Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage the use of powered cargo bikes by families.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government recognises the contribution that electric powered bikes, including cargo bikes, can make to delivering the aim of double cycling as outlined in the 2017 Statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS). The CWIS, and the CWIS Safety Review Government Response published in November 2018, set out how all types of cycling will be supported through appropriate investment in good quality infrastructure, behaviour change initiatives and safety measures.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of any benefits resulting from the use of cargo bikes in the Netherlands for reducing carbon emissions and obesity.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government recognises the opportunity for cargo bikes to improve air quality and reduce congestion in urban areas. As part of its Last Mile Delivery Review call for evidence in 2018, the Department consulted stakeholders, including European cargo bike groups, to understand how best to support the development of the electric cargo bike sector in England, and in April 2019 it launched a £2 million e-cargo bike grant programme to support their uptake.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the advantages, and (2) the disadvantages, of the use of powered cargo bikes.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
In March 2019, the Department for Transport published the Government response to its call for evidence on ‘The Last Mile – Delivering Goods More Sustainably’. The response included a summary of the opportunities and challenges identified by respondents for using electrically powered cargo bikes in towns and cities.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will reconsider introducing a statutory definition of (1) plying for hire, and (2) pre-booked, as recommended by the Task and Finish Group on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The response to the report by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing issued on 12 February committed to bring forward legislation to enable national minimum standards in licensing, enable greater enforcement powers for licensing officers and to establish a national licensing database to assist in the sharing of relevant information. Legislation will be brought forward when time allows.
Taxis and private hire vehicle drivers are all subject to a ‘fit and proper’ assessment; any driver who poses a risk to public safety should not be permitted to hold a licence. Drivers are permitted to undertake pre-booked work outside of the area in which they are licensed. As set out in the Government’s response, the Government will consider how restrictions on out-of-area journeys might work in practice, with a view to legislating.
The Government response to the Task and Finish Group report explained that, since the Law Commission concluded in 2014 that a statutory definition of plying for hire would not be a practical improvement on the current position and there being no change in the legal situation, the Government would not take forward that recommendation.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to restricting cross border hiring to put an end to out-of-town taxi drivers operating in areas in which they (1) do not have a licence, and (2) threaten the safety of the public.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The response to the report by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing issued on 12 February committed to bring forward legislation to enable national minimum standards in licensing, enable greater enforcement powers for licensing officers and to establish a national licensing database to assist in the sharing of relevant information. Legislation will be brought forward when time allows.
Taxis and private hire vehicle drivers are all subject to a ‘fit and proper’ assessment; any driver who poses a risk to public safety should not be permitted to hold a licence. Drivers are permitted to undertake pre-booked work outside of the area in which they are licensed. As set out in the Government’s response, the Government will consider how restrictions on out-of-area journeys might work in practice, with a view to legislating.
The Government response to the Task and Finish Group report explained that, since the Law Commission concluded in 2014 that a statutory definition of plying for hire would not be a practical improvement on the current position and there being no change in the legal situation, the Government would not take forward that recommendation.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to legislate to reform the regulations governing the taxi and private hire trades; and if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The response to the report by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing issued on 12 February committed to bring forward legislation to enable national minimum standards in licensing, enable greater enforcement powers for licensing officers and to establish a national licensing database to assist in the sharing of relevant information. Legislation will be brought forward when time allows.
Taxis and private hire vehicle drivers are all subject to a ‘fit and proper’ assessment; any driver who poses a risk to public safety should not be permitted to hold a licence. Drivers are permitted to undertake pre-booked work outside of the area in which they are licensed. As set out in the Government’s response, the Government will consider how restrictions on out-of-area journeys might work in practice, with a view to legislating.
The Government response to the Task and Finish Group report explained that, since the Law Commission concluded in 2014 that a statutory definition of plying for hire would not be a practical improvement on the current position and there being no change in the legal situation, the Government would not take forward that recommendation.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they provide to encourage operators of public service vehicles, including taxis, to switch to electrically powered vehicles, in order to meet their de-carbonisation targets.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Since 2010 the Government has provided almost £150 million to bus operators and local authorities to support the purchase of the cleanest buses. In February 2019 the winners of the £48 million Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme were announced, providing funding to support the purchase of 263 zero emission buses and supporting infrastructure.
The Government continues to run the £50m Plug-in Taxi Grant Scheme, which offers up to £7,500 on the price of eligible ultra-low emission taxis. We have also awarded just over £20m in funding across 27 local authorities to install over 900 chargepoints dedicated to ultra-low emission taxis and private hire vehicles.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government by what date they aim to remove all petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles from the UK’s roads.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Cars and vans account for the majority of road transport emissions. By 2050 we want almost every car and van in the UK to be zero emission. We will end the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040.
The Government’s 2018 Road to Zero Strategy sets out a clear pathway to achieving this, to give clarity and certainty to both industry and motorists. By 2030 we want at least half of new cars sold, and as many as 70%, to be ultra low emission, alongside up to 40% of new vans.
The Government’s long term goal is the development and deployment of zero emission technologies for all road vehicles, including HGVs and buses, and zero emission technologies are starting to emerge even for the largest vehicles.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of why sales of electric cars in the UK have fallen behind sales in other European countries.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
In 2018 the UK was the second largest market for ultra-low emission vehicles and the fourth largest market for battery electric vehicles. The UK is also global leader in the development and manufacture of electric vehicles; in 2018 a fifth of battery electric cars sold in Europe were made in the UK. So far in 2019, sales of battery electric vehicles have increased significantly, up by 54% over the same period in 2018. Our Road to Zero Strategy sets out a clear pathway to zero emissions, to give clarity and certainty to both industry and motorists.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the reduction of the plug-in vehicle grant will effect meeting their carbon reduction targets.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
No such assessment has been made. The Plug-in Car Grant has helped the plug-in hybrid market become more established, and the Government will now focus its support on zero emission models like pure electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars. We want to see at least 50%, and as many as 70%, of new car sales being ultra low emission by 2030. This is in line with the Committee for Climate Change progress report. The Government will continue to work with industry to achieve our ambitions, and will review progress towards them by 2025.