Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) financial and (b) other resource support the Government has provided to the drone industry to assist integrating drones operating beyond visual line of sight into UK airspace; and what plans he has for the future of drone use in the UK.
Answered by Robert Courts
Government is working with and supporting industry to develop the drone industry. A key programme is the Future Flight Challenge that is a joint government and industry investment of £300m to develop greener ways to fly, such as all-electric aircraft and deliveries by drone, by advancing electric and autonomous flight technologies.
In addition, government supports specific focused projects such as the £1.2m Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme that looks to support integrating drones into UK airspace by bringing together drone providers and end users to demonstrate innovative drone use cases, helping to inform regulatory development; and the Civil Aviation Authority’s Innovation Hub sandbox supports the testing and trialling of innovative unmanned aircraft operations and flights beyond visual line of sight to take place in a safe environment and in collaboration with the regulator.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to bring forward an independent review on the (a) economic, (b) safety, (c) privacy and (d) environmental impacts of the proposed expansion in domestic drone use for (i) civil, (ii) military, (iii) commercial and (iv) other purposes.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Department is currently considering recommendations from two separate independent reports from the Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC) in November 2021 and the Taskforce on Innovation Growth and Regulatory Reform (TIGRR) in May 2021. These independent reports reviewed domestic drone use.
In addition, the Department is currently consulting on the future of flight that includes domestic drone use. This builds on the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021 that included provisions to ensure safe drone use. The future of flight consultation will close on 22 November 2021 and will give consideration of the responses, alongside the recommendations of the reports, to develop a legislative and regulatory framework to allow for wider market and public use of new aviation technology (including drones) in a safe, secure and sustainable way.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the civil enforcement of moving traffic offences by traffic authorities outside London on the prevention of lorries getting stuck on narrow roads or junctions, or causing damage to pavements and bridges by enforcing height, width and length restrictions.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
We plan to introduce the regulations to commence Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 in December. Once the powers are commenced, local authorities wanting to undertake civil enforcement of moving traffic contraventions, will need to apply to the Secretary of State for an Order to be made, designating the council as the enforcement authority in their area.
Work is underway on drafting statutory guidance, which we plan to publish in tandem with the regulations coming into force. In addition, we will issue advice to local authorities shortly, to enable them to prepare their applications in the meantime, ready for when the powers come into force.
The Traffic Management Act 2004 specifies those traffic signs to which moving traffic enforcement will apply. This includes the sign indicating prohibition of goods vehicles for environmental reasons; such as narrow roads unsuitable for large vehicles, or to protect residents from the nuisance caused by lorries in residential streets. The sign still applies to such vehicles when driven unladen, or when only the cab section of an articulated vehicle is being driven, whether or not its weight is then below that shown on the sign. There are no plans to expand the list of applicable traffic signs to include structural weight limits, or vehicle height, width, length limits, which will remain enforceable by the police.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will issue guidance to local authorities on the civil enforcement powers set out in Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
We plan to introduce the regulations to commence Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 in December. Once the powers are commenced, local authorities wanting to undertake civil enforcement of moving traffic contraventions, will need to apply to the Secretary of State for an Order to be made, designating the council as the enforcement authority in their area.
Work is underway on drafting statutory guidance, which we plan to publish in tandem with the regulations coming into force. In addition, we will issue advice to local authorities shortly, to enable them to prepare their applications in the meantime, ready for when the powers come into force.
The Traffic Management Act 2004 specifies those traffic signs to which moving traffic enforcement will apply. This includes the sign indicating prohibition of goods vehicles for environmental reasons; such as narrow roads unsuitable for large vehicles, or to protect residents from the nuisance caused by lorries in residential streets. The sign still applies to such vehicles when driven unladen, or when only the cab section of an articulated vehicle is being driven, whether or not its weight is then below that shown on the sign. There are no plans to expand the list of applicable traffic signs to include structural weight limits, or vehicle height, width, length limits, which will remain enforceable by the police.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timescale is for implementing Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 to enable traffic authorities outside London to carry out civil enforcement of moving traffic offences including those needed for school streets schemes.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
We plan to introduce the regulations to commence Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 in December. Once the powers are commenced, local authorities wanting to undertake civil enforcement of moving traffic contraventions, will need to apply to the Secretary of State for an Order to be made, designating the council as the enforcement authority in their area.
Work is underway on drafting statutory guidance, which we plan to publish in tandem with the regulations coming into force. In addition, we will issue advice to local authorities shortly, to enable them to prepare their applications in the meantime, ready for when the powers come into force.
The Traffic Management Act 2004 specifies those traffic signs to which moving traffic enforcement will apply. This includes the sign indicating prohibition of goods vehicles for environmental reasons; such as narrow roads unsuitable for large vehicles, or to protect residents from the nuisance caused by lorries in residential streets. The sign still applies to such vehicles when driven unladen, or when only the cab section of an articulated vehicle is being driven, whether or not its weight is then below that shown on the sign. There are no plans to expand the list of applicable traffic signs to include structural weight limits, or vehicle height, width, length limits, which will remain enforceable by the police.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what equality impact assessment his Department has undertaken on the effect on people whose two-year deadline for Compulsory Basic Training has expired during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
No assessment has been made. The two-year validity period of a Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) certificate, which is set out in legislation, 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.
Mobile emergency workers who hold a valid CBT certificate are able to take a motorcycle test during the current restrictions if put forward by their employer.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2020 to Question 91850, on School Streets Initiative, when he plans to enact Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 to enable local authorities outside London to enforce school streets schemes.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Further to the previous answer, work is underway on drafting the regulations needed to bring the Part 6 powers into force, which will take several months to complete. It is not possible at this stage to say exactly when in 2021 the powers will be available to local authorities.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2020 to Question 91850, when he plans to bring into effect Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004, so that local authorities outside London can enforce school streets schemes.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The moving traffic enforcement powers under Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 require a set of statutory instruments to be made covering enforcement, level of penalties, financial provisions, approved devices, adjudication and representations and appeals. This will take several months to bring into force, after which those local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers can apply for a designation order for moving traffic enforcement.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he would publish the (a) names and (b) organisations of the members of his Department’s Net Zero Transport Board.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Net Zero Transport Board comprises a wide variety of stakeholders including transport experts, behavioural insight specialists, technology, academia and environmental NGOs. Details of the membership, alongside minutes of the first meeting, which focused on a green recovery from coronavirus, will be published shortly.