Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of car driving test slots.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.
As of 26 February 2024, there were 518,517 car practical driving tests booked, and 136,868 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.
The DVSA has deployed all eligible managers and administrative staff back on the front line to do driving tests from the beginning of October until the end of March, which will create around 150,000 additional test slots.
To further increase the number of available test slots, it is conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners.
Since April 2021, measures put in place by the DVSA to reduce waiting times for its customers, together with the ongoing recruitment of driving examiners, is creating on average over 48,300 extra car test slots each month.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the construction of the HS2 station at Old Oak Common on the mainline services from south Wales to London terminals.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Construction of the Old Oak Common conventional station will involve a number of partial and complete closures of the Great Western Main Line during the period up to 2030 which will impact passenger services and freight operations. My department is working with Network Rail, HS2 Ltd and the train operating companies to minimise the impacts of disruption and ensure the continued operation of rail services between south Wales and London.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring further traffic commissioner functions relating to licence applications to the Traffic Commissioner for Wales in the context of enabling access to forms relating to licence applications in Welsh and in English.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The operator licensing system is a GB function responsible for the licensing and regulation of large commercial vehicles. Traffic commissioners are appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport and are deployed by the Senior Traffic Commissioner to eight traffic areas, one of which is Wales. There is a full time Traffic Commissioner for Wales, partly funded by the Welsh Government to carry out specific work for the benefit of Wales.
As the Traffic Commissioner for Wales is already responsible for the licensing and regulation of PSV and goods vehicle operators in Wales, there are no current proposals to transfer any further functions. The recent MoJ review of the traffic commissioner functions confirmed existing arrangements, although the need to review existing fees was acknowledged.
The traffic commissioners place a great deal of importance for their responsibility in ensuring the compliance with the relevant Welsh language legislation and in promoting the use of the Welsh language. An operator based in Wales is able to choose to correspond in the Welsh language. In 2016, the DVSA launched a new online business system for operators to apply and manage their licences online. Specific development work was carried out to ensure that this service was available both in Welsh and English.
Where manual forms are still required, these are available in the Welsh language, as are the majority of guidance forms produced by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner. Further work is being undertaken to update further guidance and in making them more easily accessible.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of his Department's expenditure on Network Rail operations was on (a) operating costs, (b) traction electricity, industry costs and rates, (c) renewals, (d) enhancements and (e) all other expenditure in (i) England and (ii) Wales in each of the last 13 years.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The requested information can be found in the attached Excel document. Note for context that NR spend on the Wales and Borders route is between 4% and 5% of the GB total so far in CP6, whilst Network Rail’s Wales and Borders route makes up circa 4% of the entire GB rail network in terms of train miles in CP6.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average cost is of the medical assessment that is required to obtain an (a) ENG1 and (b) ML5 certificate in each (i) nation and (ii) region.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The ENG1 fee for medicals conducted in the United Kingdom is set by the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 at £115. Overseas approved doctors charge a range of prices reflecting the geographical locations of the doctor.
The ML5 fee is not set and evidence suggests this fee can range from £65 to £250. There is no evidence that there are significant differences between nations and regions.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average train journey time from (a) Glasgow to London and (b) Bangor to London (i) is and (ii) will be following the completion of HS2.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
HS2 services will provide needed additional capacity on the West Coast Mainline with increased reliability and significantly faster journey times.
Journey times between Glasgow and London will fall from the current 4 hours 30 minutes to an estimated 3 hours 48 minutes with the completion of HS2. Bangor to London is currently 3 hours 20 minutes. Faster journeys could be available when HS2 services begin via Crewe if passengers were willing to change trains. For example, the current journey time from Bangor to Crewe is 1 hour 33 minutes, with Crewe to London an estimated 55 minutes when HS2 is operational. The journey times will be dependent on the final timetable when HS2 services become operational.
No decisions have been made on the timetable that will operate when HS2 services begin. These decisions will be made nearer the start of services and will be subject to public consultation.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the requirement for seafarers to have either ENG1 or ML5 medical certificates in order to continue working at sea after November 2023, what assessment he has made of whether it is appropriate to include questions relating to BMI in the application process seafarers must undertake in order to obtain a ML5 medical certificate.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The use of body mass index (BMI) is included in the International Labour Organization/International Maritime Organization’s Guidelines of the medical examinations of seafarers. Body mass index is a useful indicator of when additional assessment is needed. It does not form the sole basis for decisions on capability. There is no upper limit on BMI value for the assessor to issue a medical certificate and any restrictions or unfit decisions are usually based on other medical conditions and issues with physical capability rather than the BMI number itself.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the requirement for seafarers to have either ENG1 or ML5 medical certificates in order to continue working at sea after November 2023, what the cost implications will be for seafarers who are denied an ML5 medical certificate and appeal the decision.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
There is no cost to the seafarer to exercise their right to appeal against failure or restriction for an ENG1 certificate other than the cost of travel to the appointment with the referee if the review takes place face to face. There is no cost to the seafarer for referral for an ML5 certificate. The costs of appeal or referral are borne by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the number of seafarers working in the UK of the requirement for seafarers to have either ENG1 or ML5 medical certificates in order to continue working at sea after November 2023; what recent discussions he has had with organisations representing seafarers on the requirement for seafarers to have either ENG1 or ML5 medical certificates; what steps he is taking to support seafarers who will be required to obtain either ENG1 or ML5 medical certificates; and what steps he is taking to raise awareness among seafarers.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The main intended outcome, given that the risk level of commercial fishing in the UK is estimated to be 100 times greater than the general workforce, is to ensure that those in the industry are not likely, because of a medical condition, to put themselves in danger, or put others in danger in coming to rescue them.
The requirement for a medical certificate brings fishing into line with all other maritime sectors, and indeed other transport sectors, and all seafarers other than fishers have been required to hold a medical certificate for many years.
The Department for Transport is particularly mindful of those already working in the sector, and this is why we have put Grandfather Rights in place. No-one in the industry has yet been refused a ML5 medical fitness certificate by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) medical assessors.
The MCA has extensively engaged with industry on this over many years, including through a public consultation. The MCA has written to those in the sector with information and published guidance on www.gov.uk, including a Q&A addressing the most common concerns. The MCA has also been working with the Fishermen’s Mission to help deliver the message on quaysides, as well as through MCA surveyors.
Any fisher concerned or uncertain about how to obtain a medical certificate can contact the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Medical Administration Team who can advise on the process to follow.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits of the Northern Powerhouse Rail for Wales.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government published the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) for the North and Midlands in November 2021 of which Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) forms one component. As NPR is a programme designed to improve connectivity in the North of England, specific economic benefits accruing to Wales from the scheme have not been assessed.
The IRP will improve onward connectivity to the South West and Wales via a new high-speed line from Birmingham to Manchester. Much of North Wales will also be brought within two and a quarter hours of London, via interchange with HS2 at Crewe. In addition, the Midlands Rail Hub business case focuses on improving links to Hereford, Worcester, Coventry and regional links to South Wales and Bristol.