Speeches by Shanker.

“Just taking the guide dogs issue and the refusal there, what is the plan to make improvements in that area?”

“Just back to Wolverhampton, and this is probably a question for Liz. The Minister is right: Wolverhampton made out to us when its chief operating officer gave evidence that it is a victim of the current system. To be honest with you, I am not quite as convinced; that is probably a fair way of putting it. It could intro…”

“Does that not drive lower standards though?”

“As the Chair alluded to earlier, the Department is consulting on moving responsibility for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing from licensing authorities to local transport authorities. What do you think will be achieved by doing this?”

“What is the Department’s assessment of the current effectiveness of enforcement nationally?”

“It could do a lot more. Other authorities will say they do not see enough of its enforcement officers, yet they have lots of drivers licensed by Wolverhampton.”

“You touched on resources being a big challenge, and resources in the right place to make sure enforcement is effective. Going back to our friends in Wolverhampton for a second again, they have built up a huge surplus with the fees that they have been getting. They could probably tackle that resource issue by taking on …”

“My point is that it is making out that it is a big problem, but it has many levers that could rectify that problem if it was serious about doing it. Do you agree that the excuse that its guidance and the guidance of DfT is the problem, or do you think it could do more to rectify the situation itself, even with current …”

“In the Department’s written evidence it was stated that for national minimum standards to be effective, they would need to be accompanied by appropriate enforcement mechanisms. What did you have in mind?”

“Does the Department have a plan on how this can be tackled going forward?”

“It would not be illegal, would it?”

“On traditional operators versus apps, does the Department believe that the current licensing conditions treat app-based platforms and traditional operators fairly, or does one face looser requirements than the other?”

“Finally, regarding some work around setting national standards and national baselines for enforcement standards and requirements, things like data sharing, joint operations, public reporting and access to data: are they the sorts of things that are being looked at?”

“You covered my final question there on the minimum standards around disability.”

“Every parking fine from rip-off private operators hurts drivers and our city centres, and Derby is no exception. Last October, Jumpin Fun play centre closed its doors for good because families could not trust that they would be treated fairly at the nearby Copeland Street car park. I welcome the Government’s recent con…”

“Many constituents tell me how fed up they are with the long waiting times for driving tests. By the time they secure a practical test, their theory certificate has expired, forcing them to pay again. What steps will the Minister take to help people who cannot afford to pay for another test?”

“When do you think we will know a little more about size?”

“The crux of the matter is whether passengers can reasonably expect fares to be cheaper and more affordable under GBR.”

“You will know where I am coming from with this question. Closely linked to the structure of an organisation is how it will operate, and how it operates is obviously linked to where it will operate. Successive Ministers, Secretaries of State and, indeed, Governments have committed to Great British Railways being headqua…”

“Thank you. On that, the impact assessment for the Bill states that the Department has included an equalities impact assessment. Why has that not been published and when will it be published?”