Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the average weekly level of cancellations and delays from Lockerbie railway station for (a) Transpennine Express trains and (b) Avanti West Coast trains, including those trains cancelled the day before travel, in the last 12 months.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department does not routinely hold this data. It is the responsibility of train operating companies to collect this information.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress the Government has made on the consultation launched September 2021 on strengthening the enforcement of safety laws for recreational and personal watercraft.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department has received a large number of responses to its consultation. These represent a wide range of detailed views and we are currently reviewing our proposals in light of these to ensure that they will provide an effective and proportionate response to any safety concerns.
Once complete, we will bring forward a final package of measures for implementation and are working hard to ensure that this can be delivered as soon as possible.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the bus fare cap introduced by the Government will have an effect on the Barnett consequentials for Scotland.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The £2 fare cap announced by the Government on 3 September will apply to single bus tickets on most services in England outside London.
This proposal is being funded from existing Department for Transport budgets and therefore will have no impact on the Barnett consequentials for Scotland.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Civil Aviation Authority, (b) delivery companies and (c) other Government Departments on the potential merits of more permanent use of drones for delivery to remote areas of the UK.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Following discussions with my officials in 2021 and with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), trials for Royal Mail were approved and took place in September and October 2021 and are also due to take place in March and April 2022. Government and the CAA are working with and supporting industry to develop the drone industry.
The Future Flight Challenge programme is a joint Government and industry investment of £300m to develop new and innovative aviation technologies, such as all-electric aircraft and deliveries by drone. In addition, the Government is supporting specific projects through the £1.2m Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme, which will support the integration of drones into UK airspace by bringing together drone providers and end users to demonstrate innovative drone use cases and inform regulatory development.
The CAA’s Innovation Hub sandbox also supports the testing and trialling of innovative unmanned aircraft operations and flights beyond visual line of sight to take place in a safe environment and in collaboration with the regulator.
Further, the refreshed Airspace Modernisation Strategy is currently undergoing public consultation. The new Strategy is intended to enable integration, rather than segregation, of new and existing users in the same airspace. Temporary Danger Areas will remain as they are essential to protecting specific temporary activities which cannot be safely integrated, but the current increased use for beyond visual line of sight trials will reduce and ultimately no longer be required.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on (a) allowing drones to operate beyond line of sight in non-segregated airspace and (b) removing the need for a safety pilot to be physically present at both ends of the journey, so that the flights can be monitored by one person remotely, to support delivery companies to use drones as a more permanent delivery option to serve more remote areas of the UK.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Following discussions with my officials in 2021 and with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), trials for Royal Mail were approved and took place in September and October 2021 and are also due to take place in March and April 2022. Government and the CAA are working with and supporting industry to develop the drone industry.
The Future Flight Challenge programme is a joint Government and industry investment of £300m to develop new and innovative aviation technologies, such as all-electric aircraft and deliveries by drone. In addition, the Government is supporting specific projects through the £1.2m Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme, which will support the integration of drones into UK airspace by bringing together drone providers and end users to demonstrate innovative drone use cases and inform regulatory development.
The CAA’s Innovation Hub sandbox also supports the testing and trialling of innovative unmanned aircraft operations and flights beyond visual line of sight to take place in a safe environment and in collaboration with the regulator.
Further, the refreshed Airspace Modernisation Strategy is currently undergoing public consultation. The new Strategy is intended to enable integration, rather than segregation, of new and existing users in the same airspace. Temporary Danger Areas will remain as they are essential to protecting specific temporary activities which cannot be safely integrated, but the current increased use for beyond visual line of sight trials will reduce and ultimately no longer be required.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending time periods for drone trials to help delivery companies like Royal Mail to trial drones as a more permanent delivery option throughout the course of a calendar year.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Following discussions with my officials in 2021 and with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), trials for Royal Mail were approved and took place in September and October 2021 and are also due to take place in March and April 2022. Government and the CAA are working with and supporting industry to develop the drone industry.
The Future Flight Challenge programme is a joint Government and industry investment of £300m to develop new and innovative aviation technologies, such as all-electric aircraft and deliveries by drone. In addition, the Government is supporting specific projects through the £1.2m Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme, which will support the integration of drones into UK airspace by bringing together drone providers and end users to demonstrate innovative drone use cases and inform regulatory development.
The CAA’s Innovation Hub sandbox also supports the testing and trialling of innovative unmanned aircraft operations and flights beyond visual line of sight to take place in a safe environment and in collaboration with the regulator.
Further, the refreshed Airspace Modernisation Strategy is currently undergoing public consultation. The new Strategy is intended to enable integration, rather than segregation, of new and existing users in the same airspace. Temporary Danger Areas will remain as they are essential to protecting specific temporary activities which cannot be safely integrated, but the current increased use for beyond visual line of sight trials will reduce and ultimately no longer be required.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to extend licenses for drones, for example allowing drone operators to fly beyond line of sight in non-segregated airspace, rather than in a time-limited temporary danger area.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Following discussions with my officials in 2021 and with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), trials for Royal Mail were approved and took place in September and October 2021 and are also due to take place in March and April 2022. Government and the CAA are working with and supporting industry to develop the drone industry.
The Future Flight Challenge programme is a joint Government and industry investment of £300m to develop new and innovative aviation technologies, such as all-electric aircraft and deliveries by drone. In addition, the Government is supporting specific projects through the £1.2m Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme, which will support the integration of drones into UK airspace by bringing together drone providers and end users to demonstrate innovative drone use cases and inform regulatory development.
The CAA’s Innovation Hub sandbox also supports the testing and trialling of innovative unmanned aircraft operations and flights beyond visual line of sight to take place in a safe environment and in collaboration with the regulator.
Further, the refreshed Airspace Modernisation Strategy is currently undergoing public consultation. The new Strategy is intended to enable integration, rather than segregation, of new and existing users in the same airspace. Temporary Danger Areas will remain as they are essential to protecting specific temporary activities which cannot be safely integrated, but the current increased use for beyond visual line of sight trials will reduce and ultimately no longer be required.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on enabling Royal Mail and other delivery companies to use drones to deliver to more remote areas of the UK, such as in the Highlands and Islands.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Following discussions with my officials in 2021 and with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), trials for Royal Mail were approved and took place in September and October 2021 and are also due to take place in March and April 2022. Government and the CAA are working with and supporting industry to develop the drone industry.
The Future Flight Challenge programme is a joint Government and industry investment of £300m to develop new and innovative aviation technologies, such as all-electric aircraft and deliveries by drone. In addition, the Government is supporting specific projects through the £1.2m Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme, which will support the integration of drones into UK airspace by bringing together drone providers and end users to demonstrate innovative drone use cases and inform regulatory development.
The CAA’s Innovation Hub sandbox also supports the testing and trialling of innovative unmanned aircraft operations and flights beyond visual line of sight to take place in a safe environment and in collaboration with the regulator.
Further, the refreshed Airspace Modernisation Strategy is currently undergoing public consultation. The new Strategy is intended to enable integration, rather than segregation, of new and existing users in the same airspace. Temporary Danger Areas will remain as they are essential to protecting specific temporary activities which cannot be safely integrated, but the current increased use for beyond visual line of sight trials will reduce and ultimately no longer be required.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department is using to decide whether to move Nepal from the covid-19 red list to the amber list to enable non-essential travel to that country to resume.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Nepal was removed from the red list at 4am on Monday 11 October and the FCDO no longer advises against all but essential travel to Nepal, based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks.
The Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) produce risk assessments of countries and territories for the red list for international travel. Decisions on red list assignment and associated border measures are taken by Ministers, who take into account the JBC risk assessments, alongside wider public health factors.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with the Italian government on allowing UK residents living in Italy to drive under their existing licence without having to take a test and exchange their licence.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government is committed to establishing reciprocal arrangements with Italy that facilitate private motoring with a minimum amount of bureaucracy. UK photocard licence holders do not need to carry an additional International Driving Permit (IDP) when visiting Italy, nor any EU Member State.
Department for Transport officials continue to negotiate exchange arrangements for UK licence holders resident in Italy and vice versa as a matter of priority. I will ensure that GOV.UK pages are updated as soon as future arrangements are finalised (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-the-eu-uk-licence-holders-living-in-the-eu#italy).
Whilst discussions are ongoing, UK licence holders can continue to use their UK licence until 31 December 2021, or for 12 months from becoming a resident in Italy, whichever is later.