Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) serious injuries, and (2) deaths, of pedestrians occurred as a result of dangerous or careless cycling on pedal bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters in each of the past three years.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The information requested is not held by the Department.
Statistics on road casualties reported to police, including where pedestrians are injured in collisions with pedal cycles or e-scooters, are published annually.
However, this data does not attribute causation to collisions which means that it is not possible to determine in how many cases deaths or injuries to pedestrians were the result of dangerous or careless cycling.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what expectation they have for train operating companies and ticket websites to provide information to passengers using mobility scooters about their use of a pass policy for the scooter, either when wheelchair seats or passenger support is booked.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Train and station operators are required by their operating licences to establish and comply with an Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) which must be approved by the Office of Rail and Road. An ATP sets out, among other things, the arrangements and assistance that an operator will provide to protect the interests of disabled people using its services and to facilitate such use.
The guidance states that operators must set out their policies regarding the carriage of mobility scooters and other mobility aids for mobility-impaired people on their trains. Operators must make the reasoning behind their policies clear, particularly with regard to any policy excluding the carriage of some or all mobility scooters and mobility aids.
We would expect all customers purchasing a ticket that require assistance to complete their journey to be directed to the Passenger Assist Scheme.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of reported crime on the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police (BTP) are responsible for policing the rail network across England, Wales and Scotland. They recorded the following number of incidents at stations on the Salisbury and Yeovil railway line: 2020/21 58, 2021/22 55, 2022/23 87 and 2023/24 83. The increase from 2021/22 is in line with increasing passenger numbers on the rail network following the easing of travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Along with data from the rest of the railway, the BTP will continually review crime trends and patterns from the Salisbury and Yeovil line, and gather intelligence to inform their daily operational deployments, including both uniform and plain clothes officers.
If passengers see or experience crime on the rail network, they should report this to BTP using the 61016 text service, via the Railway Guardian app or online. In an emergency, they should always call 999.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to mitigate the environmental risks posed by ageing and poorly maintained vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet, particularly those using high sulphur fuels in UK territorial waters and the Strait of Dover.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The UK is working to deter and disrupt the Russian shadow fleet. At the European Political Community Summit in July, we led efforts to ask European partners to sign a Call for Action that seeks to address the risks that the shadow fleet poses to maritime safety and security, and, crucially, the environment.
The Department for Transport takes robust measures to ensure all sea vessels in UK territorial waters, including the Strait of Dover, comply with environmental law.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to assess plans for the simplification of fares on LNER routes; and how they intend to assess the views of the public on these proposals.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We will evaluate the pilot to consider impacts on passengers and will carefully consider before taking any further decisions.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to negotiate a cabotage exemption for the creative industries within the EU.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is committed to working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Cabinet Office and other relevant Whitehall departments to address key challenges facing the UK’s creative professionals and their support staff when touring in the EU.
We are working hard to reset the relationship with our European friends and know that strengthening this relationship will take time. This Government is ambitious and wants to make swift progress, with clear manifesto priorities for the creative and cultural sectors.
Asked by: Earl Attlee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received the report by the Earl Attlee, Harassment of the Heavy Haulage Industry by West Midlands Police, dated 10 May; and if so, whether they found it to be inaccurate, unfair or technically incorrect.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
I can confirm that the Department for Transport has received a copy of the noble Lord’s report. In common with other road traffic laws, policing of abnormal loads is an operational matter for the police. Any complaints about West Midlands Police’s handling of abnormal loads movements should be taken up with the Chief Constable.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many vehicles in England are licensed in total; and what is the number broken down by (1) cars, (2) HGVs, (3) motorbikes, and (4) other categories of vehicles.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The table below shows the number of vehicles currently licensed in England.
Cars | 28,153,927 |
HGVs | 420,543 |
Motorbikes | 1,204,083 |
Other categories of vehicles | 4,682,394 |
Total | 34,460,947 |
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to making insurance cover for pedal bikes, e- bikes and e-scooters compulsory; and what assessment they have made of the benefits that could be gained.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Those who cycle on public roads are encouraged, but not required, to take out some form of insurance, and many cyclists have insurance cover through their membership of cycling organisations. Any change requiring cyclists to have insurance before cycling on the public highway would be likely to have unintended consequences such as putting many people off cycling. This would have adverse impacts on health and congestion.
It is illegal to use privately owned e-scooters on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, and rental e-scooters can only be hired in e-scooter trials areas. The e-scooters used in the rental trials are covered by full motor vehicle insurance policies.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the current work on the A1's Wentbridge Viaduct started, and when they expect traffic flows to return to normal.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The original estimate for the Wentbridge Viaduct was £5,403,583, however, at present the expected cost for the works is £16,079,669. The change in costs is due to significant change of scope as additional essential repairs were identified, including but not limited to reconstruction of both deck ends, extensive renewal of drainage throughout the structure, replacement of the Vehicle Restraint System foundation plinths, repairs to the underslung hanger walkway, repairs to deck haunches and concrete repairs to the abutments, all of which were not known nor could have been identified until the existing bridge deck was exposed.
National Highways began the enabling works and upgrading Jacksons Lane on 24 February 2023 but the main works on the carriageway commenced on 11 April 2023 with an expected completion date of September 2023. The current expected completion at Wentbridge Viaduct is Spring 2025. This is in part due to the decision to bring forward the Wentedge road bridge works originally planned to be undertaken in 2026 so that they can be completed at the same time due to the proximity of the two structures, and this will minimise long term disruption while ensuring that both works are completed efficiently. Works to both structures is now expected to be completed by August 2025.