Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support the installation of electric vehicle charging points for residential apartments.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is continuing provide support to install chargepoints. This includes the Electric Vehicle Charge Point grant which provides people living in flats or rental accommodating up to £350 towards an EV chargepoint, and Infrastructure Grants which allow those who own apartment blocks to apply for funding for installation in car parks.
The Government also delivered world-leading legislation which came into force in June 2022, requiring new buildings with associated parking to have charging infrastructure installed. These measures are estimated to lead to the installation of up to 145,000 chargepoints across England every year, including for new apartments.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for plug-in vehicle grants to private cars.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are now over a million battery electric cars registered in the UK, and their sales continue to grow. The Government is targeting its incentives where they have the most impact and deliver the greatest value for money. Plug-in Grants will continue until at least financial year 2024/25 for motorcycles, vans, taxis, trucks and wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the new rail capacity created by the East Coast Main Line upgrade works will be allocated to open access rail services.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not specify the allocation of increased capacity. However, open access operators may apply to utilise available capacity alongside operators contracted by Government. It will then be a matter for Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road to decide through the established systems and processes how capacity should ultimately be allocated.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support from the public purse the London and North Eastern Railway has received to maintain (a) existing railway operations and (b) timetable commitments in 2023-24.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As reported in their annual statement of accounts, London North Eastern Railway received £96 million in subsidy from the Department for Transport for the year 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of East Coast Main Line intercity passenger services are delivered by open access operators.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network Rail have confirmed that within the current timetable, published in December 2023, 8.92% of East Coast Main Line intercity passenger services are delivered by Open Access operators.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representation he has received on the future of UK rail manufacturing capability.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
My Department has engaged extensively with the four train manufacturers with facilities in the UK, train operators and rolling stock owners to ensure a sustainable future for UK rail manufacturing. Rail manufacturing plays an important role in growing the UK economy and there is now a strong pipeline of future orders. In January 2024, I wrote to train manufacturers with details of planned and expected procurements, which include upcoming competitions being run by Northern, Southeastern, TransPennine and Chiltern. These contracts are worth an estimated £3.6 billion alongside significant maintenance and refurbishment opportunities.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which financial year funding allocated through (a) the rapid charging fund, (b) the local electric vehicle infrastructure capability fund and (c) other electric vehicle charging funds will expire.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Rapid Charging Fund is a complex, long-term project. In December 2023, a £70m pilot for the Rapid Charging Fund opened for applications, which are now being assessed.
The £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, including capital and capability funding is available over the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years. This follows the LEVI Pilot and initial LEVI capability funding for local authorities in 2022/2023.
The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Grant, and Workplace Charging Scheme are also currently available. These grants are kept under continual review.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that the deadline for the end of e-scooter trials is not extended any further.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government plans to legislate to regulate micromobility when parliamentary time allows. The trials continue to provide helpful information to inform that process.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to release details of unused track access rights on the rail network so that new open access applications can be made.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network Rail have recently updated their process to begin publishing details of all future access rights released under Part J of the Network Code on their website. The Office for Rail and Road also publish on their website details of consolidated contract and track access decisions which allow potential market entrants to identify new opportunities.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce key performance indicators for Highways England in the elimination of rubbish on the strategic roads network.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways are monitored against a performance indicator in the performance specification for the current Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2). This measures the percentage of the Strategic Road Network where litter cleansing is managed by National Highways which is either free of litter, refuse and detritus, or predominately free apart from some small items, in line with the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. As part of developing the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), the Department for Transport is continuing to explore potential metrics for inclusion in the RIS3 performance specification, as was well as considering improvements to existing metrics, such as litter.