Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will allow driving tests to take place for key workers during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will respond to requests for practical driving tests in England and Wales from organisations on behalf of frontline mobile emergency workers, who require a driving licence to carry out duties in their employment role.
This is a limited service subject to examiner resource and is restricted to candidates working in health and social care, and other public bodies involved in work responding to ‘threats to life’ such as the Environment Agency’s flood rescue staff, or local authority gritter truck drivers. The DVSA is contacting relevant bodies to explain how to nominate candidates; candidates cannot apply themselves. Applications from other organisations will be considered if the mobile emergency worker criteria is met.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will collate statistics on the number of employees in the rail industry by rail franchise who have died of covid-19.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The industry collates the number of railway workers who have died with COVID-19. The latest figures indicate a total of 10 workers employed by Network Rail and Train Operating Companies have regrettably passed away.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of employees of the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise that have contracted covid-19 are from a BAME background.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
GTR confirm that of the 18 employee cases, 6 employees self-reported as being from a BAME background.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help conduct risk assessments for rail franchises to protect vulnerable staff.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
We have been clear that our priority remains the safety of staff and passengers. We have issued comprehensive guidance to employers on the steps they should take to make their workplaces COVID-secure, which outlines measures to assess and address the risks of coronavirus in the transport sector across England. Employers should conduct risk assessments and, in collaboration with employees, identify workplace risks, including those to people classed as clinically vulnerable and extremely vulnerable. All guidance documents are available on the government website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance he has issued to rail franchises on the use of PPE in the workplace.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Keeping transport workers and passengers safe is of paramount importance as we continue to scale up services across the transport network as part of the restart. The Department has held roundtables and meetings at all levels with operators across the transport sector in the response to COVID-19, including to support with the implementation of the Government’s PPE plan published in April.
Public Health England guidance has been clear that there is very little scientific evidence of widespread benefit from personal protective equipment outside of health and social care settings. Guidance on cleaning of non-healthcare settings and shipping and sea ports and how PPE may be used in these contexts has been published in February and March respectively. The Department has worked with and continues to work with operators to ensure they can meet the PPE needs as set out in this guidance.
Throughout the response, the Department has worked with the sector to support with effective implementation of key measures of social distancing and good hand and respiratory hygiene in transport settings.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise provide protective visors for staff in each station on that franchise.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
GTR is currently trialling the use of visors. Before it can issue visors to employees, GTR must first of all ensure that the use of a visor will not affect or inhibit the ability of employees to complete their duties safely.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what health surveillance procedures are in place at Govia Thameslink Railway franchise, to identify (a) sick, (b) asymptomatic and (c) vulnerable employees.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
GTR is one of a small number of train operators with an in-house Occupational Health team, and the only operator with its own Chief Medical Officer. Under normal circumstances GTR would identify these through pre-employment medicals, statutory periodic medicals, any employee referrals to the team from line managers and more ad-hoc health surveillance.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Occupational Health team has offered a direct nurse telephone advisory service for employees and a dedicated ‘Covid referral system’ for managers to request specialist advice in regards to employees they manage.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will collate statistics on the number of London Underground workers by station at which those workers were based who have died of covid-19.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
My thoughts are with those who have sadly died with Covid-19 and their families and friends at this difficult time. As transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and delivered by Transport for London (TfL), it is TfL that is best placed to provide information regarding the number of London Underground workers who have died of Covid-19.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many employees the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise have contracted covid-19.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
There are 7,389 GTR employees, of these GTR has been notified of 18 cases where staff have received a positive test result for Covid 19. In addition, there are another 4 cases where employees have suspected Covid-19, however this has not yet been confirmed through testing.