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Tom Blenkinsop – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the ability of young drivers to gain insurance cover of the recent increase in the insurance premium tax.

Andrew Jones

My officials have not made an assessment. There are a number of behavioural, educational and technological interventions that have the potential to help improve young driver safety and hence have an impact on insurance premiums. We need better evidence about what works best, so we’re working with insurance companies to see how we can assess the impact of telematics products, amongst other things, on young driver safety.

01/01/2023
Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assistance the Government has given to (a) Kent Police, (b) Kent County Council, (c) other operational organisations and (d) businesses to cover costs and losses during the implementation of Operation Stack in 2015.

Andrew Jones

To date, no additional financial assistance has been provided by the Department for Transport to Kent Police, Kent County Council, or other operational organisations / businesses in relation to Operation Stack being implemented during 2015.

However, we are working closely with Highways England on the best approach to address their additional costs brought about by the implementation of Operation Stack.

Any financial assistance relating to Kent Police and UK businesses is a matter for the Home Office and the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills respectively.

01/01/2023
Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with freight and haulier representatives on ensuring better access to food, drink and sanitation facilities as part of his Department’s development of a strategy to improve the running of Operation Stack; and when he expects to announce his Department’s strategy.

Andrew Jones

Government continues to work closely with a wide range of key partners on a number of short to long term solutions to Operation Stack. Based on these discussions, Highways England are assessing a number of sites off the strategic road network which could offer a potential long term solution and are exploring these options with landowners and stakeholders.

As part of this, my Department and Highways England will assess the facilities that will be made available on any such site and will liaise with the freight and haulier organisations in due course.

At present, an agreement has been reached with the owners of Manston Airfield in Kent to enable Kent Police, Highways England and Kent County Council to use the Airfield on a temporary basis to help reduce pressure on the M20 during Operation Stack. If Manston Airfield were to be required, access to toilet and washing facilities, and access to drinking water, would be provided as a minimum for drivers of parked vehicles as soon as reasonably practicable.

01/01/2023
Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of (a) Uber vehicles, (b) black cabs and (c) private hire vehicles are wheelchair accessible.

Andrew Jones

The results of the Department’s taxi survey in 2015 showed that 58% of all taxis (Hackney Carriages) in England are wheelchair accessible. All 22,500 London taxis are wheelchair accessible as required by Transport for London’s ‘Conditions for Fitness’ taxi licensing policy. 175 authorities (61%) require wheelchair accessible vehicles in all or part of their taxi fleet.

We do not keep comprehensive statistics on the number of wheelchair accessible private hire vehicles, including those operated by Uber or any other private hire operators. However we do welcome initiatives by such operators to improve the service they provide to those who need additional assistance.

01/01/2023
Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received assurances from Heathrow Airport that it will meet all of the Airports Commission recommendations before a decision is made on airport expansion; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report before taking any decisions on next steps.

The Government will carefully consider all the evidence set out when making a decision on additional runway capacity.

01/01/2023
Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will support Jet2.com’s Onboard Together campaign to reduce disruptive behaviour on aircraft.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Last month I met with the management of Jet2.com to discuss their work on reducing disruptive behaviour on aircraft. The Government supports the aviation industry’s efforts to find solutions to the issue of disruptive passengers. The Government encourages collaboration across the industry to tackle the problem, including airlines, airports, retail outlets and the police working together to ensure consistent approach and messaging.

01/01/2023
Bridget Phillipson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost has been of the North East Traffic Commissioners Quality Contact Scheme board to date.

Andrew Jones

The Quality Contract Scheme Board (QCSB) that was convened to consider the proposed Quality Contract Scheme for Tyne and Wear published their report in accordance with the Transport Act 2000 on 3 November 2015.

The cost incurred by QCSB in fulfilling their statutory obligation to date is £206,088. This figure should not increase significantly as the report has now been published.

01/01/2023

Bridget Phillipson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) complaints have been made about and (b) investigations have been conducted into bus companies by the North East Traffic Commissioners in each year since 2010; and what enforcement action has been taken as a result following each such complaint or investigation.

Andrew Jones

The Traffic Commissioner for the North Eastern Traffic Area role is defined in the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 and is a regulatory role as opposed to an investigatory role. When complaints regarding the operation of Public Service Vehicles are received they are forwarded to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) who may carry out an investigation and provide a report to the Traffic Commissioner, should concerns be identified. Complaints and investigations may relate to issues of vehicle maintenance, driver behaviour or the reliability of local bus services. The Traffic Commissioner can request that DVSA conduct an investigation or DVSA may carry out an investigation under their own initiative. Between April 2010 and March 2015, 91 complaints have been received by the Traffic Commissioner relating to PSV operators.

The table below shows the number of public inquiries held between April 2010 and March 2015 at which the Traffic Commissioner considered regulatory action against the holder of a PSV operator’s licence.

	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	Total
Number of public inquiries completed	19	26	19	35	50	149
Licence revocations	7	10	7	9	25	58
Licence suspensions	0	4	2	3	3	12
Reduction of vehicles authorised on licence	3	3	4	2	2	14
Other conditions imposed on licence	0	0	3	3	0	6
Formal warning given	8	9	7	11	12	47
Disqualification of licence holder under the 1985 Act	0	1	2	4	4	11
No action taken	2	1	2	7	6	18
Penalty imposed under Section 155 of the 2000 Act	1	0	0	0	0	1

Note: the figures in the last 8 rows may not equal the number of public inquiries held, as more than one action may betaken against a licence holder.

DVSA started to investigate Bus complaints, under the BOAM (Bus Operator Account Management) scheme in 2012. The first recorded compliant is dated 04/01/13. The BOAM scheme covers complaints for late and early running services, under the Traffic Commissioner’s statuary guidance of up to 1 minute early and 5 minutes late. If a service fails to operate or if the services either cuts short a route or diverts from a route.

Between 2012 up to the present date DVSA received, 97 complaints. Out of those complaints DVSA investigated 94. Three complaints did not fall under BOAM, so were not investigated.

12 complaints were referred to the Office of the Traffic Commissioners once the complaint was investigated.

01/01/2023

Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-09.

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has received from the Government on providing the latest electoral registration statistics in response to Freedom of Information requests.

Mr Gary Streeter

The Electoral Commission has received no specific guidance from the Government in relation to the Freedom of Information Act, although it is aware of the general guidance produced by both Government and the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding the Act and the handling of requests.

01/01/2023
Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-09.

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued to returning officers on responding to requests under the Freedom of Information Act for statistics on electoral registration.

Mr Gary Streeter

The Electoral Commission issues guidance to Electoral Registration Officers on registration matters. Electoral Registration Officers are not a public authority under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and, as such, are exempt from the disclosure requirements imposed by it.

However, in its guidance manual for Electoral Registration Officers, the Commission advises that, where possible, Electoral Registration Officers should disclose the requested information, provided it is already in the public domain or does not include personal data. The total number of electors registered in their area is a specific example provided in the manual of statistical data that could be disclosed.

Following specific requests and enquiries from political parties, the Commission, in a Bulletin issued to electoral practitioners on 26 June of this year, further advised that Electoral Registration Officers could disclose statistical information relating to those electors in their area who were not registered individually.

01/01/2023