Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the uptake levels of electric and low-emission vehicles; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Since 2011, over 130,000 ultra-low emission battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in hybrid vehicles have been registered in the UK. Sales of ultra-low emission vehicles have been increasing rapidly, up by 27% in 2017 compared to 2016. However, they still make up only a small proportion of the total with 1.8% of all new car sales in 2017. We want to see this continue to increase and we will shortly be publishing a strategy on the transition to zero emission road transport.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that taxi and mini cab drivers do not discriminate against assistance dog owners.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Under sections 168 to 173 of the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful for drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs), who do not hold a medical exemption certificate, to refuse the carriage of an assistance dog. Drivers convicted of doing so may face a fine of up to £1,000 in addition to any sanction imposed by the licensing authority such as suspension or revocation of a licence.
The Department is currently considering the responses to the consultation on the draft Accessibility Action Plan which will inform the updated Best Practice Guidance for taxi and PHV licensing authorities. It is the Department’s expectation that the guidance will include a recommendation that authorities should use their existing powers to require prospective drivers to complete disability awareness and equality training to ensure drivers have the skills, knowledge and understanding to provide all passengers with the assistance they require.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage community transport (a) providers and (b) users to respond to his Department’s consultation on the use of section 19 and section 22 permits for road passenger transport in Great Britain.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The consultation document was sent out to the Community Transport Association, wider community transport stakeholders and local authorities on the day of the launch notifying them of the publication. Officials in the Department are also working closely with relevant interested stakeholders, including the Community Transport Association and local authorities, on a series of regional events during the consultation period.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the findings of KPMG's Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index, published in January 2018, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK roads are ready for autonomous vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department welcomes publication of the KPMG index, which ranks the United Kingdom in the top five nations for overall autonomous vehicle readiness. The index reflects our excellence in technology and innovation and highlights the very strong industry partnerships and academic research this Government has established, as well as our exemplar status in terms of regulation.
The more moderate perceived performance in enabling autonomous vehicle infrastructure is due, largely, to a low overall score for 4G coverage. Although substantial improvements in 4G coverage have been achieved recently, reliable coverage across our road networks is a Government priority, demonstrated by the 2017 Conservative manifesto commitment to improve coverage on major roads as well as railways. The Department continues to work closely both with the Government’s Digital Implementation Taskforce to ensure delivery of this commitment, and with the industry to determine what the enabling requirements for automated vehicles will be.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the findings of KPMG's Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index, published in January 2018, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK roads are ready for autonomous vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department welcomes publication of the KPMG index, which ranks the United Kingdom in the top five nations for overall autonomous vehicle readiness. The index reflects our excellence in technology and innovation and highlights the very strong industry partnerships and academic research this Government has established, as well as our exemplar status in terms of regulation.
The more moderate perceived performance in enabling autonomous vehicle infrastructure is due, largely, to a low overall score for 4G coverage. Although substantial improvements in 4G coverage have been achieved recently, reliable coverage across our road networks is a Government priority, demonstrated by the 2017 Conservative manifesto commitment to improve coverage on major roads as well as railways. The Department continues to work closely both with the Government’s Digital Implementation Taskforce to ensure delivery of this commitment, and with the industry to determine what the enabling requirements for automated vehicles will be.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the readiness of the UK's 4G infrastructure to enable autonomous vehicles to operate on UK roads.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Ofcom conducts annual analysis of mobile coverage across the UK, including road networks. However, more detailed assessment is necessary to understand the digital connectivity requirements of connected and automated vehicles, including the role 4G networks can play. At this early stage, there remains debate in industry about what level of digital connectivity will be necessary to enable self-driving vehicles and what the optimal telecommunications technologies will be. Digital connectivity is a key issue, and earlier this month, the Department commissioned research to analyse how ‘digital demand’ will evolve over time and across different road environments. The findings are due in the summer. The Department is also supporting the Government’s digital implementation task force in their work to consider how best to deliver the Conservative manifesto commitment (2017) to improve mobile coverage across major roads, and continue to fund a range of world leading trials and test beds across the UK.