Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the waiting time for learner motorists wishing to take their tests.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises the high demand for learners 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 offering a national recovery allowance and annual leave buy back to examiners, asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests, and conducting out of hours testing (such as on public holidays and weekends).
The DVSA is also continuing with its campaign to recruit more driving examiners across Great Britain and further increase availability of driving test appointments.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, from which country and location in that country each boat in the service of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency was procured from.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) the Ievoli Black is the only vessel procured by MCA. This procurement was conducted under an 'Open Procedure' via the Official Journal to the European Union. The current vessel has been procured from an Italian organisation.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions officials of his Department have had with relevant stakeholders on investment in UK ports to develop shore power facilities.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Shore power has a role to play in immediately reducing emissions from vessels visiting port. I and my officials routinely engage with industry stakeholders such as port operators to discuss investment to develop lower emission infrastructure, including shore power facilities.
Shore-side low and zero carbon fuelling including bunkering of such fuels are in scope of the £20m Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, which will fund feasibility studies and initial technology trials to support the transition to zero emission shipping and cleaner, greener ports.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the international competitiveness of UK seafarer training.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department for Transport have established a Maritime Skills Commission (MSC) to lead the sector’s work in ensuring the maritime sector has a pipeline of talented people to serve all parts of the sector. The Commissions has recently completed and published a review of seafarer cadet training. Working with stakeholders the MSC and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will look at taking forward these recommendations.
Refreshing the seafarer training system in the UK will allow the well-regarded UK maritime training sector to strengthen its position internationally and meet the future skills needs of the sector.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his Department's policy that car sharing is permitted in the context of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In line with the easing on the rules of households mixing indoors at Step 3 of the roadmap, car sharing is now permitted. People may travel in a group of up to 6 people from any number of households, or a group of any size from no more than 2 households. Due to certain exemptions mean, these restrictions do not apply in all circumstances.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has plans to release further vouchers under the Fix Your Bike Voucher Scheme.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department plans to release a further batch of vouchers before Easter, providing lockdown restrictions still allow.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is providing to the maritime sector.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
My officials and I work extensively with our maritime sector. We continue to support the sector on the operational, crew and financial challenges they face during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are working closely with stakeholders from across the sector as we look to restart domestic and international travel through the Global Travel Taskforce. My department continues to assist on critical issues such as decarbonisation, promoting global competitiveness and our future seafarer needs. We will work closely with the sector to seize the opportunities our departure from the EU creates and are fully committed to the long-term success of the sector which is so critical to the UK as a trading nation.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve the UK's network of motorhome stopover points.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Department for Transport holds policy responsibility for on street parking facilities only. The Department has no plans in that context for the UK’s network of motorhome stopover points. This question may be relevant to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government who hold policy responsibility for off street parking facilities and planning decisions.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the development of the maritime energy efficiency sector.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government is committed to decarbonising the maritime sector both domestically, to meet our Net Zero target, and internationally to meet International Maritime Organisation targets.
In 2019, Government published the Clean Maritime Plan, which noted that by 2025 we expect that ‘all vessels operating in UK waters [should be] maximising the use of energy efficiency options’, to reduce emissions in the short-term before practical zero emission technologies are made deployable. Following publication of the Clean Maritime Plan, Government provided £1.5m for clean maritime projects including maritime energy efficiency projects, through the MarRI-UK Clean Maritime Call. The Department will soon publish the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, which will set out further details of the Government’s maritime decarbonisation measures.
Internationally, the UK was crucial to securing both the efficiency target in the IMO’s Initial Greenhouse Gas Strategy, and to the IMO’s adoption of the Energy Efficiency Design Index. The UK will continue to push for ambition on efficiency and decarbonisation measures at the IMO.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether seafarers working on private yachts that enter the UK are required to self-isolate.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The list of exemptions to the requirement to self-isolate includes an exemption for ‘Seamen and masters as defined in section 313(1) Merchant Shipping Act 1995, maritime pilots as defined in para 22(1) of schedule 3A of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, and inspectors and surveyors of ships appointed under section 256 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 or by a government of a relevant British possession as defined in section 313(1) of that Act.’
It is the responsibility of the individual, or their employer, to determine whether they may qualify for an exemption and, where they do, ensure they travel with the appropriate supporting documentation.