Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the requirement on the number of parking bays required for each driving test centre is.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
As the Minister responsible for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Baroness Vere is happy to meet with the hon Member for Jarrow to discuss the closure of South Shields driving test centre.
DVSA is not able to release building running and occupancy costs as this information is commercially sensitive.
It is usual for the DVSA to allocate two parking bays per the maximum number of examiners that are deployed to test at each location. Facilities needed at a test centre would include two sets of WCs, a waiting room and car parking. The accommodation would need a mains electricity supply with access to plug points and lights, a water supply and the building must be heated and cleaned daily. The required square footage (sqft) per driving examiner is around 550 sqft including workspace (97 sqft in isolation), circulation, amenity, waiting room (for four people), and WC but excluding parking. In order to carry our administrative duties, driving examiners require access to the internet.
The DVSA would need Health & Safety evidence if a building was to be used as a test centre that complied with the statutory requirements as listed below. Compliance must be monitored and maintained in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices:
If the building is multi-occupancy, the DVSA would need evidence that all common parts of the building were monitored and maintained for statutory purposes in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the overall running costs of the South Shields Driving Test Centre on the Bede Industrial Estate, Jarrow have been in each of the last five years.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
As the Minister responsible for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Baroness Vere is happy to meet with the hon Member for Jarrow to discuss the closure of South Shields driving test centre.
DVSA is not able to release building running and occupancy costs as this information is commercially sensitive.
It is usual for the DVSA to allocate two parking bays per the maximum number of examiners that are deployed to test at each location. Facilities needed at a test centre would include two sets of WCs, a waiting room and car parking. The accommodation would need a mains electricity supply with access to plug points and lights, a water supply and the building must be heated and cleaned daily. The required square footage (sqft) per driving examiner is around 550 sqft including workspace (97 sqft in isolation), circulation, amenity, waiting room (for four people), and WC but excluding parking. In order to carry our administrative duties, driving examiners require access to the internet.
The DVSA would need Health & Safety evidence if a building was to be used as a test centre that complied with the statutory requirements as listed below. Compliance must be monitored and maintained in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices:
If the building is multi-occupancy, the DVSA would need evidence that all common parts of the building were monitored and maintained for statutory purposes in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet with the hon Member for Jarrow to discuss the reported planned permanent closure of the South Shields Driving Test Centre on the Bede Industrial Estate in Jarrow in April 2022.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
As the Minister responsible for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Baroness Vere is happy to meet with the hon Member for Jarrow to discuss the closure of South Shields driving test centre.
DVSA is not able to release building running and occupancy costs as this information is commercially sensitive.
It is usual for the DVSA to allocate two parking bays per the maximum number of examiners that are deployed to test at each location. Facilities needed at a test centre would include two sets of WCs, a waiting room and car parking. The accommodation would need a mains electricity supply with access to plug points and lights, a water supply and the building must be heated and cleaned daily. The required square footage (sqft) per driving examiner is around 550 sqft including workspace (97 sqft in isolation), circulation, amenity, waiting room (for four people), and WC but excluding parking. In order to carry our administrative duties, driving examiners require access to the internet.
The DVSA would need Health & Safety evidence if a building was to be used as a test centre that complied with the statutory requirements as listed below. Compliance must be monitored and maintained in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices:
If the building is multi-occupancy, the DVSA would need evidence that all common parts of the building were monitored and maintained for statutory purposes in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it remains the Government's policy to support Metro Flow and the wider North East Transforming Cities Fund allocation.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Tyne and Wear Metro has been an essential part of the public transport network in the North East for over 40 years. That is why the Government is committed to investing nearly £340m to upgrade the fleet and secure its future for decades to come. We will start to see the first new trains arrive from 2022 and enter passenger service in 2023. I can confirm the government’s continued support for Metro flow and the business case is proceeding as expected. An Early Award period was agreed which allowed Nexus to commence design and planning works whilst full funding approvals are being finalised.
My Department remain committed to the Transforming Cities Programme and the benefits it will bring to the North East.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the Government's policy is on the implementation of social distancing measures on public transport; and if he will provide funding to transport providers for the implementation of those measures.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
On the 12 May, the Government published safer travel guidance for passengers, which states that people should consider all other forms of transport before using public transport.
On 12 May, the Government also published guidance for transport operators to help them keep their staff and passengers safe, including how social distancing rules should be interpreted to do this. Each transport provider will need to translate the principles and examples in this guidance into specific actions. This guidance will be kept up-to-date as restrictions on travel change.
The Department will announce shortly the further funding it will provide to bus and light rail operators to support the restoration of their services.
With regards to rail services, under the Emergency Measures Agreements agreed with franchised train operators, existing franchise agreements financial mechanisms have been suspended and all revenue and cost risk has been temporarily transferred to the Government. The Department will continue to manage rail services with close scrutiny of costs to ensure that any additional expenditure incurred, such as measures for social distancing, provides good value for taxpayers.