Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to temporarily waive the two year limit on Compulsory Basic Training for motorbikes and scooters during the covid-19 lockdown and until inspections are able to recontinue.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The two-year validity period of a compulsory basic training (CBT) certificate is set out in legislation. It is in place to ensure learner moped and motorcycle riders can ride safely on their own, with L-plates, while they practise for a full moped or motorcycle test. The Government has no plans, on road safety grounds, to waive that two-year validity period.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when Compulsory Basic Training and inspection for motorbikes and scooters drivers will recontinue.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Compulsory basic training (CBT) for learner moped and motorcycle riders is suspended during the current lockdowns in England, Scotland and Wales. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will follow the relevant administrations’ instructions and advice about when easing of the current COVID-19 restrictions will allow CBT to restart safely. The DVSA will tell all motorcycle approved training bodies when that is.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Answer of 28 January 2021 to Question 142892, if he will publish the correspondence from the First Minister of Wales.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department has received correspondence from the First Minister of Wales but does not intend to publish this correspondence.
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 publish all communication between his Department and the DVLA on work practices during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
As the information requested on all the communication between the Department for Transport and the DVLA on work practices during the covid-19 outbreak is so wide in scope, it can only be produced at disproportionate cost. This is due to the amount of work that would be required to collate the information requested.
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 (a) the Welsh Government, (b) Public Health Wales and (c) Swansea Bay University Health Board on covid-19 levels at the DVLA offices in Swansea.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
As of 24 January, the number of DVLA staff working both on-site and working from home who have tested positive for Covid-19 since March 2020 is 546. There are currently no live cases in the DVLA’s contact centre and six live cases across the whole of our workforce of more than 6,000 staff.
The number of working days lost at the DVLA due to staff contracting Covid-19 is 4,132. It is not possible to provide a figure of working days lost for the number of people self-isolating due to Covid-19 in the time available for responding to this question as the data needs to be extracted. The DVLA will therefore write to you with this further detail.
Department for Transport Ministers have received correspondence from the First Minister of Wales. Throughout the pandemic, the DVLA has worked closely with Public Health Wales, Swansea Bay University Health Board and the local environmental health team on Covid-19 related issues, including the safety measures put in place at the DVLA’s offices in Swansea.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff working for the DVLA in Swansea have contracted covid-19.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
As of 24 January, the number of DVLA staff working both on-site and working from home who have tested positive for Covid-19 since March 2020 is 546. There are currently no live cases in the DVLA’s contact centre and six live cases across the whole of our workforce of more than 6,000 staff.
The number of working days lost at the DVLA due to staff contracting Covid-19 is 4,132. It is not possible to provide a figure of working days lost for the number of people self-isolating due to Covid-19 in the time available for responding to this question as the data needs to be extracted. The DVLA will therefore write to you with this further detail.
Department for Transport Ministers have received correspondence from the First Minister of Wales. Throughout the pandemic, the DVLA has worked closely with Public Health Wales, Swansea Bay University Health Board and the local environmental health team on Covid-19 related issues, including the safety measures put in place at the DVLA’s offices in Swansea.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many working days have been lost at the DVLA due to staff (a) contracting and (b) self-isolating as a result of covid-19.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
As of 24 January, the number of DVLA staff working both on-site and working from home who have tested positive for Covid-19 since March 2020 is 546. There are currently no live cases in the DVLA’s contact centre and six live cases across the whole of our workforce of more than 6,000 staff.
The number of working days lost at the DVLA due to staff contracting Covid-19 is 4,132. It is not possible to provide a figure of working days lost for the number of people self-isolating due to Covid-19 in the time available for responding to this question as the data needs to be extracted. The DVLA will therefore write to you with this further detail.
Department for Transport Ministers have received correspondence from the First Minister of Wales. Throughout the pandemic, the DVLA has worked closely with Public Health Wales, Swansea Bay University Health Board and the local environmental health team on Covid-19 related issues, including the safety measures put in place at the DVLA’s offices in Swansea.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing a MOT extension for drivers who are in high risk groups and shielding as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department is not currently planning to issue MOT exemptions, but the situation is being kept under review. The Road Traffic Act 1988 does not permit the issuing of MOT extensions on the basis of the circumstances of the vehicle owner. Vulnerable people or those self-isolating should use a pick-up and drop-off service, which is offered by many MOT test stations.
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 extend driving theory test certificates expiring in 2020-21 by 12 months due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a candidate’s road safety knowledge is current. This validity period is set in legislation and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.
Ensuring new drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the training of new drivers, who are disproportionality represented in casualty statistics. Taking all this into consideration, the decision has been made not to extend theory test certificates and learners will need to pass another theory test if their certificate expires.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the need to invest in research into flow batteries as a part of the transition to electric vehicles.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The government has committed £318m into the Faraday Battery Challenge to support the research, development and scale-up of world-leading battery technology in the UK. The Faraday Battery Challenge is focused on developing cost-effective, high-performance, durable, safe and recyclable batteries to capture the growing electric vehicle market. We are also supporting research into flow batteries for grid applications.