Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on (a) the VAT treatment of private hire vehicles and (b) the potential impact of changes in VAT rates for those vehicles on the viability of that sector.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government remains committed to consult on the potential impacts of the Uber Britannia Ltd v Sefton MBC High Court ruling, and will publish a consultation in due course.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support people not eligible for a Cycle to Work Scheme to take up cycling.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Active Travel England provides funding to local authorities and a range of national charities to increase levels of cycling. This includes £33 million provided in 2022/23 under the Capability Fund that can be used for local cycle loan and share schemes, e-cycle initiatives and cycling outreach programmes directed towards underrepresented groups. In addition, the Government has been trialling an £8 million national e-cycle programme to provide opportunities to try e-cycles through short term loans in a small number of locations.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage more women to cycle.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Active Travel England (ATE) provides £2 million per year to the Big Bike Revival project, which focuses cycling activities on underrepresented groups, such as women. In 2022/23, 59% of participants in Big Bike Revival were female.
ATE also provides funding to local authorities to enable women and other underrepresented groups to increase levels of cycling through the Capability Fund. Design guidance for new infrastructure, such as that funded through the Active Travel Fund, requires that new schemes are accessible to all users, including women. Bids must demonstrate that the safety and confidence of women had been factored into the design of active travel schemes.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide an exemption for hybrid vehicles from having a fully operational range extender in MOT tests.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State currently has no plans to bring forward legislation to provide an exemption for hybrid vehicles from having a functioning range extender. To do so would compromise safety and emissions testing.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the National Cycle Network in providing opportunities for active travel in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport provided funding to Sustrans in 2018 to assess the quality, safety, and accessibility of the National Cycle Network (NCN), including in rural areas. The findings were published in Sustrans’ Paths for Everyone report and were used by Sustrans to prioritise the schemes it put forward for Departmental funding. Over £75 million has been provided by the Department to upgrade the NCN since 2018. A progress update was published by Sustrans in 2021.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of funding given by his Department to maintain the National Cycle Network.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department has provided over £75 million to Sustrans to upgrade the National Cycle Network (NCN) since 2018. Further funding for NCN upgrades in 2023/24 onwards will be announced later in the year.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps with Sustrans to improve Route 11 of the National Cycle Network in Cambridge.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport and Active Travel England have supported Sustrans in developing a network development plan, which seeks to improve the National Cycle Network (NCN) and make it more accessible by 2040. Sustrans is working with authorities, including Cambridge City Council, to identify local priorities for future investment. Route 11 is not currently part of the NCN upgrade programme in receipt of funding from the Department.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the financial impact of the ending of the DVLA contract with post offices of those businesses.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Post Office Ltd currently provides a limited range of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services and an extension to the current contract has been agreed, ensuring that DVLA services will be available at post offices until the end of March 2024.
The DVLA wants its customers to be able to access its services as quickly and as easily as possible and the role of front office counter services will form part of the considerations of future service offerings, utilising government agreements if necessary.
The Department for Transport and DVLA are unable to comment on the financial position of post offices.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring agricultural (a) tractors and (b) trailers to undertake MOT testing.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department published a consultation response and amended the Construction and Use Regulations in 2017 to implement EU directive 2014/45 relating to fast tractors used for haulage. These amendments mandate that tractors used for haulage and capable of travelling over 40kmh are tested 4 years after first registration, and every 2 years after, with particular reference to brakes. This includes trailers where relevant.
We will be reviewing the impact of these regulations as detailed in The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 presently.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of requiring mandatory preparatory training for the Agricultural Tractor Driving test.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) encourages learners to only take their driving test when they can drive safely and are ready to pass their test first time. Everyone is different and therefore each person will require a different amount of time to learn to drive, or ride. The DVSA has no plans to regulate mandatory training for any test category.