To keep bus and lorry drivers on the road, the Government has made temporary provisions to remove the requirement to submit a medical report, which includes questions about eyesight, when applying to renew a bus or lorry driving licence, until further notice. Provided they have no notifiable medical conditions, drivers will be issued a licence that is valid for one year instead of the usual five. This only applies if the licence expired after 1 January 2020 or is due to expire.<\/p>
As is always the case, drivers must ensure they are medically fit to drive and they are legally obliged to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of the onset or worsening of any medical condition.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4580", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Vere of Norbiton"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-04-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-04-30T11:26:06.847Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "27"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-04-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Driving Licences: Coronavirus"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to relax the requirement for eyesight and medical testing of those applying to renew heavy goods vehicle and public service vehicle licences during the COVID-19 pandemic.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3425", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Earl Attlee"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Earl Attlee"} ], "uin" : "HL3236"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1189720", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Transport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1189720/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Department for Transport is in regular contact with representatives of the road haulage industry to understand the issues the industry is experiencing as a result of COVID-19. Estimates suggest that there is not currently a lack of HGV driver availability.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government has taken action to allow drivers whose Driver CPC expires between 1 March and 30 September 2020 to either take the training remotely or complete it after 30 September 2020. In addition, drivers whose licences have expired since 1 January 2020 or will expire in 2020 will be able to receive a temporary 1-year licence, providing they do not have any medical conditions that affect their driving.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4580", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Vere of Norbiton"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-04-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-04-30T13:54:17.46Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "27"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-04-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Coronavirus"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the availability of heavy goods vehicle drivers.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3425", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Earl Attlee"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Earl Attlee"} ], "uin" : "HL3237"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1189721", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Transport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1189721/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government has no current plans to allow public service vehicle (category D) licence holders to drive any heavy goods vehicles (category C) during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>
<\/p>
Legislation requires the driver to have passed a test in the category of the vehicle being driven.<\/p>
<\/p>
Although buses and coaches share many similar driving characteristics with lorries, there are significant differences in the handling, braking with a load, and automatic and semi-automatic transmission systems. Without specific training, bus drivers may not be familiar with these differences, which may have significant road safety implications.<\/p>
<\/p>
The safety of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians or cyclists is a priority for this Government. Only those drivers who have undertaken appropriate training in the vehicle and demonstrated competence by passing a test can drive category C vehicles.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government will keep under review the availability of drivers to ensure critical supply chains are able to continue servicing NHS and supermarket food supplies during the pandemic.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4580", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Vere of Norbiton"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-04-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-04-28T16:06:56.153Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "27"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-04-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Driving Licences: Coronavirus"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to allow public service vehicle licence holders to drive two-axle, category C, heavy goods vehicles during the COVID-19 pandemic.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3425", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Earl Attlee"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Earl Attlee"} ], "uin" : "HL3238"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 3, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }