Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the difference between travel concessions for (a) Metropolitan Police Officers and (b) NHS staff working in Central London; and whether she plans to introduce similar subsidised travel schemes for essential medical staff using National Rail services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy will require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.
There are no current plans to review concessions in advance of the transition to Great British Railways, but it will have the opportunity to take a fresh look at the justification of the eligibility and restrictions of concessionary schemes.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the level of regularity of bus services in Hemel Hempstead constituency on the ability of residents to commute to work.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government knows that a modern public transport network is vital to keeping communities connected, and ensuring people can commute to work. The government believes that local transport authorities, working with bus operators, are best placed to determine and design local bus networks in their area. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England.
In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country, of which Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated £12.2 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to bus services to best meet the needs of passengers in their local area, including increasing the frequency of bus services.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to combat anti-social behaviour, particularly the playing of loud music on public transport.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to tackling all forms of anti-social behaviour (ASB) on public transport.
The British Transport Police enforce against it on the rail network and the 61016 reporting plays a key role in addressing ASB incidents and providing intelligence to target resources.
In addition, the government is funding five pilot schemes across England which are aimed at tackling ASB through the targeted deployment of Transport Safety Officers. The findings from these pilots will be shared with other local authorities to help them to address ASB on their public transport networks.
The Bus Services Bill aims to provide all local transport authorities with the powers to effectively enforce against ASB on their bus networks and improve safety for passengers. The Bill also seeks to mandate that staff are trained on how to recognise and respond to incidents of ASB on buses.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with the (a) Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and (b) Secretary of State for the Home Department on (i) the playing of loud music and (ii) antisocial behaviour on public transport.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Both I and the Secretary of State meet regularly with other ministers from across government to discuss a range of issues within our portfolios. This includes anti-social behaviour on public transport, which incorporates the playing of loud music on public transport.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) Transport for London on the potential impact of the lights and loud noises made by pedicabs in central London on people with neurological conditions affected by sound and light.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport has had no direct discussions with the Mayor of London or Transport for London (TfL) on this particular matter. However, the Department for Transport has recognised the need to regulate the Pedicabs industry in London through the passing of the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024. This legislation will be applied through regulations to be consulted on by TfL in 2025. We would expect TfL to take into account equalities considerations throughout the consultation process.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) Transport for London on the potential impact of pedicabs in central London using pavements on the safety and wellbeing of pedestrians.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport has had no direct discussions with the Mayor of London or Transport for London (TfL) on this particular matter. However, the Department for Transport has recognised the need to regulate the Pedicabs industry in London through the passing of the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024. This legislation will be applied through regulations to be consulted on by TfL in 2025. We would expect TfL to take into account the safety and wellbeing of pedestrians throughout the consultation process.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) Transport for London on the potential impact of banning pedicabs in central London on (i) levels of congestion, (ii) pavement safety and (iii) safety of cyclists.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport has had no direct discussions with the Mayor of London or Transport for London (TfL) on this particular matter. However, the Department for Transport has recognised the need to regulate the Pedicabs industry in London through the passing of the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024. This legislation is not intended to ban the usage of Pedicabs in London, but to ensure that they are properly regulated. These prospective regulations will be now consulted upon by TfL in 2025, and we would expect TfL to take into account the various impacts of any pedicabs regulations on levels of congestion, pavement safety and the safety of cyclists throughout the consultation process.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) Transport for London on regulating pedicabs to ensure they comply with the Highway Code.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport has had no direct discussions with the Mayor of London or Transport for London (TfL) on this particular matter. However, the Department for Transport has recognised the need to regulate the Pedicabs industry in London through the passing of the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024. This legislation will be applied through regulations to be consulted on by TfL in 2025. We would expect TfL to take into account the Highway Code throughout the consultation process.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) signalling safety, (b) service reliability and (c) maintenance on the West Coast Mainline.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is clear that performance on the West Coast Main Line has not been good enough with too many cancellations and delays.
Ministers recently met with the Managing Director of Avanti West Coast and the Network Rail West Coast South Route Director to challenge them on poor performance and demand immediate action to deliver urgent improvements relating to service reliability. Ministers will be meeting them again next month to follow-up and to ensure progress.
In their capacity as the independent safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road has not raised any concerns regarding signalling safety on the West Coast Mainline.