Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to build new and upgrade existing trunk roads.
Answered by John Hayes
Government has published the first ever Road Investment Strategy, setting out how £15 billion will be invested in 127 schemes on England’s motorway and trunk road network between 2015/16 and 2020/21, 84 of which are newly announced. The North East of England and Yorkshire will benefit from a total of 26 schemes, 18 of which we newly announced in the Road Investment Strategy, worth around £3 billion.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide funding for road improvements and a dual carriageway for the A64 between York and Scarborough; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Hayes
In terms of future investment planning for the strategic road network, the Highways Agency is currently conducting its route strategy process to establish operational and investment priorities for all routes on the strategic road network. It is through this process that improvements to the A64 between York and Scarborough will be considered. The route strategy work is due for completion in March 2015 and will help inform the Department’s road investment strategy which we aim to complete before the end of this year.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what central funds are available for the maintenance of the A64; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
In the current 2014/15 financial year, the Highways Agency has an allocation of £11.25 million for maintenance of the A64.
In addition, the Agency's Managing Agent Contractors are paid a "lump sum" for a wide range of general maintenance duties, which includes works on the A64. The proportion of the costs that is spent on the A64 cannot be specified as the Agency does not disaggregate this "lump sum" budget.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on the effect of the EU Sulphur Directive on (a) the shipping industry, (b) jobs and (c) the environment; and what the outcome of the conversations has been.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
In the last eighteen months, there have been several meetings between officials from the Department for Transport and their French counterparts to consider the effect of the EU Directive on sulphur content of marine fuels on the shipping industry, jobs and the environment. One of these meetings was a quadripartite meeting between UK and French officials and representatives of the UK Chamber of Shipping and its counterpart, the Armateurs de France.
As a result of these discussions, the governments of the UK and France have supported applications to secure EU finance under the Trans-European Network (TEN-T) programme, and affordable capital through the European Investment Bank, on the part of shipowners and ports which wish to invest in green technologies. We have also obtained an assurance from the European Commission that it will meet individual ferry operators who wish to discuss their ‘route to compliance' strategy.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the upgrade of the Manchester-Leeds-York railway line will begin; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The upgrade referred to is included in the “North of England Programme”. This work has already begun. The programme will enhance key northern routes and provide benefits across the north of England, with over £1bn being invested over the next five years (2014-2019). Manchester - Leeds - York electrification was announced in November 2011 as part of the wider North Transpennine Electrification Scheme. This electrification scheme forms part of the North of England Programme. Key rail routes will be electrified across the North to make journeys faster, quicker and more reliable, improving journey times and the passenger experience.
Work has already started, and the first phase of the Transpennine route (from Manchester to Stalybridge) is planned to be electrified by December 2016. To the east of Stalybridge, works are currently being planned to deliver a fully electrified route between Manchester, Leeds and York.
Once complete, this significant infrastructure improvement will link up with the already electrified lines at Leeds and York. Further information can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-approves-major-infrastructure-works
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/North_West_electrification.aspx
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the effect will be on the transpennine community of the upgrade of train lines on the Manchester-Leeds-York railway line.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The transpennine community will benefit in better journeys, improved connections and more modern trains from the Government's £1bn investment in the rail network in the north of England. The Government is considering how the next Northern and TransPennine Express franchises starting in 2016 can best make use of this investment; and is currently, jointly with the Rail North consortium, seeking the views of passengers and communities on the improvements they want to see in a public consultation.