Department for Transport

To support the zero emission van market, the Government has already introduced regulatory flexibilities for electric vans by increasing the regulatory weight threshold from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes for driver licence and operator licence rules.

The Department carried out a call-for-evidence on MOT testing last year, which, among other things, asked the public for views on changing MOT testing rules for 3.5t-4.25t zero emission vans. The findings have since been analysed and the Government published its response in January.

Officials have continued to engage with industry on the issues of MOT testing, drivers’ hours and tachographs for 3.5t-4.25t zero emission vans to understand how Government can remove barriers to decarbonisation for fleets. Safety is a primary consideration in assessing any changes to regulatory weight thresholds.

To support the zero emission van market, the Government has already introduced regulatory flexibilities for electric vans by increasing the regulatory weight threshold from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes for driver licence and operator licence rules.

The Department carried out a call-for-evidence on MOT testing last year, which, among other things, asked the public for views on changing MOT testing rules for 3.5t-4.25t zero emission vans. The findings have since been analysed and the Government published its response in January.

Officials have continued to engage with industry on the issues of MOT testing, drivers’ hours and tachographs for 3.5t-4.25t zero emission vans to understand how Government can remove barriers to decarbonisation for fleets. Safety is a primary consideration in assessing any changes to regulatory weight thresholds.

To support the zero emission van market, the Government has already introduced regulatory flexibilities for electric vans by increasing the regulatory weight threshold from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes for driver licence and operator licence rules.

The Department carried out a call-for-evidence on MOT testing last year, which, among other things, asked the public for views on changing MOT testing rules for 3.5t-4.25t zero emission vans. The findings have since been analysed and the Government published its response in January.

Officials have continued to engage with industry on the issues of MOT testing, drivers’ hours and tachographs for 3.5t-4.25t zero emission vans to understand how Government can remove barriers to decarbonisation for fleets. Safety is a primary consideration in assessing any changes to regulatory weight thresholds.

To support the zero emission van market, the Government has already introduced regulatory flexibilities for electric vans by increasing the regulatory weight threshold from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes for driver licence and operator licence rules.

The Department carried out a call-for-evidence on MOT testing last year, which, among other things, asked the public for views on changing MOT testing rules for 3.5t-4.25t zero emission vans. The findings have since been analysed and the Government published its response in January.

Officials have continued to engage with industry on the issues of MOT testing, drivers’ hours and tachographs for 3.5t-4.25t zero emission vans to understand how Government can remove barriers to decarbonisation for fleets. Safety is a primary consideration in assessing any changes to regulatory weight thresholds.

The Department publishes annual National Statistics on bus passenger journeys in England in the annual bus statistics release.

Bus passenger journeys in England for the year ending March 2010 up to the year ending March 2023 are provided in the table below.

Passenger numbers at Old Oak Common will depend on multiple factors including: what HS2 services are running at that point (including whether Euston has opened as the London terminus); the assumed Great Western Main Line calling pattern; and the assumed Elizabeth Line train frequency.

Following the Network North announcement, detailed modelling and analysis is currently being undertaken for a number of different scenarios, with the aim to provide the best overall service provision for passengers across the rail system as a whole.

This includes timetable development and operational modelling to support a consideration of the optimum Elizabeth Line frequency at Old Oak Common.

Network Rail has identified that it has an incomplete record of pathway assets, that is why it is undertaking a national project to address this.

The pathway south of Crewe Station has an anticipated cost of c.£600k.

Avanti West Coast (AWC) has made significant progress in recovering from recent poor reliability and punctuality, but we are clear that performance is still not good enough and there is more to do. Officials continue to closely monitor and review AWC’s progress to a sustained recovery, restoring services reliably on the West Coast Main Line and delivering good value for the taxpayer. Officials regularly meet with AWC senior management to review performance and we will always hold AWC to account for matters within its control.

Over the next few months AWC is working to introduce a brand-new fleet of bi-mode Hitachi trains offering more space and a quieter journey for passengers along the North Wales mainline.

We note with interest the reports in the media about the application from Virgin Trains, and welcome open access applications where they provide improved connectivity and choice for passengers and do not disproportionately impact taxpayers. Access to the rail network, however, is ultimately a decision for the Office of Rail and Road in its role as independent regulator for the rail industry. The Department therefore awaits further engagement from the ORR and Network Rail on Virgin’s proposals and will provide its views as part of the relevant industry consultation, as is standard process for all open access applications.

The Department for Transport engaged with various stakeholder organisations before and during the consultative process. The Department is currently considering the responses to the consultation and a further announcement will be made in due course.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has a market surveillance unit (MSU), which inspects vehicles, trailers and equipment to make sure they meet safety and environmental standards.

The DVSA’s MSU, often working with trading standards, takes enforcement action against retailers selling electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPC) that do not meet regulations. Between April 2022 and December 2023, it prosecuted seven EPAC retailers for selling products that did not meet requirements, including excess power.

The DVSA’s MSU will continue with the broad market surveillance of the EAPC market to ensure industry compliance, including investigating the sale of motor kits that exceed legal limits where intelligence suggest this is a problem area.

The Low Traffic Neighbourhood Review research report published in March was the final version of that document. This research report informed draft statutory guidance on implementing Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, which was published at the same time. It is this draft statutory guidance which I was referencing in Monday’s debate, when I spoke of a final version being published this summer.

Passenger numbers at Old Oak Common will depend on multiple factors including: what HS2 services are running at that point (including whether Euston has opened as the London terminus); the assumed Great Western Main Line calling pattern; and the assumed Elizabeth Line train frequency.

Following the Network North announcement, detailed modelling and analysis is currently being undertaken for a number of different scenarios, with the aim to provide the best overall service provision for passengers across the rail system as a whole.

Detailed modelling and analysis is ongoing to determine the optimum service pattern under different scenarios, to inform decisions on calling patterns and frequencies at Old Oak Common.

As noted in the last report to Parliament, HS2 cost estimates are currently being revised in light of the scope changes arising from the Network North announcement.

Within the Target Cost for Phase One, the budget allocated by HS2 Ltd for Old Oak Common station, including contingency for risk, is £1.67bn (2019 prices). As Old Oak Common is being designed and delivered as a single, integrated station this budget includes the costs for delivering both the HS2 and conventional rail elements.

A copy of the outline track and platform layout as presently drafted will be made available to place in the Library of the House.  Please see the Key Plan attached which was submitted with the Old Oak Common Station Schedule 17 application.

The industry steering group that oversees timetable introduction concluded that there were too many outstanding issues to have confidence that the new East Coast Main Line timetable can be delivered robustly in December 2024.

Timetable production and access rights issues are governed by Network Rail’s Network Code, which is regulated by the ORR as the independent regulator to the rail industry. We expect the rail industry to work through these issues in order to deliver the upgraded timetable and realise the benefits of £4bn investment in track and train on the East Coast Main Line.

Passenger numbers at Old Oak Common will depend on multiple factors including: what HS2 services are running at that point (including whether Euston has opened as the London terminus); the assumed Great Western Main Line calling pattern; and the assumed Elizabeth Line train frequency.

Following the Network North announcement, detailed modelling and analysis is currently being undertaken for a number of different scenarios, with the aim to provide the best overall service provision for passengers across the rail system as a whole.

We expect passengers on inter-city services to have a choice to alight or load at Old Oak Common or Paddington. Detailed modelling is being undertaken, with the support of TfL, to consider various scenarios and understand likely passenger route choices (which are based on a combination of journey time, wait time, train frequency and congestion).

The Government takes the issue of fare evasion and fraud very seriously. We currently do not hold estimates for the amount of money lost to railway fraud, however in 2023 the Rail Delivery Group estimated that in a normal year, approximately £240 million is lost through fare evasion on Great Britain's railways.

To reduce fare evasion, in January 2023 we increased the value of the penalty fare to £100, plus the price of the single fare to the intended destination. DfT operators are also contractually incentivised to reduce ticketless travel on their network.

Network Rail are responsible for the scheduling of renewals and maintenance works and how to prioritise this funding across the region over the Control Period. Network Rail will need Listed Building Consent to carry out the works and will prepare a phased strategy which aligns the roof replacement with track renewals in order to minimise the customer impact.

The indicative average walking times illustrated below are derived from pedestrian modelling analysis of the busiest periods of the day (peak AM and PM hour demand). All waiting times on concourse and platform are excluded.

• Journey time between HS2 trains and the Elizabeth line services - circa 5 mins
• Journey time between HS2 trains and the Great Western local services – circa 5 mins 30 sec
• Journey time between HS2 trains and the Great Western inter-city services – circa 6 mins

The Government has committed in Network North to delivering Midlands Rail Hub in full and increasing funding to £1.75bn, and we have recently released £123m to Network Rail to move the first phase into the detailed design stage. As the scheme progresses through this next stage, we will work with key partners to identify and pursue opportunities for private funding.

The department has robust governance to effectively monitor progress of airspace modernisation, alongside the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). My Officials have engaged with Heathrow Airport whilst they move towards their Stage 2 gateway under the CAP 1616 process. A decision on whether to approve changes to the notified airspace design is made by the CAA in accordance with the airspace modernisation strategy and requirements set out in the Transport Act 2000.

As part of our recent Network North announcement, the Government confirmed £350m will be made available to improve the accessibility of our train stations. We are assessing over 300 nominations for Access for All funding. At stations awarded funding this will create an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to platforms. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.

We are continuing to work closely with the rail industry to develop the Government priorities outlined in the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement, which includes an unprecedented £1 billion investment to fund the electrification of the North Wales Main Line. In February, the Transport Secretary hosted a meeting with local leaders in North Wales to discuss how HS2 savings will be rerouted to improve rail links in Wales.

We are in the early stages of establishing the next steps for the North Wales electrification scheme, including the costs and programme for development and delivery. We will share further information when that work is complete.

Network Rail has Key Performance Indicators in its key labour contracts which measure the use of zero-hour contracts and encourages their reduction.

Most bus services outside London are commercially operated. The Government recognises the importance of local bus services to helping communities stay connected and has announced over £4.5 billion to support and improve bus services since 2020. This includes over £2 billion to help local authorities deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) and make bus services more frequent, reliable, cheaper, and easier to use. Shropshire Council has been allocated £4.8 million to deliver its BSIP. Local authorities can use BSIP funding to target areas they believe will deliver the best overall outcomes in growing long term patronage and revenues; helping to maintain service levels.

The Government also makes over £200 million available to bus operators every year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to help them maintain their networks. A further £42 million in BSOG funding is provided directly to local authorities to help subsidise socially necessary bus services that might otherwise be commercially unviable. Shropshire Council receives £512,447 of this funding every year.

The Government is also investing almost £600 million to deliver the £2 fare cap scheme in England, helping passengers save on their travel costs, and ultimately encouraging more people to use the bus.

Under Network North, it was announced that the Oswestry to Gobowen line Restoring Your Railway scheme would progress to delivery, subject to successful business cases. Progress is being made with Network Rail and others on next steps, including on a schedule for development work and costs. The Department expects that such development work will begin in the coming months.

Design guidance for cycle infrastructure issued by the Department for Transport sets out that there should be separation of pedestrian and cycle infrastructure wherever possible. This guidance was developed in collaboration with stakeholders, including disability groups.

The Department for Transport established Active Travel England (ATE) to up-skill local authorities, enabling the installation of changes that are well thought through for all modes of travel, and disseminating best practice. As part of this, ATE has recently published a suite of design assistance and scheme review tools to support the development of accessible active travel schemes. The agency has also commissioned West Midlands Combined Authority to undertake research into crossing detection systems.

ATE will continue to work with organisations representing blind and visually impaired people to improve standards and further reduce the rare occasions that collisions occur.

Government grants have been in place for over a decade to help reduce the up-front purchase price of electric vehicles, with over £1.8 billion in grant funding provided since 2011. Grants remain available for vans, trucks, wheelchair accessible vehicles and taxis. Favourable tax benefits also remain in place to support the transition to EVs.

As stated in the Plan for Drivers, the Government will also continue to support the uptake of zero emission vehicles, by addressing common misconceptions and showing how they can be a practical option for most drivers.

The Department recommends that cyclists should wear helmets, as set out in The Highway Code, and will continue to encourage children to wear helmets. A comprehensive safety review carried out in 2018 considered the benefits of mandating helmet wearing for cyclists of all ages but concluded that the safety benefits would be likely to be outweighed by the fact that this would put some people off cycling, thereby reducing the wider health and environmental benefits

It is not possible as a matter of both international and domestic law to introduce regulations of this nature.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of ‘Death or serious injury - unlawful driving’ offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, and their investigative outcomes, including the numbers of charges and summonses. This information is published on a quarterly basis.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of offenders found guilty of criminal offences in England and Wales, up to December 2023.

Information on the number of offenders convicted for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving for the requested period can be found in Table 1.

The Department for Transport publishes statistics on personal injury road collisions reported to police in Great Britain, based on data collected via the STATS19 system. STATS19 does not attribute cause of collision and so it is not possible to determine the number of deaths caused by dangerous or careless cycling from this data.

Whilst a number of delivery companies have responded to the consultation, none have met with ministers to discuss it in the period specified.

The Department's statutory guidance on implementing Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) will apply to new and existing LTN schemes once it is published in final form this summer. Its purpose is to set out the Department’s expectations for comprehensive local engagement; both before new schemes are implemented, and on an ongoing basis for existing schemes. This is to ensure the needs of communities and road users are properly considered.

The Department will not support LTNs unless they are designed and delivered in line with the eventual, finalised statutory guidance; and reserves the right to take further action if local authorities do not follow it.

The Department for Transport has made no such assessment. The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six, and was set up primarily to help older and disabled people. ENCTS costs around £1 billion annually and any changes to the minimum statutory scheme would need to be carefully considered for their impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations and extend free bus travel to other groups that are eligible under ENCTS, which includes children under the age of 16 and 16-18 year olds in full time education. However, these discretionary concessions are not funded by central government but by local authorities from local resources, such as council tax. Since 2010/11, almost all of the travel concession authorities in England have offered some form of discretionary concession. Bus operators are also able to provide discretionary concessions on a commercial basis.

The Government does not currently have any plans to make bicycles subject to rule 124 of the Highway Code.

The information requested is not held by the Department.

The responsibility for clearing highway litter and sweeping carriageways is governed by the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA); National Highways is responsible for litter collection on motorways and some trunk roads. National Highways works to the ‘Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse 2006' issued under section 89(7) of the EPA. National Highways inspects and grades litter and detritus on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) in accordance with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. National Highways carries out litter picking almost every day and weekly inspections on its network, to ensure that clearance of the worst affected areas is prioritised. Wherever possible planned closures are used to undertake litter picks to minimise disruption to road users.

The Department for Transport holds regular meetings with National Highways to discuss its performance and management of the Strategic Road Network. In April 2024, Minister Opperman met with National Highways to discuss the ways in which it tackles litter. National Highways’ Strategy focuses on reducing litter on the network by influencing littering behaviour as well as providing an effective litter clearing service. National Highways takes a data-led approach to litter clearing activities to ensure that litter hotspots are quickly identified and that resources are targeted effectively.

The Department has not had recent formal discussions with the maritime unions or the UK Chamber of Shipping on the post implementation review of the Equality Act 2010, published on 19 April 2024.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for the compliance and enforcement of the Equality Act 2010 regulations. Enforcement is not within the remit of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) inspectors. However, where the MCA receives credible evidence of potential offences under legislation outside of its enforcement responsibilities then this information will be shared with the appropriate agency or agencies.

The Department has not had recent discussions with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission regarding seafarers working in UK waters. We continue to liaise with our near European neighbours as well as working through international organisations to create a step change in seafarer welfare. The Department is reviewing the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 and, if necessary, will engage with the EHRC subject to the outcome of the call for evidence and review.

The Department has not had recent formal discussions with the maritime unions or the UK Chamber of Shipping on the post implementation review of the Equality Act 2010, published on 19 April 2024.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for the compliance and enforcement of the Equality Act 2010 regulations. Enforcement is not within the remit of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) inspectors. However, where the MCA receives credible evidence of potential offences under legislation outside of its enforcement responsibilities then this information will be shared with the appropriate agency or agencies.

The Department has not had recent discussions with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission regarding seafarers working in UK waters. We continue to liaise with our near European neighbours as well as working through international organisations to create a step change in seafarer welfare. The Department is reviewing the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 and, if necessary, will engage with the EHRC subject to the outcome of the call for evidence and review.

The Department has not had recent formal discussions with the maritime unions or the UK Chamber of Shipping on the post implementation review of the Equality Act 2010, published on 19 April 2024.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for the compliance and enforcement of the Equality Act 2010 regulations. Enforcement is not within the remit of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) inspectors. However, where the MCA receives credible evidence of potential offences under legislation outside of its enforcement responsibilities then this information will be shared with the appropriate agency or agencies.

The Department has not had recent discussions with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission regarding seafarers working in UK waters. We continue to liaise with our near European neighbours as well as working through international organisations to create a step change in seafarer welfare. The Department is reviewing the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 and, if necessary, will engage with the EHRC subject to the outcome of the call for evidence and review.

The Department has not had recent formal discussions with the maritime unions or the UK Chamber of Shipping on the post implementation review of the Equality Act 2010, published on 19 April 2024.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for the compliance and enforcement of the Equality Act 2010 regulations. Enforcement is not within the remit of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) inspectors. However, where the MCA receives credible evidence of potential offences under legislation outside of its enforcement responsibilities then this information will be shared with the appropriate agency or agencies.

The Department has not had recent discussions with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission regarding seafarers working in UK waters. We continue to liaise with our near European neighbours as well as working through international organisations to create a step change in seafarer welfare. The Department is reviewing the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 and, if necessary, will engage with the EHRC subject to the outcome of the call for evidence and review.

All mechanically propelled vehicles that are used or kept on a public road must be registered and taxed. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) operates a comprehensive package of measures to tackle untaxed vehicle, including those used for business purposes. These range from automatic number plate recognition cameras, wheelclamping, the removal and impounding of untaxed vehicles, and court prosecutions.

When the DVLA is made aware of an untaxed vehicle, a report is sent to its national wheelclamping contractor NSL Services Ltd (NSL); so that they can, where appropriate, take enforcement action. NSL maximises its resources by visiting different areas on a daily basis.

The local authorities that have been pre-selected for funding are invited to submit an application. This selection is based on robust Department for Transport data that has been further analysed by the Road Safety Foundation. This process is non-competitive.

After an initial meeting with Department officials to discuss their particular route and its issues, they submit their proposals for assessment. Each application is seen independently by 2 Safer Roads Fund officials at the DfT and an economist. The Safer Roads Fund Team also discuss the applications, making sure they have passed a list of criteria including governance, quality assurance, affordability and a risk register. HM Treasury must approve an overview of the proposed funded schemes before funds can be released.

As it is a non-competitive process, the eligible bids are assessed to ensure that the local authorities’ planned interventions will successfully capture the Road Safety Foundation modelled interventions to reduce risks on the selected route.

Local authorities have access at all times to support from the DfT and the Road Safety Foundation.