Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sefton Central of 3 October 2023 on animal welfare.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 6 March 2024. I apologise for the delay in responding.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing regulatory scrutiny of private parking companies.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government is aware of concerns regarding the practices of some private parking operators. Following the introduction of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the Government is taking action to improve the regulation of the private parking industry.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total number of drivers in England waiting for a driving test from DVSA was as of 1 March 2024.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of 4 March 2024, there were 514,894 car practical driving tests booked, and 133,555 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window. The average waiting time for a car practical driving test in England is 17.8 weeks.
The attached spreadsheet shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test, per region, and at each test centre, as of 4 March 2024.
The Secretary of State for Transport has decided, going forward, to regularly publish this information to show progress in tackling the testing backlog that has arisen since Covid.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time is for a driving test from DVSA in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each driving centre.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of 4 March 2024, there were 514,894 car practical driving tests booked, and 133,555 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window. The average waiting time for a car practical driving test in England is 17.8 weeks.
The attached spreadsheet shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test, per region, and at each test centre, as of 4 March 2024.
The Secretary of State for Transport has decided, going forward, to regularly publish this information to show progress in tackling the testing backlog that has arisen since Covid.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of changing regulations on the weight of vans during the transition to electric vehicles.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Electric powertrains can make zero emission vans heavier than their petrol or diesel equivalents. To incentivise the uptake of electric vans with a viable payload (weight of goods they can carry), the Department has increased the regulatory weight threshold from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes for driver licence and operator licence rules.
The Department has announced plans to further optimise these driver licence rules by removing current conditions for utilising this additional weight allowance. The Government is also reviewing weight thresholds that impact regulations for electric vans in other areas, including roadworthiness testing (MOT) and drivers’ hours rules. Safety is a primary consideration in assessing any changes to regulatory weight thresholds.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the zero emission HGV and coach infrastructure strategy.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is working with industry stakeholders to develop a zero emission HGV and coach infrastructure strategy for publication this year.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to help reduce the gender pay gap.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The gender pay gap has fallen by approximately a quarter in the last decade.
It was a Conservative government that introduced gender pay gap reporting, building on the robust equal pay protections we already have in the Equality Act.
To accelerate progress we have supported legislation to: enhance flexible working, extend redundancy protection for those on maternity leave, and introduce carers leave.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the email of 9 January 2024 from the hon. Member for Sefton Central on an application for Indefinite Leave to Remain, case reference: BE8124.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office works to a service standard of replying to Members’ correspondence within 20 working days. The MP Account Management team expects to reply to the Hon. Member by the target date of 6 February.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's press notice entitled £8 billion boost to repair roads and back drivers, published on 17 November 2023, what proportion of the UK's road length will be resurfaced using the announced funding.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Across England, local highway authorities are receiving an additional £150 million this financial year as the first instalment of the £8.3 billion roads resurfacing fund through Network North.
This is in addition to the £915 million baseline funding for 2023/24 for those English highway authorities which are outside London and outside the Mayoral Combined Authority areas in receipt of City Region Sustainable Settlements, for whom separate arrangements apply. It is also in addition to the £200 million increase for the 2023/24 financial year that was announced at Budget 2023.
All eligible highway authorities in England will receive a further uplift from the additional £150 million that is also being provided in 2024/2025. Further details of how the rest of the £8.3 billion will be allocated will be announced in due course, this is anticipated to take place at a future Spending Review.
The tables below provide confirmed funding levels for 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025, and the indicative minimum additional funding allocations between 2023 to 2024 and 2033 to 2034 inclusive.
Local Authority allocations:
Local authority | Current baseline allocation per year (HMB + Pothole Fund) (£000) | 2023-24 – additional funding (£000) | 2024-25 – additional funding (£000) | Minimum additional overall uplift between 2023-24 and 2033-34 (£000) |
Bedford | 3,728 | 470 | 470 | 14,725 |
Blackburn with Darwen | 2,408 | 306 | 306 | 20,438 |
Blackpool | 1,501 | 191 | 191 | 12,727 |
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 4,786 | 604 | 604 | 18,903 |
Bracknell Forest | 2,124 | 268 | 268 | 8,391 |
Brighton and Hove | 3,274 | 413 | 413 | 12,935 |
Buckinghamshire | 13,111 | 1,654 | 1,654 | 51,785 |
Central Bedfordshire | 5,564 | 702 | 702 | 21,983 |
Cheshire East | 13,048 | 1,658 | 1,658 | 110,731 |
Cheshire West and Chester | 9,929 | 1,262 | 1,262 | 84,257 |
Cornwall | 28,325 | 3,573 | 3,573 | 111,883 |
County Durham | 14,841 | 1,886 | 1,886 | 125,951 |
Cumberland | 15,339 | 1,949 | 1,949 | 130,180 |
Derby | 2,765 | 352 | 352 | 20,545 |
Derbyshire | 23,699 | 3,014 | 3,014 | 176,114 |
Devon | 52,823 | 6,663 | 6,663 | 208,657 |
Dorset | 16,391 | 2,068 | 2,068 | 64,749 |
East Riding of Yorkshire | 13,793 | 1,753 | 1,753 | 117,059 |
East Sussex | 13,275 | 1,674 | 1,674 | 52,432 |
Essex | 30,685 | 3,870 | 3,870 | 121,205 |
Gateshead | 3,420 | 435 | 435 | 29,028 |
Gloucestershire | 22,266 | 2,809 | 2,809 | 87,955 |
Hampshire | 33,493 | 4,225 | 4,225 | 132,297 |
Herefordshire, County of | 14,389 | 1,830 | 1,830 | 106,918 |
Hertfordshire | 22,230 | 2,804 | 2,804 | 87,813 |
Isle of Wight | None – private financial initiative (PFI) | None – PFI | None – PFI | None – PFI |
Isles of Scilly | None – separate funding arrangement | None – separate funding arrangement | None – separate funding arrangement | None – separate funding arrangement |
Kent | 34,058 | 4,296 | 4,296 | 134,531 |
Kingston upon Hull, City of | 2,810 | 357 | 357 | 23,855 |
Lancashire | 28,811 | 3,661 | 3,661 | 244,511 |
Leicester | 3,262 | 415 | 415 | 24,241 |
Leicestershire | 17,755 | 2,258 | 2,258 | 131,939 |
Lincolnshire | 38,723 | 4,924 | 4,924 | 287,750 |
London | None – separate funding arrangement | 7,530 | 7,530 | 235,804 |
Luton | 1,708 | 215 | 215 | 6,746 |
Medway | 3,177 | 401 | 401 | 12,552 |
Milton Keynes | 6,397 | 807 | 807 | 25,263 |
Newcastle upon Tyne | 3,389 | 431 | 431 | 28,758 |
Norfolk | 35,757 | 4,510 | 4,510 | 141,240 |
North East Lincolnshire | 2,491 | 317 | 317 | 21,145 |
North Lincolnshire | 5,744 | 730 | 730 | 48,754 |
North Northamptonshire | 8,404 | 1,069 | 1,069 | 62,450 |
North Somerset | 5,011 | 632 | 632 | 19,789 |
North Tyneside | 2,819 | 358 | 358 | 23,922 |
North Yorkshire | 37,021 | 4,704 | 4,704 | 314,185 |
Northumberland | 21,780 | 2,768 | 2,768 | 184,836 |
Nottingham | 2,765 | 352 | 352 | 20,554 |
Nottinghamshire | 18,630 | 2,369 | 2,369 | 138,443 |
Oxfordshire | 20,846 | 2,629 | 2,629 | 82,340 |
Plymouth | 2,903 | 366 | 366 | 11,469 |
Portsmouth | 1,786 | 225 | 225 | 7,054 |
Reading | 1,838 | 232 | 232 | 7,262 |
Rutland | 2,381 | 303 | 303 | 17,696 |
Shropshire | 20,599 | 2,619 | 2,619 | 153,072 |
Slough | 1,129 | 142 | 142 | 4,457 |
Somerset | 28,111 | 3,546 | 3,546 | 111,039 |
South Tyneside | 1,933 | 246 | 246 | 16,408 |
Southampton | 2,128 | 268 | 268 | 8,406 |
Southend-on-Sea | 1,739 | 219 | 219 | 6,868 |
Staffordshire | 25,067 | 3,188 | 3,188 | 186,273 |
Stoke-on-Trent | 2,972 | 378 | 378 | 22,087 |
Suffolk | 27,238 | 3,436 | 3,436 | 107,590 |
Sunderland | 4,129 | 525 | 525 | 35,035 |
Surrey | 20,869 | 2,632 | 2,632 | 82,436 |
Swindon | 3,496 | 441 | 441 | 13,807 |
Telford and Wrekin | 4,311 | 548 | 548 | 32,035 |
Thurrock | 2,489 | 314 | 314 | 9,832 |
Torbay | 1,820 | 230 | 230 | 7,193 |
Warrington | 3,989 | 507 | 507 | 33,858 |
Warwickshire | 16,171 | 2,056 | 2,056 | 120,168 |
West Berkshire | 5,387 | 679 | 679 | 21,279 |
West Northamptonshire | 10,669 | 1,357 | 1,357 | 79,281 |
West Sussex | 17,136 | 2,161 | 2,161 | 67,684 |
Westmorland and Furness | 18,474 | 2,347 | 2,347 | 156,777 |
Wiltshire | 20,727 | 2,614 | 2,614 | 81,869 |
Windsor and Maidenhead | 2,720 | 343 | 343 | 10,741 |
Wokingham | 3,314 | 418 | 418 | 13,095 |
Worcestershire | 18,738 | 2,383 | 2,383 | 139,243 |
York, City of | 2,835 | 360 | 360 | 24,055 |
Total | 945,663 | 127,249 | 127,249 | 5,731,338 |
Combined local authority allocations
Combined authority (CA) | Current baseline allocation per year (HMB + Pothole Fund) (£000) | 2023-24 – additional funding (£000) | 2024-25 – additional funding (£000) | Minimum additional uplift from 2023-24 to 2033-34 (£000) |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CA | 23,062 | 2,909 | 2,909 | 91,095 |
Greater Manchester CA | City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) | 4,438 | 4,438 | 296,466 |
Liverpool City Region CA | CRSTS | 2,684 | 2,684 | 179,225 |
South Yorkshire MCA | CRSTS | 1,994 | 1,994 | 133,175 |
Tees Valley CA | CRSTS | 1,499 | 1,499 | 100,104 |
West Midlands CA | CRSTS | 2,586 | 2,586 | 151,192 |
West of England CA | CRSTS | 2,007 | 2,007 | 62,847 |
West Yorkshire CA | CRSTS | 4,633 | 4,633 | 309,559 |
CA total | Most receive funding via CRSTS | 22,750 | 22,750 | 1,323,663 |
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's press release entitled £8 billion boost to repair roads and back drivers, published on 17 November 2023, what his planned timescale is for the rollout of that funding.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Across England, local highway authorities are receiving an additional £150 million this financial year as the first instalment of the £8.3 billion roads resurfacing fund through Network North.
This is in addition to the £915 million baseline funding for 2023/24 for those English highway authorities which are outside London and outside the Mayoral Combined Authority areas in receipt of City Region Sustainable Settlements, for whom separate arrangements apply. It is also in addition to the £200 million increase for the 2023/24 financial year that was announced at Budget 2023.
All eligible highway authorities in England will receive a further uplift from the additional £150 million that is also being provided in 2024/2025. Further details of how the rest of the £8.3 billion will be allocated will be announced in due course, this is anticipated to take place at a future Spending Review.
The tables below provide confirmed funding levels for 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025, and the indicative minimum additional funding allocations between 2023 to 2024 and 2033 to 2034 inclusive.
Local Authority allocations:
Local authority | Current baseline allocation per year (HMB + Pothole Fund) (£000) | 2023-24 – additional funding (£000) | 2024-25 – additional funding (£000) | Minimum additional overall uplift between 2023-24 and 2033-34 (£000) |
Bedford | 3,728 | 470 | 470 | 14,725 |
Blackburn with Darwen | 2,408 | 306 | 306 | 20,438 |
Blackpool | 1,501 | 191 | 191 | 12,727 |
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 4,786 | 604 | 604 | 18,903 |
Bracknell Forest | 2,124 | 268 | 268 | 8,391 |
Brighton and Hove | 3,274 | 413 | 413 | 12,935 |
Buckinghamshire | 13,111 | 1,654 | 1,654 | 51,785 |
Central Bedfordshire | 5,564 | 702 | 702 | 21,983 |
Cheshire East | 13,048 | 1,658 | 1,658 | 110,731 |
Cheshire West and Chester | 9,929 | 1,262 | 1,262 | 84,257 |
Cornwall | 28,325 | 3,573 | 3,573 | 111,883 |
County Durham | 14,841 | 1,886 | 1,886 | 125,951 |
Cumberland | 15,339 | 1,949 | 1,949 | 130,180 |
Derby | 2,765 | 352 | 352 | 20,545 |
Derbyshire | 23,699 | 3,014 | 3,014 | 176,114 |
Devon | 52,823 | 6,663 | 6,663 | 208,657 |
Dorset | 16,391 | 2,068 | 2,068 | 64,749 |
East Riding of Yorkshire | 13,793 | 1,753 | 1,753 | 117,059 |
East Sussex | 13,275 | 1,674 | 1,674 | 52,432 |
Essex | 30,685 | 3,870 | 3,870 | 121,205 |
Gateshead | 3,420 | 435 | 435 | 29,028 |
Gloucestershire | 22,266 | 2,809 | 2,809 | 87,955 |
Hampshire | 33,493 | 4,225 | 4,225 | 132,297 |
Herefordshire, County of | 14,389 | 1,830 | 1,830 | 106,918 |
Hertfordshire | 22,230 | 2,804 | 2,804 | 87,813 |
Isle of Wight | None – private financial initiative (PFI) | None – PFI | None – PFI | None – PFI |
Isles of Scilly | None – separate funding arrangement | None – separate funding arrangement | None – separate funding arrangement | None – separate funding arrangement |
Kent | 34,058 | 4,296 | 4,296 | 134,531 |
Kingston upon Hull, City of | 2,810 | 357 | 357 | 23,855 |
Lancashire | 28,811 | 3,661 | 3,661 | 244,511 |
Leicester | 3,262 | 415 | 415 | 24,241 |
Leicestershire | 17,755 | 2,258 | 2,258 | 131,939 |
Lincolnshire | 38,723 | 4,924 | 4,924 | 287,750 |
London | None – separate funding arrangement | 7,530 | 7,530 | 235,804 |
Luton | 1,708 | 215 | 215 | 6,746 |
Medway | 3,177 | 401 | 401 | 12,552 |
Milton Keynes | 6,397 | 807 | 807 | 25,263 |
Newcastle upon Tyne | 3,389 | 431 | 431 | 28,758 |
Norfolk | 35,757 | 4,510 | 4,510 | 141,240 |
North East Lincolnshire | 2,491 | 317 | 317 | 21,145 |
North Lincolnshire | 5,744 | 730 | 730 | 48,754 |
North Northamptonshire | 8,404 | 1,069 | 1,069 | 62,450 |
North Somerset | 5,011 | 632 | 632 | 19,789 |
North Tyneside | 2,819 | 358 | 358 | 23,922 |
North Yorkshire | 37,021 | 4,704 | 4,704 | 314,185 |
Northumberland | 21,780 | 2,768 | 2,768 | 184,836 |
Nottingham | 2,765 | 352 | 352 | 20,554 |
Nottinghamshire | 18,630 | 2,369 | 2,369 | 138,443 |
Oxfordshire | 20,846 | 2,629 | 2,629 | 82,340 |
Plymouth | 2,903 | 366 | 366 | 11,469 |
Portsmouth | 1,786 | 225 | 225 | 7,054 |
Reading | 1,838 | 232 | 232 | 7,262 |
Rutland | 2,381 | 303 | 303 | 17,696 |
Shropshire | 20,599 | 2,619 | 2,619 | 153,072 |
Slough | 1,129 | 142 | 142 | 4,457 |
Somerset | 28,111 | 3,546 | 3,546 | 111,039 |
South Tyneside | 1,933 | 246 | 246 | 16,408 |
Southampton | 2,128 | 268 | 268 | 8,406 |
Southend-on-Sea | 1,739 | 219 | 219 | 6,868 |
Staffordshire | 25,067 | 3,188 | 3,188 | 186,273 |
Stoke-on-Trent | 2,972 | 378 | 378 | 22,087 |
Suffolk | 27,238 | 3,436 | 3,436 | 107,590 |
Sunderland | 4,129 | 525 | 525 | 35,035 |
Surrey | 20,869 | 2,632 | 2,632 | 82,436 |
Swindon | 3,496 | 441 | 441 | 13,807 |
Telford and Wrekin | 4,311 | 548 | 548 | 32,035 |
Thurrock | 2,489 | 314 | 314 | 9,832 |
Torbay | 1,820 | 230 | 230 | 7,193 |
Warrington | 3,989 | 507 | 507 | 33,858 |
Warwickshire | 16,171 | 2,056 | 2,056 | 120,168 |
West Berkshire | 5,387 | 679 | 679 | 21,279 |
West Northamptonshire | 10,669 | 1,357 | 1,357 | 79,281 |
West Sussex | 17,136 | 2,161 | 2,161 | 67,684 |
Westmorland and Furness | 18,474 | 2,347 | 2,347 | 156,777 |
Wiltshire | 20,727 | 2,614 | 2,614 | 81,869 |
Windsor and Maidenhead | 2,720 | 343 | 343 | 10,741 |
Wokingham | 3,314 | 418 | 418 | 13,095 |
Worcestershire | 18,738 | 2,383 | 2,383 | 139,243 |
York, City of | 2,835 | 360 | 360 | 24,055 |
Total | 945,663 | 127,249 | 127,249 | 5,731,338 |
Combined local authority allocations
Combined authority (CA) | Current baseline allocation per year (HMB + Pothole Fund) (£000) | 2023-24 – additional funding (£000) | 2024-25 – additional funding (£000) | Minimum additional uplift from 2023-24 to 2033-34 (£000) |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CA | 23,062 | 2,909 | 2,909 | 91,095 |
Greater Manchester CA | City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) | 4,438 | 4,438 | 296,466 |
Liverpool City Region CA | CRSTS | 2,684 | 2,684 | 179,225 |
South Yorkshire MCA | CRSTS | 1,994 | 1,994 | 133,175 |
Tees Valley CA | CRSTS | 1,499 | 1,499 | 100,104 |
West Midlands CA | CRSTS | 2,586 | 2,586 | 151,192 |
West of England CA | CRSTS | 2,007 | 2,007 | 62,847 |
West Yorkshire CA | CRSTS | 4,633 | 4,633 | 309,559 |
CA total | Most receive funding via CRSTS | 22,750 | 22,750 | 1,323,663 |