Asked by: Graham Brady (Conservative - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what scientific or medical advice he based the decision to include passengers arriving from countries which have the same or lower levels of covid-19 infection as the UK in the 14-day quarantine policy.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Home Office will be introducing new health protection measures at the border, and details will be published soon. Further queries should be directed to the Home Office.
Asked by: Graham Brady (Conservative - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the (a) business case and (b) estimated cost for the Golborne Spur section of phase 2b of High Speed Two.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Transport published the Business Case for HS2 Phase 2 on 17 July 2017, which includes a connection to the West Coast Mainline near Golborne https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-phase-two-economic-case.
We will continue to update periodically cost estimates and business cases for delivery of HS2 in line with the Government’s protocol for developing major projects. Our latest estimates indicate that the HS2 network will cost between £72-£98 billion with Phase 2b in the region of between £33-£46 billion. The expenditure on Golborne falls within this remit.
As part of the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands we will assess the Golborne Junction to consider the benefits, costs and the best way to serve the North West and Scotland.
Asked by: Graham Brady (Conservative - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the announcement of 4 February 2020 by the Sustainable Aviation Group on ensuring UK aviation meets a net zero target by 2050, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to a wider range of production methods.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
As acknowledged and welcomed in the “Sustainable Aviation Fuels Road-Map”, announced by the Sustainable Aviation coalition on 4 February, the Government is encouraging the production and use of sustainable alternative aviation fuels in the UK by making these eligible for reward under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).
The Department is considering the aviation industry’s request to extend the scope of the RTFO to include Recycled Carbon Fuels (RCFs), which is repeated in the “Sustainable Aviation Fuels Road-Map”. RCFs are fuels produced from fossil wastes that cannot be reused, recycled or avoided.
The Department has commissioned two independent research reports to examine the potential greenhouse gas savings that RCFs could achieve. These are “Low carbon fossil fuels sustainability risks and accounting methodology” published in January 2018 and “Work Package 1-743 Waste Disposal Outcomes and Diversion Impacts” published in August 2019. Further to this research, the Department is developing a greenhouse gas assessment methodology for RCFs and have engaged on this with industry representatives. The Department hopes to consult later this year on legislative proposals.
Asked by: Graham Brady (Conservative - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the report of the task and finish group on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing in September.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The report of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing will be published soon.
Asked by: Graham Brady (Conservative - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many properties situated less than 120 metres away from the proposed line of route for phase 2b of High Speed 2 will not be eligible for compensation because they fail to meet the criterion that at least 25 per cent of the land must be within the designated Rural Support Zone.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Any property where the dwelling is situated within the designated Rural Support Zone will meet the location eligibility criteria for this scheme. Due to the complex nature of property boundaries the Department does not hold information on the number of properties where some property, but less than 25% of the total area of the property, is within the Rural Support Zone and so don’t meet the eligibility criteria for this scheme.
Asked by: Graham Brady (Conservative - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to ensure that bus service levels are maintained during the transition period before the introduction of a bus franchise.
Answered by Andrew Jones
We have given careful thought to the practical implications of the transition period and the possible safeguards that can be built in to the Bill to help maintain bus service levels for passengers. The Bill is still being drafted and it is therefore too early to confirm the detail of the process that may be proposed through the Bill.
Asked by: Graham Brady (Conservative - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria he plans that local authorities will be expected to meet in order to justify bus franchising in their areas; and whether he plans that assessment will be subject to independent assessment.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Buses Bill will introduce new powers for local authorities to franchise their local bus services. The Bill is still being drafted and it is therefore too early to confirm the detail of the process that may be proposed through the Bill.
Asked by: Graham Brady (Conservative - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the costs of bus franchising outside London.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The actual costs and benefits will depend on how franchising is implemented at the local level. The potential impacts of the Buses Bill proposals will be set out in the Impact Assessment which will accompany the introduction of the Bill.
When considering the costs of bus franchising it will be important for the authority to consider alternatives as well as the costs and benefits of proposals.
Asked by: Graham Brady (Conservative - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the effect of bus franchising on the vehicle manufacturing sector.
Answered by Andrew Jones
My Department has not yet entered into discussions with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the effect of bus franchising on the vehicle manufacturing sector. My officials have, however, discussed proposals with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Asked by: Graham Brady (Conservative - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that bus operators are incentivised to invest in new vehicles when franchising is an option open to local authorities after plans for the devolution of that policy are implemented.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Local transport authority with access to bus franchising powers will wish to ensure that local operators are aware of their intentions, so that investment decisions can be taken and services continue to be provided in the best interests of passengers
Any authority that chooses to implement franchising will have the ability to specify its requirements of operators as part of any franchise contract. This could include requirements relating to the standards of vehicles to be used by operators.