Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which local authority licensing committees in England do not require the applicant for (1) a black cab licence, and (2) a private hire licence, to undertake the Knowledge test.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Department for Transport does not hold information as to which licensing authorities include a topographical knowledge assessment as part of their requirements to issue a taxi or private hire vehicle driver licence. This information is held by licensing authorities.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the draft bill to enable the extension of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester will be published.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Government intends to deposit a hybrid Bill for HS2 from West Midlands to Crewe (HS2 Phase 2a) before the end of 2017. This will enable this section of route to open in 2027, six years earlier than originally planned. This means that cities across the North West and Scotland will realise more of the benefits of HS2 sooner.
We intend to make a route decision for the rest of Phase Two in the autumn of 2016, with a view to introducing a third hybrid Bill before the end of the Parliament. This will enable the full network to open on time in 2033.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children aged (1) 8–11, and (2) 11–14, were trained in cycling proficiency at school in each local authority area in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has been funding Bikeability cycle training in schools since 2006/07. The Department for Transport funds training in England and Transport for London funds training in London.
Bikeability training is delivered to children between school years 5-9 (ages 9-14). Bikeability training consists of three levels. Level 1 and Level 2 training is aimed at children aged 9-11 years old and Level 3 training is aimed at children aged 11-14 years old.
Delivery statistics are not collated by age group. However, data on the number of training places delivered for each level of Bikeability training is available from 2012/13 to 2013/14. We have used these data to give an indication of the number of children trained in cycling proficiency at school in each local authority area in England (excluding London) for the age ranges 9-11 years and 11-14 years. Please see the attached tables 1 and 2. The figures are based on information provided by Local Highway Authorities (LHA) and School Games Organiser Host Schools (SGOHS).