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 implications for his policies of the recommendations made by Climate Assembly UK in their report entitled Path to net zero, published 10 September 2020, for the Government to invest in low carbon buses.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government is already committed to ensuring net zero carbon emissions in the transport system by 2050. That is why we are going further than the recommendations, investing in at least 4,000 Zero-Emission Buses (ZEBs) through the £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for regions outside London. This is on top of the £50 million to deliver Britain’s first all-electric bus town and £240 million since 2010 to support the move to lower emission buses. It will be important to account for all of this in the long-term National Bus Strategy we are developing.
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 Baroness Maclean of Redditch
At the end of 2019, there were 147 battery electric vehicles licensed to addresses in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency, which comprised of 127 cars and 20 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, how many registered car owners there were in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency for the most recent period for which records are available.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
At the end of 2019, there were 59,322 licensed cars registered to an address in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.
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 had discussions with representatives of British Airways on postponing its planned redundancies following the Government's announcement of an extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department for Transport is in regular contact with airlines, airports and unions to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on the sector and its workers. However, we do not comment on discussions held with individual companies, as this information is commercially sensitive.
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 he has had with representatives of the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training on ensuring that people are able to undertake drink drive rehabilitation training during the covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
In line with the Government’s guidance on social distancing, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has advised drink drive rehabilitation (DDR) course providers not to start any new classroom-based rehabilitation courses, until further notice. Offenders who have already taken the first, or first and second day of a three-day DDR course, can complete their course remotely on a suitable digital platform. The DVSA has been in discussions with representatives of the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training on this matter.
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 Government plans to align with EU policy requiring Alcolock built-in breathalysers to be fitted in all new motor cars from 2022; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Freeman
The EU General Safety Regulation mandates the fitment of “alcohol interlock installation facilitation” or the “interface” in new cars from 2022 and does not mandate the fixture of any specific device.
The Road Safety Statement 2019 included an action to commission research into the effectiveness of alcolocks to understand the feasibility of introducing them in the UK.
As part of our preparations for negotiations with the EU over our future relationship, we will be considering all aspects of applicable EU law. We will ensure that our high safety standards are maintained on UK roads, while considering opportunities that may arise from the UK’s exit from the EU.
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, with reference to the Inclusive Transport Strategy, published on 25 July 2018, when his Department plans to publish updated guidance for local authorities creating a shared space that is also accessible for visually impaired people.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Following the commitment in the Inclusive Transport Strategy, the Department is working with Transport Scotland on the research into inclusive street design. This is a collaborative project between the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland, which began in August and is scheduled to complete early next year. Following the conclusion of the research, we will consider the recommendations, and therefore how best to update our guidance.
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, with reference to the Inclusive Transport Strategy, published on 25 July 2018, when his Department plans to publish guidance on what should be included in high quality training for bus drivers.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Government remains committed to publishing best practice guidance on the provision of high quality disability awareness training for bus and coach drivers, to support operators to ensure that every driver has the knowledge and skills to assist disabled passengers.
We will publish the guidance later in the year and will work with the bus and coach industry to encourage its adoption.