Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times for practical driving tests.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.
To increase the number of car driving test slots, the DVSA deployed eligible managers and administrative staff back on the front line to do driving tests from the beginning of October 2023 until the end of March 2024; which created over 145,000 additional test slots. Eligible managers and administrative staff will continue to spend a portion of their time conducting car tests in the coming months to help continue to reduce waiting times.
Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers, including: the recruitment of driving examiners, conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners is creating, on average, over 48,300 extra car test slots each month.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department is taking steps to reduce disparities in car insurance costs between residents of the UK who were born in the UK and those who were born outside the UK.
Answered by Robert Courts
Motor insurers are responsible for setting the price of motor insurance premiums based on their underwriting experience, and it is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant.
They use a range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver poses. This includes the applicant’s age, postcode, the type of vehicle and their driving record and experience. It might also include other risk factors such as whether the driver was born in the UK or abroad.
This is a commercial decision for individual insurers and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market. There are no plans to change this approach.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed improvements to rail connectivity between Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham on rail freight.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Midlands Connect produced an SOBC for this scheme in May 2021, which refers to potential uses that this proposal could have for rail freight.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain committed to publishing the RNEP update, which has been delayed by the need to take account of the impacts of the pandemic and the Spending Review. We want to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible on rail enhancements and will set out our plans shortly.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help reduce journey times by rail between Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has committed to the largest ever single investment in Britain’s railways with the £96bn Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands. We will construct a new high speed line from the West Midlands to the East Midlands which will directly serve Nottingham and Derby and allow interchange at East Midlands Parkway.
In addition, we will complete electrification of the Midland Main Line, including Leicester whilst progressing options for Midlands Rail Hub, focusing on improving links across the Midlands, including Hereford, Worcester and Coventry.
We remain committed to publishing the RNEP update, which has been delayed by the need to take account of the impacts of the pandemic and the Spending Review. We want to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible on rail enhancements and will set out our plans shortly.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of reinstating direct services on the Coventry-Leicester-Nottingham rail corridor on the number of passengers travelling by train along that corridor.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Although unable to discuss individual projects at this time the Government is now focusing our investment on rail infrastructure in the Midlands and the North. This will help deliver on the Government’s ambition to grow and level up the economy and provide equality of opportunity.
We remain committed to publishing the RNEP update, which has been delayed by the need to take account of the impacts of the pandemic and the Spending Review. We want to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible on rail enhancements and will set out our plans shortly.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling holders of licences for passenger carrying vehicles to drive large goods vehicles of a similar size, including after completing an additional module.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The regulations require drivers of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) to pass the relevant theory and practical tests applicable to that type of vehicle. Whilst there are some similarities in driving passenger carrying vehicles, it is an important part of maintaining road safety standards that HGV drivers have undergone the appropriate training and passed the different tests to drive safely.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether rail operators plan to extend railcards due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department recognises that Railcard holders have been unable to use their cards while travel restrictions were in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are considering a range of options for all Railcard holders, and continue to work closely with the Rail Delivery Group and the wider industry to consider how best to support passengers in light of the COVID-19 related travel restrictions and returning to the railway