Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a television advertising campaign to help to raise awareness of the changes to the Highway Code which came into effect on 29th January 2022.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The changes to The Highway Code to help improve road safety for people walking, cycling and horse riding have been communicated in two phases:
Both phases of the campaign were supported by a significant media spend, using channels such as radio, digital audio, video on demand and social media advertising.
Specialist media planners and buyers are commissioned to secure the optimum and most cost-effective media placement for our messaging. The campaign plan used contextual opportunities, raising awareness at the point of the behaviour, as well as priming opportunities to diffuse tensions and build empathy and understanding amongst road user groups. Channels were selected that were able to build high levels of reach and frequency amongst the target audiences to deliver both message take-out and planned behaviour change.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how long it takes for people to apply to the DVLA for car tax via post where they are eligible to receive a discount due to receiving benefits and ineligible to apply online or at the Post Office.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
All postal applications for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are being processed within normal turnaround times of 10 working days.
Data on the number of applications received from customers eligible for a reduction in VED due to receiving benefits is not available.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people who apply to the DVLA for car tax are eligible for a discount due to receiving benefits.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
All postal applications for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are being processed within normal turnaround times of 10 working days.
Data on the number of applications received from customers eligible for a reduction in VED due to receiving benefits is not available.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) financial and (b) accessibility impacts for disabled drivers of the process of applying for a reduced rate of vehicle tax.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) considers the potential impacts on those with protected characteristics when developing and revising policies, processes or services.
Customers in receipt of the enhanced mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are able to apply for a vehicle tax exemption on-line or via the Post Office.
The introduction of a similar service for individuals in receipt of the standard rate of PIP to license their vehicle at the reduced rate is more complex. The DVLA is exploring ways of improving the process for payments of vehicle tax for individuals in receipt of the standard rate of PIP with a view to making it easier for customers.
In the meantime, a service is in place which allows customers in receipt of the standard mobility component of PIP to apply directly to the DVLA to license
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to accept applications for vehicle tax at a reduced rate when purchasing (a) online or (b) at Post Office branches.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) considers the potential impacts on those with protected characteristics when developing and revising policies, processes or services.
Customers in receipt of the enhanced mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are able to apply for a vehicle tax exemption on-line or via the Post Office.
The introduction of a similar service for individuals in receipt of the standard rate of PIP to license their vehicle at the reduced rate is more complex. The DVLA is exploring ways of improving the process for payments of vehicle tax for individuals in receipt of the standard rate of PIP with a view to making it easier for customers.
In the meantime, a service is in place which allows customers in receipt of the standard mobility component of PIP to apply directly to the DVLA to license
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric vehicles were registered in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency in the most recent period for which records are available.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
At the end of September 2021, there were 408 battery electric vehicles licensed to an address in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency, which comprised of 367 cars and 41 other vehicles.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making insurance a legal requirement for cyclists.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Cyclists are encouraged, but not required, to take out some form of insurance, and many cyclists have insurance cover through their membership of cycling organisations. All cyclists are required to obey the rules of the road, and the fact that a cyclist is not insured does not prevent them from being liable for the consequences of their actions. The police, and ultimately the courts, can take into account all the circumstances of an incident and judge accordingly.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Maritime and Coastguard Agency received a call for help from any person aboard the boat carrying migrants that sank in the English Channel on 24 November 2021.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Her Majesty’s Coastguard is committed to safeguarding life around the seas and coastal areas of the United Kingdom.
On Wednesday 24 November 2021, the Coastguard received over 90 alerts from the English Channel area including 999 emergency calls. Every call was answered, assessed and acted upon, including the timely deployment of search and rescue resources where appropriate.
In response to calls received in the early hours of Wednesday 24 November 2021, Her Majesty’s Coastguard launched a search and rescue operation including UK Border Force, a UK Coastguard Helicopter and passing ships were asked to keep a lookout for small boats in the area. Three small boats were located and those onboard rescued. No other small boats or people in the water were identified in the search area.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of charging point operators on the potential merits of introducing a universal app for payment at electric car charging points.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We are committed to ensuring that consumers have a seamless experience when using the public EV charging network. We have regular engagement with chargepoint operators, other industry representatives and consumer groups to inform our approach. In Spring 2021, we consulted on measures to improve the consumer experience of public charging. The consultation focused on four key areas: making it easier to pay at a public chargepoint including streamlining use of apps for consumers; mandating a single payment metric to improve price transparency; improving the public network’s reliability; and opening public EV chargepoint data to enable consumers to locate chargepoints. Alongside this, my Department had a series of related engagement events with chargepoint operators, and representatives of other industry members and of consumer groups. These included discussions on the potential role of apps for payment. We are intending to publish the government response to the consultation in the autumn and to lay legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to inform the public of the benefits of electric powered vehicles.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 9 September 2021 the Government published an informational leaflet addressing commonly held misconceptions and concerns regarding electric vehicles (EVs). This comes in addition to the Go Ultra Low initiative, which since launching in 2014 has seen Government collaborate with industry and other stakeholders to provide basic, practical advice for those considering making the switch to zero emission driving. The Government will continue to build on this work as EVs sales increase and become more commonplace on our roads.