Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the trends in the cost of air travel.
Answered by Robert Courts
More than in any other country, UK aviation operates in the private sector and in a competitive environment. The aviation market is regulated by the CAA to ensure that practices and policies of airlines comply with UK consumer legislation.
The Department assesses the possible long term trends in the cost of air travel as part of the process of generating long-term passenger demand forecasts. The most recent assessment of the long term trends in the cost of air travel was conducted as part of the analysis to support the Jet Zero Strategy further technical consultation, published in March 2022.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the backlog in processing applications for driving and vehicle licensing on motorists in Newport West.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Information on the number of applications awaiting processing for driving and vehicle licensing is not held by Parliamentary constituency or region. The quickest and easiest way to transact with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.
However, many people choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail each day. There are no delays in vehicles and non-medical driving licence paper applications, which are being processed within normal turnaround times. Applications where the driver has a medical condition that must be investigated before a licence can be issued will take longer but delays in this area are also reducing and will return to pre-pandemic levels by September.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times he has met with members of the leadership of the RMT union since his appointment.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials meet regularly with the RMT on a variety of matters.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the steps he is taking to increase the availability of electric vehicle charging points.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Government works closely with the devolved administrations on supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles across the whole of the UK. Regular discussions about chargepoints as well as other measures to support electric vehicles are held on an ongoing basis with the Welsh Government. For example, officials continue to engage closely on the upcoming consumer experience regulations for public chargepoints in the UK.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs on motorists in Newport West constituency.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
I am working closely with Cabinet colleagues to consider support we can provide to road users in these challenging times. My Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has recently announced a 12 month cut to duty on petrol and diesel of 5p per litre, representing a saving worth around £100 for the average car driver, £200 for the average van driver, and £1,500 for the average haulier.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on ensuring the safety of female train passengers and staff.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The rail industry has an established work programme to tackle Violence against Woman and Girls (VAWG) including a communications campaign, targeted training for frontline staff, and improved access to reporting. Tackling unwanted sexual behaviour is a priority for British Transport Police.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to deliver on the declarations made at COP26, including (a) Operation Zero and (b) the Clydebank Declaration.
Answered by Robert Courts
Operation Zero and the Clydebank Declaration were launched at COP26 to help drive the decarbonisation of the maritime sector and meet our targets under the Clean Maritime Plan and IMO Initial GHG Strategy.
The Clydebank Declaration represents the beginning of a multi-year process to develop green shipping corridors. As such, launching the Declaration is the first step to establish at least 6 corridors by the middle of this decade. We are now moving, with other States and the industry, to explore, design and then deliver corridors involving the UK.
My Department is working with industry partners and other government departments to also develop the next steps for Operation Zero, with a view to making zero-emission operations and maintenance vessels a reality in the North Sea offshore wind sector by 2025.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to support the development of coastal and inland shipping to help decarbonise the transport sector.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Clean Maritime Plan, published in 2019, and the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, published in 2021, set out the Government’s plans to decarbonise the maritime sector, including coastal and inland shipping. The Clean Maritime Plan can be found on Gov.Uk via this link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/815664/clean-maritime-plan.pdf