Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to regulate the sale and purchase of private escooters.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under existing legislation, businesses are responsible for ensuring the products they place on the UK market, including e-scooters, are safe. When selling e-scooters, retailers must be clear that they can only be used on private land with the landowner’s permission. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Market Surveillance Unit carries out surveillance of e-scooter retailers to ensure they are being sold lawfully and that retailers are making legal restrictions on e-scooter use sufficiently clear.
The Product Regulation and Metrology Act, which secured Royal Assent this July, has created powers that will allow government to set specific product regulations and labelling requirements, and hold online marketplaces to account to prevent the illegal sale of e-scooters.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the impact of the ongoing issues with Kennington Bridge on local, regional and national (a) connectivity and (b) economic development, and on the delivery of other major infrastructure including the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I am aware of the continuing funding issues with Kennington Bridge and the importance of this key structure both to local, regional and national connectivity. The bridge is a local scheme and therefore any assessment to connectivity, economic development or for the delivery of other major infrastructure is for Oxfordshire County Council to undertake.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles publication T0194 – Covered car parks - fire safety guidance for electric vehicles, published in July 2023, what recent steps has her Department taken to mitigate fire risks from electric vehicles in underground car parks.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The safety of electric vehicles (EVs) is very important to Government and is reviewed regularly. The Department continues to engage with international research relating to EV fire safety. Data suggests that EV fires are no more likely to occur than fires in combustion vehicles. The ‘Covered car parks - fire safety guidance for electric vehicles’ provides car park operators with practical mitigations to prevent the occurrence and spread of EV fires.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress Active Travel England has made on creating a disabled people's panel to help inform its work.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Active Travel England (ATE) does not have any current plans to create a disabled people’s panel and does not set policy. ATE routinely works with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee and disabled representative organisations to improve its output, such as guidance products.
ATE is setting up a technical advisory group to help improve its products and processes so they better address the barriers people face to active travel, particularly those from underrepresented groups.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has provided guidance to local authorities on (a) legacy shared space schemes and (b) how streets covered by those schemes can be altered to be made more accessible for blind and partially sighted people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local authorities are bound by the Public Sector Equality Duty and it is for them to ensure any schemes they take forward are delivered in a way that allows them to comply with this duty. The Department provides guidance in Inclusive Mobility on designing accessible public realm, and the need for streets to be accessible to all is highlighted in other guidance documents as a matter of course.
In 2018 local authorities were asked to pause any new shared space schemes that incorporated a level surface and were at the design stage. Existing schemes or ones that were contractually committed or under construction were not in scope to avoid incurring financial penalties. This is still the position, and it is for local authorities to determine what changes may be required to existing schemes, taking into account their obligations under equalities legislation.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the powers of councils to improve street accessibility.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local authorities are bound by the Public Sector Equality Duty and it is for them to ensure any schemes they take forward are delivered in a way that allows them to comply with this duty. The Department provides guidance in Inclusive Mobility on designing accessible public realm, and the need for streets to be accessible to all is highlighted in other guidance documents as a matter of course.
In 2018 local authorities were asked to pause any new shared space schemes that incorporated a level surface and were at the design stage. Existing schemes or ones that were contractually committed or under construction were not in scope to avoid incurring financial penalties. This is still the position, and it is for local authorities to determine what changes may be required to existing schemes, taking into account their obligations under equalities legislation.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Highways England on the potential impact of abuse of roadworkers on levels of retention of roadworkers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department is concerned about the increasing reports of abuse and intimidation faced by roadworkers and recognises the potential impact this has on both recruitment and retention in the sector.
National Highways also takes this issue seriously and works closely with its delivery partners to ensure all incidents of abuse on the Strategic Road Network are reported. It also supports the Stamp it Out campaign, which aims to eliminate abuse across transport networks, and contributed to the development of Stamp it Out’s recent guidance on road network crimes and the types of evidence required to prosecute them.
The Department will continue to support work to address this unacceptable behaviour and ensure roadworkers feel safe and supported in their roles.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of roadworkers who have been spat at from passing drivers in the last five years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
While the Department for Transport does not hold specific data on the types, trends and impacts of roadworker abuse, we work closely with the Highways Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC) UK, the representative body for the industry, who provide a mechanism for reporting roadworker abuse through the HAUC App. Abuse to roadworkers can also be reported to the local Highway Authority or in more serious cases where there is an immediate danger or a crime is taking place, the police. In 2023, GeoPlace worked with HAUC UK to gather data and publish the “Road Worker Abuse Report” on the prevalence, nature and impact of road worker abuse across the England, Scotland and Wales. The report highlighted some of the abuse that roadworkers had been subjected to, such as spitting, projectiles being thrown and punching. The Government strongly condemns any abuse directed at roadworkers, who play a vital role in installing and maintaining the infrastructure we rely on daily. We remain committed to working with HAUC UK, local authorities, the police, and campaign groups to tackle this issue and ensure roadworkers can carry out their duties safely and with respect.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many roadworkers have been hit by vehicles breaching cones or road signs indicating live work zones in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
While the Department for Transport does not hold specific data on the types, trends and impacts of roadworker abuse, we work closely with the Highways Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC) UK, the representative body for the industry, who provide a mechanism for reporting roadworker abuse through the HAUC App. Abuse to roadworkers can also be reported to the local Highway Authority or in more serious cases where there is an immediate danger or a crime is taking place, the police. In 2023, GeoPlace worked with HAUC UK to gather data and publish the “Road Worker Abuse Report” on the prevalence, nature and impact of road worker abuse across the England, Scotland and Wales. The report highlighted some of the abuse that roadworkers had been subjected to, such as spitting, projectiles being thrown and punching. The Government strongly condemns any abuse directed at roadworkers, who play a vital role in installing and maintaining the infrastructure we rely on daily. We remain committed to working with HAUC UK, local authorities, the police, and campaign groups to tackle this issue and ensure roadworkers can carry out their duties safely and with respect.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many roadworkers have been hit by projectiles thrown by passing drivers or their passengers in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
While the Department for Transport does not hold specific data on the types, trends and impacts of roadworker abuse, we work closely with the Highways Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC) UK, the representative body for the industry, who provide a mechanism for reporting roadworker abuse through the HAUC App. Abuse to roadworkers can also be reported to the local Highway Authority or in more serious cases where there is an immediate danger or a crime is taking place, the police. In 2023, GeoPlace worked with HAUC UK to gather data and publish the “Road Worker Abuse Report” on the prevalence, nature and impact of road worker abuse across the England, Scotland and Wales. The report highlighted some of the abuse that roadworkers had been subjected to, such as spitting, projectiles being thrown and punching. The Government strongly condemns any abuse directed at roadworkers, who play a vital role in installing and maintaining the infrastructure we rely on daily. We remain committed to working with HAUC UK, local authorities, the police, and campaign groups to tackle this issue and ensure roadworkers can carry out their duties safely and with respect.