Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to support the local authority to reduce traffic congestion in Kingston upon Hull.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The causes of congestion can be systemic, for example increasing population and urbanisation, or more localised, for example network pinch points, inadequate public transport or road works. Measures to combat congestion can be aimed at increasing capacity and / or decreasing demand.
Local traffic authorities have a statutory duty under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’. The Department for Transport helps local authorities in achieving this by supporting sustainable alternative modes and providing design and other guidance as well as investment in infrastructure and innovative, data-led solutions.
The Government has already made record amounts of funding available to local authorities for investment in active travel schemes since the start of the pandemic. The second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in July 2022, reiterated the Government’s commitment to this important agenda and set out the funding that is projected to be spent on it from 2020/21 to 2024/25.
The National Bus Strategy asked that all English Local Transport Authorities outside London publish Bus Service Improvement Plans, setting out local visions for the step-change in bus services that is needed, driven by what passengers and would-be passengers want. We have awarded over £1 billion to deliver service improvements, bus priority and ambitious fares initiatives.
The Government continues to invest in new technologies and the use of data to better manage road networks and provide accurate data about events such as congestion, to road users. For example, the department has invested several million pounds in creating ‘Street Manager’, a data platform which helps highway authorities and utility companies to plan and co-ordinate their road works.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to improve train services in Kingston upon Hull North constituency.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In its December 2022 timetable TransPennine Express introduced direct services from Hull to Liverpool through Manchester, allowing for direct ‘coast to coast’ services and re-establishing a historic rail link between the two port cities.
We will take an adaptive approach to investment when considering any future projects as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme – looking at how well current projects are going, and at how demand and economic growth recover.
In the meantime, we are investing in the station and associated facilities - the Hull gateline project is ongoing, aimed at specific areas of concern around ticketless travel and anti–social behaviour, and TPE is installing a new train-cleaning facility to improve performance and asset availability.
As well as the above, Hull Trains is an open access operator currently running up to 94 direct services from Hull and the Humber to London every week, providing improved connectivity for communities throughout the region.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to take steps to improve bus services in Kingston upon Hull North constituency.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Hull City Council have been allocated funding totalling £416,388, to strengthen their in-house capacity to help deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). They will be able to access practical assistance under the planned new Bus Centre of Excellence. The BSIP covers Kingston upon Hull North constituency.
Hull City Council has been recently allocated emergency and recovery funding of around £130,000, to help the bus sector mitigate the impacts of the pandemic, in addition to almost £135,000 annually, to support socially necessary bus services.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the use of electric transport in Kingston upon Hull.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Overall, the Government has invested over £2 billion to support the transition to zero emission vehicles. This funding has largely gone to reduce barriers to adoption, including offsetting higher upfront costs, and to accelerate the rollout of chargepoint infrastructure.
In Kingston upon Hull, 411 charging devices have been installed to date through the Department’s Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, and 184 sockets through its Workplace Charging Scheme.
Under the Department’s On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) grant, funding is available to all UK local authorities to provide public chargepoints for their residents without access to private parking. The Department encourages Hull City Council to make use of the scheme and apply for funding.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2022 to Question 135447 on Transport for the North: Staff, what assessment his Department has made of potential staffing level changes following changes to Transport for the North's budget.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As per my answer on the 10 March, Transport for the North’s (TfN) core funding for financial year 2022-23 totals £6.5m, a rise of £500,000 on the previous year. This financial settlement will enable TfN to effectively deliver its statutory functions.
As a devolved body, it is for TfN to set its business plan and associated staffing plans. It is not for the Government to comment on the business planning of a devolved body.
For staff affected by TfN’s move to Northern Powerhouse Rail co-sponsor, the Department have commenced discussions on the TUPE process. As such, I am not able to comment further at this time.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2022 to Question 135448, what the numerical financial difference will be as a result of the funding previously provided to TfN to contract Network Rail and other stakeholders now flowing directly through the Department.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In financial year 2021-22, Transport for the North (TfN) was allocated £25m for Network Rail’s continued development of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
As we move to the new delivery model, Network Rail will now be funded through the Department’s Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline funding processes.
The forecast for Network Rail for development work in financial year 2022-23 is £25m.
As per my answer on 10 March, this funding is separate to TfN’s core funding which totals £6.5m for financial year 2022-23, a rise of £500,000 on the previous year. This financial settlement will enable TfN to effectively deliver its statutory functions in the coming financial year.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many jobs have been identified as being at risk of redundancy at Transport for the North as a result of reductions in budget.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Transport for the North’s (TfN) core funding for financial year 2022-23 totals £6.5m, a rise of £500k on the previous year. This is made up of a base grant of £6.1m and an additional £400k to cover TfN’s new Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) role.
The Department has provided TfN with a financial settlement that will enable it to effectively deliver its statutory functions. As a devolved body, it is for TfN to set its business plan and associated staffing plans. It is not for the Government to comment on business planning of a devolved body.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion has been reduced from Transport for the North's budget.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Transport for the North’s (TfN) core funding for financial year 2022-23 totals £6.5m, a rise of £500k on the previous year. This is made up of a base grant of £6.1m and an additional £400k to cover TfN’s new Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) role.
In the next financial year, Transport for the North will transition from NPRco-client to co-sponsor. As such, the funding previously provided to TfN to contract Network Rail and other stakeholders will now directly flow through the Department.
The Department will also continue to support the Rail North Partnership in the coming financial year and will inform TfN once the level of funding is finalised.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the workforce headcount at Transport for the North was in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022; and what the projected headcount is for the end of 2022.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department provides Transport for the North (TfN) with a financial settlement commensurate with the delivery of its statutory functions. As a devolved body, it is for TfN to set its business plan and associated staffing plans.
Following confirmation of their core grant allocation, Transport for the North are undertaking business planning procedures for the forthcoming financial year. It is not for the Government to comment on business planning of a devolved body.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of cyclist deaths per annum.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
This Government is committed to increasing walking and cycling and making our roads safer for vulnerable road users including cyclists and pedestrians. The Government is investing £2bn of funding for cycling and walking over this Parliament to deliver the commitments outlined in the Prime Minister’s Gear Change Cycling and walking plan. These include providing hundreds of miles of new safe and fully segregated cycle routes as well as policy changes to improve safety for people cycling such as updating the Highway Code.