Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend HS2 beyond Birmingham; and if so, what cost estimates they have made for doing so.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We will not reverse the previous Government’s decision to cancel Phase 2 of HS2 and our primary focus is the safe delivery of HS2 between Birmingham and London at the lowest reasonable cost.
We are committed to a long-term approach to infrastructure and investment, taking account of local transport priorities. We will thoroughly review the fiscal position we have inherited before setting out more detailed plans for this in due course.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ban e-scooters.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Private e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, and rental e-scooters can only be used in national rental e-scooter trials.
However, it is lawful to sell e-scooters for use on private land as long as it is made clear to the buyer they cannot be used on the road.
As you will appreciate, the new Government is still in its early stages, and Ministers are carefully considering next steps and potential policy solutions for e-scooters.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of highway funding is spent on footways.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
This information is not held. In England local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highway network in their area, including footways. Further information and best practice on the Well-managed Highway infrastructure Code of Practice is available from the UK Roads Leadership Group. Based on previous research, the Department estimates that on average local highway authorities spend around 9% of their highway maintenance budgets on maintaining footways.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report commissioned by the Local Government Association The path to inclusive footways, published on 10 February; and what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and (2) micromobility parking provision, do not obstruct footways.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
The Government’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Strategy, published in March 2022, outlined that local authorities are best placed to understand what charging infrastructure is required, and have a key role in ensuring the delivery of chargepoints meets the needs of their areas. The Government and industry sponsored, Publicly Available Standard (PAS) 1899 provides specifications on the placement, design and installation of accessible public EV chargepoints.
Cross-pavement cable solutions can be used to channel EV charging wires across the pavement safely. As part of the Plan for Drivers, the Government committed to provide guidance on the use of safe cross-pavement charging solutions, best practice to local authorities on relevant legislation, permissions, and how to consider applications.
The Government has extended its e-scooter trials until May 2026 to build on current learning across areas including usage, safety, parking provision and environmental impacts. The Department’s guidance for local authorities and operators taking part in trials sets out that appropriate parking provision should be provided to ensure e-scooters do not become obstructive.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their most recent assessment of the expected cost of HS2, and what assessment they have made of whether this represents good value for money.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
The most recent cost assessment of the HS2 programme was published in November 2023 through the six-monthly update to Parliament. The Department will provide a Value for Money assessment via an update to the Phase One Business Case, due in the course of 2024.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to mitigate the rising cost of insurance for electric and hybrid vehicles.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance.
It is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
However, the Department will continue to engage with motor insurance stakeholders to understand the challenges facing motor insurance providers and any potential solutions. The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly, and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority rules.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in the light of current cost increases, they intend to review the business case for HS2.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
Work has begun on an updated Business Case for the HS2 programme. This will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) stop, or (2) scale back, HS2; and what estimate they have made of the savings to the taxpayer in either case.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Spades are already in the ground on the HS2 programme and we remain focused on its delivery.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the resignation of the chief executive of HS2 on delays and cost overruns on the project.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
We expect that both the Executive Chair and next Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd will have a resolute focus on delivering the programme to schedule and to controlling costs.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to restrict excessively noisy motor bikes and cars in urban areas, including enforcement action to protect local residents from noise pollution.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The police and local authorities have existing powers to tackle excessively noisy and illegally modified vehicles.
To support enforcement efforts, the Department has commenced roadside trials of the latest ‘noise camera’ technology. These trials are taking place to determine whether noise cameras can be an effective tool for the police and local authorities to enable more targeted and efficient enforcement. If the trials prove to be successful, noise cameras may be considered for wider rollout.