Asked by: Alison Seabeck (Labour - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria are used to decide which local authorities receive monies from the challenge fund allocation; what weighting is given to highways management efficiency; and how information used in the process of decision is verified.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
As part of the Government’s announcement on 23 December 2014 in respect to local highways maintenance funding to highway authorities in England, outside London, the Department for Transport published guidance, an application form, as well as assessment criteria for the local highways maintenance challenge fund. The information is available at the following weblink:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-highways-maintenance-challenge-fund
Assessment of all the bids received by close on 9 February 2015 is based on the published criteria and will help inform the decision on successful schemes based on the evidence supplied by local highway authorities.
As part of the assessment by the Department for Transport, each bid is being subject to a dual-assessment, and will also go through a moderation exercise plus an internal Department for Transport investment decision committee approval process before Ministers make final decisions on which schemes will be awarded funding.
Asked by: Alison Seabeck (Labour - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any additional costs to the public purse would arise from designating the route between Exeter and Plymouth as part of the strategic national transport corridor.
Answered by John Hayes
The Highways Agency published evidence reports for 18 Route Strategies in April this year, and the route between Exeter and Plymouth (the A38) was covered by the South West Peninsula route strategy. Since publication of the reports, the Agency has identified priority locations for possible future investment and started a programme of preliminary studies to identify options which would address the challenges identified. This hasinformed the investment decisions set out in the Department’s Road Investment Strategy.
Asked by: Alison Seabeck (Labour - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving licences were withdrawn on the basis of alcohol abuse (a) following a road traffic accident and (b) at the request of a GP or medical practitioner in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not hold information on the number of driving licences withdrawn on the basis of alcohol abuse following a road traffic accident.
No driving licences have been withdrawn on the basis of alcohol abuse at the request of a General Practitioner or a medical practitioner in the last five years.
Asked by: Alison Seabeck (Labour - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Department for Transport gave a substantive answer to all parliamentary questions by the time of the 2014 prorogation.
Asked by: Alison Seabeck (Labour - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of seafarer fatigue on maritime safety; and what steps his Department is taking to enforce manning levels on vessels.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch were active participants in the multi-partner HORIZON research project, an EC-funded study, which used simulators to identify the effect on seafarers of working hours and interrupted rest. The project report demonstrates conclusively the links between certain watch keeping patterns and the performance of seafarers (looking particularly at “sleepiness”).
The Government is committed to reducing the effects of fatigue on maritime safety and the health of seafarers. The output from HORIZON has been used to provide practical guidance to seafarers. The MCA remains involved with research on seafarer fatigue with other industry stakeholders.
MCA Surveyors routinely inspect UK ships and foreign flag ships in UK waters and verify hours of work records for compliance with the regulations, and check ships are safely manned in accordance the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW).
The UK is leading the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control Concentrated Inspection Campaign to ensure compliance with the hours of rest requirements of watchkeepers under STCW which will run from 1 September 2014 to 30 November 2014.