Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps have been taken by (a) his Department and (b) agencies of his Department to (i) protect and (ii) support hedgehogs since his appointment as a species champion for the native hedgehog.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
HS2 Ltd has worked closely with the Royal Parks and the Zoological Society for London on the development of an Ecological Mitigation Plan with the aim of lessening the impact on the local wildlife population. HS2 is the first project of this kind to have developed measures aimed at protecting hedgehogs.
In addition, the Department for Transport is currently exploring the options for a traffic sign to make drivers aware of the presence of hedgehogs and other small animals in the road ahead, in locations where there have been a high number of animal casualties.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to tackle cyclists riding dangerously on (a) footpaths and (b) pavements.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The current dangerous and careless cycling offences apply to the road. This includes the pavement.
Last year the Government announced a cycle safety review consisting of two phases. The first part of the review considers the case for creating a new offence similar to that of causing death or serious injury by careless or dangerous driving, to help protect both cyclists and pedestrians. This is the focus of an independent legal report which was published on 9 March. The Department will issue a response to that report in due course.
The independent legal report is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-safety-review
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for his Department to operate trains with retention tanks, to be emptied in rail depots, to end the dumping of excrement on railways.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
By 31 December 2019, all Department for Transport franchisees will have ceased the discharge of effluent onto railway tracks. This will be achieved though the modification of existing trains by fitting toilet retention tanks or by the introduction of new trains that do not discharge on to the tracks.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many charging points there are for electric vehicles for staff at the offices of the Department for Transport and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles at Great Minster House.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
There is no staff or visitor parking at the Department for Transport and Office for Low Emission Vehicles, although there is limited parking available for mobility impaired drivers. Staff are encouraged to use public transport, walk and cycle to work rather than drive in order to ease congestion.
However, one dedicated electric vehicle chargepoint has been installed for electric vehicles in the Government fleet. There is also a double-headed public chargepoint immediately outside Great Minster House, as well as several other chargepoints in the surrounding area.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many British Transport Police officers have (a) applied for and (b) been granted an individual firearms licence since 2011.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The British Transport Police currently has 155 authorised firearms officers. Their authority to carry firearms is derived from Section 58 of the Firearms Act 1968 as amended by Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014. There is no requirement for them to possess individual firearms certificates.
Prior to the amendment to the Act, officers were required to obtain personal firearms licences. During the period in question, BTP records show that 56 officers applied for and were granted relevant firearms licences.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential effect on the viability of community transport organisations of the requirement for them as section 19 permit operators not to charge anyone and to require all drivers to have a PSV O-licence.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Within the existing legal framework, the Department wants as many community transport providers as possible to continue to operate, and retain, service provision for vulnerable community transport passengers.
The Department will consult on this issue and set out the changes proposed to legislation as well as guidance on the use of section 19 permits. The consultation will contain an impact assessment and the effect of the changes to the regulatory regime which will form part of our considerations.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an estimate of the cost to community transport organisations of ensuring that all their drivers have a PSV O-licence; and whether that requirement will effect their charitable status due to the capital reserve requirement involved.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Within the existing legal framework, the Department wants as many community transport providers as possible to continue to operate, and retain, service provision for vulnerable community transport passengers.
The Department will consult on this issue and set out the changes for operators complying with the proposed to legislation as well as guidance on the use of section 19 permits, including the financial standing requirement. The consultation will contain an impact assessment and the effect of the changes to the regulatory regime will form part of our considerations.
The Department does not envisage a requirement to obtain a PSV operating licence will affect whether or not an organisation has charitable status.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which (a) parliamentary constituencies he visited and (b) hon. Members he met with in their constituencies during the 2017 summer recess; what the dates were of those visits; and which proposed or current transport schemes he visited in that period.
Answered by John Hayes
The information requested is in the table below.
Date | Parliamentary Constituencies Visited | Hon. Members Met With In Their Constituencies | Proposed or Current Transport Schemes Visited |
Friday 21st July | Wythenshawe & Sale East | Mike Kane MP (Wythenshawe & Sale East) | Manchester Airport |
Thursday 3rd August | Southampton Itchen; Fareham | N/A | Port of Southampton; NATS |
Monday 7th August | Cambridge; Cambridgeshire South; Bedfordshire North East; Mid Bedfordshire; Bedford | N/A | Cambridge North station; East-West Rail route options |
Wednesday 9th August | Poplar & Limehouse; West Ham | N/A | N/A |
Thursday 10th August | Birmingham, Ladywood; Vauxhall | Mike Wood MP (Dudley South) | Birmingham New Street station; area around M6 J6; London Waterloo station |
Thursday 31st August | Bexleyheath and Crayford; Erith & Thamesmead | David Evennett MP (Bexleyheath and Crayford); Teresa Pearce MP (Erith & Thamesmead) | Area around Abbey Wood Crossrail station |
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will direct the DVLA to ensure that opticians are required to report drivers whose eye test has revealed that their eyesight, even with glasses or lenses, is below the standards needed to drive safely.
Answered by Andrew Jones
All drivers have an ongoing legal responsibility to ensure that they meet the vision standards for driving, wearing glasses or corrective lenses if needed. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) makes the eyesight standards for driving clear in leaflets, forms and on GOV.UK.
Opticians and optometrists already have a duty of care to their patients and the general public. On this basis they can already inform the DVLA of instances where they consider a patient to be unfit to drive. This is supported by guidance issued by the Royal College of Optometrists.
The DVLA’s “Assessing Fitness to Drive: A Guide for Medical Professionals” clarifies medical professionals’ obligations to notify a condition to the DVLA if their patient is unwilling or unable to report it themselves.
There are no plans to introduce a legal requirement for opticians to inform the DVLA if a driver is unable to meet the required eyesight standards for driving.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the charges for Departmental Pool Car Service Charges to the Attorney General's Office between 2012 and 2015, published by his Department on 17 December 2016, what the (a) purpose, (b) distance travelled and (c) cost was of each journey booked by his office.
Answered by John Hayes
My Department has not published anything related to Departmental Pool Car charges on 17 December 2016.
The Departmental Pool Car is managed by individual Departments and individual trips are not logged.