Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of the Rescue Boat Grant fund has been allocated as of 14 November 2023; and which lifeboat charities received funding.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A total of £5,663,211.89 was allocated to 104 different independent inshore and inland rescue boat charities by the Rescue Boat Grant Fund in six annual rounds between 2014 and 2020. The charities that received funding from the Rescue Boat grant Fund can be found in the attached document.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of adding independent lifeboat launch vehicles to the list of emergency vehicles that can use blue lights.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department and HM Coastguard are working with UK Search and Rescue (UKSAR) to create guidance and governance for SAR teams on the use of blue lights and warning devices.
When approved, this will allow voluntary sector SAR bodies recognised by UKSAR and operating under the UKSAR safety framework, including independent lifeboat launch vehicles, to be lawfully fitted with blue flashing lamps and audible warning devices.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what further steps his Department plans to take to reduce the backlog in driving tests, in the context of current waiting times.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Since April 2021, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has created over one million extra car test appointments by recruiting new examiners, conducting out-of-hours testing, such as on public holidays and weekends, asking all those qualified to conduct tests but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests, and asking recently retired driving examiners to return. On average, this has created approximately 40,000 extra car test appointments each month.
As of 17 July 2023, there were 544,028 car practical driving tests booked, and 36,523 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering a reduced fee rate for the D1 driving licence training and exam for drivers who are only using the licence for volunteering with a community bus service.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
There is no provision within the regulations to vary a test fee for any vehicle category in response to varying different kinds of usage.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2023 to Question 185600 on Shipping: Rescue Services, how many and what proportion of the serious injuries and deaths on UK registered fishing vessels with a registered length of less than or equal to 10m have occurred as the result of a medical incident, condition or illness in each of the last five years.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the Answer given on 25th May 2023.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) deaths, (b) serious injuries and (c) emergency service call outs for medical emergencies have been recorded for incidents at sea among the inshore fishing fleet in the last five years.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
In the past five years (2018 – 2022), 18 serious injuries and 12 deaths occurred on UK registered fishing vessels with a registered length of less than or equal to 10m have been reported to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch. These statistics do not include deaths or injuries that resulted from medical illnesses and the definition of serious injury is in accordance with the Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2012, as amended.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch does not record data for emergency service call outs for medical emergencies, as these are not reportable marine accidents in accordance with The Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2012, as amended.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing bus fares for students between the ages of 16 and 19.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
In England, the majority of bus services outside London operate on a commercial basis, and decisions about offering reduced or discounted fares for commercial bus services are predominantly for operators to take. Many bus operators currently offer discounted travel cards for younger people. Our most recent set of statistics shows that operators in 70 out of 84 travel concession authority areas in England, outside London, offered some form of discounted travel for young people.
Policy for home to school transport sits with the Department for Education. However, the statutory responsibility for transport to education and training for those aged 16 to 19 rests with local authorities. This enables them to make reasonable decisions based on the needs of their population, the local transport infrastructure and the resources they have available
The Government introduced the £2 fare cap on 1 January to help passengers save on their regular travel costs and to help increase patronage on buses. This scheme was due to end on 30 June, however on 17 May we announced a further investment of up to £200 million to extend the current £2 bus fare cap in place on single tickets 1 July until 31 October. This will be followed by a longer term fare cap of £2.50 from 1 November 2023 to 31 November 2024
We are also investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. We have allocated over £1 billion of funding for English Local Transport Authorities outside London to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans, some of which include the introduction of measures to reduce bus fares for young people. For example, the North East have recently introduced a £1 fare for single bus journeys for the under 22s.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effectiveness of the rural mobility fund pilot projects on provision of bus services.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The majority of the demand responsive transport pilots involved in the Government’s £20 million Rural Mobility Fund have now launched. A monitoring and evaluation process is in place. We expect to publish interim findings in the first half of 2023, further findings in late 2023/early 2024, and the final findings in 2025 in the form of written reports. However, the exact timings and dissemination approach will be determined closer to the time.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on taking steps to help ensure that renewal decisions for Air Travel Organiser's Licences (ATOL) are made with consideration to the financial impact of the covid-19 pandemic on international travel operators.
Answered by Katherine Fletcher
The Civil Aviation Authority is the independent regulator responsible for the administration of the ATOL scheme. It would therefore not be appropriate for the Government to intervene in CAA licence renewal decisions.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the results of the mobility fund projects; and whether he plans to release further funding to support demand responsive transport in rural areas.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Our £20m Rural Mobility Fund is supporting 17 innovative, demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas. These pilots are exploring whether Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) can serve these communities more effectively than traditional public transport solutions alone. It is too early to assess the full impact of the pilots. Each scheme is taking part in a detailed monitoring and evaluation process. This will provide a strong base of evidence and good practice for DRT and a better understanding of both the role it can play and the challenges associated with introducing it.
There are not currently plans for further bespoke DRT funding. Whilst it is for Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to determine and prioritise investment in local transport, the Government’s National Bus Strategy asked all LTAs outside London to publish a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) covering the full area, including parts with differing needs, such as rural elements. The Strategy encourages new forms of bus provision in areas that are currently not adequately served by conventional timetabled buses. It is clear that DRT can play a part in delivering this.
Funding has recently been allocated to 34 LTAs following assessment of their BSIPs, some of which include proposals for DRT.