The Health and Safety Executive do not have jurisdiction over the crew of ferries. This jurisdiction lies with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency have a memorandum of understanding with the Health and Safety Executive and Marine Accident Investigation Branch, published online in May 2021, which sets out the responsibilities of each respective agency in the matter of health and safety enforcement and accident investigation.

As the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has full jurisdiction for the safety of seafarers whilst working onboard vessels, the Department for Transport and Maritime and Coastguard Agency have not had discussions with the Health and Safety Executive regarding the safety of the crews onboard P&O Ferries vessels.

Pursuant to the answer of 27/04/2022 to question 160513 “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support investment in sustainable freight locomotives.” Government remains committed to its ambition of removing all diesel-only trains (passenger and freight) from the network by 2040, as set out in our Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP).

We are working closely with industry to better understand opportunities for decarbonisation, including electrification, renewable hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO), hydrogen, battery or bi-mode traction technology. For example, in 2021/22, Government funded a Connected Places Catapult-led R&D project to identify low-emission technologies for use in the rail freight estate towards stimulating innovation in the sector. We will also build extra capacity on our rail network to meet growing passenger and freight demand, supporting modal shift and incentivising the take up of low carbon traction for rail freight.

Regarding increased efficiency in the rail freight sector, Government is committed to unlocking the benefits rail freight can deliver by working towards maximising utilisation of the network and increasing rail freight’s role in supporting resilient supply chains We continue to work closely with Network Rail (NR) and Freight Operating Companies (FOCs) to increase rail freight capacity, including: increasing the number of train paths available from Felixstowe Port and through the running of longer and heavier trains. We have also committed to introducing a rail freight growth target, which will reflect the sectors own business growth ambitions.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) currently employs 565 members of staff who make decisions on driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated.

The UK removed all mandatory border health measures on 18 March and Gov.uk guidance has been updated. Passengers travelling from the UK should always check the latest FCDO Travel Advice which covers other countries’ entry requirements.

There are no post-arrival tests required for passengers entering the UK but the government’s focus will continue to be on ensuring that there is accuracy and transparency of pricing in the private testing market.

E-scooter trials will run until 30 November 2022. This is the second extension to the trials and will allow us further opportunity to gather evidence. We have taken what we have learned from the trials to date and made some changes to ensure they are as safe and well run as possible.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, China has prohibited direct passenger air services from the UK since December 2020. Officials continue to liaise closely with airlines and Chinese authorities, both directly and through our embassy in Beijing, to ensure that such services can resume once the Chinese restrictions are lifted. Direct air cargo services continue to operate frequently between our two countries.

Department for Transport is currently collating and quality assuring data on apprenticeships for 2021/22. Final figures are not yet available. The Cabinet Office, on behalf of the Civil Service, will be publishing a full breakdown of departmental performance on apprenticeships in the Autumn in line with previous years. Data for all departments between 2017 and 2021 is available on Gov.uk and shows the department recruited 182 apprentices, equivalent to 2.3% during 2020/21.

When the Jet Zero Council was established in July 2020, we sought to ensure that all relevant parts of the industry were represented, from airlines, airports, and aerospace manufacturers, to NGOs, academics, and start-ups.

To ensure that the Council remains at the forefront of driving zero emission transatlantic flight within a generation, we are currently reviewing the Council’s membership to ensure it reflects the expertise required to deliver this challenge. Though there will always be practical limits to the size of the Council, and we are not able to accommodate all individual requests for membership.

To support the delivery of the Jet Zero Council and allow wider participation in its work, we have established Delivery Groups focussed on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and Zero Emission Flight (ZEF), which we encourage organisations with relevant interests to engage with.

Local authorities are responsible for the implementation and the enforcement of Clean Air Zones. Therefore, Penalty Charge Notices issued as a result of the non-payment of a Clean Air Zone charge would be an enforcement policy matter for them.

As of 26 April 2022, there are 317,286 driving licence applications where a medical condition is being investigated before a licence can be issued.

The length of time taken to deal with an application depends on the medical condition(s) involved and whether further information or clinical tests are required from medical professionals. This has been impacted by the availability of NHS doctors during the pandemic. Most applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed. More information can be found online here.

The Government has announced the Great British Rail Sale, with passengers being offered Advance tickets at up to a 50% discount. Tickets went on sale on 19 April, for journeys commencing on 25 April through to the 27 May.

In developing the Great British Rail Sale, the industry identified routes and times where there is spare capacity to support additional passenger demand and avoid overcrowding already busy services.

The quickest and easiest way to make an application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.

The delays in processing paper applications were significantly exacerbated by six months of industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services union, which was targeted at the areas that would have the most impact on the motoring public. Without this industrial action, the backlog at the DVLA would by now have been cleared.

To reduce waiting times for customers, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has opened new customer service centres in Swansea and Birmingham.

These measures are having a positive impact and vehicle paper applications are now being processed within normal timescales as are straightforward vocational driving licence applications and renewals. The DVLA is on track to return to normal turnaround times on all non-medical paper driving licence applications by the end of May.

The quickest and easiest way to make an application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.

The delays in processing paper applications were significantly exacerbated by six months of industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services union, which was targeted at the areas that would have the most impact on the motoring public. Without this industrial action, the backlog at the DVLA would by now have been cleared.

To reduce waiting times for customers, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has opened new customer service centres in Swansea and Birmingham.

These measures are having a positive impact and vehicle paper applications are now being processed within normal timescales as are straightforward vocational driving licence applications and renewals. The DVLA is on track to return to normal turnaround times on all non-medical paper driving licence applications by the end of May.

Our Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) set out our ambition to remove all diesel-only trains (passenger and freight) from the network by 2040. We will continue to work closely alongside operators and manufacturers on deploying the most appropriate traction technology, this includes looking at alternate fuels including renewable hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO), hydrogen, battery or bi-mode and hybrid traction technology. Trials are currently being undertaken by freight operators to assess the use of renewable HVO as a short-term replacement for traditional diesel used in the interim during transition to zero emission alternatives.

In both the TDP and the William Shapps Plan for Rail we committed to introducing a rail freight growth target and to incentivising the early take up of low carbon traction to help operators have the confidence they need to invest in green technologies.

Government continues to explore improving rail freight capacity across the network. We remain committed to publishing the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) update, and we have also taken steps to improve rail freight capacity by increasing the number of train paths available from and to Felixstowe Port. There have also been a range of longer and heavier freight trains which have been authorised to run on the network. In addition, we have also committed to introducing a rail freight growth target, which will reflect the sectors own business growth ambitions.

There have, in recent months, been a range of new rail freight services launched; from Liverpool and Immingham Ports and from Doncaster to Mossend.

The Government is fully committed to growing rail freight and unlocking the economic and environmental benefits that the sector can deliver. We continue to encourage and incentivise modal shift from road to rail through the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme (MSRS), which financially supports the carriage of freight by rail and water on routes where road haulage has a financial advantage. The £20m scheme delivers high value for money and in 2020/21 removed around 900,000 HGV lorries off our congested road network, saving 58,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Furthermore, in both the William-Shapps Plan for Rail and the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, Government committed to introducing a rail freight growth target which will contribute towards broader Government objectives of modal shift.

The Government recognises the important contribution that the road haulage sector and its workforce make to the nation’s economy and is working with the industry to support change and improvements across all three areas.

The 200 year anniversary is a nationally important moment to mark and celebrate. The DfT will work with the whole industry to make this a special event for workers and passengers alike.

We will look for opportunities to consider how we can promote research and development in rail during the bicentenary. The DfT currently works with Innovate UK and the Rail Safety and Standards Board to deliver research, development, and innovation programmes. One of the commitments of the William-Shapps Plan for Rail is a thirty-year strategy which will provide a clear, long-term plan for transforming the railways to strengthen collaboration, unlock efficiencies, and incentivise innovation.

The Department has a large research programme into the passenger experiences on public transport, including end to end journeys. This includes research and evaluation projects to build the evidence base on what works to improve public transport, and measure the impact of public transport investment for passengers, including:

• Research to segment the bus market with the aim to better understand how Government can drive improvements in passenger experience and target interventions to improve bus services and increase bus usage.
• Ongoing surveys and statistical publications, including the National Travel Survey, which measure changes in travel behaviours and passenger satisfaction.
• Evaluation of the Inclusive Transport Strategy (ITS) to improve understanding of disabled people’s experiences using the transport network, including individual modes and the journey as a whole, and the impact of the ITS upon this.
• Future evaluation of bus improvement pilots and large public transport investments including City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) and bus transformational funding through Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), as well as on Enhanced Partnerships and the wider National Bus Strategy. CRSTS and BSIP funding allocations for both funds were announced on 4 April 2022.

Within London, transport is devolved to the Mayor of London, including decision-making responsibility about any concessions offered.

Local Transport Authorities outside of London can also choose to introduce further concessions if they choose.