The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints the DVLA has received about delays in people receiving driving licences in each year since 2010.
Claire Perry
Specific reasons for complaints about drivers’ driving licence applications, such as delays, are not available for 2010 to 2013 and are only available for 2014 onwards. For 2014, there were 2606 complaints due to delays in issuing a driving licence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications the DVLA has received relating to a review of medical information in relation to a driver’s licence in each year since 2010.
Claire Perry
The table below provides the total number of applications received that required a medical investigation before making a driver licensing decision:
|
Year |
Total number of applications received |
|
2010 |
599,050 |
|
2011 |
576,291 |
|
2012 |
619,383 |
|
2013 |
652,702 |
|
2014 |
626,629 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what arrangements are in place in his Department to manage potential conflicts of interest of civil servants in relation to their previous employment.
Claire Perry
There are a number of arrangements in place; including the Civil Service Code, which refers to an individual’s integrity in putting the obligations of public service above their own personal interests and forms part of the contractual relationship between a Civil Servant and their employer.
Contracts of employment issued to a new member of staff also refer to the subject of Conduct and conflict of interest:
‘As a Civil Servant you are required to conduct yourself in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Code, a copy of which is available within the Staff Handbook. It is essential that you are, and are seen to be, honest and impartial in the discharge of your duties. You must not allow your judgement or integrity to be compromised in fact or by reasonable implication. The detailed requirements governing the avoidance of conflicts of interest, the receipt of gifts and hospitality and the standards of conduct expected of you are set out in the Staff Handbook.’
Any Civil Servant who does not adhere to the Civil Service code is liable to disciplinary action including the possibility of dismissal.
In addition, applicants are required to declare previous employment on job applications, so recruiting line managers will be aware of potential conflicts of interest. If a role requires security clearance, then an additional independent check is conducted as part of the security checking process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether representatives from each local authority comprising Rail North will be asked to approve Rail North’s response to the consultation for the Northern Rail and TransPennine Express franchises.
Claire Perry
We have been working closely with Rail North on the response to the Northern and TransPennine Express consultation, which has been developed jointly and will be published as a joint document.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many approvals his Department has given to (a) close and (b) change hours for ticket offices in the last five years.
Claire Perry
140 changes and 4 closures on the rail network have been approved since May 2010. This information is in the attached spreadsheet.
By contrast, between May 2005 and May 2010, approvals were given for reductions in ticket office opening hours at approximately 300 stations with around a further 100 reductions agreed by the train operators with Passenger Focus (and London TravelWatch where appropriate) without needing reference to the Department. In addition, closures were approved at 6 stations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps in the invitation to tender for the Northern Rail and TransPennine Express franchises to ensure that there is always a second person on the train in addition to the driver.
Claire Perry
The Department does not specify the numbers of staff or how they should be deployed, as this is something that the operators are much better placed to understand and manage than we are.
Train operating companies have to abide by all appropriate health and safety requirements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recruitment process was used when hiring Simon Baugh, Group Director of Communications for his Department; and what role Mr Baugh will have in his Department after the Airports Commission has made its recommendation on airport expansion in the South East.
Claire Perry
The recruitment process for this role followed the legal principle that a person’s selection must be on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The process was overseen at all stages by a Civil Service Commissioner and managed by executive search firm Odgers Berndston. The role was advertised nationally in September 2014, and the process that then followed comprised longlisting, shortlisting, psychometric testing and final interviews by a panel. The panel was chaired by the Civil Service Commissioner and otherwise comprised Philip Rutnam, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport; Alex Aitken, Executive Director of Government Communications, Cabinet Office; David Prout, Director General, High Speed Rail, Department for Transport; and Alison Rumsey, Group HR Director, Department for Transport. Prior to final panel interviews the shortlisted candidates met the Permanent Secretary and the Secretary of State for conversations in which the candidates had the opportunity to ask questions about the Department. The meetings with the Secretary of State were observed by representatives from the Civil Service Commissioner’s office in line with Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. As Mr Baugh was previously employed by Heathrow Airport Ltd, he will not be involved in advising Ministers on issues relating to the work of the Airports Commission for the 6 months following his appointment, which starts on 30 March 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the total value of contracts his Department has with private sector providers was in each of the last five years for which records are available.
Alun Cairns
As a small Government Department we use the buying power of larger government departments to procure services, primarily the Ministry of Justice, and we do not therefore possess the information requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) number, (b) value and (c) proportion is of incorrect payments made to claimants of universal credit since the scheme was introduced.
Steve Webb
This information is not readily available for publication and to quality assure this management information to Office for National Statistics quality standards, would incur disproportionate costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many challenges to benefits sanctions have been overturned as a result of tribunal interventions where his Department has not made reasonable adjustments under disability equality law; how his Department takes into account information from social services or health service staff before imposing such sanctions; and what processes ensure that adjustments are made before such sanctions are imposed on disabled claimants.
Esther McVey
The exact information you request on tribunal Interventions is not available.
However, Decision Makers ensure that all relevant claimant circumstances are carefully considered before imposing any sanction. This may include information from social services and health service staff if it was relevant to the case. We do not sanction vulnerable claimants without making every effort to contact them or their carer/healthcare professional first. Clear and detailed guidance is used by Decision Makers to ensure that the necessary processes are followed in a consistent manner.