Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reform taxi and private hire licensing laws; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
The Government is taking robust action and will introduce national standards with Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Safeguarding Guidance, standardised checks, and enhanced enforcement. We will also pursue a national database. We intend to set out shortly these national standards which will safeguard passengers by monitoring adoption levels and engaging with authorities that do not follow them.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on the need for regulatory reform in the taxi and private hire industry.
Answered by George Freeman
Ministers and officials at the Department for Transport meet regularly with representatives of the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle sector to discuss a wide range of issues. Quarterly information on ministerial meetings is published at: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/789fd6df-87a9-4144-bc59-62b0b84e59f0/department-for-transport-ministerial-and-special-adviser-meetings-with-external-organisations-including-meetings-with-newspaper-and-other-media-proprietors-editors-and-senior-executives.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals on the regulatory reform of the taxi and private hire industry.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government will bring forward legislation in line with the commitments made in the response to the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing when time allows. We encourage licensing authorities to make full use of their extensive existing powers to protect passengers.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timescale is for bringing forward legislative proposals to reform the taxi and private hire industry.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Government will bring forward legislation in respect of the commitments made in the response to the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing when time allows.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) assessment he has made of new diabetes monitoring technologies for drivers and (b) discussions his Department has had with the DVLA on updating the DVLA guidance on new diabetes monitoring technologies.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has worked closely with the Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on driving and diabetes mellitus to understand the potential impacts of allowing the use of alternative methods of glucose monitoring. Following consultation with key stakeholders the panel agreed that the evidence demonstrated that interstitial fluid glucose monitoring systems could be used to monitor glucose levels for the purpose of driving cars and motorcycles once the DVLA had published the revised guidelines.
The DVLA is currently amending the Assessing Fitness to Drive guidance on the use of new monitoring technologies for people with diabetes. The revised guidance is due to be published in February. This will allow the testing of interstitial fluid for driving licensing purposes for people with diabetes who drive cars or motorcycles. Drivers of goods vehicles and buses must continue to monitor blood glucose levels.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding has been provided to the London Borough of Redbridge to tackle potholes in each year since 2010; and how that funding compares with the average funding allocated in each year to local authorities in (a) Greater London and (b) England.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The responsibility for local highways maintenance in London, including repairing potholes, is a devolved matter and therefore falls to Transport for London and the London Boroughs. Since 2010, the Department for Transport has allocated London Boroughs with additional funding to help repair potholes, as set out in the table below:
Financial Year £m | Funding Stream | Redbridge | Total for London |
2010/11 | Severe Weather | 0.124 | 3.387 |
2010/11 | Winter 2011 | 0.270 | 10.284 |
2013/14 | Winter 2014 (paid to TfL) |
| 10.000 |
2014/15 | Pothole Fund | 0.325 | 10.000 |
2017/18 | Budget – additional funding | 0.064 | 2.234 |
2018/19 | Budget – highways maintenance additional funding | 0.550 | 20.000 |
Total |
| 1.333 | 55.905 |
‘Total for London’ includes Redbridge figure.
Funding for local highway authorities in England, outside London, for highways maintenance, which includes pothole repair, is available on the Department for Transport website. The latest information can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/roads-funding-information-pack
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report entitled Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Steps towards a safer and more robust system, published in September 2018, when the Government plans to publish its response to that report.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Ministers are considering the recommendations made by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing. A Government response will be issued in due course.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings his Department held with Seaborne Freight in 2018.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Officials were engaged in a series of meetings with Seaborne Freight during discussions over the proposed contract.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to publish its response to the report of Professor Mohammed Abdel-Haque's task and finish group on the taxi and private hire industry, published in September 2018.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Ministers are considering the recommendations made by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing, a Government response will be issued in due course.
Legislation to reform the regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles will be brought forward if required.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on regulatory reform of the taxi and private hire industry.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Ministers are considering the recommendations made by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing, a Government response will be issued in due course.
Legislation to reform the regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles will be brought forward if required.