Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Audit Office report entitled Public chargepoints for electric vehicles, published on 13 December 2024, what discussions her Department has had with (a) industry leaders and (b) local authorities on compliance with the chargepoint accessibility standard for electric car chargepoints.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Publicly Available Standard 1899 was co-sponsored by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles and the national disability charity Motability. The standard was developed in close collaboration with industry, disabled users, accessibility experts, charities, consumer groups and the devolved administrations. PAS 1899 provides specifications on designing and installing accessible public EV chargepoints, meeting the industry need for standardised guidance on what accessible public chargepoint design consists of and how it can be deployed.
Whilst compliance with PAS 1899 is voluntary, legal obligations pertaining to the Equality Act 2010 have to be adhered to.
The Government, in collaboration with the British Standards Institute and Motability, is spearheading the Technical Working Group conducting the two-year review of PAS 1899, with results anticipated by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Audit Office report entitled Public chargepoints for electric vehicles, published on 13 December 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ensuring compliance with the electric chargepoint accessibility standard on (a) industry and (b) local authorities.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Publicly Available Standard 1899 was co-sponsored by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles and the national disability charity Motability. The standard was developed in close collaboration with industry, disabled users, accessibility experts, charities, consumer groups and the devolved administrations. PAS 1899 provides specifications on designing and installing accessible public EV chargepoints, meeting the industry need for standardised guidance on what accessible public chargepoint design consists of and how it can be deployed.
Whilst compliance with PAS 1899 is voluntary, legal obligations pertaining to the Equality Act 2010 have to be adhered to.
The Government, in collaboration with the British Standards Institute and Motability, is spearheading the Technical Working Group conducting the two-year review of PAS 1899, with results anticipated by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of varying fuel prices at nation-wide service station providers; and what steps she is taking to ensure equity for customers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The local pricing of fuel at forecourts is a commercial matter for retailers. The Competition and Markets Authority has powers to monitor competition in the road fuel retail market. The government has committed to introduce legislation to implement Fuel Finder which will increase price transparency and enable drivers to compare prices. Additionally, recognising that pump prices are significantly higher in some rural locations, the Rural Fuel Duty Relief scheme supports motorists by providing a 5 pence per litre reduction to the standard rate of fuel duty in designated areas.
Policies introduced by the Department for Transport impacting road fuel prices tend to apply UK wide, for example the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). The RTFO does not give rise to price pressures which would necessitate regional or geographical variations in pricing at forecourts.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of AI road cameras at reducing road accidents in high risk areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of AI road cameras at reducing road crashes in high-risk areas.
However, trials of new technology including the use of AI cameras in small scale operational activity has been carried out under the Roads Policing Review. Evidence from these is being considered.
National Highways has also worked with police forces to understand the role of technology to detect and enforce mobile phone and seatbelt violations.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting transport providers to buy British buses.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 8 October 2024, the Department announced plans to create a new UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel. This panel will bring together industry experts and local leaders to explore ways to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing. The Department continues to work with officials across Government to engage with British bus manufacturing stakeholders and more details on this will be set out in due course.
UK-based bus manufacturers have benefited the most from the Department’s funding programmes, such as Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA). It is estimated that 60% of ZEBRA-supported buses will be procured from UK-based manufacturers, supporting economic growth and jobs across the zero-carbon transport industry. We want to see domestic manufacturers build on this foundation and stimulate innovation and skills development to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Independent report by the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee entitled DPTAC position on the eligibility criteria for concessionary bus travel, published on 17 August 2022, whether she plans to carry out a review of the eligibility criteria for bus passes for disabled people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
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. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and, while the Department keeps the scheme under review, any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the eligibility criteria, would need to be carefully considered for their impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the accessibility of the railways for disabled people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. Since April 2024, 13 stations have been completed with a further 18 due to be completed by April 2025. This will be the most stations completed in one year since the programme started in 2006. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of (a) e-scooters and (b) e-bikes on pavements on pedestrians.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The use of e-scooters and e-bikes on pavements is unacceptable and can have serious impacts on pedestrians, both by causing injuries and by making it much harder for pedestrians to get about.
Privately owned e-scooters cannot be legally ridden either on roads or on pavements, and in the e-scooter rental trial schemes, the use of e-scooters on pavements is not allowed. Enforcement is a matter for the police.
The Highway Code makes clear that cyclists, including those riding e-bikes, must not cycle on the pavement. The only exception to this is on pavements that are designated as shared use routes, where the Highway Code says that cyclists should always take care when passing pedestrians, especially children, older or disabled people, and should allow them plenty of room. As above, enforcement is a matter for the police.
E-cycles or e-scooters parked obstructively on the pavement also present a safety risk to pedestrians, and particularly so for vulnerable pavement users such as those with visual impairments or mobility issues. Guidance for those operating the e-scooter trials makes clear that appropriate parking provision should be provided to ensure e-scooters do not cause an obstruction. Operators also use geofencing, parking incentives and penalties to prevent pavement riding and obstructive parking. The Government recently announced plans in the English Devolution White Paper to empower local leaders to regulate shared hire bike schemes to tackle issues such as obstructive pavement parking and antisocial behaviour.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of lighting on trains on the levels of violence against women and girls travelling on the network.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The National Travel Attitudes Survey on perceptions of safety when walking, cycling and using public transport, found that a ‘poorly lit vehicle or carriage’ was the joint seventh most popular reason for feeling unsafe when travelling on a public transport vehicle. The Rail Safety and Standards Board sets requirements around lighting for new rolling stock. We continue to work with the rail industry including the Rail Delivery Group and the British Transport Police to ensure the rail network remains a safe environment for the travelling public.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department will have responsibility for safety on trains following passage of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership Bill).
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 makes no changes to existing roles and responsibilities regarding safety or tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. Tackling crime is the responsibility of the British Transport Police, who will continue to police the rail network following the transition of passenger services into public ownership. Safety regulation will remain the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.