Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) safety of the use of bright LEDs on cycles and (b) adequacy of standards regulation on those lights.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Requirements for the fitment and use of bicycle lamps are set out in the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended.
Enforcement of road traffic law is generally an operational matter for individual Police Forces.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce which Access for All programmes will be funded during Control Period 7.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As part of our recent Network North announcement, the Government confirmed £350m will be made available to improve the accessibility of our train stations. We are assessing over 300 nominations for Access for All funding. At stations awarded funding this will create an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to platforms. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to expedite compensation for people required to move home for the construction of HS2.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In all cases, HS2 Ltd seeks to provide compensation in as timely a manner as possible. And the focus of the Department for Transport has always been on devising policies to ensure that transactions are progressed promptly. For instance, the streamlined residential blight (SRB) scheme was introduced to provide a quicker route for property owners to sell their home as the process does not require negotiation on the property value and disturbance items. This goes beyond what is mandated in law (through the Compensation Code).
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 6 March 2024 to 16465 on Driving Tests: Waiting Lists, what the average waiting time for DVSA driving tests was across Great Britain as of 6 March 2024.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.
As of 8 April 2024, there were 510,385 car practical driving tests booked, and 119,545 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.
The average waiting time for a car practical driving test in Great Britain, in March 2024, was 17.1 weeks.
Asked by: Simon Lightwood (Labour (Co-op) - Wakefield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2024 to Question 16992 on Parking: Pedestrian Areas, if his Department will publish its response to that consultation before the end of this Parliament.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Pavement Parking is a complex issue. The Department is considering the consultation findings in order to reach the best outcome for all road users. We want to take the right step for communities and ensure that local authorities have appropriate and effective tools at their disposal and will make an announcement in due course.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing funding for Stockport railway station on the local economy.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government believes that Stockport is best placed to decide on and take forward transport schemes that will most benefit their local areas. I would therefore encourage the local stakeholders in the area to work together to bring forward a bid(s) to be considered for development under the various sources of funding available.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 20th July 2023 to Question 194351 on Bus Services: Public Service Obligations, when his Department plans to issue new guidance on socially and economically necessary bus services.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department remains committed to publishing this guidance within this Parliament.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department provides to officials on the use of the social media platforms (a) X and (b) LinkedIn.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department’s policy for the use of social media platforms X and LinkedIn is available online, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/about/social-media-use. The Civil Service Code provides wider guidance in relation to the conduct of civil servants and is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-code/the-civil-service-code.
The Department for Transport and its agencies (DVLA, DVSA, MCGA, VCA and ATE) follow the guidance set out in these policies. Further guidance is provided to all staff in the Social Media Policy for DfT and Executive Agencies, available on the staff intranet.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2024 to Question 9010 on Avanti West Coast: Standards, how many part cancellations of Avanti West Coast scheduled services have occurred as a result of shortage of crew since 1 January 2024.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Avanti West Coast (AWC) has reported a total of 292 part cancelations attributed to train crew shortages compared to 18,671 planned services between 1 January 2024 and 18 March 2024.
Traincrew shortages, linked to a lack of driver overtime and ongoing industrial action, present a challenge to running services with the reliability passengers expect. Difficulties in managing historic train crew terms and conditions will continue to impact AWC services until modernisation of working arrangements can be agreed.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money has been allocated from the HS2 Road Safety Fund in (a) total and (b) each local authority area.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The total amount that has been allocated from the HS2 Road Safety Fund is £29,660,000. This has been allocated to local authorities as set out in the table below:
Road Safety Fund | |
Local authority | Allocation |
Camden | £2,425,000 |
Westminster | £1,560,000 |
Ealing | £1,010,000 |
Hillingdon | £645,000 |
Hertfordshire | £1,165,000 |
Oxfordshire | £1,140,000 |
Solihull | £2,435,000 |
Birmingham | £2,660,000 |
Warwickshire | £8,045,000 |
Northamptonshire | £1,650,000 |
Staffordshire | £2,975,000 |
Buckinghamshire | £3,950,000 |
Total | £29,660,000 |