Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken with (a) the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and (b) Transport for London to help reopen Hammersmith Bridge to vehicles as quickly as possible.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Department for Transport has engaged with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) on the development of an Outline Business Case for the forthcoming strengthening works on Hammersmith Bridge. The Department has co-operated with Transport for London on the governance of this business case.
In addition to granting £2.93m to LBHF for the soon to be complete stabilisation works, the Department also recently granted £2.5m to LBHF for the geo-technical investigations required for the next stage of works.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with South Western Railway on ticket office closures.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Department has regular meetings with South Western Railway, as it does with all train operating companies, to discuss a wide range of topics, including how best to operate stations and serve passenger needs in the most efficient and effective way.
Together with the rail industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience, and moving staff out from behind the glass of ticket offices and into more visible and accessible roles around stations is a central part of this.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage airlines to (a) improve accessibility on flights for passengers with disabilities, (b) improve the on-board flight experience for passengers with disabilities and (c) reduce discrimination against people with disabilities within the aviation industry.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Air travel should be accessible for everyone. The Department is working with the sector and consumer groups to ensure that disabled passengers and those with reduced mobility have the confidence to travel by air and the assistance they require.
The Department published the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation in 2022 to seek views on a variety of consumer rights issues, including reforms to the compensation available for damage to wheelchairs and mobility aids on domestic UK flights, and to explore other possible reforms to support passengers with accessibility needs better. The Department is analysing the responses and will set out next steps in due course.
The Government appointed the Disability and Access Ambassador for Airports, Ann Frye OBE, in July 2021. Her role is to improve accessibility and the quality of services and facilities for disabled people at airports.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for enforcing consumer laws that apply specifically to aviation, including in relation to accessibility. On 25 April 2023, the CAA published a consultation on a new performance framework for airline accessibility which closes on 21 July. The CAA published an additional interim report on airport accessibility in December 2022. It continues to monitor performance and has set clear expectations for further improvements and for airports to provide high-quality service this year. It will publish its normal annual report this summer.
The CAA has previously written to airports informing them that the experience passengers received in 2022 was unacceptable, required several airports to put in place action plans together with airlines, and published additional guidance for airports on assistance services.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people logged on to book a driving test online at 6am on the most recent Monday for which his Department holds information; how many of those people who logged on successfully booked a test; and at what time all slots were taken.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Data held by the DVSA, which could appear to suggest the average time between booking a test and taking a test, would be misleading. This is because the booking system records the last date the candidate made the latest booking, and does not take into account the date of the original booking, or any subsequent bookings made by rescheduling the test slot.
For example:
We do not know how many people logged on at 6am for the most recent Monday and booked a test.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how long the average wait for a driving test from booking was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Data held by the DVSA, which could appear to suggest the average time between booking a test and taking a test, would be misleading. This is because the booking system records the last date the candidate made the latest booking, and does not take into account the date of the original booking, or any subsequent bookings made by rescheduling the test slot.
For example:
We do not know how many people logged on at 6am for the most recent Monday and booked a test.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people with London addresses have booked driving tests outside London for each of the last five years.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The results from any such interrogation of driving test data would be inaccurate as some people turn up for their driving test with their old address on their provisional driving licence.
Candidates may choose to book a driving test outside of the area they live for a variety of reasons, for example students at university.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current average waiting time is in England to take a driving test from the date of booking the test; and how many people are currently waiting to take a test.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
As of 8 May 2023, there were 544,657 car practical driving tests booked and 46,316 driving tests available within the next 24-weeks.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps the Government has taken to increase the use of active travel in (a) cities (b) towns and (c) villages.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government is investing more than £3 billion into active travel up to 2025 from a wide range of transport and local growth funding streams. The funding is supporting new and upgraded cycle routes and other active travel infrastructure across England. On 6 February, the Government announced a new £200 million fund to improve walking and cycling routes. Successful schemes for this funding will be announced shortly.
Active Travel England is working closely with local authorities to ensure that walking, wheeling and cycling schemes comply with national design guidelines, including with regards to safety and accessibility, which is a condition of Government funding for these active travel schemes.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps the Government has taken to (a) improve the quality of and (b) increase the number of cycle routes.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government is investing more than £3 billion into active travel up to 2025 from a wide range of transport and local growth funding streams. The funding is supporting new and upgraded cycle routes and other active travel infrastructure across England. On 6 February, the Government announced a new £200 million fund to improve walking and cycling routes. Successful schemes for this funding will be announced shortly.
Active Travel England is working closely with local authorities to ensure that walking, wheeling and cycling schemes comply with national design guidelines, including with regards to safety and accessibility, which is a condition of Government funding for these active travel schemes.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the reach and security risks of Nuctech equipment installed at UK’s airports and seaports.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department for Transport works closely with the aviation and maritime industries including on security matters. Equipment procurement decisions are a matter for owners and operators of individual ports and airports, taking into account the relevant regulatory requirements.