Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing Graduated Driving Licences for young drivers.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department’s broad aim for young road users is to improve road safety through new technology and research, and by developing better learning opportunities and targeted educational messaging.
Our largest Young Driver research piece is the Driver 2020 project; an evaluation of interventions to improve the safety of young novice drivers, in partnership with the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL). This project commenced in January 2019 and so far over 28,000 learner and novice drivers have been recruited. This project, which includes a telematics trial, aims to make young drivers safer, more confident, and more skillful in their first year of driving through non legislative, technical or educational measures with potential to lower their risk of collisions.
We look forward to receiving the findings from the Driver 2020 project, which will feed into considerations on further measures we can take to improve road safety for young drivers.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on publishing a new strategy on road safety.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Road Safety Strategic Framework will be published in due course.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of daily deaths on roads in England and Wales.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department announced in the summer of 2021 that we would devise a new Road Safety Strategic Framework which will include a new implementation plan to improve road safety. This will be published in due course.
Following a public consultation, on 29 June 2022 the Department announced that the Government intended to create a Road Safety Investigation Branch, with legislation in an upcoming Transport Bill.
The Department has also funded £100million through the Safer Roads Fund for safety improvements to the top 50 most dangerous roads in England over the past few years.
Local authorities hold the statutory duty on road safety, and therefore further investment to improve road safety will be being made at that level.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service report entitled Roads Policing: Not optional - An inspection of roads policing in England and Wales, published 15 July 2020, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the findings of that report.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The HMICFRS report Roads Policing: Not Optional was commissioned by the Roads Policing Review Governance Board which is jointly chaired by officials from the Department for Transport and the Home Office. It has informed the ongoing joint work between the two Departments.
The Home Office and Department for Transport will continue to work with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing to monitor the progress made in respect of the recommendations relevant to them. This will be done in a manner that respects the operational independence of Chief Officers and the College of Policing.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the reintroduction of casualty reduction targets as a mechanism to reduce road deaths in England and Wales.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department is considering road safety indicators as part of the Road Safety Strategic Framework.
In the meanwhile, local authorities, the police and other bodies are free to set their own road safety targets.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made on the potential merits of a ban on pavement parking in order to improve vehicle access for individuals with mobility issues.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department consulted on measures to address pavement parking in 2020 and the options included a nationwide pavement parking ban. Ministers are reviewing the outcome of the consultation and the options for tackling pavement parking
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason new non-zero emission L3e-A1 motorcycles have been included in the proposed phase out date of 2030.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Due to their smaller size and lower power requirements, L3e-A1 motorcycles are more compatible with the zero emission technologies currently available and are expected to be amongst the first to move to zero exhaust emissions.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had recent discussions with representatives of the L-Category sector on the viability of the proposals within the consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles, published on 14 July 2022.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles was open to written responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022. It was supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement with manufacturers and the wider industry led by Ministers.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage a modal shift from single occupancy cars to zero-emission L-Category vehicles such as mopeds and motorcycles.
Answered by Jesse Norman
As the Government set out in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, we increasingly expect people to travel in zero-emission vehicles. The transition to electric vehicles, including L-Category ones like mopeds and motorcycles, can reduce carbon emissions, fuel demand, congestion, and air and noise pollution.
The Department is preparing the Government’s consultation response on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-Category vehicles, and will publish it in due course. In the meantime, the Department for Transport is providing £350,000 to help grow the supply chain for zero-emission L-Category vehicles.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will publish the risk assessment it carried out on the use of Lithium-ion batteries in buses.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Before a vehicle can be sold or registered in the UK, vehicle manufacturers must demonstrate compliance with a broad range of technical construction requirements. The majority of these requirements are established at an international level through the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, in which the Department is an active member. Electric vehicles, including buses which use lithium-ion batteries, are subject to specific provisions regulating their electrical systems and batteries to protect passengers, emergency services personnel and other users from harm. The risks for electric vehicles, however, are different to traditional vehicles and need to be understood and controlled. The safety of electric vehicles is of paramount importance to the Government, and working with experts, we keep it under regular review.