Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the shortfall of HGV drivers in Great Britain is addressed in the short term.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Transport has regular discussions with the road haulage industry. We are working together to address the current HGV driver shortage, which is an issue affecting many countries worldwide.
The Government has already taken firm action to bring new drivers into the industry as soon as possible. This includes funding apprenticeships and making an additional incentive payment available, training for jobseekers, and support for drivers to return to the sector, and doubling the number of vocational driving tests available.
Further measures have been announced, including eliminating the need for car drivers to take an additional test to tow a trailer, delegating the HGV test reversing exercise and uncoupling and recoupling to a third party and making it quicker to get a licence to drive an articulated vehicle (Cat C+E), without first having to get a licence for a smaller vehicle (Cat C). These should increase lorry driver testing capacity by a further 50,000 tests a year.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what they are doing to combat the problem of pavement parking, which especially causes issues for those with sight or mobility impairments.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department carried out a public consultation on possible solutions to the complex pavement parking problem, which ran from 31 August 2020 to 22 November 2020. Members of the public, including many who identified as having mobility or vision impairments, and organisations including those representing people with disabilities, participated. The consultation received over 15,000 responses. The Department has been carefully analysing the consultation responses and will publish the findings as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to combat the parking of motor vehicles on pavements; and what assessment have they made of the effect of such parking on those with sight or mobility impairments.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department carried out a public consultation on possible solutions to the complex pavement parking problem, which ran from 31 August 2020 to 22 November 2020. Members of the public, including many who identified as having mobility or vision impairments, and organisations including those representing people with disabilities, participated. The consultation received over 15,000 responses. The Department has been carefully analysing the consultation responses and will publish the findings as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage people back onto public transport after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are continuing to ensure we maintain reliable levels of service and the Department, with operators, is supporting passenger safety though enhanced cleaning, providing hand sanitiser and supporting ventilation where possible, alongside positive communications and messaging including the rail campaign ‘Getting Back on Track’ and the TfL campaign ‘Welcome Back London.’
The Department has also issued safer travel guidance for passengers and operators which provides advice to passengers about how to travel safety during the pandemic to support a return to the network.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue instructions to UK airports regarding separate immigration controls for flights arriving from ‘red list’ countries.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has issued clear guidance for both passengers and operators, with airports encouraged to introduce clear signage and one-way passenger flows where appropriate. Arrangements may vary depending on the airport and guidance is available to support operators to manage flows in a COVID-secure way.
We continue to improve processes which maintain the checks we need to carry out to keep the public safe, while minimising disruption, and passengers can support this process by ensuring they have completed the necessary requirements to enter the UK. The Government continues to engage with the aviation sector to ensure it is supported in implementing best practices.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what restrictions they have imposed on flights arriving from ‘red list’ countries.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Direct flight bans apply to most countries on the ‘Red List’, and operators must only deliver passengers who have travelled indirectly from a ‘Red List’ country in the previous 10 days to a designated port.
Passengers who have been in a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days prior to their arrival will only be allowed to enter the UK if they are a British or Irish National, or have residence rights in the UK. Alongside the requirements to take a pre-departure test and complete the Passenger Locator Form, most people who are allowed to enter England from a country on the red list will be required to quarantine for 10 days in a government-approved managed quarantine hotel with Covid-19 tests on days 2 and 8.
Direct flight bans were not introduced for countries added to the ‘Red List’ on 9 and 23 April, which had regular scheduled services to England (Pakistan, Bangladesh and India), on a trial basis. Passengers on direct flights were still subject to measures such as quarantine in a government-approved managed quarantine hotel.
We continually assess the data to understand the efficacy of measures such as managed hotel quarantine, entry bans and testing to ensure public health is protected.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to limit travel into the UK to those who have had a negative COVID-19 test.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 8 January that the Government will introduce a requirement for all international arrivals to have received a negative result for a coronavirus test taken no more than three days prior to their departure to England from 4am 18 January.
Children under the age of 11 and those unable to take a test for medical reasons will be exempt. There will also be a limited number of exemptions for those whom taking a test within three days of departure and receiving a result on time would be impossible, such as hauliers and international transport crew.
All other existing measures remain in place, including the need to self-isolate for 10 days (or 5 days if you choose to opt into Test to Release scheme) after leaving a place not on the Travel Corridor list.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term case for new railway (1) lines, and (2) stations.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to enhancing the railway where a business case can be made for doing so. We have set a £10.4bn budget for rail enhancements in England and Wales in Control Period 6 (2019-2024), £500m of which is available for Restoring Your Railway schemes.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to conducting COVID-19 checks at (1) airports, and (2) other points of entry into the UK.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Limiting the spread of COVID-19 at all points of international entry is of paramount importance to the Government. The Department for Transport has engaged extensively with stakeholders on measures to help prevent the spread of the virus, including the provision of advice and guidance to passengers and staff.
The Secretary of State for Transport confirmed in the House of Commons on 2 July that we are considering all options which might provide reassurance to passengers.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to deter parking on pavements.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Local authorities already have legal powers to restrict pavement parking. The Government intends to carry out a public consultation later in the year, on further possible options to help local authorities tackle pavement parking. The consultation will fill evidence gaps, seek views on specific options that were raised by the Transport Select Committee and call for alternative ideas. Ministers will take decisions on next steps in the light of the consultation responses.