Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of road closures introduced under emergency provisions during the covid-19 outbreak on local congestion; and how much funding has been provided to local authorities for those closures.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In May, the Government announced £2 billion of new funding for cycling and walking. £225 million is being made available to local authorities in 2020-21 via the Emergency Active Travel Fund to invest in new cycling and walking infrastructure, including road closures where appropriate.
Local authorities are free to make their own decisions about the streets under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. They are responsible for ensuring that their actions are within the law and are accountable to local people for their decisions and their performance. Local councillors are responsible for ensuring that local decisions about street infrastructure take account of the needs and opinions of local people.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the backlog is for applications for (a) new and (b) renewal of vehicle licences; and what steps he is taking to tackle that backlog.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence or to pay vehicle excise duty is to use the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services. These have continued to work well throughout the pandemic and there is no backlog for applications made online. The DVLA has processed more than 36 million online driver and vehicle transactions since March, including issuing nearly two million driving licences.
The number of paper driving licence applications waiting to be processed fluctuates on a daily basis as licences are issued and new applications received. There are no backlogs of vehicle licence applications.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the backlog is for applications for (a) new and (b) renewal of driving licences; and what steps he is taking to tackle that backlog.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence or to pay vehicle excise duty is to use the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services. These have continued to work well throughout the pandemic and there is no backlog for applications made online. The DVLA has processed more than 36 million online driver and vehicle transactions since March, including issuing nearly two million driving licences.
The number of paper driving licence applications waiting to be processed fluctuates on a daily basis as licences are issued and new applications received. There are no backlogs of vehicle licence applications.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he had the (a) Home Secretary and (b) Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government prior to his announcement on changes to the statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards on 21 July 2020.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards were subject to extensive engagement, consultation and agreement across government.
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 ensure that emergency powers granted to local authorities during the covid-19 outbreak are not being used to avoid local consultation and opposition on matters relating to transport.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
It is for local authorities to ensure that any changes they propose to make to road layouts are delivered in line with relevant consultation and noticing requirements.
The changes made in the emergency legislation which came into force on 22 May did not change the existing requirements for noticing for Traffic Regulation Orders. Local authorities are still required to give 7 days’ notice of proposed temporary changes, to allow time for local residents or businesses to send in any comments or objections.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, where the Government's fleet vehicles are produced; and whether they are made using UK steel.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Information on all Government fleets is not held centrally and this response is for the Government Car Service fleet which operates as a division of the Department for Transport. The attached table indicates the material that the car bodies are manufactured from, also indicating if UK steel has been used.
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 3 July 2020 to Question 64070 on Jet Zero Council, whether he plans to publish the membership of the Jet Zero Council before the summer recess.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
It is our intention to publish draft membership and terms of reference of the Jet Zero Council before summer recess.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the airline industry on increases in air fares to Pakistan following the restrictions placed on Pakistan International Airlines.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Air fares are a matter for individual airlines to determine; we have had no discussions with the airline industry about air fares to Pakistan. We are monitoring the situation following the suspension of Pakistan International Airlines’ services, on safety grounds, which must remain a priority. We wish to ensure on-going air connectivity between the UK and Pakistan.
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 23 June 2020 to Question 59367 on the Jet Zero Council, whether the Council membership will include trades union representatives of the workers in that industry.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
As I noted on 23 June, we are engaging with stakeholders regarding membership of the Jet Zero Council. We will of course want to engage with a range of key stakeholders as part of this work, including trade union representatives.
Full details and the Council’s Terms of Reference will be announced shortly.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the projected costs for the Thames Gateway Bridge were; and what recent estimate he has made of the cost of the new Thames Tunnel.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
As you may be aware, transport in London is devolved. Proposals for river crossings or tunnels in London are the responsibility of the Mayor.