Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that rail operators provide sufficient staffing and passenger management during major route disruptions.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department expects train operators and Network Rail to have plans in place to support passengers during major disruption, including appropriate staffing.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures are in place to ensure that assistance services in rail stations for disabled and vulnerable passengers remain functional during significant service disruptions.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All train and station operators are required, under their Accessible Travel Policy, to provide assistance to disabled and vulnerable passengers during periods of disruption. This includes, where appropriate, the provision of alternative accessible transport.
Operators must set out in their Accessible Travel Policy how they will communicate with passengers and deliver assistance during disruption, including for those who have booked help in advance. These policies are approved and monitored by the Office of Rail and Road.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of passenger notification procedures for planned engineering works that result in disruption to rail services.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Standard practice is for journey planner websites like National Rail Enquiries and train operating company websites to start showing alternative travel information 12 weeks in advance. Network Rail is responsible for coordinating and validating timetables for the national rail network and works with all the train operating companies to ensure passengers are adequately informed of planned engineering works.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of off-road vehicles imported from the USA on pedestrian safety.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Any imported car or light goods vehicle up to 10 years old will require approval before it can be registered for use on the roads of Great Britian to ensure it meets prescribed environmental and safety requirements. There are several different approval schemes available, and the process will vary depending on the specific scheme and type of vehicle, but each contains provisions to minimise, as far as practicable, tailpipe emissions and risk to pedestrians. Imported vehicles over 10 years old are required to pass an annual roadworthiness test to assess their tailpipe emissions and ensure that they are safe.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential environmental impact of off-road vehicles imported from the USA.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Any imported car or light goods vehicle up to 10 years old will require approval before it can be registered for use on the roads of Great Britian to ensure it meets prescribed environmental and safety requirements. There are several different approval schemes available, and the process will vary depending on the specific scheme and type of vehicle, but each contains provisions to minimise, as far as practicable, tailpipe emissions and risk to pedestrians. Imported vehicles over 10 years old are required to pass an annual roadworthiness test to assess their tailpipe emissions and ensure that they are safe.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to introduce air quality targets within train stations.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the railway maintains the highest air quality standards to safeguard the health and well-being of passengers and rail staff. The Department for Transport already requires Network Rail and train operators to develop air quality improvement plans to address issues in stations. The Department is also working with the Rail Safety and Standards Board to explore the option of specific air quality targets for the rail network, including within stations, to ensure rail remains one of the cleanest forms of mass public transport. The Department will confirm its position in due course.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average processing time was for reissuing a driving licence following medical clearance in the last 12 months; and if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of that average processing time.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to make a licensing decision within 90 working days in 90% of cases where a medical investigation must be investigated before a licence can be issued. In the 2023/24 financial year, the average time to make a licensing decision in such cases was 55 working days.
The length of time taken to deal with an application varies depending on the medical condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from medical professionals. The DVLA is often reliant on receiving information from medical professionals before it can take any further action on an application.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Kosovo on a potential reciprocal driving licence exchange agreement with that country.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Following a request from the Kosovan Embassy to consider a possible reciprocal driving licence exchange agreement, officials have carried out a full assessment of the licensing and testing information provided by the Kosovan authorities. This assessment concluded that arrangements in place in Kosovo for the issue of driving licences, including having driving tests and licensing procedures, are comparable with those in Great Britain.
The department is now progressing the work required to achieve an exchange agreement as quickly as possible. All such licence exchange agreements are subject to public consultation and the introduction of the relevant legislation.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when will legislation be brought forward to allow vehicles from London’s ULEZ scrappage scheme to be donated to Ukraine.
Answered by Huw Merriman
We were concerned to hear about the Mayor of London’s objections to this scheme, and surprised they took so long to be raised with Government. Subsequently officials have been working at pace to find a way to resolve the Mayor’s concerns.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that rural communities have access to electric vehicle charging points.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Earlier this month, the Government published ‘Future of Transport: helping local authorities to unlock the benefits of technology and innovation in rural transport’. The document details the support that the Government is providing to ensure that electric vehicle chargepoints are installed across the UK, including in rural communities. This support includes grants for homes and workplaces, support for local authorities through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund and the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, and supporting long distance journeys through the Rapid Charging Fund.
In addition, the Government recently published its Plan for Drivers. The Plan sets out seven further actions that the Government is planning to take to support the transition to zero emission driving. This includes an intention to review the grid connections process for EV chargepoints, to consult on the expansion of street works permits to chargepoint operators, and to consult on the expansion of permitted development rights.
The Government will continue to monitor market developments to determine whether any significant gaps in charging infrastructure provision emerge and will consider the case for further support if required.