Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on (a) expected future rail passenger demand and (b) the potential factors affecting future rail passenger demand.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In line with our published guidance, the Department has developed a range of rail demand forecasts in both the medium and long term. The Department considers a wide range of evidence for our project appraisals and policy decisions.
There are many economic and socio-demographic factors which potentially affect future rail passenger demand. These are detailed within the Department’s Transport Analysis Guidance, published online.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the performance of open-access operators compares with the major operator of services on the routes which they share.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Office of Rail and Road collects and publishes data on cancellations, reliability and punctuality of all rail operators, including Open Access operators. This is set out in the attached table.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2024 to Question 14383 on Avanti West Coast: Catering, whether his Department holds information on the amount of cash taken by Avanti for its on-board catering services in the last two years.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold information on the amount of cash taken on-board Avanti services.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for publishing the review of medical professionals' fees for driver licensing.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently engaging with the Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association in respect of the fees paid for medical information required for driver licensing purposes.
The DVLA is also reviewing the questionnaires issued to medical professionals when medical information is required to assist in assessing an individual’s fitness to drive; with a view to simplifying the process wherever possible.
The DVLA has introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This renewal 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 DVLA is considering adding more medical conditions to this process.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this could only be provided by a doctor. This provides GP surgeries and hospital teams greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
These changes will all help to simplify or reduce the number of times the DVLA needs to seek further information from medical professionals.
The length of time taken to process a driving licence application where a medical condition needs to be investigated depends on the condition(s) involved and if further medical information, tests, or examinations are required.
The DVLA, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is required to ensure that all drivers meet the medical standards for driving before a licence is issued. These investigations can often involve seeking further information about an individual’s medical condition(s) from the relevant healthcare professionals. However, it is important to note that the DVLA does not ask medical professionals to assess an individual’s fitness to drive, and as such, figures about how many such assessments have been received from medical professionals are not available.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the fees for a medical professionals' assessment of fitness to drive on the number of such assessments being issued to DVLA driving license applicants.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently engaging with the Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association in respect of the fees paid for medical information required for driver licensing purposes.
The DVLA is also reviewing the questionnaires issued to medical professionals when medical information is required to assist in assessing an individual’s fitness to drive; with a view to simplifying the process wherever possible.
The DVLA has introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This renewal 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 DVLA is considering adding more medical conditions to this process.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this could only be provided by a doctor. This provides GP surgeries and hospital teams greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
These changes will all help to simplify or reduce the number of times the DVLA needs to seek further information from medical professionals.
The length of time taken to process a driving licence application where a medical condition needs to be investigated depends on the condition(s) involved and if further medical information, tests, or examinations are required.
The DVLA, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is required to ensure that all drivers meet the medical standards for driving before a licence is issued. These investigations can often involve seeking further information about an individual’s medical condition(s) from the relevant healthcare professionals. However, it is important to note that the DVLA does not ask medical professionals to assess an individual’s fitness to drive, and as such, figures about how many such assessments have been received from medical professionals are not available.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the time taken to process medical professionals' assessments of fitness to drive on the issuing of driving licences.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently engaging with the Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association in respect of the fees paid for medical information required for driver licensing purposes.
The DVLA is also reviewing the questionnaires issued to medical professionals when medical information is required to assist in assessing an individual’s fitness to drive; with a view to simplifying the process wherever possible.
The DVLA has introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This renewal 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 DVLA is considering adding more medical conditions to this process.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this could only be provided by a doctor. This provides GP surgeries and hospital teams greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
These changes will all help to simplify or reduce the number of times the DVLA needs to seek further information from medical professionals.
The length of time taken to process a driving licence application where a medical condition needs to be investigated depends on the condition(s) involved and if further medical information, tests, or examinations are required.
The DVLA, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is required to ensure that all drivers meet the medical standards for driving before a licence is issued. These investigations can often involve seeking further information about an individual’s medical condition(s) from the relevant healthcare professionals. However, it is important to note that the DVLA does not ask medical professionals to assess an individual’s fitness to drive, and as such, figures about how many such assessments have been received from medical professionals are not available.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many medical professionals' assessments of fitness to drive have been received by the DVLA in each month of the last five years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently engaging with the Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association in respect of the fees paid for medical information required for driver licensing purposes.
The DVLA is also reviewing the questionnaires issued to medical professionals when medical information is required to assist in assessing an individual’s fitness to drive; with a view to simplifying the process wherever possible.
The DVLA has introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This renewal 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 DVLA is considering adding more medical conditions to this process.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this could only be provided by a doctor. This provides GP surgeries and hospital teams greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
These changes will all help to simplify or reduce the number of times the DVLA needs to seek further information from medical professionals.
The length of time taken to process a driving licence application where a medical condition needs to be investigated depends on the condition(s) involved and if further medical information, tests, or examinations are required.
The DVLA, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is required to ensure that all drivers meet the medical standards for driving before a licence is issued. These investigations can often involve seeking further information about an individual’s medical condition(s) from the relevant healthcare professionals. However, it is important to note that the DVLA does not ask medical professionals to assess an individual’s fitness to drive, and as such, figures about how many such assessments have been received from medical professionals are not available.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many medical professionals' assessments of fitness to drive have been received by the DVLA in each year since 2004.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently engaging with the Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association in respect of the fees paid for medical information required for driver licensing purposes.
The DVLA is also reviewing the questionnaires issued to medical professionals when medical information is required to assist in assessing an individual’s fitness to drive; with a view to simplifying the process wherever possible.
The DVLA has introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, some mental health conditions, and glaucoma. This renewal 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 DVLA is considering adding more medical conditions to this process.
In July 2022, the law changed to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals who can provide information as part of the DVLA’s medical investigations into a person’s fitness to drive. Previously, this could only be provided by a doctor. This provides GP surgeries and hospital teams greater flexibility to decide how they manage the DVLA’s requests for information.
These changes will all help to simplify or reduce the number of times the DVLA needs to seek further information from medical professionals.
The length of time taken to process a driving licence application where a medical condition needs to be investigated depends on the condition(s) involved and if further medical information, tests, or examinations are required.
The DVLA, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is required to ensure that all drivers meet the medical standards for driving before a licence is issued. These investigations can often involve seeking further information about an individual’s medical condition(s) from the relevant healthcare professionals. However, it is important to note that the DVLA does not ask medical professionals to assess an individual’s fitness to drive, and as such, figures about how many such assessments have been received from medical professionals are not available.
Asked by: Thérèse Coffey (Conservative - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2024 to Question 21014 on Minibuses: Driving Licences, if he will publish a breakdown of the £3 million per year Bus Service Operators Grant by operator in receipt of the grant.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of requiring all (a) e-bikes and (b) e-scooters to be registered to an owner.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is already legislation in place that governs the use of e-scooters on public land. E-scooters meet the definition of a ‘motor vehicle’ under the Road Traffic Act 1988. Therefore, as well as having to be registered, taxed, and insured, they must meet all other legal requirements of a motor vehicle to be used on the road. By their design, e-scooters complying with the wide range of requirements is difficult to achieve. Consequentially, most private e-scooters are illegal to use on the road, cycle lanes or pavements (i.e. otherwise than on private land), and rental e-scooters can only be used in rental e-scooter trial area.
The Department considered the potential advantages and disadvantages of a mandatory registration and licensing system for cycle ownership as part of a comprehensive cycling and walking safety review in 2018. This found that the cost and complexity of such a system would outweigh the benefits, and that restricting people’s ability to cycle in this way would mean that many would be likely to choose other modes of transport instead, with negative impacts for congestion, pollution, and health. However all policies are kept under review.
If e-cycles exceed the criteria in the Electrically Pedal Assisted Cycles Regulations (1983), then, among other criteria limits power and speed, they are also classed as motor vehicles, requiring tax, insurance, and similar requirements.