Questioner: Rachael Maskell (LAB - York Central)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there has been any Parliamentary or Government review of the operation and effectiveness of the Traffic Management Act 2004.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Department commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory and Halcrow in 2007 to evaluate Parts 2 to 4 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. Part 3 of the 2004 Act enables local highway authorities to create and operate street works permit schemes, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of these was carried out in 2018. ‘Gear change: a bold vision for cycling and walking’, published on 28 July 2020, included a commitment to review guidance relating to the Network Management Duty in Part 2 of the 2004 Act, to reflect the need for transport decarbonisation, encouraging healthier forms for transport and emphasis on technology.
Questioner: Lilian Greenwood (LAB - Nottingham South)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2021 to Question 183125 on bus services, what plans he has for a public consultation on the meaning of socially necessary services.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government has committed to issuing guidance on the meaning and role of socially necessary services. Further details will be announced in due course.
Questioner: Kerry McCarthy (LAB - Bristol East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of Highways England on its progress on meeting its performance indicators on (a) reducing carbon emissions and (b) delivering improved biodiversity.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
As part of the second Road Investment Strategy, published last year, we asked Highways England to calculate baselines for both its corporate carbon emission and biodiversity Key Performance Indicators. There have been productive conversations between Highways England and the Department during the past year on the setting of the baselines, details of which will be provided in Highways England’s Delivery Plan update, due to be published in the Summer.
The Office for Rail and Road will independently monitor and assess Highways England’s performance against the targets throughout the remainder of the road period.
Questioner: Lilian Greenwood (LAB - Nottingham South)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2021 to Question 183124, what assessment he has made of the level of funding necessary to make flat fares the norm on bus services.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The National Bus Strategy sets out what we want to see on fares, including low flat fares (or maximum fares and daily price caps) to be the norm within cities and towns. We expect to see Bus Service Improvement Plans from local transport authorities set out how they will achieve these objectives, including their plans and costs for implementing new fares and ticketing policies.
Questioner: Stuart Anderson (CON - Wolverhampton South West)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department has made available from the public purse to support cycle (a) hire and (b) repair programmes in the West Midlands.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
On 7 February 2020, the Department published a detailed breakdown of annual investment in cycling and walking from 2016/17 to 2018/19, which includes information on how much funding has been provided to local and combined authorities in the West Midlands over that period. Copies of the report and other associated information are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investment-schedule-in-cycling-and-walking-interventions.
Under the Active Travel Fund, the Department made available around £17 million to Transport for the West Midlands (TfWM) in 2020/21 for schemes to boost cycling and walking. It is up to TfWM to determine in discussion with its seven constituent authorities where this funding is spent. In the current financial year the Department will be providing both revenue funding and capital funding to local authorities for active travel schemes. TfWM is due to receive £1.9 million of revenue funding to support local capacity building and behaviour change initiatives such as cycle hire and repair schemes.
The Department will make a further announcement in due course about TfWM’s capital funding allocation for 2021/22.
In 2020/21 the Department also made available over £20 million nationally for the Fix Your Bike voucher scheme and for pop-up “Dr Bike” maintenance stations.
Questioner: Steve Baker (CON - Wycombe)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to restore confidence in domestic coach travel as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
As the country progresses safely through the steps of the roadmap (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021-summary), the Government will continue to engage with coach operators to assess how it can support the sector’s recovery. The Government is also planning to bring forward a Tourism Recovery Plan in the Spring. This will provide further detail on how the Government will support the UK tourism sector, with measures that will be applicable to many sub-sectors, including coach travel.
Questioner: Kerry McCarthy (LAB - Bristol East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential for introducing low-carbon materials into road building and road maintenance programmes.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is committed to exploring innovative ideas and processes for more environmentally friendly ways of constructing, repairing, and maintaining road surfaces. It is working closely with sector partners such as the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT), the Local Councils Roads Innovation Group, and the Highways Sector Council to encourage authorities to explore low-carbon options.
As part of the ADEPT Live Labs research programme, the Department for Transport provided £22.9 million to eight innovative projects throughout the country, which included trials using recycled plastics, and the addition of graphene, in surfacing and structural treatments. These trials will assess the suitability and durability of these additives, from minor patching work and pothole repairs through to major resurfacing.
Questioner: Natalie Elphicke (CON - Dover)
Question
Whether he has undertaken an assessment of the adequacy of road transport provision for international freight traffic in East Kent; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Department works with Highways England and Kent County Council to ensure roads in East Kent can support international freight traffic.
This includes Highways England funding a movable barrier which enables Operation Brock to hold heavy goods vehicles in the event of serious disruption at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel, and allows the M20 to remain open for other traffic in both directions. For the longer term, Highways England is currently developing options for two schemes on the A2/M2 route to inform future road investment decisions.
Questioner: Virginia Crosbie (CON - Ynys Môn)
Question
What steps his Department is taking to support a green maritime sector in the UK.
Answered by Robert Courts
My Department recently launched a £20 million Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, building on the vision set out in the Clean Maritime Plan published in 2019 and will announce further policy proposals in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan this Spring.
Questioner: Emma Hardy (LAB - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question
What steps the Government is taking to ensure the long-term security of the coach sector.
Answered by Robert Courts
We are continuing to work across Departments to promote and further the coach sector as a key part of the Government’s forthcoming Tourism Recovery Plan.
Questioner: Lord Krebs (CB - Life peer)
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to impose sanctions on local authorities that have not used grants under the Emergency Active Travel Fund to introduce relevant measures to encourage or facilitate active travel; and what sanctions these will be.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Department for Transport has consistently made clear to local authorities that it reserves the right to claw back funding for active travel schemes where it is not satisfied that it has been appropriately spent. In determining future funding allocations, it will take into account local authorities’ track record in delivering active travel schemes.
Questioner: Hilary Benn (LAB - Leeds Central)
Question
What recent progress has been made on HS2.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Construction is underway and already supporting over 15000 jobs including over 500 apprenticeships. Phase 2a has also achieved royal assent.
Questioner: Lord Krebs (CB - Life peer)
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the funding awarded from the Emergency Active Travel Fund to Oxfordshire County Council to support the Jericho Low Traffic Neighbourhood has been used for the purpose for which it was awarded.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Department has asked all local authorities, including Oxfordshire County Council, to monitor and evaluate the impacts of their active travel schemes, and will take this into account in determining future funding allocations. The detailed design of local schemes is however, a matter for local authorities.
Questioner: Lord Berkeley (LAB - Life peer)
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has overturned a decision to grant an exemption from disqualification on the grounds of exceptional hardship to a driver who incurred 12 or more points on their driving licence in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) cannot overturn a court’s decision to apply exceptional hardship where a driver has accrued 12 or more penalty points. The DVLA’s role is purely to record the decision made by the court.
If the DVLA receives a notification for a driver with 12 or more penalty points who has not been disqualified, the DVLA will alert courts to this. This enables the courts to consider re-opening cases and disqualifying drivers where appropriate.
Questioner: Rupa Huq (LAB - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question
What plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals to enable residents of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods to vote on those schemes.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Authorities are already required to consult with communities on low traffic neighbourhoods. We have no plans to enable local votes.