Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fines were issued on toll roads that (a) operate toll plazas and (b) require the driver to pay (i) in advance and (ii) after travelling in 2021-22.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
All current tolled roads, bridges and tunnels in England are locally or privately operated, and the Department does not hold data on fines issued by those undertakings. The only road operated by National Highways where a road user charge is applied is the A282 Dartford Crossing; drivers must pay this charge beforehand or by midnight the day after crossing. In 2021-22, 2,154,092 penalty charge notices were issued for non-payment of the Dart Charge.
Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the DVLA on the (a) disruption caused to their services and (b) steps being taken to resume services following the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has remained open throughout the pandemic and its online services have operated as normal. There has been no disruption to online services and there are no delays for applications made online.
Paper applications must by their nature be dealt with onsite and the DVLA has reconfigured its office space to accommodate more operational staff within the two metre social distancing requirements in Wales.
The DVLA has also accelerated the development of new online services to further reduce paper applications and has launched a publicity campaign to further encourage the use of online services. Ministers are regularly briefed on the latest position as it relates to the DVLA’s services.