Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of UK citizens aged over 17 who (a) hold and (b) do not hold a full or provisional UK driving licence.
Answered by George Freeman
There are more than 49 million people in Great Britain aged 17 or over who hold either a full or provisional driving licence. No estimate has been made of the number of people who do not hold a driving licence.
No figures are available for licence holders in Northern Ireland as driver licensing is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is Government policy to support the safeguarding of land in the Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council area to allow for the possibility of a future second runway at Birmingham airport.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Government’s final policy position on the safeguarding of land for potential future runways at airports will be set out in the Aviation Strategy White Paper, which is due for publication later this year. Until this time the Government’s position detailed within the Aviation Policy Framework of 2013 remains in place.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of legislating to make it illegal for taxis and private hire vehicles to turn away guide dogs.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Sections 168 and 170 of the Equality Act 2010 already require drivers of taxis and PHVs to accept passengers accompanied by assistance dogs without charging them extra.
The Government expects drivers to comply with the law and encourages local licensing authorities to take robust action against those unwilling to do so.
Drivers convicted of a relevant offence face fines of up to £1000.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of airport capacity outside the South East.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government established the independent Airports Commission, which assessed the capacity needs of the whole of the UK, before concluding that the country needs one additional runway in the South East by 2030 and noted that there would be a need for other airports to make more intensive use of their existing infrastructure.
The Department accepted the findings of the Airports Commission and is supportive of airports across the UK making best use of their existing runway capacity, so long as they address the economic and environmental impacts and proposed mitigations.
The Government is currently consulting on its Aviation Strategy green paper, ‘Aviation 2050; The future of UK aviation’.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of a second runway at Birmingham Airport on regional growth in the West Midlands.
Answered by Jesse Norman
No assessment has been made. In setting out what it will deliver over the next fifteen years to 2033, Birmingham Airport’s draft Master Plan makes clear it plans to make best use of its existing runway and does not foresee a need for a second runway for some considerable time to come.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the Government's policy is on the future expansion of Birmingham Airport.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is already supportive of airports beyond Heathrow making best use of their existing runways, provided that economic and environmental issues are addressed; and it specifically welcomes the ambition of UK airports which are responding to local demands and investing in their infrastructure and facilities. However, it is for airports’ owners and operators to make investment decisions.
The Government is currently consulting on its new Aviation Strategy. This sets out a long-term vision for aviation to 2050 and beyond, which emphasises the significance of aviation to regional growth and the UK economy.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to provide earmarked funding for The West Midlands Combined Authority to help it implement its local cycling and walking infrastructure plan.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department has provided West Midlands Combined Authority with dedicated transport planning support to enable the development of the city’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).
The Department has also awarded the West Midlands Combined Authority £321.5m from the Transforming Cities Fund to improve and support new local transport links. It is for the City Region and Mayor to identify and prioritise investment for cycling and walking schemes, including from existing local highways funds.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Wolverhampton train station has been accredited under the Secure Stations Scheme.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Wolverhampton Station has a valid accreditation under the Secure Stations Scheme.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much rail fares have increased in each year since 2010 for a peak time return ticket between (a) Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street and (b) Wolverhampton and London Euston.
Answered by Andrew Jones
To provide context, we have provided figures for increases in rail fares since 2005. Since 2005, the fares for a peak time return ticket (an Anytime Day Return) between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street, set by the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive, have risen as shown in the below table:
From Wolverhampton to Birmingham New Street | |||
Anytime Day Return | |||
Valid from | Valid until | Price | Increase |
02/01/2005 | 11/06/2005 | £5.35 |
|
12/06/2005 | 01/01/2006 | £5.35 | £0.00 |
02/01/2006 | 01/01/2007 | £5.50 | £0.15 |
02/01/2007 | 19/05/2007 | £5.70 | £0.20 |
20/05/2007 | 08/09/2007 | £5.70 | £0.00 |
09/09/2007 | 01/01/2008 | £5.70 | £0.00 |
02/01/2008 | 06/09/2008 | £6.00 | £0.30 |
07/09/2008 | 01/01/2009 | £6.00 | £0.00 |
02/01/2009 | 05/09/2009 | £6.30 | £0.30 |
06/09/2009 | 01/01/2010 | £6.30 | £0.00 |
02/01/2010 | 22/05/2010 | £6.20 | -£0.10 |
23/05/2010 | 04/09/2010 | £6.20 | £0.00 |
05/09/2010 | 01/01/2011 | £6.20 | £0.00 |
02/01/2011 | 03/09/2011 | £6.60 | £0.40 |
04/09/2011 | 01/01/2012 | £6.60 | £0.00 |
02/01/2012 | 19/05/2012 | £7.00 | £0.40 |
20/05/2012 | 01/09/2012 | £7.00 | £0.00 |
02/09/2012 | 01/01/2013 | £7.00 | £0.00 |
02/01/2013 | 07/09/2013 | £7.20 | £0.20 |
08/09/2013 | 01/01/2014 | £7.20 | £0.00 |
02/01/2014 | 06/09/2014 | £7.40 | £0.20 |
07/09/2014 | 01/01/2015 | £7.40 | £0.00 |
02/01/2015 | 16/05/2015 | £7.50 | £0.10 |
17/05/2015 | 05/09/2015 | £7.50 | £0.00 |
06/09/2015 | 01/01/2016 | £7.50 | £0.00 |
02/01/2016 | 03/09/2016 | £7.50 | £0.00 |
04/09/2016 | 01/01/2017 | £7.50 | £0.00 |
02/01/2017 | 01/01/2018 | £7.60 | £0.10 |
02/01/2018 | 19/05/2018 | £7.80 | £0.20 |
20/05/2018 | 01/01/2019 | £7.80 | £0.00 |
02/01/2019 |
| £8.00 | £0.20 |
Since 2005, the fares for a peak time return ticket (an Anytime Return) between Wolverhampton and London Euston, set by Virgin Trains West Coast, have risen as shown in the below table:
From Wolverhampton to London Euston | |||
Anytime Return | |||
Valid from | Valid until | Price | Increase |
02/01/2005 | 01/01/2006 | £106.00 |
|
02/01/2006 | 10/06/2006 | £114.00 | £8.00 |
11/06/2006 | 09/09/2006 | £114.00 | £0.00 |
10/09/2006 | 01/01/2007 | £114.00 | £0.00 |
02/01/2007 | 01/01/2008 | £123.00 | £9.00 |
02/01/2008 | 06/09/2008 | £129.00 | £6.00 |
07/09/2008 | 01/01/2009 | £129.00 | £0.00 |
02/01/2009 | 01/01/2010 | £139.00 | £10.00 |
02/01/2010 | 01/01/2011 | £147.00 | £8.00 |
02/01/2011 | 01/01/2012 | £157.00 | £10.00 |
02/01/2012 | 01/01/2013 | £166.00 | £9.00 |
02/01/2013 | 01/01/2014 | £166.00 | £0.00 |
02/01/2014 | 17/05/2014 | £173.00 | £7.00 |
18/05/2014 | 06/09/2014 | £173.00 | £0.00 |
07/09/2014 | 01/01/2015 | £173.00 | £0.00 |
02/01/2015 | 05/09/2015 | £177.00 | £4.00 |
06/09/2015 | 01/01/2016 | £177.00 | £0.00 |
02/01/2016 | 03/09/2016 | £179.00 | £2.00 |
04/09/2016 | 01/01/2017 | £179.00 | £0.00 |
02/01/2017 | 01/01/2019 | £182.00 | £3.00 |
02/01/2019 |
| £184.00 | £2.00 |
The figures show that over the five years between 2 January 2005 and 2 January 2010, the peak time return ticket between Wolverhampton and London Euston rose by 39%. By comparison, over nearly double the time period, in the nine years between 2 January 2010 and 2 January 2019, the peak time return ticket rose by only 25%.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of access for disabled and partially sighted people at Wolverhampton Railway Station.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Inclusive Transport Strategy included a commitment to extend our Access for All programme (AfA) with an additional £300m of funding.
The department has asked the industry to nominate stations for the new funding by 16 November this year. Nominated stations will be selected based on their annual footfall, weighted by the incidence of disability in the area. We will also take into account local factors such as proximity to a hospital or the availability of third party funding for the project. We will also ensure that there is a fair geographical spread of projects across the country.
West Midland Train’s application to the AfA fund is going to come via the West Midlands Station’s Alliance. This is a unique arrangement where the Train Operating Company has come together with Network Rail and local government (in the form of the West Midlands Rail Executive) to improve the coordination between the various parties responsible for station assets. This includes better alignment of the incentives to invest in station enhancements.