Written Questions

Michael Penning: The Highways Agency are liaising closely with Transport for London to ensure effective arrangements are in place for managing additional traffic movements over the Dartford Crossing due to closure of the Blackwall tunnel. Any solution will need to take account of the potential benefits and impacts, and the need to maintain the safe operation of the Crossing for the millions of its users. read more »

Michael Penning: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not record the number of driving licences reported as stolen, but it does record the number of duplicate driving licences issued due to the licence being reported as lost/stolen/defaced. The following table provides figures for each financial year from 1997. Figures are not available by county and are for GB as a whole. 1997-98 753,091 ... read more »

Michael Penning: holding answer 13 July 2010 I have received three letters containing representations from my hon. Members for Truro and Falmouth, Waveney, and Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross. Copies of these representations have been deposited in the Library. I have also received a number of oral representations including the British Ports Association and the Chamber of Shipping. Two Early Day Motions... read more »

Michael Penning: I would be happy to discuss any transport issues with my Welsh counterparts. However, any improvements could only be considered once the spending review is finished, and the wider fiscal context is clear. read more »

Michael Penning: The proposed components of the Road Accident In-Depth Study (RAIDS) relating to on scene accident investigations have not been taken forward this year as it was not affordable given the difficult fiscal circumstances the Government inherited. However, a new integrated RAIDS database has recently been completed containing data from the legacy 'On the Spot' and 'Co-operative Crash Injury... read more »

Michael Penning: As part of the £6 billion package of savings announced in May, we announced that the start of works on some road schemes would be postponed. Final decisions on these schemes will be taken following the spending review, and will depend upon the overall level of capital spending agreed across Government. read more »

Michael Penning: The Secretary of State met the European Commissioner for Transport, Siim Kallas, on 8 July 2010 and, among other things, discussed differential pay for seafarers. Department for Transport officials have discussed seafarers' pay differentials with European Commission officials on various occasions since the Commission first raised their concerns about the UK legislation. Officials from the... read more »

Michael Penning: Since I published the Carter report on 9 June 2010, Official Report, column 9WS, I and my officials have met representatives from all sides of the industry, including the Chamber of Shipping and trade unions, and heard first-hand their views and concerns on differential pay. On 23 June 2010, Department for Transport officials provided European Commission officials with a copy of the... read more »

Michael Penning: As is normal practice, discussions will be held with the relevant trade unions before any decisions are taken on the future of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). No consultancy advice has been commissioned and there are no plans to commission any consultancy advice on VOSA prior to the comprehensive spending review. read more »

Michael Penning: The following table gives estimated car ownership figures for households in Great Britain in 2008 based on data from the National Travel Survey. Household car availability: Great Britain, 2008 Number of cars % None 25 One 43 Two or more 32 All households 100 These data and that for earlier years can be found in Table 2.2 of the Transport Statistics Bulletin -... read more »

Michael Penning: The numbers of vehicles using the Dartford-Thurrock crossing between 9 pm Friday and 5 am Monday on the weekends of 25- 28 June, 2- 5 July, 9- 12 July and 16- 19 July 2010 are as follows: Northbound Southbound 25 to 28 June 2010 145,987 147,924 2 to 5 July 2010 154,141 153,890 9 to 12 July 2010 150,360 166,275 16 to 19 July 2010 148,573 168,588 read more »

Michael Penning: No regular estimate is made of the number of people who drive with uncorrected vision of below the required standard. In the most recent period for which figures are available (2006-07) 13 drivers were notified to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency by police during a six-month period after failing a roadside vision test. read more »

Michael Penning: There are no plans to review the application procedures for Category F, also known as agricultural tractor, driving licences or the regulations on the use of such licences. read more »

Michael Penning: holding answer 22 July 2010 The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is not aware of any case in the last 12 months in which a motorcycle entitlement has been removed from a driver's record and licence. The Agency has a programme of continuous data quality checks in place to monitor the accuracy of its records. At present, some 2,364 records which contain a motorcycle entitlement are under... read more »

Michael Penning: The issue of a new driving licence will immediately invalidate/cancel any earlier licences. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency aims to process all postal duplicate applications, i.e. applications to replace lost/stolen/defaced licences, within 15 working days of receipt at the Agency. Applications for a duplicate licence made over the phone are processed immediately. The average... read more »

Michael Penning: The Secretary of State for Transport's Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Visual Disorders and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency have been considering how the changes to the vision standards contained in the EC Directive on Driving Licences 2006/126/EC should be applied in the UK. We intend to issue a public consultation on the proposals before making any changes. read more »

Michael Penning: The following table sets out how many miles of carriageway on the M4, for which the Highways Agency has responsibility, have traffic management in place for the week 19 July to 25 July 2010: Location Direction Type Date range Length in miles Woodlands St Mary Westbound Resurfacing, concrete barrier installation, drainage upgrade, bridge repair and installation of SPECs and... read more »

Michael Penning: None. There are no plans to make the wearing of helmets compulsory for quad bikes but we continue to keep the position under review. There are a number of factors that are taken into consideration such as the level of use, the safety of riders in a collision and the proportionality of the costs of any regulation versus the safety impacts. The Highway Code advises that riders and passengers of... read more »

Michael Penning: No representations have been received from hon. Members on the running of car engines of ministerial cars while waiting in the precincts of the House. The Government Car and Despatch Agency issues regular reminders to its drivers not to engage in this practice. read more »

Michael Penning: The port of Teesside (Teesport) is owned and operated by a private company, PD Ports. I understand the company's new owner has earmarked funding for the first phase of an expansion that would raise the terminal handing capacity from the current 235,000 teu (20 foot equivalent units) to 450,000 teu. read more »