Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government which rail enhancement projects in Wales are expected to commence construction before the end of the 2029–30 financial year; and what milestones have been agreed with the Wales Rail Board for monitoring their delivery.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the historic underfunding of Welsh rail infrastructure and has endorsed a long-term plan to transform Welsh rail, with £445 million funding already committed this Spending Review. This will support delivery of enhancements to the North Wales Mainline, Wrexham-Liverpool Line, and the South Wales Relief Lines. It will also deliver a major upgrade of Cardiff Central Station, increase services in the Cardiff area, and commence delivery of the six new stations in south Wales recommended by Lord Burns’ South East Wales Transport Commission.
Subject to confirmed value-for-money and development of business cases, all are expected to have commenced construction before the end of the 2029–30 financial year. Their delivery will be subject to continuous monitoring by the Wales Rail Board.
We have endorsed the Transport for Wales (TfW) vision for rail in Wales and His Majesty's Government has agreed that it should form the basis of the Wales Rail Board’s pipeline of projects. TfW currently estimate the total cost of all the schemes under consideration to be up to £14 billion.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the feasibility of increasing investment in rail enhancement projects in Wales by £1 billion during the current Spending Review period, as requested by the Welsh Government; and when they expect to respond formally to that request.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is investing an historic £445 million into Welsh rail this Spending Review to right years of underfunding by previous governments and to unleash Wales’ economic potential.
We have endorsed the Transport for Wales (TfW) vision for rail in Wales and His Majesty's Government has agreed that it should form the basis of the Wales Rail Board’s pipeline of projects. TfW currently estimate the total cost of all the schemes under consideration to be up to £14 billion.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to spend the £445 million of funding allocated to the country’s rail infrastructure needs; and whether they will dedicate any of this funding to the electrification of the Crewe to Holyhead railway line.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Spending Review and the 10-year Infrastructure Strategy recognises Wales’ long-term infrastructure needs and will deliver at least £445 million of rail enhancements to realise them. The detail of how this investment is to be realised will be determined by the Wales Rail Board in the coming months. The funding secured at the Spending Review includes delivery of the infrastructure changes needed to support the introduction of 50% more services across the North Wales mainline during 2026 and consideration of the future requirements of that line.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to commence the electrification of the Crewe to Holyhead railway line.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The previous government committed to electrification of this line, however no funding was ever made available to begin exploring the costs and benefits of such an enhancement.
This government has recognised the lack of investment in Welsh railways and made a real commitment, via the recent Spending Review, of at least £445 million over the next ten years for the country’s long-term rail infrastructure needs. We will work with the Welsh Government to agree how this is applied to routes across Wales and the Borders.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what training they have made available, if any, to enable those with overseas driving qualifications to retrain for work in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Those with overseas driving qualifications that are not exchangeable in GB can drive small vehicles (cars up to 3,500kg and motorcycles), provided entitlement is shown on their licence, for 12 months from the date they become resident in GB. During these 12 months, those with overseas driving qualifications are able to retrain for work in the UK. After this time, unless they have a licence from a country designated for driving licence exchange purposes, they are required to take a GB driving test.
The 12-month period is a concession that allows drivers who live and regularly drive in GB to continue to do so before having to demonstrate that they comply with the standards that apply to GB licence holders.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to ensure the continuation of rural bus services.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government has provided nearly £2 billion of support since March 2020 through emergency and recovery grants to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the bus sector. This includes a six-month extension to the Bus Recovery Grant to provide up to £130 million to continue supporting bus services in England outside London until the end of March of this year.
Our £20 million Rural Mobility Fund (RMF) is supporting 16 innovative, demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas across 15 local authorities in England. These pilots are exploring whether Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) can serve these communities more effectively than traditional public transport solutions alone.
The Government is also providing £60 million to help bus operators cap single fares at £2 on services in England outside London from 1 January to 31 March 2023. Over 130 operators covering more than 4,600 routes throughout England are participating in the scheme, including in rural areas, which will help increase patronage on buses and help millions save on their regular travel costs.
We have engaged extensively with rural stakeholders on how new transport modes can benefit rural communities in developing the soon to be published Future of Transport: Rural Strategy.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to resolve current industrial action amongst railway workers.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Transport Secretary wants to see an end to the rail industrial disputes, which are affecting passengers, the industry and the rail workers themselves. He is very clear that it is for employers and Trade Unions to negotiate the details of essential workforce reforms that would enable an affordable pay deal. Ministers’ role is to facilitate and support the ongoing discussions between the rail industry and Trade Unions regarding workforce reform and pay.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that there is a direct Holyhead to Euston rail link.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Avanti West Coast is currently operating a reduced timetable due to staff shortages. From 12 December Avanti plans to reinstate direct services between London and Holyhead in each direction.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to encourage rail companies to allow Ukrainian refugees to travel free of charge on UK rail networks.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Department for Transport is considering what can be offered to Ukrainian refugees by way of free rail travel, along with other Government initiatives.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what data they hold on the effectiveness of the MOT in preventing road accidents.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) collects data on the proportion of vehicles presented for MOT tests that fail, as well as the most common defects that are detected. Last year, 29.9% of vehicles failed their MOT test for ‘major’ or ‘dangerous’ defects, that is, those defects most likely to have an impact on road safety. The MOT test ensures that vehicles with such defects cannot be driven legally, and is an important part of ensuring that vehicles on our roads are safe. The vast majority of road accidents are caused by driver error. Estimates are that only around 2% of accidents are directly caused by mechanical vehicle defects.