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 - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
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 - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
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 Rachel Maclean
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 Rachel Maclean
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 Rachel Maclean
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 - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
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.
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 trends in the number of cloned vehicles in the UK in the last five years.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department for Transport does not keep statistics on the number of cloned vehicles as this is a matter for the police.
If the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is notified of a suspected cloned vehicle, it will investigate and where appropriate, amend the vehicle record and issue a replacement vehicle registration number. The DVLA will also pass on any intelligence gathered to the police.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps are being taken by (a) his Department and (b) the DVLA to tackle vehicle cloning.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department for Transport takes this issue very seriously and we appreciate how distressing this criminal activity can be for innocent motorists. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) works closely with the police, the motor trade, vehicle data checking companies and the vehicle security industry to help deal with this issue. A list of things a prospective purchaser should look for to help ensure that the identity of the vehicle they are buying is correct is shown on the GOV.UK website
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 promote the use of black box technology to encourage safer driving among under 18s.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In 2017, the Department commissioned a major research study which will consider the effectiveness of several measures, including telematics, in improving young drivers’ safety. The Department will make decisions about any potential steps to promote black box technology in light of that research.
The Department has not received any recent representations on raising the driving age to 18.