Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government in relation to future investment in the rail network in West Wales.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Investment in the rail network in Wales is coordinated through a number of Metro Development Strategy Boards, which meet regularly. The Department for Transport is represented on the Swansea Bay and West Wales Board alongside Welsh Government and other key stakeholders including Network Rail.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce further progress on the proposed West Wales Parkway rail station.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working with Transport for Wales, Welsh Government and local authorities to develop plans for better connectivity within South West Wales, including new station provision.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of online driving test services and digital applications nationally marketing cancelled driving tests on local availability of driving tests.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not take the decision to cancel driving tests lightly and will only do so when it has exhausted every possible avenue and tried to find another examiner to provide cover. All available practical driving test appointments, including cancellations, are shown on the live booking system to everyone at the same time. Any additional tests are added as soon as they become available. The DVSA has a 24-week forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this.
Candidates can check for earlier appointments at their local test centres on the gov.uk/change-driving-test services. Other candidates cancelling or rescheduling their test also free up slots for others to book, and appointments may be available at other nearby centres.
The DVSA is aware of apps or bots that constantly search its system for driving test slots. These are not approved by the DVSA and make it harder for candidates to get a test and can also result in people paying more for a test than the official test fee. There is also a risk that candidates may not receive important information about their test. The DVSA has invested in making it harder for bots to access its booking services and there has been a significant drop in traffic to these services due to successfully identifying and blocking bots. The DVSA will continue to inform candidates of the official channels for booking a test.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the DVSA on ensuring that Approved Driving Instructors are informed of cancellations at their local driving centres before that information is made available to cancellation websites and apps.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.
The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.
These include:
As of 22 March 2022, driving test waiting times at Carmarthen is 2 weeks, and Llanelli is 8 weeks.
The DVSA has a live recruitment campaign covering Carmarthen, Llanelli and Swansea, and has recently completed a campaign to recruit Welsh speaking driving examiners. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.
The DVSA does not take the decision to cancel tests lightly and will only do so when it has exhausted every possible avenue and tried to find another examiner to provide cover. All available practical driving test appointments, including cancellations, are shown on the live booking system to everyone, including approved driving instructors (ADI), at the same time. Any additional tests are added as soon as they become available. The DVSA has a 24-week forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this.
Candidates, and ADIs, can check for earlier appointments at their local test centres on the gov.uk/change-driving-test services. Other candidates cancelling or rescheduling their test also free up slots for others to book, and appointments may be available at other nearby centres. The DVSA advises everyone to regularly check for new appointments.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the DVSA on (a) shortages in driving examiners and (b) progress towards recruitment targets.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.
The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.
These include:
As of 22 March 2022, driving test waiting times at Carmarthen is 2 weeks, and Llanelli is 8 weeks.
The DVSA has a live recruitment campaign covering Carmarthen, Llanelli and Swansea, and has recently completed a campaign to recruit Welsh speaking driving examiners. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.
The DVSA does not take the decision to cancel tests lightly and will only do so when it has exhausted every possible avenue and tried to find another examiner to provide cover. All available practical driving test appointments, including cancellations, are shown on the live booking system to everyone, including approved driving instructors (ADI), at the same time. Any additional tests are added as soon as they become available. The DVSA has a 24-week forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this.
Candidates, and ADIs, can check for earlier appointments at their local test centres on the gov.uk/change-driving-test services. Other candidates cancelling or rescheduling their test also free up slots for others to book, and appointments may be available at other nearby centres. The DVSA advises everyone to regularly check for new appointments.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency on ensuring sufficient examiners at the Carmarthen and Llanelli driving test centres.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.
The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.
These include:
As of 22 March 2022, driving test waiting times at Carmarthen is 2 weeks, and Llanelli is 8 weeks.
The DVSA has a live recruitment campaign covering Carmarthen, Llanelli and Swansea, and has recently completed a campaign to recruit Welsh speaking driving examiners. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.
The DVSA does not take the decision to cancel tests lightly and will only do so when it has exhausted every possible avenue and tried to find another examiner to provide cover. All available practical driving test appointments, including cancellations, are shown on the live booking system to everyone, including approved driving instructors (ADI), at the same time. Any additional tests are added as soon as they become available. The DVSA has a 24-week forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this.
Candidates, and ADIs, can check for earlier appointments at their local test centres on the gov.uk/change-driving-test services. Other candidates cancelling or rescheduling their test also free up slots for others to book, and appointments may be available at other nearby centres. The DVSA advises everyone to regularly check for new appointments.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency on tackling the backlog at the Carmarthen and Llanelli driving test centres.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.
The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.
These include:
As of 22 March 2022, driving test waiting times at Carmarthen is 2 weeks, and Llanelli is 8 weeks.
The DVSA has a live recruitment campaign covering Carmarthen, Llanelli and Swansea, and has recently completed a campaign to recruit Welsh speaking driving examiners. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.
The DVSA does not take the decision to cancel tests lightly and will only do so when it has exhausted every possible avenue and tried to find another examiner to provide cover. All available practical driving test appointments, including cancellations, are shown on the live booking system to everyone, including approved driving instructors (ADI), at the same time. Any additional tests are added as soon as they become available. The DVSA has a 24-week forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this.
Candidates, and ADIs, can check for earlier appointments at their local test centres on the gov.uk/change-driving-test services. Other candidates cancelling or rescheduling their test also free up slots for others to book, and appointments may be available at other nearby centres. The DVSA advises everyone to regularly check for new appointments.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the car industry on the safety of (a) electric vehicles and (b) electric vehicle charging infrastructure for people with heart pacemakers.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
I have regular meetings with both representatives of the car industry and Ministerial colleagues about a wide range of issues pertinent to our support for the transition to zero emission driving.
The Government regards public safety to be of paramount importance and we require that all electric vehicle technology supported by public funding must clearly demonstrate how it is safe before it is awarded funding.
Electric vehicle chargepoints must meet the relevant legislation for electro-magnetic radiation as defined in the Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016 and the Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations 2016 which covers requirements for compatibility with pacemakers. All electric vehicles eligible for the Government’s Plug-in Grant schemes are required to provide evidence that they are compliant with current electrical safety regulations.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the safety of (a) electric vehicles and (b) electric vehicle charging infrastructure for people with heart pacemakers.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
I have regular meetings with both representatives of the car industry and Ministerial colleagues about a wide range of issues pertinent to our support for the transition to zero emission driving.
The Government regards public safety to be of paramount importance and we require that all electric vehicle technology supported by public funding must clearly demonstrate how it is safe before it is awarded funding.
Electric vehicle chargepoints must meet the relevant legislation for electro-magnetic radiation as defined in the Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016 and the Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations 2016 which covers requirements for compatibility with pacemakers. All electric vehicles eligible for the Government’s Plug-in Grant schemes are required to provide evidence that they are compliant with current electrical safety regulations.