Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to provide step-free access at Whitchurch station in Shropshire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Both myself and the Rail Minister are early in our tenure as transport Ministers. As such, we are yet to speak to Network Rail regarding the status of the Whitchurch station accessibility project. I look forward to discussing these proposals with Network Rail and other stakeholders in the near future.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Highways England on the proposed 30mph speed limit on the A483 between Llanymynech and Pant.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department recognises the need for a more consistent approach to speed limits on the A483 between Llanymynech and Pant. National Highways is working with Shropshire Council and Transport Wales to consider the case for changing the speed limit of the A483 between Llanymynech and Pant alongside a more substantive review into improving safety on this section of the strategic road network as part of the next Road Investment Strategy.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to improve road surface quality in rural areas that have heavy load traffic.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to tackling the poor state of our local road network in both rural and urban areas and has pledged to support local authorities to fix local pothole-ridden roads for the long term.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to increase access to bus services in (a) North Shropshire constituency and (b) other rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government knows that Britain needs a modern transport network to help kickstart economic growth. Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech, the Government will introduce the Better Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, to ensure networks can meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including in North Shropshire and other rural areas across England.
We also plan to empower local transport authorities by reforming bus funding. By giving local leaders more control and flexibility over bus funding they can plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities. The Department will work closely with local leaders and bus operators to deliver on the government’s ambitions.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's planned timetable is for the reopening of the Oswestry to Gobowen railway line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Following the General Election and the State Opening of Parliament, the Government is now formulating its plans. The Department will announce its policy intentions in due course and aims to provide an update on next steps for the Oswestry to Gobowen line project soon.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the reopening of the Oswestry to Gobowen railway line.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Under Network North, it was announced that the Oswestry to Gobowen line Restoring Your Railway scheme would progress to delivery, subject to successful business cases. Progress is being made with Network Rail and others on next steps, including on a schedule for development work and costs. The Department expects that such development work will begin in the coming months.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of miles travelled by bus in Shropshire.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Most bus services outside London are commercially operated. The Government recognises the importance of local bus services to helping communities stay connected and has announced over £4.5 billion to support and improve bus services since 2020. This includes over £2 billion to help local authorities deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) and make bus services more frequent, reliable, cheaper, and easier to use. Shropshire Council has been allocated £4.8 million to deliver its BSIP. Local authorities can use BSIP funding to target areas they believe will deliver the best overall outcomes in growing long term patronage and revenues; helping to maintain service levels.
The Government also makes over £200 million available to bus operators every year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to help them maintain their networks. A further £42 million in BSOG funding is provided directly to local authorities to help subsidise socially necessary bus services that might otherwise be commercially unviable. Shropshire Council receives £512,447 of this funding every year.
The Government is also investing almost £600 million to deliver the £2 fare cap scheme in England, helping passengers save on their travel costs, and ultimately encouraging more people to use the bus.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce which Access for All programmes will be funded during Control Period 7.
Answered by Huw Merriman
As part of our recent Network North announcement, the Government confirmed £350m will be made available to improve the accessibility of our train stations. We are assessing over 300 nominations for Access for All funding. At stations awarded funding this will create an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to platforms. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that road safety improvements committed to in the register of undertakings and assurances for HS2 will be fulfilled.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Secretary of State takes compliance with all HS2 undertakings and assurances (U&As), including those which relate to road safety, very seriously. In most cases, day to day responsibility for compliance is delegated to HS2 Ltd or the relevant contractor. HS2 Ltd completes regular reviews of each U&A on the register and ensures that a suitable plan for compliance with each U&A is in place. HS2 Ltd also records evidence to demonstrate compliance and performs risk-based assurance. Overall compliance is monitored by the Department.
Assurance #2047 on the register committed the Government to provide up to £30 million to improve road safety along the HS2 line of route. The Department informed relevant local authorities of their allocations from this HS2 Road Safety Fund in 2017. Since then, local authorities have been drawing down these funds for use in accordance with their own locally agreed priorities.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money has been allocated from the HS2 Road Safety Fund in (a) total and (b) each local authority area.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The total amount that has been allocated from the HS2 Road Safety Fund is £29,660,000. This has been allocated to local authorities as set out in the table below:
Road Safety Fund | |
Local authority | Allocation |
Camden | £2,425,000 |
Westminster | £1,560,000 |
Ealing | £1,010,000 |
Hillingdon | £645,000 |
Hertfordshire | £1,165,000 |
Oxfordshire | £1,140,000 |
Solihull | £2,435,000 |
Birmingham | £2,660,000 |
Warwickshire | £8,045,000 |
Northamptonshire | £1,650,000 |
Staffordshire | £2,975,000 |
Buckinghamshire | £3,950,000 |
Total | £29,660,000 |