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Written Question
Railways: South West
Monday 20th September 2021

Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to fully fund the South West Resilience Programme.

Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Department officials meet with their counterparts from Network Rail on a weekly basis to discuss the progress of the South West Rail Resilience Programme.

The Department has so far committed approximately £140m towards the development and delivery of the South West Rail Resilience Programme. Funding for further phases of the Programme will be considered in accordance with Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline principles supported by a business case.

The following investment has been provided for the Programme via the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline:

  • Development funding - £17.2m
  • Phase 1 & 2 (Dawlish sea wall) - £85.3m
  • Phase 3 (Parsons Tunnel rock fall shelter) - £37.44m

Phase 4 (cliff protection measures between tunnels) will be submitted for investment approval in Autumn 2021. Phase 5 (Parsons Tunnel to Teignmouth) is at an earlier development stage and is currently the subject of an optioneering exercise being undertaken by Network Rail.


Written Question
Railways: South West
Monday 20th September 2021

Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on the South West Resilience Programme.

Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Department officials meet with their counterparts from Network Rail on a weekly basis to discuss the progress of the South West Rail Resilience Programme.

The Department has so far committed approximately £140m towards the development and delivery of the South West Rail Resilience Programme. Funding for further phases of the Programme will be considered in accordance with Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline principles supported by a business case.

The following investment has been provided for the Programme via the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline:

  • Development funding - £17.2m
  • Phase 1 & 2 (Dawlish sea wall) - £85.3m
  • Phase 3 (Parsons Tunnel rock fall shelter) - £37.44m

Phase 4 (cliff protection measures between tunnels) will be submitted for investment approval in Autumn 2021. Phase 5 (Parsons Tunnel to Teignmouth) is at an earlier development stage and is currently the subject of an optioneering exercise being undertaken by Network Rail.


Written Question
DVLA: Recruitment
Monday 14th June 2021

Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase workforce capacity at the DVLA to reduce the time taken in licence application and renewal processes.

Answered by Rachel Maclean

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services have been available and unaffected throughout the pandemic and are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence.

However, many people still choose or have to apply for their driving licence using a paper application. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person. The DVLA has had a reduced number of operational staff on site to allow for social distancing, in line with Welsh Government requirements.

However, the DVLA has leased an additional building to accommodate more operational staff and has extended the opening hours of its contact centre.

The DVLA is currently processing paper driving licence applications within around six weeks of receipt. However, drivers with a medical condition may experience further delays because the DVLA is often reliant on receiving information or test results from medical professionals before a licence can be issued, to ensure drivers can meet the required medical standards.


Written Question
Railways: Devon
Wednesday 9th December 2020

Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2020 to Question 120953 on Network Rail: Finance, what his policy is on funding the Parson’s Tunnel to Teignmouth rail resilience project.

Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Parson’s Tunnel to Teignmouth resilience project is within the portfolio of rail enhancement schemes and we will manage its progression within that portfolio balancing the needs of taxpayers and passengers.


Written Question
Bus Services: Coronavirus
Monday 12th October 2020

Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how covid-19 restrictions are enforced on public buses; and what penalties his Department has imposed on bus operators for non-compliance with those restrictions.

Answered by Rachel Maclean

While the Government expects everyone to comply with face covering and social distancing rules, the regulations made under the Public Health (Control of Diseases) Act 1984 include powers to enforce the requirement to wear a face covering (unless an individual has a valid exemption). In addition, some operators are likely to introduce additional enforcement measures to reflect their specific circumstances where appropriate.

The Police (including British Transport Police, BTP) and Transport for London (TfL) authorised personnel have the power to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice (fine) of £200 to anyone refusing to comply with the Face Covering Regulations.

Transport operators have the power to deny access to a service if someone is not complying with the Face Covering Regulations or to direct someone to leave a service or transport hub if they do not wear a face covering when asked to and do not have a valid exemption.

The Department for Transport has published Safer Transport Guidance for Operators, which should be followed by all transport operators.


Written Question
Railways: Devon
Tuesday 2nd June 2020

Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department still plans to fund the Parson’s Tunnel to Teignmouth rail resilience project.

Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Government remains absolutely committed to improving train lines to the South West through enhancing the resilience of the railway at Dawlish and Teignmouth. Network Rail is continuing to develop plans for the section between Parsons Tunnel and Teignmouth in preparation for a Transport & Works Act Order (TWAO) application. The Government will continue to assess the case for funding the scheme, following the process set out in the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.


Written Question
Loneliness
Monday 1st July 2019

Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken with the Loneliness Action Group to improve the transport network as part of the Government's loneliness strategy, published in October 2018.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

Transport has a key role to play in tackling loneliness and the Department is very active in the cross-Government efforts to tackle loneliness, working closely with stakeholders to ensure transport's role is fully aligned to the wider strategy.

Government has engaged closely with the Loneliness Action Group in the development, and now implementation, of its loneliness strategy, and regularly attend the quarterly Loneliness Action Group meetings, to share updates and hear views from the group.

The Department will continue to engage widely in support of the implementation of the Government’s strategy and to ensure our transport network plays its part in this vital area.


Written Question
Driving: Diabetes
Wednesday 23rd January 2019

Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring responsibility for (a) the setting of standards for drivers with diabetes mellitus and (b) the operation of the Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on driving and diabetes mellitus to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Answered by Jesse Norman

There are no plans to transfer the operation of the Medical Advisory Panel on driving and diabetes, or any of the other medical panels for driving, to the Department of Health and Social Care. The Department for Transport sets the medical standards for drivers, and the Panel considers the effects of this and other conditions on road safety, in order to ensure that motorists are licensed appropriately.


Written Question
Driving: Diabetes
Wednesday 23rd January 2019

Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will include representatives from (a) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, (b) the Department of Health and Social Care and (c) NHS England on his Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on driving and diabetes mellitus; and what steps he has taken to ensure that the Panel routinely seeks advice from those bodies

Answered by Jesse Norman

The membership of the panel is kept under review to ensure that it is fully represented by members with a wide range of skills and expertise in Diabetes Mellitus.

The panel routinely uses the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines to help inform the medical standards of fitness to drive and often invites guest speakers and representatives from other medical organisations to obtain more information on a specific topic.


Written Question
Railways: Dawlish
Thursday 1st December 2016

Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the £50 million investment in rail resilience projects referred to in paragraph 3.25 of the Autumn Statement 2016 is intended for the Dawlish Rail Resilience Project.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The £10m of investment in Dawlish is 20% of the £50m rail resilience project investment announced in the Autumn Statement 2016. This funding will allow Network Rail’s development work to continue on the three highest priority Devon coastal sites identified in the geo-technical study which Network Rail published on 17 November. This work will include the development of an application for the necessary planning consents for the work on the cliffs along the coast to the immediate north-east of Teignmouth.