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Donate to our crowdfunderPaul Clark: There about 45,000 driving instructors. The Driving Standards Agency monitors numbers and requirements. The average learner takes 52 hours of formal lessons in training; that is 50 per cent. more than 15 years ago. There has been an increase in the number of driving instructors. Of course, part of the role of the DSA is to monitor whether there is enough provision in parts of the country...
Paul Clark: I certainly take those comments on board. If I can give the hon. Gentleman any specific figures before the end of the debate, I will. Undoubtedly, in times of difficulty in other areas of employment, and in a recession, the number of people considering such a route increases, so he is absolutely right. I think that I am right to say that without the change in law that the hon. Member for...
Paul Clark: I thank my hon. Friend for that question. As has been said, the provision can be used only in conjunction with the steps that will be taken to revoke a licence and along the lines indicated. We want to avoid a repetition of the effects of malicious rumours or gossip on members of other professions, and we have ensured that the provision can be used only in conjunction with a process that was...
Paul Clark: I appreciate the hon. Gentleman's point. I shall come to the processes that we have undertaken in conjunction with the Home Office to ensure that such cases are flagged up. It would be wrong for us not to discuss with colleagues in other Departments any lessons to be learned from cases that come up. We will develop guidance from the knowledge that we have so far, including learning from cases...
Paul Clark: I will not speculate on the detailed provisions of other areas. It is always right that there should be fairness and openness in our systems when we seek to take away someone's livelihood. We must have that balance. That is why it is good that the Bill provides for a compensation scheme. However, it is equally important, as I know the hon. Gentleman agrees, that we protect people such as...
Paul Clark: I will come to Northern Ireland, although I wanted to leave it to the very end. Since the hon. Gentleman has pressed me, I shall tell him now that the Bill does not cover Northern Ireland because it involves a devolved matter. It is as simple as that. The Bill strikes the right balance between the need to protect the public and the rights of individuals to go about their business and earn a...
Paul Clark: First, Mr. Speaker, may I congratulate you on your appointment as Speaker of the House? The Ministers in the Department for Transport look forward to working with you on the business. On 6 May, the Department gave outline investment approval for £12 million towards the east of Exeter phase 2 improvements. Measures include improving the junction access to Exeter airport. This investment was...
Paul Clark: The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the Department for Transport's overriding goals are to deal with congestion and with climate change. We have imposed strict rules in relation to climate change, and they are monitored independently. The work that needs to be done at local level to ensure joined-up thinking on business and housing development and on transport requirements is part of the...
Paul Clark: The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to say that there is always a need to look across a region to examine demand, the economy, proposed developments and the transport infrastructure. We know the importance of having a good transport infrastructure, be it for people travelling to and from work, for businesses moving their goods or for people visiting those businesses' headquarters in order...
Paul Clark: The Department has received little correspondence on existing lifeline services in Scotland and Wales. There have been calls to introduce public service obligations on some domestic routes to London, although no formal applications have been received. Our policy on this subject is set out in the published guidance of 2005.
Paul Clark: Let me make it clear that we continue to support the use of public service obligations as a means of helping to subsidise important lifeline services for communities such as that represented by the hon. Gentleman. Some of the issues to which he refers will be partly subject to a commercial decision-making process, but we will continue to consider how to ensure that people in such communities...
Paul Clark: Indeed. The Government have been committed to ensuring that passengers get a fair deal, whether on rail, buses or aircraft. Clearly, that is part of the reason for considering introducing a role for Passenger Focus with regard to airline passengers. Within the provisions that we have, we will do all that we can to ensure that passengers get the best deal. As the hon. Gentleman understands,...
Paul Clark: The hon. Gentleman well knows the Government's commitment, not only in policies and words in the Chamber, but in deeds and investment in high-speed rail, and in our continuing work on issues, some of which have been raised, such as improving overcrowding with additional rolling stock. Whereas the Lib Dems see a bottomless pit of taxpayer's money to fund schemes that are not in balance, we...
Paul Clark: In our aviation White Paper, as the hon. Gentleman will be well aware, we are clear that regional airports have an important role to play in supporting individuals and businesses and giving people freedom and choice. We shall support that position.
Paul Clark: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency's role is to act for the safety of ships and their crew and passengers. Equally, it has a responsibility under health and safety regulations for cargo of animal by-products that are liable to leak. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that last autumn discussions were held and a route through was found, which involved improvements to the containers. I understand...
Paul Clark: We take every opportunity to take the steps necessary to ensure that our roads are as safe as possible for all users, and that we use everything available to us. I am delighted to tell the House that the road casualty statistics for 2008, announced today, show that the number of deaths has fallen by 14 per cent. Although that figure is now down to just 2,500, we cannot be complacent and we...
Paul Clark: At the outset, let me say that I am appalled at the examples given by my hon. Friend, which I should be more than happy to discuss with her. The provision of oxygen, whether free or for a charge, is clearly a matter for the airline operators, and I recommend that people look at their websites to see what is available before they travel. The key UK airlines provide oxygen free of charge, but I...
Paul Clark: The investment going to the regions through local transport plans and other funding streams has more than doubled in the past 10 years. It is for local authorities to target that money appropriately, but rural roads are central to the new road safety strategy that is currently out to consultation. We want to focus on finding engineering and other solutions to improve safety on rural roads.
Paul Clark: I congratulate the hon. Member for Windsor (Adam Afriyie) on securing the debate and allowing an opportunity for the issues to be raised again; no doubt they will be raised in further debates in the ensuing months. We are talking about the important issue of meeting the aviation demands of our country, whether that relates to private travellers, travelling for leisure purposes or to visit...
Paul Clark: I will take a few interventions, but I am conscious of the time.