Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) membership, (b) terms of reference (c) work programme and (d) budget is of the Hammersmith Bridge taskforce.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The first meeting of the Hammersmith Bridge task force, chaired by Baroness Vere, took place on 16 September 2020. Alongside the Department, the task force has a membership of all key stakeholders including: Transport for London; The London Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham and Richmond upon Thames; the Port of London Authority; the Greater London Authority, and; Network Rail.
The task force will focus on urgently pulling together all necessary information, including technical and operational information and costs, in order to reach a decision on the most appropriate way to safely re-open Hammersmith Bridge to full use and provide appropriate temporary measures during the works.
Any funding will be subject to the findings of the task force and the agreed next steps.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of whether a scrappage scheme that allowed older cars to be swapped for new diesel and petrol cars would be compatible with the Government’s commitment to phase out sales of those vehicles by 2035.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government has no current plans to introduce a scrappage scheme. We are investing?around?£2.5bn,??with grants available for ultra-low emission vehicles, as well?as funding?to support charge point infrastructure at homes,?workplaces,?on residential streets?and across the wider roads network. We are consulting on bringing forward the end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible, as well as including hybrids for the first time. By talking to stakeholders about the best way to achieve that ambition, we will more easily be able to identify what measures would be needed to support the transition.