Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to Answer of 29 October 2021 to Question 63799 on Imports, what assessment has he made of the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union on haulage industry staffing.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Countries across Europe and globally are facing similar HGV driver shortages. The Government is therefore focusing on developing UK-based talent as the enduring solution to the HGV driver shortage which will secure the future of the workforce.
We have taken decisive action to address the acute driver shortage, with 30 specific measures taken by the Government already. We are seeing results with 1,350 more haulier tests available a week from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he is having with the Serious Fraud Office in the context of the Government’s decision to end SouthEastern Railway’s franchise.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
At this time, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on any possible investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in the context of the Government’s decision to end SouthEastern Railway’s franchise, what investigations are being progressed by his Department alongside the internal investigation by Go-Ahead group.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
My Department has been engaging with a non-executive committee, formed of the chairs of both of LSER’s owning groups. The committee is reviewing the issues and will produce a report for the Department to review. We have had sight of the terms, members and scope of the non-executive committee to satisfy ourselves of the appropriateness of the investigation. On receipt of the final report, my officials will undertake rigorous examination and review of the evidence provided and will report to me whether further action or further investigation is required.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the amount of funding allocated from the public purse that will be repaid in response to the Government’s decision to end SouthEastern Railway’s franchise.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department is still reviewing the matters in full but will ensure all money owed to taxpayers is recovered, and this will include the appropriate interest payment. To date, we have recovered over £25m from LSER and following on from the investigation I will also be considering whether further actions or investigation is required.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government’s decision to end SouthEastern Railway’s franchise, what steps his Department is taking to review the wider use of executive bonuses and company dividends in the rail sector.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department will consider any lessons regarding the use of executive bonuses and company dividends as part of its review into Southeastern. Any lessons learned will be used to inform future contracts both on Southeastern and other TOCs.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government’s decision to end SouthEastern Railway’s franchise, what assessment his Department has made of the future viability of the (a) Thameslink, (b) Southern and (c) Great Northern franchises.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
At this stage I have no reason to believe this activity is part of a wider-industry practice. My officials will be examining the outcome of the on-going investigation and will consider what further steps may be appropriate. The outcome of the investigation will also be a relevant factor in respect of decisions regarding the future of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise. The Operator of Last Resort is always available if required in accordance with our statutory obligations.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to introduce subsidies that bring the retail value of electric cars in line with their fossil fuel counterparts.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government has committed to introduce a zero emission vehicle mandate setting targets for a percentage of manufacturers’ new car and van sales to be zero emission each year from 2024. The Government announced a further £620m towards the electric vehicle transition as part of the Net Zero Strategy. This will have a particular focus on targeted plug in vehicle grants and local on-street residential charging. This is in addition to the Government’s existing support to drivers making the switch to electric vehicles through the Plug in Car Grant (PiCG), which provides up to £2,500. Government has already previously committed £582m towards for cars vans, motorcycles and taxis to 2022/23, following the Budget in 2020. This will support greater uptake of zero emission vehicles for greener journeys. Once fuel costs and tax incentives are factored in, we expect the total cost of ownership to reach parity during the 2020s, compared to petrol and diesel cars. It costs from 1p per mile to run a new electric vehicle, compared to around 10p per mile for new diesel or petrol vehicles. We are also supporting the second hand market, through charging infrastructure support and zero road tax for zero emission vehicles.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to help local authorities improve electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government’s On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) is available to all UK local authorities to provide public chargepoints for their residents without access to off-street parking. This year, £20 million is available under the scheme to ensure more local authorities and residents can benefit. We also offer extensive support and guidance for local authorities including through the Energy Saving Trust (EST), which runs the Local Government Support Programme – an impartial advisory service which helps local authorities in England to develop local policies and strategies to support ZEV uptake. We will also work with EST on a series of webinars to support the sharing of best practice and expertise, and ensure local authorities are sighted of the national policy developments and direction in this space. We believe that local authorities have a crucial role to play in enabling the transition to zero emission driving and we are working closer than ever with them to encourage uptake of central Government funding. In early 2022, in collaboration with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), we will publish an EV infrastructure guide for local authorities to assist with the transition to ZEVs. More widely, later this year, we will publish an electric vehicle infrastructure strategy, setting out our vision for infrastructure rollout, and roles for the public and private sectors in achieving it.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the role of local authorities in the decarbonisation of transport.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
There is no uniform approach to decarbonisation and each place has its role to play in ensuring the UK meets its target of net zero by 2020. Using place-based solutions for emissions reduction is one of the six strategic priorities in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan. We recognise that for transport, local and regional level organisations are often best placed to make the decisions that will deliver practical change. Local authorities are a key part of this picture, and we have committed to publish a Local Authority Toolkit that will provide guidance to support local areas to deliver more sustainable transport measures. We will support decarbonisation by investing more than £12 billion in local transport systems over the current Parliament, enabling local authorities to invest in local priorities, such as improving electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the costs to international travellers associated with (a) privately-funded covid tests and (b) hotel quarantine for those arriving from countries on the Red list during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The government continues to work across departments, the travel industry and private testing providers to further reduce testing costs, while ensuring travel is as safe as possible. The government will continue to review the testing and health measures in place, with the next Checkpoint review taking place later this month.