Download or read book Air Travel Organisers Licensing ATOL reform written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-04-30 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Changes to ATOL that come into effect today (April 30, 2012) do not go far enough say MPs on the Commons Transport Committee in this new report. Fundamental reform of ATOL - the consumer protection scheme for holidaymakers - is needed. The Committee calls on the Government to clarify its objectives for ATOL reform, to ensure that all passengers and holidaymakers are properly informed of the potential consequences of airline insolvency and the options available to them to obtain financial protection. MPs also recommend that: (i) The Civil Aviation Authority should work with the airlines to develop a code of practice covering information for all consumers making overseas holiday or travel bookings. This must be designed to ensure that passengers understand the risks of being stranded abroad as a result of airline insolvency and are aware of the insurance options available; (ii) The Government undertake research into consumers' views on whether, and in what ways, the ATOL scheme should be extended; (iii) The Government must distinguish between issues related to consumer protection and repatriation cover; (iv) Future reforms should be funded by the travel industry and must provide consumers with informed choices on protection options; (v) ATOL Protection Contributions should be linked to the value of the holiday booking, instead of the current flat rate of £2.50 per passenger.
Download or read book Parliamentary Debates Hansard written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book House of Commons Transport Committee Flight Time Limitations Follow Up HC 641 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-09-11 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Flight time limitations regulate the number of hours that pilots and crew work in order to prevent fatigue. Fatigue contributes 15-20% of fatal aviation incidents caused by human error. In July 2013, Member States of the European Union voted strongly in support of a draft proposal on flight time limitations by the European Commission. Overall, the Commission's draft regulation represents an improvement but concerns remain. Particularly about the apparent reluctance of the Commission when developing these regulations to set a lower limit for the flight duty period at night in accordance with the scientific evidence on this matter. It is disappointing that the UK Government has not pressed for a lower limit. It is also disappointing that a consensus has not been reached on the draft regulations with crew and pilot representatives. It is recommended that the European Scrutiny Committee requests the UK Government to press the Commission to ensure an effective monitoring regime is put in place to examine whether the 11 hour limit is at least as safe as the current regime and that they request the European Commission provide an assessment of the regulation two years after its implementation. The Committee also concluded that: the potential under-reporting of pilot fatigue must be properly recognised if it is to be effectively tackled; information should be regularly published on the use of Commander's discretion to extend their crew's flight duty period if unforeseen circumstances arise; and scientists must have a more central role in the development and assessment of flight time limitation proposals
Download or read book House of Commons Transport Committee Access to Transport For Disabled People Volume I HC 116 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-09-17 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the UK some 11.5m people already live with a recognised disability and more than a fifth of them experience some difficulty when using transport networks. So it's essential that the Department for Transport delivers an ambitious Accessibility Action Plan. Changes made ahead of the 2012 Paralympic Games delivered access for disabled people to significantly more parts of the public transport network for the first time and highlighted the immense value of such improvements for all. Yet a year later, there is a risk that some of the momentum from London 2012 is being lost because further key accessibility improvements planned have been watered-down or abandoned. The Committee's recommendations include: imposing penalties on bus operators who claim to offer accessible routes but then fail to provide accessible buses; the phased introduction of audio-visual information systems on all buses over the next ten years; phasing out the need for disabled travellers having to book organised assistance in advance; financial incentives to encourage investment in fully accessible vehicles by taxi and private care hire vehicle operators; and a change to EU rules so that in future airlines are required to allow carers to travel free of charge when the airline judges a disabled person incapable of travelling independently. The Cabinet Office should convene a working group of ministers and officials to improve cross-government working on accessibility in order to secure the full benefits to be gained from widening disabled people's access to employment and training, healthcare and wider participation in all parts of society
Download or read book House of Commons Transport Committee Ready and waiting Transport Preparations for Winter Weather HC 681 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014-01-03 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last few years have seen a number of periods when severe weather has led to widespread travel disruption, exposing a lack of preparedness across all modes of transport in terms of infrastructure, resources, and looking after the interests of passengers. Pro-active decision-making by rail and aviation operators to reduce or cancel services ahead of a major event has reduced disruption. However there is scope for further improvement. The Highways Agency should review the barriers to providing comprehensive realtime information to drivers. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) should ensure that train operating companies develop more robust procedures to identify how long a period of disruption is likely to last and to communicate this clearly to passengers. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) should set out how it will evaluate the impact of the new airport licence conditions on passenger welfare, by Spring 2015. The CAA must also ensure that best practice on the provision of information and on passenger welfare is shared across all UK airports. The availability of salt for gritting roads has improved with the establishment of the strategic salt reserve. More, though, should be done to keep pavements clear of ice and snow. However, winter weather is about more than just snow, as illustrated by the 'St Jude' storm across southern England and the more recent storm stranding thousands at Gatwick. The transport sector must continue to work closely with the Met Office and other forecasters. Finally, embedding a culture of continuous review and improvement must remain a priority.
Download or read book HC 287 Government Motoring Agencies the User Perspective written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Government's motoring agencies are undergoing reorganisation and are introducing digital services; both changes have potential to bring welcome improvements. The Government has a mixed approach to organisational change in the agencies with different emphasis on efficiency savings, restructuring, and private sector involvement across the agencies. It needs to do more to explain the future direction for all the motoring agencies and how it will create a more unified service. The agencies could do more to recognise and respond to the needs of business users. There are a number of specific areas that require action by the Government and its motoring agencies: the driver Certificate of Professional Competence may not be delivering all the benefits expected of it and the Government should negotiate changes at a European level; the agencies need to have effective assisted digital strategies in place to help those who cannot or are unwilling to use the internet to access services; the agencies need to work with the Government Digital Service and others to address the problem of misleading copycat websites; the DVLA needs to do more to explain how it is required to share personal data with private parking companies and the safeguards that are in place to protect such data; the DVLA needs to adjust it's fees to ensure costs are covered and do more to explain it's calculations; and data sharing needs to be effective, if revenue collection, action on safety and work by enforcement agencies are to be effective, and new services need to be planned with data sharing in mind
Download or read book House of Commons Transport Committee Access to Ports HC 266 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-11-26 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this report looking at policy for improving road and rail access to ports, the Transport Committee urges the Department for Transport (DfT) to become a keener advocate for UK ports. The Government should contribute to significant improvements to strategic networks which also deliver wider benefits - rather than simply expect port operators to pick up the entire bill for measures required to mitigate increased traffic due to port expansion. If the Government chooses to apply European Commission state aid rules in this area more strictly than other EU countries it should explain why it does so. Policy in this area should be applied consistently across the country. While some ports have contributed towards transport schemes to improve access, others have not and the differences in approach have not been explained or justified. Ports should also continue to contribute to local transport infrastructure improvements, following discussions with relevant local bodies. The Department for Transport should demonstrate whether port master plans have had any impact, highlighting good examples of such plans and of how they have influenced decision makers. Finally, the Government should devise a more effective successor to the Waterborne Freight Grant, to stimulate coastal shipping.
Download or read book House of Commons Transport Committee Local Authority Parking Enforcement HC 118 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-10-23 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The use of parking charges and fines specifically to raise revenue by local authorities is neither acceptable nor legal. Annual parking accounts would allow the public to see how much local revenue is derived from the enforcement of fines, and what proportion of this come from on or off street parking charges. It's right that parking charges be determined locally, but hard to justify fines that substantially exceed penalties for more serious offences like speeding. DfT's statutory guidance should stipulate that local authorities implement a 'grace period' of 5 minutes after the expiry of paid-for time on any paid parking before enforcement officers issue a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). The Guidance should be clarified and updated, particularly in relation to rules for loading and unloading. A 25% penalty charge discount should also be introduced for motorists who pay within 7 days of losing any appeal to a parking tribunal. Local authorities currently offer a 50% discount if motorists pay their penalty charge within 14 days, but this is not available to motorists who appeal to a tribunal. Motorists should also not have to appeal against PCNs where tribunal adjudicators have repeatedly identified a problem such as poor signage. Adjudicators should also be given powers to allow appeals where local authorities fail to follow statutory guidance concerning the use cameras. While businesses cannot be completely exempt from parking restrictions, local authorities must also ensure that the need to restrict parking and manage congestion does not stifle the ability of businesses to trade and help grow the economy
Download or read book House of Commons Transport Committee Forging Ahead UK Shipping Strategy HC 630 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014-03-26 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: UK is a globally competitive location for shipping. The maritime sector earns £8.8 - £11.8 billion for the economy and supports 214,000 jobs. The Government's new maritime strategy poses the right questions about UK shipping but does not yet provide compelling answers on a range of key points. In particular, it is unclear how the Government plans to address the looming skills gap whereby the UK will have 5,000 fewer deck and engineering officers than the UK's maritime sector is predicted to require by 2021. The Committee recommends that the Government: make an explicit commitment to address fully a significant looming shortfall in UK trained seafarers partly through the Tonnage Tax, SMaRT funding and apprenticeships; commission an independent review of the MCA to evaluate how far a ongoing budget cuts may weaken the UK's ability to enforce compliance with international shipping regulations, undermine its status as a high-quality flag nation and shrink its influence within the International Maritime Organisation.; review the support the UK provides through its oversight of the Red Ensign Group to a number of competing registries of crown dependencies and UK overseas territories to raise the standards of the vessels which fly under the this flag; implement stronger seamanship qualifications by 2016 for the crew of all transfer vessels taking staff to and from offshore wind farm installations (and to call for voluntary compliance with these higher standards before that deadline); and support London International Shipping Week 2015 but showcase shipping around the country
Download or read book HC 429 Motoring of the Future written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2015 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Motoring is being transformed by new materials, new fuels and information technology. However, the Government must act if people and businesses in the UK are to obtain the full benefit of this ongoing automotive revolution. The Committee found that the Department for Transport (DfT) is yet to set out a comprehensive strategy to link the introduction of new automotive technology to the achievement of its policy goals. It should develop a comprehensive vision to shape motoring of the future in partnership with other Government Departments and agencies. This strategy needs to set out a co-ordinated set of actions to: (i) reduce or eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on the roads; (ii) cut emissions from road transport; (iii) increase road capacity; (iv) facilitate social inclusion and accessibility of road transport; and (v) support economic growth.
Download or read book HC 257 Investing In The Railway written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2015 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Transport Committee welcomes record investment committed to the 'classic' rail network but calls for greater regional balance in spending. Network Rail must also regain the confidence of passengers following recent disruption. The Committee calls for the Government to take responsibility for rolling stock, to address general shortages and ensure there will be sufficient trains to run on newly-electrified lines. The Committee also concluded: (i) Record levels of funding show a welcome commitment to ’classic' rail but this should be set in a longer-term strategic plan for the rail network, which ties into a wider transport strategy; (ii) The overrunning Christmas engineering works were unacceptable; (iii) Network Rail must have adequate contingency plans. They must also work with Passenger Focus and train operating companies to improve communication with passengers when engineering works fail; (iv) In the light of the change of status of Network Rail the ORR must reconsider whether fining a public sector body remains an effective means for the regulator to exert control; (v) Greater transparency is essential around rail spending. Criteria used to allocate spending should be published.
Download or read book HC 714 Strategic River Crossings written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2015 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Committee examined a number of case studies during its inquiry including the Mersey Gateway Project, the Tyne Tunnels and proposals for new crossings in East London and the Lower Thames. The Transport Committee says a short-term approach to planning key infrastructure projects has left many estuary areas in the UK with inadequate transport capacity and poor connectivity: "A lack of cross-river capacity limits local and national economic growth so we call upon the Government to take a far more long-term approach when planning new bridges and tunnels. The Government must rectify that weakness as soon as possible. Important infrastructure projects, such as the Mersey Gateway Bridge, have the potential to generate economic growth by linking workers to jobs and consumers to retailers." The Committee welcomes proposals to build a package of new river crossings in east London and believes these developments are "long overdue."
Download or read book The Coastguard Emergency Towing Vessels and the Maritime Incident Response Group written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-12-11 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Implementation of the Government's modernisation programme risks damaging the coastguard. Confusion about the role of the new national Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) and mixed messages about local knowledge and coastguard station closures has undermined staff morale across the service and caused great concern that the vacancy rate for skilled staff has doubled since 2010. There is a worrying lack of information about what coastguards at the MOC will actually do from day to day or how these new staff will work with local coastguards. The MCA's stance in respect of the local knowledge which coastguards in co-ordination centres must have is also confusing and contradictory. The MCA needs to set out its strategy for staff training and articulate its vision of why coastguards in MRCCs need to gain and retain local knowledge. MCA management must schedule and remunerate staff to pursue this expertise, not leave them to organise themselves when they are off duty. The Committee also expresses concern about arrangements for Emergency Towing Vessels and plans for fire fighting at sea now that the Maritime Incident Response group has been withdrawn. The Government is called to provide statistics on the age profile and length of service of coastguards at each MRCC and to set out its strategy for retaining experienced coastguards, particularly in terms of recruitment to positions based at the MOC
Download or read book Rail 2020 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-01-04 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this report setting out their vision for the railway by 2020 the Transport Committee endorses the quest for a more efficient railway but raises concerns about safety, staffing and the protection of passenger interests. The Committee calls for: clarity about the purpose and effectiveness of rail subsidies; a clear link between policy on rail and other aspects of transport policy; a strategic approach to policy-making which does not sacrifice democratic accountability, takes passenger interests more clearly into account, upholds safety standards and develops a strategy for improving the security of the rail network; greater transparency about the costs of rail to ensure that new investment, operator alliances, profit or wastage levels and various forms of franchise can be better compared and evaluated; more modern, flexible fares and ticketing options and a clear long-term policy on regulated fares that rules out even higher fares for commuters on peak time trains; a strong single economic regulator for the rail industry; effective industry leadership via the Rail Delivery Group, scrutinised closely by the regulator to ensure that this strategic body acts in the best interests of the farepayer and taxpayer, rather than simply of established rail interests; devolution for some rail franchises to local or regional bodies. The Committee recommends that the Rail Delivery Group, made up of senior industry leaders, should spearhead the swift implementation of innovative ticketing technology and work with Passenger Focus to develop a clear strategy for improving retail facilities on stations and trains.
Download or read book HC 428 Security on the Railway written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014-09-05 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crime on Britain's railways decreased year-on-year over the past decade. That trend shows the effectiveness of the specialist rail policing provided by the British Transport Police (BTP). The Committee were impressed by the BTP's commitment to tackling crime while minimising delays for the travelling public. Despite the welcome decline in overall crime, we identified areas where the BTP could improve its performance. The British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) is the body with responsibility for setting the BTP challenging but achievable targets to tackle crime on the railway. The BTPA must fulfil its remit and avoid any perception that it is too close to the people whom it should be holding to account. The Committee concluded that the BTP model of developing specialist policing skills and securing funding from transport providers might usefully be applied to other transport modes, such as aviation. Such an approach could minimise delays, maximise security and reduce the cost of policing to taxpayers. In the course of the inquiry, the Committee heard that vulnerable children and young people are often found in and around railway stations and were surprised to learn that the BTP currently has no targets in relation to child protection. The Department for Transport, the BTPA, the BTP and the charity sector should work together to tackle this emerging issue by examining the available data and reviewing current practice.
Download or read book Land Transport Security Scope for Further EU Involvement written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-03-22 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Last year the European Commission published a staff working document that was principally concerned with extending the Commission's involvement in transport security matters. Land transport security measures seek to prevent acts of unlawful interference against passengers, freight or transport infrastructure in the road and rail sectors. Unlawful interference, as referred to in the Commission's document, includes anything from terrorism to relatively minor crime against passengers and transport operators. The conflation of such wide-ranging security issues is not helpful and the Government is urged to ensure that any future EU land security transport proposals are more focussed. Overall, the current risk-based approach to land transport security in the UK are working well and security measures deployed across UK transport modes are proportionate to the current threats that any given sector is exposed to. However, some weaknesses in the UK's current land transport security regime were identified, including, for example, procedures for dealing with multi-modal transport hubs at which different threat levels are applied to different modes; ensuring that staff had a consistent level of training and an understanding of potential threats, risks and preventative measures; and the difficulty of maintaining a high level of both staff and public vigilance. The principal recommendation is that the Government should participate actively in EU discussions to ensure that any detailed proposals are focussed and appropriate to the UK. Parliament should be keep abreast of developments so that we can continue to contribute to the shaping of policy in this area
Download or read book Marine Pilotage written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-03-07 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report questions whether the Department for Transport is striking the appropriate balance between its role as a regulator of port safety and its aim to promote the commercial attractiveness of UK ports. This follows evidence that most ports fail to confirm to Government that they comply with best practice guidance on port safety and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has the resources to conduct just four port 'health checks' each year. Representatives of marine pilots, who guide ships in and out of ports, lack confidence that the Department for Transport understands their concerns and the requirements of their work and shares their aim of enhancing maritime safety. The Committee is opposed to a proposal, supported by Government, to relax the rules on the granting of pilotage exemption certificates to more junior navigating officers which could jeopardise safety. If the Government insists on pressing ahead with this change, the Committee recommends that the impact of the change should be monitored. Other recommendations include that: the Maritime and Coastguard Agency should broaden its safety inspection programme so that it undertakes eight inspections per annum; ports should be required to publish statistics on accidents and near-misses; the Government should use its influence to persuade harbour authorities to accept national standards as to who can be authorised as a pilot: if national standards are not adopted the case for legislation on this issue will be compelling.
