Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications for vehicle details by private car parking companies were received by the DVLA in 2022.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency received 36,252,255 applications for registered keeper details in 2022, of which, 10,605,732 were from private parking companies.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate toilet and washing facilities for HGV drivers.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
On 24 November Transport Minister launched the HGV parking and driver welfare grant-scheme.
The Department will be investing £32.5 million match-funding to assist operators to improve HGV parking and facilities. This is in addition to the previously announced £20m National Highways match-funding.
These funding schemes are going towards supporting lorry parking operators to make improvements such as enhancing security, showers, toilets and eating facilities as well as possibly increasing spaces for lorry drivers.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of savings to the public purse from the abolition of paper vehicle tax discs since their removal in 2014.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
In the first full financial year 2015-16 the actual saving to the public purse from the abolition of the paper vehicle licence was £8.9 million. In the financial year 2016-17 the actual saving was £8.5 million. This saving was anticipated to be a recurring annual figure.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the matter in which the private parking industry is using its access to DVLA records.
Answered by Robert Courts
The law allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to release vehicle keeper details to third parties in certain limited circumstances, subject to appropriate safeguards. This includes the release of information to help manage parking on private land.
To ensure motorists are treated fairly, the DVLA will only provide information to private parking companies that are members of an appropriate accredited trade association and adhere to an enforceable code of practice. The DVLA audits external data users to ensure information is requested and used appropriately.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2022 to Question 40733, on Petrol: Ethanol, what is the current percentage of biofuels that are (a) waste-derived and (b) crop-based.
Answered by Robert Courts
The feedstock used to produce biofuel rewarded under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) is reported by suppliers and published quarterly on gov.uk.
The latest full year’s verified data indicates that in 2020, seventy-seven percent of biofuels were derived from wastes and residues and twenty-three per cent were crop-based.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the current world food shortages, if he will reassess the requirement for ethanol content in petrol.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We regularly review measures promoting low carbon fuels to ensure that they deliver cost effective carbon reductions. Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, we promote waste-derived biofuels and reduce the volume of crop-based biofuels that can count towards supplier targets.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new buses and coaches were registered last year (a) in total and (b) by system of propulsion.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The numbers of buses and coaches1 registered for the first time in the United Kingdom by propulsion / fuel type is given in the following table.
Year | Petrol | Diesel | Gas2 | Battery Electric | Other3 | TOTAL |
2021(to end-September only) | 52 | 3,053 | 1 | 236 | 52 | 3,394 |
Source: DfT / DVLA
1 Based on DVLA body type for buses and coaches, which also includes minibuses. The DVLA body type does not necessarily relate to how vehicles are used.
2 Includes gas, gas bi-fuel, petrol/gas and diesel/gas.
3 Includes hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, new fuel technologies, fuel cells and steam.