Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the matter in which the private parking industry is using its access to DVLA records.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The law allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to release vehicle keeper details to third parties in certain limited circumstances, subject to appropriate safeguards. This includes the release of information to help manage parking on private land.
To ensure motorists are treated fairly, the DVLA will only provide information to private parking companies that are members of an appropriate accredited trade association and adhere to an enforceable code of practice. The DVLA audits external data users to ensure information is requested and used appropriately.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2022 to Question 40733, on Petrol: Ethanol, what is the current percentage of biofuels that are (a) waste-derived and (b) crop-based.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The feedstock used to produce biofuel rewarded under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) is reported by suppliers and published quarterly on gov.uk.
The latest full year’s verified data indicates that in 2020, seventy-seven percent of biofuels were derived from wastes and residues and twenty-three per cent were crop-based.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the current world food shortages, if he will reassess the requirement for ethanol content in petrol.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We regularly review measures promoting low carbon fuels to ensure that they deliver cost effective carbon reductions. Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, we promote waste-derived biofuels and reduce the volume of crop-based biofuels that can count towards supplier targets.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new buses and coaches were registered last year (a) in total and (b) by system of propulsion.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The numbers of buses and coaches1 registered for the first time in the United Kingdom by propulsion / fuel type is given in the following table.
Year | Petrol | Diesel | Gas2 | Battery Electric | Other3 | TOTAL |
2021(to end-September only) | 52 | 3,053 | 1 | 236 | 52 | 3,394 |
Source: DfT / DVLA
1 Based on DVLA body type for buses and coaches, which also includes minibuses. The DVLA body type does not necessarily relate to how vehicles are used.
2 Includes gas, gas bi-fuel, petrol/gas and diesel/gas.
3 Includes hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, new fuel technologies, fuel cells and steam.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made contact with the Government of UAE regarding the recent actions of Dubai Ports-owned P&O.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Secretary of State has not as yet made contact with the Government of the UAE in relation to the recent actions of P&O. However, both myself and the Secretary of State have been in contact with P&O Ferries.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has held discussions with the Government of Cyprus on the recent actions of P&O Ferries.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Secretary of State has not as yet held discussions with the Government of Cyprus in relation to the recent actions of P&O Ferries. However, both myself and the Secretary of State have been in contact with P&O Ferries.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on funding orders for hydrogen-fuelled buses.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department remains committed to supporting the roll out of zero emission buses (ZEBs) and is providing over £525m funding over this parliament.
The Government’s approach to the delivery of the ZEBs will be technology neutral. The £270m Zero Emission Bus Regional Area scheme is due to announce winners from the standard process in Spring 2022, having announced winners from the fast track process in October 2021. Local areas were able to apply for funding for both battery electric buses and hydrogen fuel cell buses depending on which technology is best suited to their local areas.
The Government has supported the introduction of hydrogen buses through the previous Low and Ultra Low Emission Bus funding schemes. Through these schemes, Government provided over £4.8m to a joint bid between Birmingham City Council and Transport for London for 40 hydrogen double decker buses. In addition, Government provided over £4.3m to Brighton and Hove Buses for a further 20 hydrogen buses.
Funding from other funding schemes, such as the Transforming Cities Fund and City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, can also be used by local areas to support the introduction of ZEBs. 20 hydrogen buses are being supported in the Liverpool City Region through funding from the Transforming Cities Fund.
The Government will also increase the rate at which the Bus Service Operators Grant can be claimed for ZEBs to 22p per km, further incentivising and supporting the uptake of battery electric buses and hydrogen fuel cell buses.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve roadside facilities for HGV drivers.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government recognises the need to ensure hauliers have access to appropriate services and facilities.
We will be investing £32.5 million in roadside facilities for HGV drivers on the road.
The Department continues to engage with key stakeholders to encourage the development of more safe, secure, and high-quality lorry parking to improve driver welfare.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department made of the effect of (a) crew numbers and (b) working hours at P&O ferries on crew and passenger safety.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department has not made an assessment of the effects of crew numbers and working hours on P&O Ferries operations. P&O have no UK-flagged vessels and operate on international routes. Their vessels are primarily subject to the laws of the country in which they are registered but are inspected by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as UK Port State Authority to ensure compliance with relevant safety standards and regulations.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's regulations are for GB stickers and vehicle licence plates for travel abroad; and if he will publish the impact assessment that preceded the recent change of that designation from from GB to UK.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
We have made no changes to the regulations on number plates which continue to allow motorists of vehicles registered in Great Britain to display:
UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom or UK
GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain or GB
ENGLAND, England, ENG or Eng
SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco
CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym
WALES or Wales
All options remain available to motorists. A UK sticker or identifier is only needed for those travelling abroad.
As there were no changes to regulations, an Impact Assessment has not been prepared.