Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions officials in his Department have had with (a) Great Western Railway and (b) Network Rail on disruption to rail services to and from Wales during the construction of Old Oak Common Station.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Department is working with Network Rail, HS2 Ltd, Transport for London and Great Western Railway (GWR) to minimise disruption to rail passengers during Old Oak Common construction. Some GWR services will be diverted to London Euston, providing GWR passengers access to a central London terminal with numerous onward travel connections. Passengers could alternatively use Ealing Broadway station, as they did successfully during the December 2023 engineering works.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to review vehicle lighting legislation following the UK's departure from the EU to reduce the impact of dazzle on drivers and pedestrians.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Provisions for vehicle headlamps are established and agreed within the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and define maximum and minimum intensity, light pattern and position on the vehicle. The rights and obligations of the UK within the UNECE are unaffected by EU Exit.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that smooth flows of passengers are maintained at St Pancras after the introduction of the new entry-exist system for the Schengen border in 2022.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government is engaging closely with industry, including Eurostar, to consider the operational challenges and impacts as a result of border operations, including the introduction of the EU’s ‘Entry-Exit system’.
I recently met with Eurostar representatives at St Pancras to discuss this issue and understand the operational challenges. My officials have facilitated similar discussions on this issue with industry and other government departments. The Government expects to see workable, pragmatic solutions, which take account of the unique operational considerations of juxtaposed border controls and supports efficient passenger flows.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact on operations at St Pancras Station of the introduction of the entry-exist system for the Schengen border in 2022.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government is engaging closely with industry, including Eurostar, to consider the operational challenges and impacts as a result of border operations, including the introduction of the EU’s ‘Entry-Exit system’.
I recently met with Eurostar representatives at St Pancras to discuss this issue and understand the operational challenges. My officials have facilitated similar discussions on this issue with industry and other government departments. The Government expects to see workable, pragmatic solutions, which take account of the unique operational considerations of juxtaposed border controls and supports efficient passenger flows.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the shortage of HGV drivers in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The labour shortages in the sector are longstanding. Industry estimates the shortage of HGV drivers to be between 60,000 - 76,000.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to tackle the backlog of HGV driving tests.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has put in place a number of measures to increase driving tests. These include offering overtime and annual leave buy back to examiners, asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests, and conducting out of hours testing (such as on public holidays). The DVSA has also started a recruitment campaign to increase the number of examiners. The aim is to increase testing capacity and reduce the backlog as quickly as possible, whilst maintaining a COVID-secure service for customers and examiners.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the size of the backlog of HGV driving tests.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has put in place a number of measures to increase driving tests. These include offering overtime and annual leave buy back to examiners, asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests, and conducting out of hours testing (such as on public holidays). The DVSA has also started a recruitment campaign to increase the number of examiners. The aim is to increase testing capacity and reduce the backlog as quickly as possible, whilst maintaining a COVID-secure service for customers and examiners.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to introduce the Veterans Railcard in Wales.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
On 22 January, I announced that our new Veterans Railcard would be available from 11 November this year. Most railcards can be used across Great Britain and, given the interconnected nature of rail services, I have written to my counterparts in Wales and Scotland inviting them to work with me to ensure the Veteran’s Railcard is accepted on services for which they are responsible. Passengers will be fully appraised of the railcard’s validity before it goes live, and this will include how to apply and the detailed terms and conditions.