Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost has been to the public purse of the Union Connectivity Review and Fixed Link Feasibility Study into the potential merits of a bridge or tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Fixed Link Feasibility Study forms part of the Union Connectivity Review, independently chaired by Sir Peter Hendy CBE. Final invoices are yet to be received.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has conducted an (a) impact and (b) risk assessment on removing the requirement for specific car and trailer training.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) takes its commitment to road safety extremely seriously and it will work with the industry and stakeholders to drive forward the importance of safe driving and safe towing.
The vocational test changes will not affect the standard of driving required to drive a heavy goods vehicle (HGV), with road safety continuing to be of paramount importance. Any driver who does not demonstrate utmost competence will not be granted a licence.
Legislative changes are usually subject to a post implementation review which gives the opportunity to review and potentially update the changes made. The Department will keep these changes under review to ensure they are effective and help increase HGV testing capacity to meet demand whilst ensuring road safety is not compromised in the process.
The DVSA is exploring options for an industry-led accreditation that could offer a standardised non-statutory testing approach, and is engaging with key stakeholders, trainers and insurers, to discuss this issue.
The DVSA is also in discussions with the training industry to understand their capacity to deliver the off-road manoeuvres element of the vocational test and will work with them to develop a robust and clear process by which to assess, accredit and audit any trainers who wish to assess the manoeuvres element of the test.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to provide financial support for driving instructors that specify in car and trailer training (B+E training) in response to that training being made non-mandatory.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are working across government to establish the impact on the trainer market from the regulatory changes relating to B+E testing.
DVSA will continue to encourage people who want to drive a car and trailer to get professional training to promote road safety. We are exploring options for an industry-led accreditation that could offer a standardised non-statutory testing approach and plan to meet with key stakeholders including trainers and insurers to discuss this further.
DVSA will be extensively promoting the importance of professional car and trailer training for all motorists, will encourage motorists to access online guidance on towing safely and will continue to remind motorists of the need to carry out trailer safety checks.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will implement a compulsory accreditation scheme to replace the DVLA's car and trailer training (B+E), similar to the CBT training that motorcycle drivers must undertake.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will continue to encourage people who want to drive a car and trailer to get professional training to promote road safety. We are exploring options for an industry-led accreditation that could offer a standardised non-statutory testing approach and plan to meet with key stakeholders including trainers and insurers to discuss this further.
DVSA will be extensively promoting the importance of professional car and trailer training for all motorists, will encourage motorists to access online guidance on towing safely and will continue to remind motorists of the need to carry out trailer safety checks.
Car drivers towing trailers and caravans will continue to be subject to roadside enforcement checks by DVSA.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's announcement of 3 July 2019 on specialist life vests to improve fishing safety, how much of the additional £700,000 in funding will be allocated to the Scottish Government to administer safety training.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Fishing Industry Safety Group Strategy and the Government aims to eliminate preventable deaths in fishing in the UK by 2027. The funding is therefore available to all UK fishermen and will be administered by Trinity House. Officials will be meeting with representatives from the National Federations, including the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation to develop the funding proposals
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's announcement of 3 July 2019 on specialist life vests to improve fishing safety, what proportion of the additional £700,000 in funding will be allocated to the Scottish Government to administer.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Fishing Industry Safety Group Strategy and the Government aims to eliminate preventable deaths in fishing in the UK by 2027. The funding is therefore available to all UK fishermen and will be administered by Trinity House. Officials will be meeting with representatives from the National Federations, including the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation to develop the funding proposals
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's announcement of 3 July 2019 on specialist life vests to improve fishing safety, how many personal floatation devices fitted with locator beacons will be made available to Scottish fishermen.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Fishing Industry Safety Group Strategy and the Government aims to eliminate preventable deaths in fishing in the UK by 2027. The funding is therefore available to all UK fishermen and will be administered by Trinity House. Officials will be meeting with representatives from the National Federations, including the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation to develop the funding proposals
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the recent delays at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency of six weeks in issuing a Coding Certificate for UK registered vessels.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
An assessment has not been made because the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is not aware of any recent delays of six weeks in issuing a coding certificate for UK registered vessels. Most Code vessel work is undertaken by Code Vessel Certifying Authorities (CAs) who work on behalf of MCA.
The MCA can look at the specifics of the case(s) that have led to this enquiry, but would require further details, noting that should this case refer to a certificate issued by a CA, then that information will be shared with them.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government plans to take to mitigate the costs of and time taken for International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) applications related to the UK spaceport in order to facilitate investment and involvement from the US; and what steps the Government is taking to work with the US to ensure that ITAR is applied in a way that precludes a need for multiple applications to be made for discrete systems and single vehicle types.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The 2014 Government Spaceplane Review provided the groundwork for enabling spaceplane operations from the UK, including identifying key criteria for locating a UK spaceport, and identifying potential locations based on these. The Government tested the conclusions of this review through consultation and published its response in March 2015. This confirmed Campbeltown, Glasgow Prestwick and Stornoway in Scotland, Llanbedr Airfield in Wales and Newquay in England as potential spaceport locations.
Further information on the Spaceplane review and the Government consultation can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/spaceport-locations-and-criteria
Commercial spaceflight is a complex, international, and evolving market. The Government is considering a range of options on next steps that would best deliver our ambition of a spaceport, and the supporting regulatory environment for spaceflight, within this Parliament.
The Government is in discussion with the US Government on ITAR-related issues. However, ITAR applications are not a factor at this stage for potential spaceport locations but may become so if a US spaceplane operator seeks to operate from the UK.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to issue further requirements for a UK spaceport after the second round of consideration of locations is completed.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The 2014 Government Spaceplane Review provided the groundwork for enabling spaceplane operations from the UK, including identifying key criteria for locating a UK spaceport, and identifying potential locations based on these. The Government tested the conclusions of this review through consultation and published its response in March 2015. This confirmed Campbeltown, Glasgow Prestwick and Stornoway in Scotland, Llanbedr Airfield in Wales and Newquay in England as potential spaceport locations.
Further information on the Spaceplane review and the Government consultation can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/spaceport-locations-and-criteria
Commercial spaceflight is a complex, international, and evolving market. The Government is considering a range of options on next steps that would best deliver our ambition of a spaceport, and the supporting regulatory environment for spaceflight, within this Parliament.
The Government is in discussion with the US Government on ITAR-related issues. However, ITAR applications are not a factor at this stage for potential spaceport locations but may become so if a US spaceplane operator seeks to operate from the UK.