Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 15053 on Roads: Suicide, if she will publish the operational data with a description of the data quality issues for each of the last ten years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways understand that suicide is not inevitable, it is preventable, with the vision that no one attempts to take their life on our roads. National Highways uses its Post Collision Fatal Reporting (PCFR) process to internally report fatal incidents, including suspected suicides on the Strategic Road Network. However, unless a coroner rules National Highways does not know if these numbers are correct and the coronial process can take many months to complete. National Highways therefore cannot be confident that every suspected suicide recorded was a confirmed suicide. Unvalidated operational data from PCFR covering the period of 2016 – 2024 is as follows:
Year | Number of Suspected Suicides | Comments |
2016 | 15 | From May onwards |
2017 | 31 | |
2018 | 41 | |
2019 | 40 | |
2020 | 39 | |
2021 | 59 | |
2022 | 59 | |
2023 | 59 | |
2024 | 56 | Up to November 28th |
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether capital funding was allocated to restore disused platforms at Kings Norton railway station before 4 July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Proposals to bring the island platforms at Kings Norton station back into use are part of the Midlands Rail Hub programme. In March this year £123m was allocated to design the first phase, which includes Kings Norton.
However, the Chancellor has been clear about the state of the nation's finances and launched a multi-year Spending Review. This includes a thorough review of plans to ensure our transport infrastructure portfolio drives economic growth and delivers value for money for taxpayers.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 8 of the Network Rail publication entitled 2022 Delivery Plan Update: North West and Central, published in May 2022, what was the outturn proportion of investment milestones that were missed in that region in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24; and what were the investment milestones that were missed in that region by each item in (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There were no milestones missed for (a) Financial Year 22/23. For (b) 23/24, the outturn as a percentage for missed milestones was 2%. The two missed milestones were:
· Worcester Shrub Hill Canopies, which was the delivery of the scope of buildings work
The programme was delayed by site access and safety issues, including visibility of signals and the scope of works was increased as the assets were in a worse condition than anticipated.
· The Three Arch bridge between Cuddington and Delamere stations, which was a renewal of a 3-span bridge.
Further inspection of the asset showed that it was not in as bad condition as expected and it was deemed an inefficient use of public funds to progress with the work.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Traffic regulation orders: changes to publishing requirements and special events order approvals, which closed on 17 April 2022, whether she plans to publish part 2 of the response to that consultation.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We hope to announce our response to changes to the process for making special event orders in due course. We will consider our response to the remaining changes proposed by the previous Government as soon as possible.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 14413 on Road Traffic Control: Complaints, how many objections were made to Traffic Regulation Orders in (a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Whilst the Department holds information on Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders, there would be a disproportionate cost to provide this information for the timeframes and the areas requested within the deadline set for answering this question.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her Department's timetable is for the delivery of rolling stock for Phase 1 of HS2.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The rolling stock programme for Phase 1 of HS2 will support the target delivery-into-service of Birmingham Curzon Street to London Old Oak Common of 2029 to 2033.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 4 of the minutes of the meeting of Network Rail's Board held on 4 July 2024, whether the updated efficiency plan will be published.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Control Period 7 (CP7) Delivery Plans for each of the regions and functions set out efficiency plans and targets. Part of Network Rail’s annual Business Plan update includes updated plans and trajectories for regions and functions. The next CP7 Business Plan update is scheduled for publication at the end of the 2024/25 financial year.
The 23/24 efficiency performance has been reported by the Office of Rail and Road and is available on its website: Annual efficiency and finance assessment of Network Rail 2024 | Office of Rail and Road.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 14142 on Roads: Suicide, and with reference to the Answer of 12 July 2016 to Question 42206 on Roads: Suicide, for what reason data on incidents logged as suicides or attempted suicides is no longer available.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This limitation is not unique to the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and is also the case for all UK roads. National Highways record incidents using operational data and plan interventions based on this. National Highways cannot be confident that every incident it records using operational data was a confirmed suicide or attempted suicide.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many live bus service registrations there were in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2023-24.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Office for the Traffic Commissioner (OTC) only publish data on a traffic area wide basis. In the West Midlands, the term traffic area wide would include the West Midlands conurbation, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.
In 2009/10 the OTC reported that there were 2,262 local bus services registered in the West Midlands. In 2023/24 there were 633 registered with a traffic commissioner. However, it should be noted that this figure does not include services that operate wholly within the West Midlands Combined Authority as they hold delegated authority under their Enhanced Partnership to register local services.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department holds information on the number of objections made to Traffic Regulation Orders.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I can confirm the Department holds information on the number of objections made to Traffic Regulations Orders and is able to supply it in respect of any defined time period in the last 5 years.