Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential (a) costs and (b) merits of requiring freeholders to allow the installation of electric vehicle charging points where requested by leaseholders.
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: 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: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on supporting the provision of on-street charging points for electric vehicles where there (a) is no off-street parking and (b) are no public charge points.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department is supporting local authorities through the £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, enabling local authorities to work with industry to transform the availability of charging infrastructure for drivers without off-street parking. A key aspect of the LEVI Fund is over £45m Capability funding, which enables local authorities to secure dedicated in-house expertise to plan and deliver EV chargepoint strategies, which take account of local challenges.
A variety of technical, commercial and management guidance and best practice is available for local authorities through the LEVI Fund Support Body, appointed by the Department to deliver the LEVI Fund. This includes a ‘Knowledge Repository’ which contains guidance for each stage of charging infrastructure delivery, from writing a strategy to selecting sites and hardware through to designing effective contracts using a procurement ‘heads of terms’.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to release safeguarded land in (a) Elmet and Rothwell constituency and (b) the City of Leeds in the context of the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2b.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands set out the Government’s plans for HS2 East from the West Midlands to the East Midlands and committed to considering the optimal way for HS2 to serve Leeds. Terms of Reference for the study will be published soon.
As a result, the Government confirmed it would maintain existing safeguarding and property schemes along the route of HS2 Phase 2b until a decision following this study is taken.
In the meantime, retaining safeguarding provides continued access for affected property owners to the full range of statutory and non-statutory property schemes that are available on the rest of the HS2 route.
If decisions are taken that safeguarded land is no longer essential for future plans, then safeguarding would be lifted and any property acquired in those areas sold.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with TransPennine Express on making a rest day working agreement with ASLEF.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State met the Managing Director of First Rail on 23 November to discuss the operator’s delivery issues. More generally, the Department through its Rail North Partnership with Transport for the North continues to have regular ongoing discussions with TPE, particularly on managing services in the face of prolonged national and local industrial action, including prospects for reinstating rest day working.