Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the upcoming Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel tolls on congestion at the Dartford crossing.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL is responsible for assessing any impact of tolls on the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels on congestion in the area. However, given the additional capacity provided by the Silvertown Tunnel and that for most of the day the charges for cars, vans and lorries at the Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels will be less than those at the Dartford Crossing, the Department expects minimal changes in total demand at the Dartford Crossing when tolling begins
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent trends in the level of black cab numbers on (a) the elderly and (b) people with visual impairments or mobility issues.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government understands the importance of accessible taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) in supporting older and disabled people to live independent lives. All taxis in London and several other large cities in England are wheelchair accessible and we recognise the potential negative effect the decline in their number may have on the overall accessibility of taxi and PHV services in areas affected.
Ultimately, the licensing of taxis and PHVs is a matter for local licensing authorities (LLAs) and the Government expects them to anticipate the needs of people in their area proactively, and to ensure that services meet a wide range of passenger needs. In doing so, LLAs are encouraged to follow the government’s Best Practice Guidance on Taxi and PHV Licensing and to be mindful of their broader duties under the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for new rolling stock for Southeastern metro services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Southeastern is currently out to market with a live procurement exercise to replace its ageing metro fleet. This could be through refurbishing or cascading existing rolling stock, new build, or a combination of both. Any replacement rolling stock will be subject to a successful business case, required to support the investment decision and ensure value for money.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has for the provision of funding for the plug-in taxi grant from April 2025 onwards.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Plug-in Taxi Grant (PITG) was introduced in 2017 to support the early market growth of zero emission capable taxis. To date it has provided over £70 million to support the purchase of over 10,000 vehicles of this type.
The PITG is funded until at least the end of the current financial year. All grants and taxation measures remain under review to ensure they deliver the greatest value for money to the taxpayer.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has had discussions with Transport for London on the potential implications for her policies of Transport for London's planned revised Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government sets the regulatory structure within which 263 licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle sector and issues guidance to assist them in doing this. Transport for London are the licensing authority for London and the Department discusses a range of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing matters with them.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on the affordability of black cabs for drivers.
Answered by Guy Opperman
DfT officials meet with Transport for London representatives to discuss the uptake of electric taxis, including the Plug in Taxi Grant and potential barriers to the adoption of these vehicles.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has provided recent guidance on the amount of notice that should be provided to drivers before entering zones in which they may be liable to charges.
Answered by Richard Holden - Opposition Whip (Commons)
Guidance for local highway authorities on all matters relating to signage is set out in the Traffic Signs Manual, which is available on gov.uk. The Department has no plans to update this advice to cover this specific issue.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport of 20 December 2022, Official Report, column 73WH, whether Government funding was used by Transport for London to purchase ULEZ cameras before the consultation started in April 2022.
Answered by Richard Holden - Opposition Whip (Commons)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL, and it is their responsibility to manage and oversee the transport network. This includes decisions with regards to road schemes which charge users. The Mayor of London announced his decision to expand the ULEZ on 25 November 2022 following a public consultation.
Prior to the Mayor’s announcement, Government had been clear, via the August 2022 longer-term funding settlement, that funding cannot be used to cover the cost of implementing the new (or any future) scheme; this includes the purchasing of cameras.