Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timescale is for bringing forward legislative proposals to reform the taxi and private hire industry.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Government will bring forward legislation in respect of the commitments made in the response to the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing when time allows.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) assessment he has made of new diabetes monitoring technologies for drivers and (b) discussions his Department has had with the DVLA on updating the DVLA guidance on new diabetes monitoring technologies.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has worked closely with the Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on driving and diabetes mellitus to understand the potential impacts of allowing the use of alternative methods of glucose monitoring. Following consultation with key stakeholders the panel agreed that the evidence demonstrated that interstitial fluid glucose monitoring systems could be used to monitor glucose levels for the purpose of driving cars and motorcycles once the DVLA had published the revised guidelines.
The DVLA is currently amending the Assessing Fitness to Drive guidance on the use of new monitoring technologies for people with diabetes. The revised guidance is due to be published in February. This will allow the testing of interstitial fluid for driving licensing purposes for people with diabetes who drive cars or motorcycles. Drivers of goods vehicles and buses must continue to monitor blood glucose levels.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding has been provided to the London Borough of Redbridge to tackle potholes in each year since 2010; and how that funding compares with the average funding allocated in each year to local authorities in (a) Greater London and (b) England.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The responsibility for local highways maintenance in London, including repairing potholes, is a devolved matter and therefore falls to Transport for London and the London Boroughs. Since 2010, the Department for Transport has allocated London Boroughs with additional funding to help repair potholes, as set out in the table below:
Financial Year £m | Funding Stream | Redbridge | Total for London |
2010/11 | Severe Weather | 0.124 | 3.387 |
2010/11 | Winter 2011 | 0.270 | 10.284 |
2013/14 | Winter 2014 (paid to TfL) |
| 10.000 |
2014/15 | Pothole Fund | 0.325 | 10.000 |
2017/18 | Budget – additional funding | 0.064 | 2.234 |
2018/19 | Budget – highways maintenance additional funding | 0.550 | 20.000 |
Total |
| 1.333 | 55.905 |
‘Total for London’ includes Redbridge figure.
Funding for local highway authorities in England, outside London, for highways maintenance, which includes pothole repair, is available on the Department for Transport website. The latest information can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/roads-funding-information-pack
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report entitled Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Steps towards a safer and more robust system, published in September 2018, when the Government plans to publish its response to that report.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Ministers are considering the recommendations made by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing. A Government response will be issued in due course.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings his Department held with Seaborne Freight in 2018.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Officials were engaged in a series of meetings with Seaborne Freight during discussions over the proposed contract.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to publish its response to the report of Professor Mohammed Abdel-Haque's task and finish group on the taxi and private hire industry, published in September 2018.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Ministers are considering the recommendations made by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing, a Government response will be issued in due course.
Legislation to reform the regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles will be brought forward if required.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on regulatory reform of the taxi and private hire industry.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Ministers are considering the recommendations made by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing, a Government response will be issued in due course.
Legislation to reform the regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles will be brought forward if required.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 24 April, 23 April, 28 March, 26 February, 29 January, 24 January, 22 January, 18 January, 8 January 2018 and 6 December 2017 to Questions 136807, 136288, 134056, 127728, 123767, 123012, 122413, 122522, 120771 and 116150 and with reference to the Answer of 12 February 2018 to Question HL5304, what the timetable is for the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles licensing to (a) submit and (b) publish its report; and what the reasons are for the time taken for that group to submit and publish its report.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
It is expected that the Task and Finish Group will submit its report for ministers to consider next month. The report will be published in due course.
While the Department is eager to receive the report it is vital that the independently chaired group is granted the time it deems necessary to hear evidence, consider the issues and evaluate proposals to address these.