Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that National Highways' contractors adhere to reporting requirements when closing sections of the Strategic Road Network; and what data National Highways holds on contractor compliance with those requirements in the last 12 months.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways requires its contractors to inform National Highways’ Regional Operations Centres before closing any part of the SRN to allow appropriate signs, signals, and customer communications to be put in place.
In the financial year 24/25, over 90% of the overnight closures planned by early afternoon went ahead as expected. National Highways’ traffic monitoring systems allows them to verify the status of road closures in real time.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether National Highways is required to ensure that all planned and emergency road closures are integrated into live satellite navigation systems.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no requirements for National Highways to ensure that all planned and emergency road closures are integrated into live satellite navigation.
However, National Highways publishes information detailing all its planned and emergency work closures. Where available these details are published in advance.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways is taking to ensure the provision of timely and accurate physical diversion signage during planned and unplanned road closures.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways follows the standards GG903 and GG907 outlined in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) for diversion routes for unplanned events and planned works and activities.
These standards require NH to coordinate with customers and local traffic authorities and to conduct Customer Audits and annual engagements. National Highways monitor diversion routes for unplanned events through the National Highways operational reporting team.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what timeline and industry roadmap he has established for ending male chick culling.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has set out in the recently published Animal Welfare Strategy that it will encourage the egg industry to move away from the practice of killing day-old chicks. The Government will discuss with them a roadmap to reach the objective of ending male chick culling.