Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the aviation industry and airlines on resuming flights to countries that have not formed reciprocal quarantine-free travel arrangements without warning UK nationals that they may be refused entry to those countries.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The government has regular discussions with the aviation industry on a range of issues. The industry is aware that the Health Regulations relating to the self-isolation requirements remain under constant review and are currently subject to a formal review every 28 days. The next review will be on 27 July 2020.
The destinations airlines fly to are commercial decisions for those airlines. The government’s guidance is clear that those travelling abroad should check Foreign and Commonwealth Office coronavirus advice and travel advice before they travel. This advice states that passengers will have to comply with coronavirus requirements in the country that they are travelling to, and this may include self-isolating.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2020 to Question 42943 what assessment he has made of the effect of HGVs in the haulage sector being off the road on the financial viability of the sector during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department for Transport is in regular contact with representatives of the road haulage industry to understand the issues the industry is experiencing as a result of COVID-19. The Department is working with the industry to ensure that the appropriate measures are in place to allow for the continued operation of the road freight sector during the pandemic and to identify barriers to accessing the available Government support schemes. ?
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2020 to Question 42933, what comparative assessment he has made of the extent of other Governments' support packages for logistics industries; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department continues to collect, receive and assess data about the logistics industry. The Government will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of COVID-19 to establish whether any further support for the sector is needed.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2020 to Question 42934 on Business: Billing, what assessment he has made of the effect of covid-19 on trends in the level of (a) timely payment and (b) non-payment of invoices in the haulage sector.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department for Transport is in regular contact with representatives of the road haulage industry to understand the issues that the industry is experiencing as a result of COVID-19. Engagement with the industry suggests that delays in payment from customers is an issue for some hauliers.
The Government will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of COVID-19 to establish whether any further support for the sector is needed.?
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2020 to Question 42941 on Roads: Freight, what assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of haulage companies as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department for Transport is in regular contact with representatives of the road haulage industry to understand the issues the industry is experiencing as a result of COVID-19. The Department is working with the industry to ensure that the appropriate measures are in place to allow for the continued operation of the road freight sector during the pandemic and to identify barriers to accessing the available Government support schemes. ?
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) level of late payments and non-payments for services provided in the road transport industry and (b) potential effect of those payments on the viability of haulage companies.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government has made available £330bn of support through loans and guarantees to support UK businesses. Changes have been made to some of the schemes to ensure that more businesses, particularly those that are SMEs like many road haulage companies, can benefit from them.
The Department is in regular contact with representatives of the road haulage industry to understand the issues that the industry is experiencing as a result of COVID-19. The Department recognises that the sector is going through a challenging time.
Engagement with the industry suggests that delays in payment from customers is an issue for some hauliers.
Engagement with the industry also indicates that some road haulage trucks have been taken off the road. Whilst there are no current plans to introduce a financial support scheme for haulage businesses whose vehicles are idle during the COVID-19 outbreak, we continue to keep this under review.
The Government will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of COVID-19 to establish whether any further support for the sector is needed.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of trucks in the haulage industry that are idle as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government has made available £330bn of support through loans and guarantees to support UK businesses. Changes have been made to some of the schemes to ensure that more businesses, particularly those that are SMEs like many road haulage companies, can benefit from them.
The Department is in regular contact with representatives of the road haulage industry to understand the issues that the industry is experiencing as a result of COVID-19. The Department recognises that the sector is going through a challenging time.
Engagement with the industry suggests that delays in payment from customers is an issue for some hauliers.
Engagement with the industry also indicates that some road haulage trucks have been taken off the road. Whilst there are no current plans to introduce a financial support scheme for haulage businesses whose vehicles are idle during the COVID-19 outbreak, we continue to keep this under review.
The Government will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of COVID-19 to establish whether any further support for the sector is needed.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial support his Department has made available to haulage companies whose vehicles are currently idle as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government has made available £330bn of support through loans and guarantees to support UK businesses. Changes have been made to some of the schemes to ensure that more businesses, particularly those that are SMEs like many road haulage companies, can benefit from them.
The Department is in regular contact with representatives of the road haulage industry to understand the issues that the industry is experiencing as a result of COVID-19. The Department recognises that the sector is going through a challenging time.
Engagement with the industry suggests that delays in payment from customers is an issue for some hauliers.
Engagement with the industry also indicates that some road haulage trucks have been taken off the road. Whilst there are no current plans to introduce a financial support scheme for haulage businesses whose vehicles are idle during the COVID-19 outbreak, we continue to keep this under review.
The Government will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of COVID-19 to establish whether any further support for the sector is needed.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a financial support scheme for haulage businesses whose vehicles are idle during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government has made available £330bn of support through loans and guarantees to support UK businesses. Changes have been made to some of the schemes to ensure that more businesses, particularly those that are SMEs like many road haulage companies, can benefit from them.
The Department is in regular contact with representatives of the road haulage industry to understand the issues that the industry is experiencing as a result of COVID-19. The Department recognises that the sector is going through a challenging time.
Engagement with the industry suggests that delays in payment from customers is an issue for some hauliers.
Engagement with the industry also indicates that some road haulage trucks have been taken off the road. Whilst there are no current plans to introduce a financial support scheme for haulage businesses whose vehicles are idle during the COVID-19 outbreak, we continue to keep this under review.
The Government will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of COVID-19 to establish whether any further support for the sector is needed.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timescale is for publishing his Department's review of the effectiveness of red lights for roadside recovery operators; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government confirmed its intention to review available evidence on whether a more flexible approach might be appropriate to allowing the use of red flashing lamps by road recovery operators.
The Government is committed to improving road safety, and the Department is currently tendering this independent review through a competitive process. It is expected that the contract will be awarded in approximately three months and, subject to the tenders received, the results could be available four months later. The report will be published following completion.