options and the possible legislative opportunities for delivering them and as soon as those matters are certain we will publish our formal response.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the conclusion of the Independent Complaints Assessors on the impact of his Department's policy on personalised number plates in their Annual Report 2020-21, published on 25 December 2021, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of amending the Retention and Sale of Registration Marks Regulations 2015 to allow more flexibility for customers wishing to retain personalised licence plates.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The law allows customers to purchase the right to display a personalised registration number on their vehicle and requires the right to that registration number to be renewed before it expires. Entitlement to registration numbers under this scheme lasts for ten years. Reminders are sent to customers in advance of expiry. If an application is not made to extend the entitlement, the right to display the personalised registration number is lost. There are no plans to change the current legal requirements in this area.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that there is adequate monitoring and oversight of the construction of HS2.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Department for Transport monitors the construction of HS2 through formal mechanisms such as the HS2 Development Agreement, and a number of supporting forums which assess whether HS2 is being delivered to budget and schedule, and in accordance with the commitments which accompany both HS2 Acts.
The Department also deploys a team of independent Construction Inspectors to provide independent scrutiny of construction, as well as its impact on communities and residents.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2022 to Question 143851 on Transport for London: Finance, if he will make representations to the Mayor of London on the need to protect and preserve TfL services to towns outside of Greater London during his April 2022 review of demand and service levels.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Transport in London is devolved, and therefore it is for the Mayor to make decisions on service levels that support the goal of being financially sustainable by April 2023, while continuing to provide reliable services for passengers both within and outside of Greater London.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Government has provided TfL with close to £5bn in support.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the level of investment from individuals appearing on the UK sanctions list in companies contracted by (a) HS2 Ltd and (b) other infrastructure projects for which his Department is responsible.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our latest assessment indicates that only one sanctioned individual has connections to my Department’s infrastructure projects through involvement with an HS2 contractor. The HS2 contractor has suspended any dividend payments from going to the sanctioned individual.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the absence of a long-term funding deal with TfL on the provision of TfL services to locations outside of Greater London.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government recently agreed a fourth extraordinary funding and financing package for Transport for London (TfL) worth around £200m. This takes total funding provided to TfL since the start of the pandemic to close to £5bn and will ensure the continued running of TfL’s network as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government’s extraordinary funding settlements recognise the reliance of London’s transport network on fare revenue, and Government’s commitment now and in the future to mitigating loss of fare revenue because of the pandemic.
The Mayor has agreed to carry out a review of demand and service levels in April 2022 to inform future service level requirements and potential changes. Transport in London is devolved, and therefore the Mayor must make decisions on service levels that supports the goal of being financially sustainable by April 2023.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to expedite driving licences for people with epilepsy who are unable to take out car insurance as a result of delays in receiving their physical licence, despite being able to drive under section 88 provisions.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working hard to process paper applications as quickly as possible for all drivers, including those with health conditions. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, the DVLA has recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham.
The DVLA has recently introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy. This process has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver.
The majority of those renewing their licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing they can meet the criteria outlined here. Insurance cover in these circumstances is a matter for the insurance company concerned.
The DVLA is currently reviewing the information provided on GOV.UK to make clear that drivers have the option to surrender their driving licence before reporting a medical condition using the online fitness to drive service.