Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling GPs and hospital consultants to issue temporary blue badges to patients with severe mobility limitations who are experiencing long NHS waiting times for major surgery, with such badges to be reviewed at six-month intervals.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The aim of the Blue Badge scheme is to help people with substantial and enduring mobility problems caused by visible and non-visible (‘hidden’) disabilities to access goods and services, by allowing them to park close to their destination. Blue Badges may therefore be awarded to an individual with a disability that is expected to endure in some way for the three-year badge issue period.
As set out in legislation, the scheme is administered locally by the respective local authority, who are responsible for determining and implementing the administrative, assessment, and enforcement procedures which they believe are in accordance with the governing legislation. The Government has no plans to change how the scheme is administered at a local level.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will take steps to help (a) address delays in Citroën’s airbag recall repairs and (b) ensure drivers receive appropriate (i) support and (ii) reimbursement.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Secretary of State recently wrote to Stellantis to express serious concerns about the customer impact of the stop-drive recall currently affecting Citroën and DS Automobiles cars in the United Kingdom. That correspondence urged Stellantis to take immediate steps to:
Improve the effectiveness of their customer support, and that they make effective their commitments for ensuring that all affected owners – especially those with urgent mobility needs – are provided with viable alternatives, whether through courtesy cars, financial compensation, or at-home repair services
Prioritise vulnerable customers who rely on their vehicles for essential travel – such as key workers, carers, and individuals with disabilities
Enhance transparency by clearly communicating the timelines for resolution, and the alternative transport or compensation provisions that are in place.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to fund accessibility improvements at train stations.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since its launch in 2006, the Access for All programme has delivered step free upgrades at more than 260 station across Britain. The government is committed to continuing to improve the accessibility of the railway.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the China Investment Company’s ownership stake in Heathrow airport on national security.
Answered by Mike Kane
The Government takes its responsibility for national security extremely seriously and balances this with its continued commitment to welcome inward investment in a way that provides investors with the certainty and transparency they need to do business in the UK.
For any new investments into the UK that fall under an area of the economy deemed to be in a sensitive sector, which includes new investments into the transport sector, we will use the powers afforded by the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to scrutinise transactions and intervene if necessary to protect national security. We work across government to conduct due diligence and other assessments and ensure that any potential national security risk to the UK is handled appropriately.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to re-open the Access for All fund.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities. Since its launch in 2006, the Access for All (AfA) programme has delivered step free access at more than 250 stations across Britain. £350m is currently allocated to the Access for All programme until 2028/29. MPs and other stakeholders will shortly be updated on our approach to AfA.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to provide funding for the expansion of electric vehicle chargers in (a) Rutland and South Kesteven and (b) other rural areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Rutland County Council was allocated £569,000 and Lincolnshire County Council, which South Kesteven sits within, was allocated £6,380,592 combined capital and resource funding through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to expand public chargepoints.
The £381m LEVI Fund will accelerate public chargepoints for drivers without off-street parking across England, including rural areas. LEVI funding allocations considered the level of rurality in an area. This meant local authorities in rural areas were allocated additional funding compared to urban ones.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a new sign asking drivers to move to the right at short slip roads.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department has not made an assessment of introducing a sign asking drivers to move to the right at short slip roads. There are currently no plans to introduce this.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help improve safety on the A1.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
National Highways has completed a number of safety improvements to the A1 near Stamford in recent years, such as resurfacing, associated road markings, and improved lighting and signage. National Highways will undertake further work south of Grantham commencing this autumn.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's planned timescale is for issuing guidance to local authorities on allocating funding for the Local Transport Fund.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department is working with His Majesty’s Treasury to agree the funding profile for the Local Transport Fund as well as the split between capital and revenue funding. The Department will provide advice for local transport authorities shortly on the scope, process and accountability framework for the new funding, to ensure that local authorities can develop delivery plans to make the most of it.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents were recorded on the (a) A1, (b) A2 and (c) A5 in each of the last five years.
Answered by Guy Opperman
DfT road casualty statistics provide numbers of personal injury road traffic collisions in Great Britain that were reported to the police using the STATS19 reporting system.
The number of reported personal injury road collisions on the A1, A2 and A5 in the last 5 available years can be found in the table below.
Reported personal injury road collisions on the A1, A2 and A5, 2018 to 2022 | |||||
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Road Name | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
A1 | 604 | 590 | 436 | 462 | 538 |
A2 | 527 | 570 | 428 | 466 | 464 |
A5 | 510 | 514 | 413 | 451 | 428 |
Further information can be found online, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/road-accidents-and-safety-statistics