The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many private hire vehicle drivers have been arrested in (a) London and (b) the UK for offences related to plying for hire in each of the last five years.
Mike Penning
The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of private hire vehicle drivers arrested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average wait for driving tests is in each English region.
Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency records its data in four regions, which are; Scotland and North England, Central England and North Wales, South Wales and South West England and London and the South East. The average waiting times in January 2016 for these areas are listed below.
|
Scotland & North England |
Waiting time in weeks |
|
Jan-16 |
|
|
Average Car Waiting time |
8.4 |
|
Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time |
1.3 |
|
Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time |
2.1 |
|
Average Voc Waiting time |
7.9 |
|
Average ADI 2 Waiting time |
7.2 |
|
Average ADI 3 Waiting time |
7.1 |
|
Average Taxi Waiting time |
8.0 |
|
Central England & North Wales |
Waiting time in weeks |
|
Jan-16 |
|
|
Average Car Waiting time |
8.4 |
|
Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time |
1.3 |
|
Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time |
2.1 |
|
Average Voc Waiting time |
7.9 |
|
Average ADI 2 Waiting time |
7.2 |
|
Average ADI 3 Waiting time |
7.1 |
|
Average Taxi Waiting time |
8.0 |
|
South Wales & South West England |
Waiting time in weeks |
|
Jan-16 |
|
|
Average Car Waiting time |
8.7 |
|
Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time |
3.6 |
|
Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time |
2.1 |
|
Average Voc Waiting time |
5.7 |
|
Average ADI 2 Waiting time |
5.7 |
|
Average ADI 3 Waiting time |
7.8 |
|
Average Taxi Waiting time |
7.6 |
|
London & South East |
Waiting time in weeks |
|
Jan-16 |
|
|
Average Car Waiting time |
7.5 |
|
Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time |
1.5 |
|
Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time |
1.5 |
|
Average Voc Waiting time |
3.3 |
|
Average ADI 2 Waiting time |
3.8 |
|
Average ADI 3 Waiting time |
3.3 |
|
Average Taxi Waiting time |
3.4 |
|
National |
Waiting time in weeks |
|
Jan-16 |
|
|
Average Car Waiting time |
8.4 |
|
Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time |
2.7 |
|
Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time |
2.4 |
|
Average Voc Waiting time |
5.3 |
|
Average ADI 2 Waiting time |
5.5 |
|
Average ADI 3 Waiting time |
5.9 |
|
Average Taxi Waiting time |
6.7 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on preparations for the UN General Assembly debate scheduled for April 2016 on Road Safety as a result of the Second Global Conference in Brasilia in 2015.
Andrew Jones
The Department for Transport has been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to arrange for a UK representative to attend the UN General Assembly debate scheduled for April 2016 on Road Safety as a result of the Second Global Conference in Brasilia in 2015. I expect that the UK representative will be Lord Robertson of Port Ellen and I intend to meet with him shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Answer Prime Minister of 8 June 2016, Official Report, column 1189, on airport expansion, whether the term summer includes the September sitting of the House.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The government remains fully committed to delivering the important infrastructure projects it has set out.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the recommendations of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s report of 25 February 2016, what assessment her Department has made of introducing a two-year probationary period for continued self-regulation of greyhound industry.
George Eustice
Defra’s Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 made an assessment of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain’s (GBGB) enforcement of the standards contained in the 2010 Regulations at GBGB affiliated tracks. The Review found that the standards at GBGB affiliated tracks were being maintained in an effective manner by the GBGB. However, the GBGB’s ability to self-regulate track standards is dependent on them maintaining their United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accreditation as a certification body for those standards. Should GBGB lose its UKAS accreditation then, under the 2010 Regulations, it would immediately lose the right to self-regulate standards at GBGB affiliated tracks. Therefore, for regulating conditions at tracks, the Government would not support extending to two years such a probationary period. For other areas of GBGB’s self-regulatory work, prior to EFRA’s Greyhound Welfare report, the GBGB had already agreed with Defra a period of two years, up to 2018, to: develop a consensus standard for trainers’ kennels and to extend its current UKAS accreditation to cover the enforcement of these new standards; and begin publishing annually aggregate figures for dogs injured or euthanized at GBGB affiliated tracks, as well as dogs leaving GBGB racing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2015 to Question 5604, when he expects to provide a full response to the Law Commission’s report on a statutory definition of plying for hire for the taxi and private hire industry.
Andrew Jones
In its comprehensive review of taxi and private hire legislation, the Law Commission considered creating a statutory definition of plying for hire. However, after careful consideration the Law Commission recommended an alternative approach that would make it unlawful for anyone other than a local taxi driver to accept a hiring ‘there and then’.
The Government is currently considering all the recommendations in the Law Commission’s report. The Government will formally respond to the Law Commission and announce its intentions once this scrutiny is completed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the pass rates in driving tests were in each region and constituent part of the UK in each of the last five years.
Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not record pass rates for each constituent part of the UK. Pass rates by test centre are published on GOV.UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) UK Permanent Representative to the UN in preparing for debate in April 2016 at the UN General Assembly on Road Safety.
Andrew Jones
The Department for Transport has been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to arrange for a UK representative to attend the UN General Assembly debate scheduled for April 2016 on Road Safety as a result of the Second Global Conference in Brasilia in 2015. I expect that the UK representative will be Lord Robertson of Port Ellen and I intend to meet with him shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-07-06.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that deaf young people who are reliant on communication support such as sign language interpreters are able to access the National Citizens Service.
Mr Rob Wilson
The Government is committed to ensuring that there is a place on National Citizen Service (NCS) for every young person who wants one. The Cabinet Office is working closely with NCS Trust, the independent organisation which delivers NCS, to ensure that NCS is accessible, including to those with physical and sensory disabilities.
Many NCS providers already reach out and offer support to those with disabilities, including deaf young people. The largest provider, The Challenge, has worked with the National Deaf Children’s Society, and adapted the programme for deaf young people, including providing dedicated support workers.
The NCS Trust is currently developing a detailed inclusion strategy to ensure that over the longer term there is consistent and high quality provision for young people with disabilities to take part in the programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the post-implementation review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, when her Department plans to (a) gather evidence on the number of trainers operating at independent tracks and the conditions at those kennels and (b) publish its report.
George Eustice
Defra’s Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 contained an assessment of standards at trainers’ kennels and found that more was needed to be done to safeguard welfare. As a result, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has agreed to work through the British Standards Institution and with other stakeholders, to develop a consensus standard for trainers’ kennels. The GBGB has also agreed to seek to extend its current United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accreditation to cover the enforcement of these new standards at the kennels of GBGB licensed trainers. During the Review process no evidence was submitted to Defra on the numbers of greyhound trainers operating solely at the four remaining independent tracks in England and the conditions at any such kennels. Therefore Defra are giving further consideration as to how best to gather this evidence, this includes a possible joint research project with the Dogs Trust. Any Defra research will be published on the Gov.UK website and any useful information found will be used in an Impact Assessment that would accompany any regulations for trainers’ kennels.