Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which minister Highways England is accountable to; what mechanisms are in place to scrutinise that organisation’s performance; how that performance is judged; when that organisation’s performance in the south west of England was last evaluated; and what plans they have, if any, to review that organisation’s licence.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Highways England is accountable to the Secretary of State for Transport. The Secretary of State’s requirements of Highways England are set out in Road Investment Strategies which sets the Department’s long-term vision for the strategic road network. The Department has just announced the second Road Investment Strategy which will run from 2020 to 2025. The Road Investment Strategy includes a set of Key Performance Indicators against which Highways England is measured. Subsequently, Highways England will publish its Delivery Plan to set out in detail how the Road Investment Strategy will be delivered on the ground.
The Office for Road and Rail act as Highways Monitor to ensure that Highways England delivers its major programme of investment and other performance commitments. The Office for Road and Rail publishes an Annual Report on Highways England's performance and delivery of its investment plan after each financial year. Highways England’s record is measured as a result of its performance nationally. This regular reporting covers all regions of England.
Performance meetings with Highways England are conducted on at least a monthly basis by both Department officials and Transport Ministers in addition to day by day informal contacts.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what role Highways England has in delivering (1) the UK’s Industrial Strategy, and (2) the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Highways England manages the strategic road network that has a vital role in moving people and goods nationwide. It is exploring the impacts that technology will have on use of the network, in line with the grand challenge of the Future of Mobility identified in the Industrial Strategy. It is obliged to act in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their infrastructure priorities for the south west of England.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Infrastructure is a top priority for the Government, essential for jobs, growth, and supporting a high quality of life. Over the next five years the public sector will invest more than half a trillion pounds in the UK’s future prosperity, including investing in infrastructure across the UK.
For example, as part of the second Road Investment Strategy, the Government will spend £2.7bn between 2020 and 2025 in the South West. This will help to build the A303 Stonehenge and the A417 Air Balloon. The South West will also benefit from its share of £5 billion to support the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband in the most difficult to reach 20% of the country, and of £510 million to support the Shared Rural Network to extend 4G mobile coverage cross the UK.
The Government will further publish a National Infrastructure Strategy, setting out the Government’s long-term ambitions for economic infrastructure.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop the M5 as a growth corridor; and whether they have asked the National Infrastructure Commission to consider such a proposal.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
Government has no plans at present to develop the M5 as a growth corridor. However, this strategic corridor is important for the economies of the Midlands Engine and the Western Gateway.
We have supported growth through a number of key projects which include: the recent announcement of £219million Housing Infrastructure Fund to improve Junction 10 in Gloucestershire; £12.19million Local Growth Funding to improve the junction 25 at Taunton; and also the creation of 2 Enterprise Zones, Gravity at junction 23 near Bridgwater and at the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone at junction 29.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many holding directions Highways England have issued, broken down per English region, for each year since 2017; (2) the estimated costs of such delays, broken down per English region, for each year since 2017; and (3) what estimate they have made of the numbers of new homes and new jobs that have been delayed as a result of such directions.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Holding directions is a phrase used to describe where Highways England responds to a planning application with a recommendation of non-approval for a defined period.
In 2018/19 497 (12.7% of the total) responses made by Highways England were recommendations of non-approval for a defined period.
In 2017/18 502 (12.3%) of responses made by Highways England were recommendations of non-approval for a defined period.
In 2016/17 322 (8.5%) of responses made by Highways England were recommendations of non-approval for a defined period.
A regional breakdown of these figures is unavailable.
Highways England’s 2019/20 figures will be available in June 2020.
Highways England has not made an assessment of any costs attributable to delays or on the numbers of homes or jobs which may have been delayed as a result of holding recommendations.
The safe operation of the Strategic Road Network is Highways England’s primary concern in responding to planning applications. As such, Highways England has a responsibility to properly evaluate the consequences of proposed developments on the safe and effective operation of its strategic road network. Highways England will comprehensively investigate all evidence to understand the effect proposed developments could have on safety and the performance of the network for all road users. Not infrequently this work will take longer than the statutory deadlines set for Highways England to respond to the planning application consultation. In such circumstances, rather than issue a recommendation of non-approval, Highways England will issue a time limited recommendation of non-approval allowing liaison and negotiation on the development of a viable transport assessment (and solution) whilst keeping the application ‘live’.
Highways England is committed to supporting and enabling growth; its Growth & Housing designated fund has committed some £90million to 28 schemes worth almost £250million, that will enable delivery of up to 45,000 new homes and 44,000 new employment opportunities.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Highways England has been successful in delivering the Road Investment Strategy; and, where such schemes supposed to be delivered under the Strategy have not been completed, whether the numbers holding directions have increased as a result.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The first Road Investment Strategy period will end on the 31st March 2020. The Office for Road and Rail will report on the first Road Investment Strategy shortly after that date. The Secretary of State for Transport will also provide a report to Parliament as required by the Infrastructure Act (2015).
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Leader of the House how many days of committee stage she estimates will be required for the Trade Bill; and when she anticipates the committee stage being completed.
Answered by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
So far three of an anticipated four days have been scheduled and advertised (21, 23 and 30 January). The remaining day will be rescheduled as a day had to be set aside for the House to have a further debate under section 13 of the EU (Withdrawal) Act which is now scheduled for 28 January. The progress of all business is, as always, in the hands of the House. But the Usual Channels have agreed to those dates on the assumption that they should allow Committee Stage to be completed inside four days and the Usual Channels are working to get the remaining day scheduled within the first week of February.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Agnew of Oulton (HL10441 and HL10442) on 12 October, whether they have made any assessment of potential breaches of equalities legislation in any statutory differences to entitlement for priority schools admissions for children adopted from overseas compared with those adopted in the UK from care, in particular where both such groups of children are UK citizens.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Children in care are amongst the most vulnerable in our society and they should be admitted to the school that is best able to meet their needs. Since 2007, school admission authorities have been required to give looked after children highest priority in their admission arrangements. In 2012, this priority was further extended to previously looked after children.
The government also wants to ensure that children adopted from care overseas receive equal highest priority for admission into school as those looked after or previously looked after by a local authority in England. The department is committed to amending the School Admissions Code to achieve that aim.
The department is keen to ensure that looked after children are given parity for admission into school as soon as possible, and has asked admission authorities to use their current flexibilities in setting their own admission arrangements to grant children adopted from care overseas second highest admissions priority in their oversubscription criteria.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any changes by Westminster local authority to its School Admission Code in respect of children adopted from care overseas.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
In December of last year the department announced that when the opportunity arises, we intend to amend the School Admissions Code to require admission authorities to give children adopted from state care outside of England, highest priority for admission into school.
Any changes to the School Admissions Code will require a full statutory process, including a public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. They must be considered in the context of competing pressures on the parliamentary timetable.
Until such time as we are able to make the relevant changes to the Code, we have asked admission authorities to use their current flexibilities in setting their own admission arrangements, to grant internationally adopted children second highest admissions priority in their oversubscription criteria.
School admission arrangements are agreed locally and we do not collect information on them. Consequently, the information requested on which admission authorities have adopted these changes, is not held centrally and we have not made an assessment of the changes.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide a detailed timetable for the legislative changes required to amend the School Admission Code in respect of children adopted from care overseas.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
In December of last year the department announced that when the opportunity arises, we intend to amend the School Admissions Code to require admission authorities to give children adopted from state care outside of England, highest priority for admission into school.
Any changes to the School Admissions Code will require a full statutory process, including a public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. They must be considered in the context of competing pressures on the parliamentary timetable.
Until such time as we are able to make the relevant changes to the Code, we have asked admission authorities to use their current flexibilities in setting their own admission arrangements, to grant internationally adopted children second highest admissions priority in their oversubscription criteria.
School admission arrangements are agreed locally and we do not collect information on them. Consequently, the information requested on which admission authorities have adopted these changes, is not held centrally and we have not made an assessment of the changes.