Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed one-year increase to the first date most road vehicles are MOT-tested on the safety of intensively used road vehicles.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department ran a consultation between 18 January and 22 March on the proposal to defer the date of a light vehicle’s first MOT from three to four years. The results of the consultation are currently being considered by ministers and a response will be issued in due course.
The impact assessment and its annex include a full consideration of the potential decrease in road safety due to more time and mileage passing before a vehicle’s first MOT under a one-year increase to the first date. The analysis found that the level of casualties involved in collisions caused by vehicle defects could increase by 1 - 4%, but this represents a much smaller magnitude when compared to overall collisions (around 0.01 - 0.05%). The published impact assessment also outlines assumptions and limitations of the analysis.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have for a successor to the Freight Innovation Fund for 2024 onwards.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has facilitated and will continue to facilitate the trial of innovation in logistics, including innovative logistics vehicles.
The Zero Emission Road Freight Demonstrator (ZERFD) programme will demonstrate hundreds of zero emission HGVs across multiple technologies, alongside their associated refuelling and recharging infrastructure, on UK roads over the coming years. It will identify how each technology can best be used to decarbonise the heaviest HGVs.
The Government conducted an extensive trial of longer semi-trailer HGVs. This trial demonstrated that these vehicles, which are often built in the UK, can be used safely and provide significant benefits in improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) (Amendment) Order 2023 has been laid to enter into force on 31st May 2023 to enable these vehicles to be used outside the trial, their use having been proven in the trial.
On a smaller scale the Government has recently awarded nine SMEs Freight Innovation Fund grants to trial innovative freight solutions to support decarbonisation. The successful SMEs have partnered with larger businesses to run trials at scale and include drone delivery of mail in the Orkneys and e-cargo bikes in London. The £7m Freight Innovation Fund will run for three years, concluding in 2025. The Government will evaluate the effectiveness of the fund before taking any decisions on any successor programme.
Trials of innovative logistics vehicles have continued in the UK irrespective of any delay to legislation.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the ability to trial innovative logistics vehicles in the UK resulting from delaying the introduction of the Transport Bill mentioned in the Queen’s Speech on 10 May 2022.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has facilitated and will continue to facilitate the trial of innovation in logistics, including innovative logistics vehicles.
The Zero Emission Road Freight Demonstrator (ZERFD) programme will demonstrate hundreds of zero emission HGVs across multiple technologies, alongside their associated refuelling and recharging infrastructure, on UK roads over the coming years. It will identify how each technology can best be used to decarbonise the heaviest HGVs.
The Government conducted an extensive trial of longer semi-trailer HGVs. This trial demonstrated that these vehicles, which are often built in the UK, can be used safely and provide significant benefits in improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) (Amendment) Order 2023 has been laid to enter into force on 31st May 2023 to enable these vehicles to be used outside the trial, their use having been proven in the trial.
On a smaller scale the Government has recently awarded nine SMEs Freight Innovation Fund grants to trial innovative freight solutions to support decarbonisation. The successful SMEs have partnered with larger businesses to run trials at scale and include drone delivery of mail in the Orkneys and e-cargo bikes in London. The £7m Freight Innovation Fund will run for three years, concluding in 2025. The Government will evaluate the effectiveness of the fund before taking any decisions on any successor programme.
Trials of innovative logistics vehicles have continued in the UK irrespective of any delay to legislation.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the ability to trial innovative logistics vehicles in the UK of the UK’s current planning and regulatory systems.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has facilitated and will continue to facilitate the trial of innovation in logistics, including innovative logistics vehicles.
The Zero Emission Road Freight Demonstrator (ZERFD) programme will demonstrate hundreds of zero emission HGVs across multiple technologies, alongside their associated refuelling and recharging infrastructure, on UK roads over the coming years. It will identify how each technology can best be used to decarbonise the heaviest HGVs.
The Government conducted an extensive trial of longer semi-trailer HGVs. This trial demonstrated that these vehicles, which are often built in the UK, can be used safely and provide significant benefits in improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) (Amendment) Order 2023 has been laid to enter into force on 31st May 2023 to enable these vehicles to be used outside the trial, their use having been proven in the trial.
On a smaller scale the Government has recently awarded nine SMEs Freight Innovation Fund grants to trial innovative freight solutions to support decarbonisation. The successful SMEs have partnered with larger businesses to run trials at scale and include drone delivery of mail in the Orkneys and e-cargo bikes in London. The £7m Freight Innovation Fund will run for three years, concluding in 2025. The Government will evaluate the effectiveness of the fund before taking any decisions on any successor programme.
Trials of innovative logistics vehicles have continued in the UK irrespective of any delay to legislation.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the proposed period test for an HGV Driver Certificate for Professional Competence on (1) the hours of training undertaken by HGV drivers, and (2) road safety.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
My Department has recently closed a consultation into proposed reforms to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) qualification. The consultation presented an opportunity to receive responses which could be assessed to determine the impacts of proposals, including those related to the periodic test. My officials are currently analysing responses which cover, among other things, the preference for the test in comparison to training and the perceived effectiveness of the test in assuring road safety.
In developing the test proposal, my officials conducted a review into DCPC combined with stakeholder engagement. The outcome of this work identified a need for increased driver choice and flexibility in how DCPC is maintained. To emphasise, the test proposal is an option put to consultation and would give drivers the choice of renewing DCPC using a test or training. If a test were used, it does not stop drivers training either to prepare for the test or for other reasons. Finally, the content of the periodic test has been put to consultation but is intended to assess driver knowledge of key, safety critical areas.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures are in place to safeguard land for the UK’s logistics network, including (1) transport, (2) intermodal sites, (3) warehousing, and (4) other facilities.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government’s 2022 Future of Freight plan sets out measures to ensure the planning system makes sufficient land available for the freight and logistics industry, now and in the future. The primary goal of these measures is to increase the number of sites allocated for freight and supply infrastructure. As committed in the Future of Freight plan, the Government has recently opened a call for evidence on freight and the planning system. The Government will use the responses to this call for evidence to understand how best to meet the needs of the freight sector through planning reform.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the quality of roads maintenance on (1) the logistics network’s efficiency, (2) the logistics network’s emissions, (3) the efficiency and productivity of UK businesses, and (4) the UK’s trade capacity.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
On the Strategic Road Network, the needs of freight and logistics and its customers is considered by National Highways as it prioritises, plans, communicates, and delivers maintenance and renewals on the network. This includes establishing the optimal time to undertake work to minimize the disruption to road users of work on the network and provide corridor-level resilience.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on innovation in the UK’s logistics sector of the UK’s potential departure from the Horizon Programme.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
No direct assessment has been made on the effect on innovation in the logistics sector.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of restrictions on night flights on the competitiveness of the UK.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the benefits that night flights bring to the economy, through connectivity and the movement of time-critical freight. We also recognise that aviation night noise can disturb people’s sleep - with the potential for health impacts.
To strike a balance between the benefits and detriments, the Government sets restrictions on night flights at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports, and local planning authorities set restrictions at other airports.
For the airports where restrictions are set by Government, the Government regularly consults on appropriate restrictions to find this balance. The most recent related consultation closed in early May, and we will consult on future proposals towards the end of this year. The Government is aware that the aviation industry has in the past sponsored research to assess the economic impact of night flying in the UK. Through these consultations, it is incumbent on the aviation industry to continue to develop the evidence base and demonstrate the value that night operations bring to the UK economy.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of restrictions on night flights on the efficiency of air freight (1) into, (2) out of, and (3) within, the UK.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the benefits that night flights bring to the economy, through connectivity and the movement of time-critical freight. We also recognise that aviation night noise can disturb people’s sleep - with the potential for health impacts.
To strike a balance between the benefits and detriments, the Government sets restrictions on night flights at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports, and local planning authorities set restrictions at other airports.
For the airports where restrictions are set by Government, the Government regularly consults on appropriate restrictions to find this balance. The most recent related consultation closed in early May, and we will consult on future proposals towards the end of this year. The Government is aware that the aviation industry has in the past sponsored research to assess the economic impact of night flying in the UK. Through these consultations, it is incumbent on the aviation industry to continue to develop the evidence base and demonstrate the value that night operations bring to the UK economy.