Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that there is greater co-ordination between local councils, utility and telecom companies in the digging up of roads and pavements when they carry out work and repairs.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Department is investing up to £10m in the development of a new digital service called Street Manager. This will transform the planning, management and communication of street works. It will also support more coordination and collaboration by works promoters.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of motorway accidents in the years (1) 2014–15, (2) 2015–16, and (3) 2016–17; and how many of those accidents involved Heavy Goods Vehicles.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The number of reported road accidents involving personal injury on motorways, and the number of these involving Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) in Great Britain for the years 2014 to 2016 are provided in the table below. An extra category (accidents involving goods vehicles with unknown weight) has also been included for context. Some of the unknown weight goods vehicles will be HGVs.
Year | Road accidents on motorways | Road accidents on motorways involving HGVs | Road accidents involving goods vehicle with unknown weight |
2014 | 5,630 | 1,312 | 23 |
2015 | 5,550 | 1,305 | 70 |
2016 | 5,405 | 1,076 | 190 |
Source: DfT STATS19
Reported road accident statistics are collected on a calendar year basis.
Statistics for the year 2017 will be published on Thursday 27th September 2018.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what health and safety requirements must be met by motor cycle delivery drivers.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
All persons who use our roads must comply with road traffic legislation and have a duty to comply with the rules in the Highway Code. Road traffic legislation includes the requirement that all drivers must hold an appropriate driving licence (holders of provisional motorcycle licences must complete compulsory basic training) and the obligation to provide documentation if required to do so by an officer of the law. All drivers using roads in the UK must also be in possession of third party insurance covering the use of that vehicle and all vehicles in the UK must also meet set roadworthiness standards, including in relation to emissions levels, at all times. Regulations 16 and 17 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Rule 83 of the Highway Code states that an approved helmet must be worn on two wheeled motorcycles.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 21 December 2017 (HL3983), whether they have any plans to seek to ensure that there is an agreed international standard brace position for use on standard passenger aircraft.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has developed the ‘Manual on Information and Instructions for Passenger Safety’ in order to provide guidance on the safety-related information and instructions that an operator should provide to passengers. This guidance includes instructions for brace position and brace commands. The Government has no plans to seek agreed standards beyond this guidance provided by ICAO and the guidance provided by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the brace position that forms part of passenger airline safety instructions is a Government approved safety procedure.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The requirement to carry out a safety briefing is contained in Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 (the Air Ops Regulation).
The associated European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Guidance Material states that the operator should consider including the brace position in its safety material.
As this is Guidance Material it is not legally enforceable, but we would certainly consider it to be good practice.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on toll charges on public highways that cross rivers and estuaries in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
It is the Government's policy that those who benefit from the significant improvements brought about by estuarial crossings should help to pay for them. Successive Governments have taken the view that tolls are justified, given the high costs of constructing and maintaining such crossings, and the time savings that users make compared to alternative routes.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support is available for adults applying for a driving licence who do not have access to a computer or are not IT literate.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
All applications for a driving licence can be made by completing a paper form. Application forms are available from the Post Office or direct from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. A limited number of Post Office branches also offer an electronic service to capture and transmit data for some driving licence applications.
Customers who have previously been issued with a photocard driving licence can also apply for a new or replacement driving licence by telephoning the DVLA’s Contact Centre.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what regulatory requirements are placed on utilities and other companies to notify residents of the reason for digging up their pavement or road; and what statutory safety requirements they must meet.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are no specific regulatory requirements for utilities and other companies (i.e. undertakers) to notify residents of the reasons for excavating pavements or roads. However, it may be a condition in certain authority areas where permit schemes are operating that undertakers provide advance publicity to residents of their intentions. There is also a national permit condition that requires undertakers to notify local residents and businesses but the condition is only meant to be applied where such notification is vital owing to the sensitivity of the location of the works.
Where street works involve a road closure or the imposition of certain other temporary traffic restrictions, a Traffic Order is needed under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. This legislation requires authorities to publish a notice in one or more local newspapers beforehand. They are also required to take other measures, such as placing notices along the affected street, if they consider it necessary to give adequate publicity to the order.
With regard to statutory safety requirements, undertakers must comply with a statutory Code of Practice ‘Safety at Street Works and Road Works’. This Code is issued under Section 65 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 and Section 174 of the Highways Act 1980.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made to ensure the safety of passengers who use rickshaws as a means of travel.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Pedicabs (or rickshaws) in England outside London are regulated by the local licensing authority. Pedicabs in London are currently unregulated. We are working towards introducing legislation which will enable Transport for London to regulate them.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 8 June (HL342), what regulations are in place to ensure the health and safety of paying passengers outside London; and who is responsible for that function.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As rickshaws (pedicabs) outside London are regulated as taxis (Hackney Carriages), it is down to each local authority to set the licensing conditions, standards and by-laws for both driver and vehicle. This includes ensuring the health and safety of all travelling passengers, for instance through policies on vehicle type and safety features.
This function is the responsibility of the local licensing authority.