Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that the deadline for the end of e-scooter trials is not extended any further.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government plans to legislate to regulate micromobility when parliamentary time allows. The trials continue to provide helpful information to inform that process.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on identifying a National Freight Network.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are making good progress. The Government's current focus is on building stronger data and analysis of freight as a multi-modal system. We will be engaging with the freight and logistics sector as the work to identify a National Freight Network develops.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
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 (a) cost of energy asset extensions for the logistics sector and (b) time taken to deliver energy asset extensions on the introduction of logistics fleet depot charging.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport (DfT) has established the Freight Energy Forum to address the challenges and provide solutions for the provision of zero carbon energy infrastructure for the freight and logistics sector.
Through the Forum, this government is working with industry to take a holistic approach to understand the future energy demand required for the freight and logistics sector to decarbonise, as this is an essential component in order to determine the energy asset extensions it will need.
As such, an assessment of the cost and potential impact of energy asset extensions or the time it will take to deliver them has not been undertaken. However, we are in regular contact with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) where discussions include the energy infrastructure needs of the freight and logistics sector.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to build a railway line between Northampton and Market Harborough.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
On behalf of sub-national transport body England's Economic Heartland, Network Rail previously prepared a feasibility study into reinstating a railway connection between the West Coast Main Line at Northampton and the Midland Main Line at Market Harborough. I encourage him to engage with England's Economic Heartland further on this.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what definitions the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency uses for (a) gender and (b) sex.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
GB law does not require either sex or gender to be displayed on the driving licence and they are not shown on the licence. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does record on the driving licence record whether a driver is male or female and this information is used to generate a driver number.
The process for licence holders to provide and change the information the DVLA holds is not limited by set definitions of sex or gender. In order to change gender on the driver record, the driver needs to provide either a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), a deed poll or statutory declaration. If a driver wants to change both name and gender then the DVLA will accept a deed poll or statutory declaration. Alternatively, if they wish to use a GRC it must be supported by either a deed poll or statutory declaration. A GRC on its own is not accepted for a name and gender change.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Lloyd’s Register’s report The Learning Curve: The state of artificial intelligence in maritime, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the future use of artificial intelligence in shipping.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The value of AI has been identified in the Government’s Maritime 2050 Report (2019) and Technology and Innovation Route Map (2019). Our goal is to leverage the UK’s existing strengths in AI and the data-driven economy to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of the data revolution. The Department has created a dedicated Emerging Technologies Team and is collaborating cross-government, and with leading institutions such as the Alan Turing Institute, to ensure that the benefits of AI are realised in the transport sector.
To support the development of artificial intelligence in shipping, the Department has, for example, provided £169,232 through the Maritime Research and Innovation UK (MarRI-UK) Technology and Innovation call to the University of Liverpool’s safe port navigation project.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Lloyd’s Register’s report The Learning Curve: The state of artificial intelligence in maritime, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential assistance it can provide in creating a safe testing environment for safety critical artificial intelligence prototypes; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The value of AI has been identified in the Government’s Maritime 2050 Report (2019) Technology and Innovation Route Map (2019). Our goal is to leverage the UK’s existing strengths in artificial intelligence and the data-driven economy to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of the data revolution.
Government’s key role in supporting the industry is to ensure that there is an appropriate and forward-looking domestic legislative framework to support the safe testing and use of artificial intelligence in the maritime sector. To support this, Government commissioned the Maritime Autonomy Regulation Lab (MARLab) report (2020) to identify barriers in regulation that could prevent technological development.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Lloyd’s Register Decarbonisation Hub’s Zero Carbon Fuel Monitor, what steps his Department has taken to help increase the readiness of (a) hydrogen, (b) ammonia and (c) methanol as future fuels in shipping.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Clean Maritime Plan is the Government’s route map for the transition to a future of zero emission shipping. It sets out an ambitious path supporting the achievement of the legislative target for the UK to reach net zero emissions across the economy by 2050.
As set out in the 2021 Transport Decarbonisation Plan, the department is taking a two-pronged approach to maritime decarbonisation: a comprehensive policy and regulatory programme; and R&D funding and investment.
Hydrogen and hydrogen carriers have been identified as an important part of the solution for the maritime sector. In January 2022, we extended the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), making renewable fuels of non-biological origin for marine use, such as hydrogen and ammonia, eligible for incentives under the RTFO.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Lloyd’s Register Decarbonisation Hub’s Zero Carbon Fuel Monitor, if she will fund experimental research into the impact of liquid hydrogen in the context of the safety of its storage and transportation.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Transport is funding research and development into a range of technologies, fuels and projects to decarbonise maritime, including hydrogen.
The first two rounds of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition have allocated funding to 86 projects to support the design and development of clean maritime solutions. 31 of those projects are exploring the use of hydrogen in maritime, including its safe storage and transportation. Hydrogen-related projects are also in scope of the £60m third round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, which launched on 29 September and is open for applications until 9 November 2022.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take to use updated technology to reduce the evasion of tolls and penalty charge notices by foreign registered commercial vehicles; and whether he has plans to refuse entry to the UK to those who have evaded such charges.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In regards to the Dartford Crossing Highways England confirm that the vast majority of foreign drivers pay the charges and are not issued with fines.
Highways England also advise that Penalty Charge Notices issued overseas are issued with a warning letter to those using the Dartford Crossing for the first time. This offers a further opportunity to pay the original charge without accruing a fine. This avoids penalising road users that are unaware of the payment arrangements, and raises awareness so that advanced payments can be made in the future. Highways England uses a private collection agency called EPC plc to chase those foreign drivers who do not pay tolls and penalty charges.
Regarding the HGV Levy, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) note that enforcement of non-GB HGVs is a major priority for them. In 2016-17, it checked just over 88,000 non-GB HGVs at the roadside, which accounts for more than 62% of all HGV vehicles stopped for enforcement checks.
From those checks, DVSA issued just under 17,000 penalty notices. These covered offences including the non-payment of the HGV Levy, mechanical offences and drivers hours. In the last year, a number of vehicles were directed out of the country and many were immobilised until the problems identified had been rectified. There are no plans to change the rules on entry for this issue.