Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Stephenson Excerpts

Thursday 17th September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Elliot Colburn (Carshalton and Wallington) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to improve rail infrastructure.

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Andrew Stephenson)]

The Government continue to invest record amounts in our rail infrastructure, with £47.9 billion to be spent over the next five years.

[Elliot Colburn]

Getting more trains into Carshalton and Wallington stations is reliant on completing the Croydon bottleneck project to unblock congestion on the Brighton main line at Selhurst. Network Rail will finish its consultation on the project on Sunday. What assurances can the Minister give me that the Government will back the project and get more trains into Carshalton and Wallington stations?

[Andrew Stephenson]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for continuing to champion transport improvements in his constituency. My Department is currently considering an outline business case to progress the Croydon bottleneck scheme through our investment pipeline.

[Sir George Howarth (Knowsley) (Lab)]

What plans he has to enable public transport authorities to operate their own bus services.

--- Later in debate ---

[Feryal Clark (Enfield North) (Lab)]

What recent discussions he has had with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) Transport for London on the expiration of the emergency funding agreement on 17 October 2020.

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Andrew Stephenson)]

The Department regularly engages with Transport for London and the Mayor, including in relation to understanding the impact of covid-19.

[Feryal Clark [V]]

Private train operating companies were told on 23 March, just as lockdown began, that the Government would take on all their revenue and cost risks and support them through the pandemic. By contrast, Transport for London was not granted this emergency funding deal until 14 May. Will the Minister explain why that is and reassure Londoners that the additional emergency support that TfL needs will be confirmed as a matter of urgency, rather than being left until the eleventh hour like last time?

[Andrew Stephenson]

The Government agreed a £1.6 billion funding package in May. But let us be clear that Transport for London’s finances were in trouble well before covid-19, with a projected deficit of £220 million last year and £422 million the year before. Many of the financial problems can be directly traced to poor decision making by the current Mayor of London.

[Mr Robert Goodwill (Scarborough and Whitby) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to support UK bus manufacturers in (a) Scarborough and Whitby constituency and (b) England.

[Andrew Stephenson]

We are committed to providing at least 4,000 British-built zero-emission buses through our £5 billion funding package for buses and cycling.

[Mr Goodwill]

If 2020 has been a tough year for bus and coach operators, it has been even worse for manufacturers such as Alexander Dennis Plaxton in Scarborough. We have heard on a number of occasions today of the £5 billion announced in February for 4,000 zero-emission British-built buses, but does the Minister agree with me that we need to get this money out of the door very quickly indeed if we are to avert a crisis on the production lines?

[Andrew Stephenson]

I thank my right hon. Friend for his question. I completely agree with what he says, and I commend him for what he has been doing to support manufacturers in his constituency. The Government have announced over £700 million in support for the bus and light rail sector already to date, and we are also providing £50 million for Britain’s first all-electric bus town and the £20 million rural mobility fund, which will support additional jobs. However, I agree with him, and I hope that we will make an announcement soon.

[Mark Logan (Bolton North East) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to connect more towns to the railway network.

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Andrew Stephenson)]

The Government have pledged £500 million to start reopening lines and stations to reconnect smaller communities that no longer have a station.

[Mark Logan]

Is it not about time that Londoners had a direct train line into Bolton?

[Andrew Stephenson]

Improving services to the north-west of England, including Bolton, while balancing the capacity and performance impacts on passengers, remains under constant review.

[Jonathan Edwards (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr) (Ind)]

What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the viability of the coach and bus sector.

--- Later in debate ---

[Simon Baynes (Clwyd South) (Con)]

Ruabon station in my constituency of Clwyd South is the only station on the Chester to Shrewsbury route that is not compliant with Access for All. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss the urgent need for step-free access at Ruabon station, particularly given the projected increase in footfall due to new housing and commercial developments locally?

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Andrew Stephenson)]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. The Government are committed to ensuring that our rail network is more accessible. We are in the process of making 16 stations in Wales more accessible as part of our £350-million Access for All programme. My hon. Friend the Rail Minister would be happy to meet him to discuss Ruabon station.

[Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab) [V]]

One thing that makes the British countryside unique, special and loved by everybody around the world is that, since the 1940s, it has been illegal to put up great big advertising hoardings outside towns and cities. That means that our motorways should be free of advertising, and people should just be able to appreciate the countryside. Unfortunately, on my journey back from London last night, I saw 23 such hoardings that have been plonked in fields by farmers and others. What is the Government going to do to return the British countryside to the way it should be without constant advertising along the motorway?

[Andrew Stephenson]

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. I can confirm that no one puts illegal hoardings on land controlled by the Department for Transport or Highways England. Much of this illegal signage is put up on land located next to motorways, so this becomes a planning matter. I will therefore raise his concerns, if he is happy for me to do so, with Housing, Communities and Local Government Ministers.

[Alicia Kearns (Rutland and Melton) (Con) [V]]

My constituents are fed up with speeding vehicles and horrendous noise pollution, especially on the so-called Rutland TT race circuit. Will my right hon. Friend please consider running noise camera trials in some of Rutland and Melton’s stunning 160 villages, especially Great Dalby and Langham?

--- Later in debate ---

[Stuart Anderson (Wolverhampton South West) (Con)]

Will the Secretary of State work with me to see that Tettenhall gets the train station it needs, to support the surrounding area and to increase connectivity and infrastructure in Wolverhampton?

[Andrew Stephenson]

The aim of the Restoring Your Railway programme is to reconnect people and communities. I know that my Department has provided feedback on the proposal to reopen Tettenhall station, and I encourage my hon. Friend to contact the programme’s team to discuss the next steps.

[Alex Norris (Nottingham North) (Lab/Co-op)]

Just before the general election, the Prime Minister committed to electrification of the entire midland main line, but since then we have seen no such commitment from the Department. Will the Secretary of State take this opportunity to reassert that commitment, or was that just another broken promise to the east midlands?

[Andrew Stephenson]

As the hon. Gentleman will know, we are currently delivering the midland main line upgrade, which includes electrification from London to Kettering, with additional electrification to Market Harborough being developed. Further electrification of the midland main line is currently at an early stage, but it is being examined by Network Rail. The Department will continue to work closely with Network Rail on the development of a proposal for this, including approaches to advancing the delivery of electrification across the route.

[Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) (Lab)]

There are over 360,000 licensed taxi and private hire drivers in England, and the sector has been very hard hit. What assessment has the Secretary of State made of the impact on the sector, and will he tell us how he plans to measure the impact of his rather disappointingly weak statutory guidance issued back in July?

[Jane Hunt (Loughborough) (Con)]

Many taxi drivers in my constituency have raised concerns about having to pay East Midlands Railway the full £600 fee for a permit to ply for hire at Loughborough station, despite the unprecedented collapse in business they have been forced to face over the past few months. I would be grateful to know whether the Minister has had any discussions with rail operators about permit fees and, if not, whether it is something he would consider.

[Andrew Stephenson]

Officials from my Department have been in discussions with East Midlands Railway and provided guidance last week that should, I hope, enable train operators to resolve this issue.

[Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)]

I declare my interest as an electric vehicle driver. The charging network across Thirsk and Malton is pretty woeful. Many of the connection types are different, the chargers are slow and even the new BP Chargemaster ones for contactless payment cards often do not work. What more can we do to prevent the charging network from becoming a deterrent to the take-up of electric vehicles?