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  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2015 to Question 2544, what progress is being made on reviewing the Mersey Tunnel tolls.

    Andrew Jones

    The Review of the Mersey Tunnel Tolls is being undertaken by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. It is currently underway and will inform the Authority’s toll setting decisions for 2016-17, which will be taken next month. Officials at the Department are engaging with the Authority on the Review, which is expected to continue during 2016-17 to inform a longer term tolling position.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Rehman Chishti – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of pilots operating in the UK who have sought medical assistance after a laser pen attack which occurred in the course of their work.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department does not hold any information on the number of pilots who have sought medical assistance following a laser pen attack. The Civil Aviation Authority has published a Safety Notice which provides guidance on laser attacks, including the action that aircraft crew and controllers should take during and immediately after an attack. It also includes a self-assessment tool to help those exposed to lasers make an immediate assessment of their vision and determine whether or not they need to consult an eye specialist.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will review its aircraft noise policy after the updated WHO guidelines are published in summer 2016.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government’s current policy on aviation noise is to limit, and where possible reduce, the number of people in the UK significantly affected by aircraft noise. The Government will continue to ensure that its policy on aviation noise takes into account emerging evidence that is relevant, including on the health impacts of noise.

    It should be noted that the current WHO guidelines do not refer solely to noise from aviation, but relate to noise levels from any of various sources including other transport sources such as from road, rail, and non-transport sources such as construction, industry and the neighbourhood.

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adopting the recommendation of the cycling charity CTC that part of the £15 billion road budget outlined in the Road Investment Strategy 2014 be reallocated to cycling in order to help achieve the Government’s aims for cycling, health and the environment.

    Andrew Jones

    The Strategic Road Network does not just impact on motorists but on other road users, especially cyclists. We want the road network to offer better provision for the needs of cyclists. This means, amongst other things, more segregated cycle-ways alongside trunk roads and safer junctions and crossings.

    Highways England has committed to provide a safer, integrated and more accessible strategic road network for cyclists and other vulnerable road users. Through our first Road Investment Strategy for Highways England, £100 million has been made available between 2015 and 2021 to improve the conditions for cycling alongside and crossing the Strategic Road Network. This will deliver improvements for cyclists at 200 locations on the network.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of damage to (a) local roads and (b) the strategic road network caused by recent flooding; and from which cost heading funding for (i) already identified and (ii) anticipated repairs is to be found.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced funding of £40 million for Cumbria and Lancashire following Storms Desmond and Eva. We also agreed to help fund the assessment of damage to local highway infrastructure in both areas. In addition, the Department also announced £3.3 million to provide a temporary footbridge and the repair of Tadcaster Bridge in North Yorkshire and a further £5.5 million to rebuild Elland Bridge in Calderdale which includes providing a temporary pedestrian footbridge whilst these works are underway.

    The Department is also working closely with all local highway authorities affected by the floods to see what further support and assistance can be provided as they complete their assessments of damage.

    Two sections of road on the strategic road network have been damaged by the recent flooding. The river bank was washed out on both sides at Warwick Bridge on the A69 near Carlisle. This will be repaired, as agreed with the Environment Agency (EA), using gabion baskets at an estimated cost of £60,000. The cost of the repairs will be met by the DBFO Company who maintains this stretch of road.

    A 1.5 mile section of the westbound dual carriageway at Bassenthwaite Lake on the A66 in Cumbria is currently closed due to the recent storms. As a consequence of the westbound closure, the two lane eastbound carriageway is being used with one lane open for eastbound traffic and one for westbound traffic. The repair costs will be dependent on the findings of a recent geotechnical survey. However the provisional cost estimate for reopening this section of the network is between £3m and £5m.

    The rest of the strategic road network in the North West region has now been returned to a fully serviceable condition. This has involved the clearance and inspection of all affected culverts and the removal of a significant amount of detritus off sections of the network that witnessed flooding. This included the removal of material off the carriageway following two minor earth slips on the A66 in the vicinity of Warcop. The cost of clearing the affected network in the North West region is estimated at £275,000.

    Inspections of bridge structures and other assets across the North West region have revealed scour (erosion of soil) related issues and other damage at a number of locations, with further inspections currently underway. Remedial works on the A66 at Eden Bridge near Temple Sowerby are estimated at £125,000. Additionally, the Environment Agency has contacted Highways England about a section of scour/land slip adjacent to the River Greta east of Briery interchange. An inspection has been arranged to determine the proximity and potential risk to the A66 at this location.

    The funding for repairs to the strategic road network is being met via an additional £8m for storm damage provided by DfT.

  • Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any action was taken by (a) the Vehicle Certification Agency, (b) the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and (c) any other testing authority against vehicle manufacturers as a result of in-service emissions testing in each of the last 10 years; and what (i) penalties and (ii) other sanctions were imposed on vehicle manufacturers as a result of in-service emissions testing in each such year.

    Andrew Jones

    Action taken by the Vehicle Certification Agency is below;

    In the last 10 years, two models failed the tests. They were:

    • Mitsubishi Carisma Petrol Euro III (2005/2006 test)
    • BMW Mini One D (2008/2009 test)

    In-service testing requires a minimum of three tests in order to achieve meaningful statistical results, although up to 20 vehicles may need to be tested. Where a fail decision is reached the series production is deemed to have failed, and the Approval Authority for the vehicle should be contacted to inform them of the test result.

    In the Case of BMW Mini the KBA (German approval authority) were informed to enable them to take action. In the case of the Mitsubishi the manufacturer was contacted directly and a number of anomalies were found with the test vehicle that could account for the failed result. In this case, the approval authority was again the KBA. Following further discussion with the manufacturer, no further action was taken.

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has not taken any action against any vehicle manufacturer as a result of in service emission testing during the past 10 years.

  • Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what tests were undertaken by (a) the Vehicle Certification Agency, (b) the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and (c) any other testing authority as part of in-service emissions testing in each of the last 10 years; and which models were tested in each such year.

    Andrew Jones

    Tests which were undertaken by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) include the in service light duty testing programme, which were conducted in accordance with the New European Drive Cycle requirements.

    Aftermarket alterations tests were conducted in accordance with the European Transient Cycle and North London Delivery Truck Cycle. Light duty emissions followed the New European Drive Cycle requirements.

    The models that were tested by VCA in the last ten years can be found in the table below.

    Vehicle Model

    Year of testing

    Audi A4 Petrol EIV

    2005/06

    BMW 320TD Diesel EIV

    2005/06

    Fiat Punto 1.3l Multijet Diesel EIV

    2005/06

    Ford Fiesta 1.6l Petrol EIV

    2005/06

    Mazda 6 TS 2.0l EIV

    2005/06

    Mercedes A170 Diesel Euro III

    2005/06

    Mercedes C220 2.2l Diesel EIV

    2005/06

    Mitsubishi Carisma Petrol Euro III

    2005/06

    Mitsubishi Spacestar 1.6l Petrol EIV

    2005/06

    Toyota Corolla 1995cc Diesel EIV

    2005/06

    Vauxhall Vectra 1.8l 16V Petrol EIV

    2005/06

    Vauxhall Zafira 1.6l 16V Petrol EIV

    2005/06

    VW Golf 2.0l TDI Diesel IV

    2005/06

    Audi A4 Petrol EIV

    2006/07

    BMW 320TD Diesel EIV

    2006/07

    Fiat Punto 1.3l Multijet Diesel EIV

    2006/07

    Mada RX8 2.6l Petrol EIV

    2006/07

    Toyota Corolla 1995cc Diesel EIV

    2006/07

    Vauxhall Vectra 1.8l 16V Petrol EIV

    2006/07

    Vauxhall Zafira 1.6l 16V Petrol EIV

    2006/07

    VW Golf 2.0l TDI Diesel IV

    2006/07

    Fiat Punto 1.3l Multijet Diesel EIV

    2007/08

    Ford 1.8ltr Connect

    2007/08

    Ford Focus 1.6ltr

    2007/08

    LDV Maxus 2.5ltr 120PS

    2007/08

    Peugeot 307 1.6ltr

    2007/08

    Peugeot Partner 1.6HDI

    2007/08

    Porsche Boxster 3.2l EIV

    2007/08

    Renault Clio 1.5D 86bhp

    2007/08

    VW Golf 2.0l TDI Diesel IV

    2007/08

    VW Transporter 2.5ltr 130PS

    2007/08

    Alfa Romeo 1.9l TDI EIV

    2008/09

    BMW 523i 2.5l EIV

    2008/09

    BMW Mini One D

    2008/09

    BMW X5 3.0l TD EIV

    2008/09

    Ford Focus 1.6l TD EIV

    2008/09

    Renault Scenic 2.0l Dci 150 EIV

    2008/09

    Smart FourTwo 698cc EIV

    2008/09

    Subaru Forester 2.0l EIV

    2008/09

    Vauxhall Astra Twintop 1.8l EIV

    2008/09

    VW Golf 2.0l TDI Diesel IV

    2008/09

    Citreon C3 1.6l EIV

    2009/10

    Ford Focus ST 2.5l EIV

    2009/10

    Honda Civic ES IMA Hybrid 1.3l EIV

    2009/10

    Honda FR-V 2.2l TD EIV

    2009/10

    Jaguar X Type 2.2l TD EIV

    2009/10

    Kia Rio 1.5l TD EIV

    2009/10

    Skoda Octavia Tdi 2.0l EIV

    2009/10

    Toyota Yaris Tdi 1.4l EIV

    2009/10

    VW Golf 2.0l TDI Diesel IV

    2009/10

    VW Touran 1.4l EIV

    2009/10

    Chevrolet Matiz 0.8l EIV

    2010/11

    Fiat 500 1.2l EIV

    2010/11

    Ford Mondeo 2.2l Duratorq EIV

    2010/11

    Honda FR-V 2.2l TD EIV

    2010/11

    Hyundai i10 1.1l EIV

    2010/11

    Jaguar X Type 2.2l TD EIV

    2010/11

    Kia Rio 1.5l TD EIV

    2010/11

    Smart FourTwo 1.0l EIV

    2010/11

    Vauxhall Corsa 1.3l CDTi EIV

    2010/11

    Vauxhall Vectra 1.9l CDTi EIV

    2010/11

    As reported previously, following the work in 2010-2011, the focus of emissions testing changed to consider aftermarket alteration of vehicles, both light and heavy duty.

    The vehicles tested were

    Light Duty

    Peugeot RCZ

    2013/14

    Ford C-Max

    2013/14

    Heavy Duty

    Mercedes Actros

    2012/13

    DAF CF 85

    2014/15

    I would also refer the Hon Member to my answer of 20 January 2016, UIN 22742 (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=22742) for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which tabled the number of MOT in service emission tests conducted in the last 10 years. The models subject to this test would cover every manufacturers model range subject to the MOT test during this period.

    The Department for Transport does not hold information on work carried out by other testing authorities.

  • Richard Fuller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Fuller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to bring into force section 165 of the Equality Act 2010.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government is considering how best to address problems wheelchair users face when using taxis and private hire vehicles, including the possible commencement of Sections 165 and 167 of the Equality Act 2010.

    Both taxis and private hire vehicles are a particularly valuable form of transport for disabled people. We would strongly encourage all taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to assist wheelchair users, wherever possible, and would also strongly discourage the practice of making additional charges to assist a disabled passenger.

    Notwithstanding the status of section 165 of the Equality Act, disabled taxi and private hire vehicle passengers are protected from discrimination under the general provisions of the Act which prohibit any form of discrimination in the provision of good and services.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the EU initiative at the International Maritime Organisation for new regulations to require mechanically operated water-tight doors on passenger ships to have an inbuilt safety feature which avoids death or serious injury whilst automatically closing in an emergency to ensure the safety of the vessel.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The UK delegation at the International Maritime Organization fully supports the initiative to introduce protection against crushing of people during the daily operation of watertight doors while retaining the requirements that they close firmly in case of an emergency.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role the Chair of the new single promotional group will play in the Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth on (a) the development of shipping policy and (b) shipping industry regulation.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Invited industry representatives attended the first meeting of the Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth to provide an industry perspective on the specific topics discussed at that meeting.

    A similar procedure will be adopted for future meetings and it is likely that the Chair of a single promotional body would be invited as part of any industry representation.