Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the use of (a) speed bumps and (b) chicanes on air quality.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Government does not have any current plans to undertake such an assessment.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff left his Department in each year since 2015.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The following table gives the number of leavers from the Department for Transport and the current Executive Agencies from 2014/15 to 2022/23. Data is from the published tables from the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES). Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.
2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
940 | 1,080 | 1,210 | 1,020 | 1,050 | 980 | 730 | 1,280 | 1,650 |
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many single justice procedures notices have been issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority in each year since 2015.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The table below shows the number of single justice procedures notices the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency issued in each year since 2015.
Year | Single Justice Procedures notices issued |
2015 | 3,593 |
2016 | 80,378 |
2017 | 156,946 |
2018 | 166,543 |
2019 | 158,728 |
2020 | 45,458 |
2021 | 63,182 |
2022 | 112,121 |
2023 | 181,873 |
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will have discussions with Transport for London on (a) the prevalence of mould on the London Underground and (b) the potential impact on the health of passengers.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). While the Department for Transport works closely with TfL on a range of issues, operational decisions around health and safety are matters solely for them.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many statutory off-road notifications were received by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in 2023.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) received 2,912,375 statutory off-road notifications in 2023.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which airlines are banned from entering United Kingdom airspace.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The safety of aviation and the travelling public is a priority for the UK government.
The UK Air Safety List, which came into force in January 2021, comprises of known states and air carriers that have failed to demonstrate that they meet relevant, internationally agreed safety standards. They are therefore banned from operating into, out of or within the UK.
The Air Safety List is published online on a gov.uk website and is available for the public to view. It ensures that UK citizens continue to be protected and informed wherever they are in the world, as well as acts as a deterrent to poor safety performance of air carriers and States.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps help to prevent road closures during periods in which roadworks are not taking place.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Works by utility companies are necessary to repair or maintain their apparatus, but they should be completed as soon as possible to minimise disruption to traffic. Highway authorities have a duty under section 59 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 to co-ordinate works taking place on their roads to manage their networks effectively and safely. The Government published updated guidance to them on this in April 2023.
Part of this coordination requires that undertakers, mostly utility companies, must give notice to the relevant highway authority in advance of non-emergency works and proposed traffic management. Any utility overstaying their agreed period in the highway is subject to overrun charges up to £10,000 per day subject to certain criteria.
We announced in the Plan for Drivers ( https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plan-for-drivers/the-plan-for-drivers) proposals to introduce weekend overrun charges, to close the loophole that means no charges can be imposed for works that overrun at the weekend, and an increase in the fines for utility companies pay for not complying with the law.
We are also supporting further roll out of lane rental, a charging regime highway authorities can use to help reduce congestion on the busiest roads at the busiest times. We look forward to seeing more schemes being developed this year.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether officials in his Department have had discussions with the UK Health Security Agency on the spread of Cimicosis on public transport.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Department for Transport officials regularly engage with Health Security Agency officials on a range of issues.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Transport for London on the potential impact of free wi-fi in underground services on the security of Government buildings in central London.
Answered by Huw Merriman
No discussions have taken place.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department carried out an equality impact assessment before announcing that railway fares would increase by 4.9% in 2024.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Yes.