Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with transport providers on trends in the number of dogs, other than assistance dogs, permitted on public transport; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of dogs on public transport on (a) public safety and (b) carriage capacity.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The rules on the carriage of dogs on trains is set out in condition 24 of the National Rail Conditions of Travel. This states that up to 2 dogs can accompany the passenger free of charge. Train operating companies can allow passengers to take additional dogs onto the train but there may be a cost to the passenger for this.
This condition also stipulates that staff can ask that dogs be removed if they cause a nuisance or inconvenience to other passengers. On bus and coach, regulations state that animals are accepted onto bus services at the discretion of the driver. Bus and coach operators set their own conditions of carriage policies which may prohibit the carriage of dogs with the exception of trained assistance dogs.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with road safety and cycle representative groups on making it a legal requirement for cyclists to wear helmets on public roads.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department considered this matter at length in a comprehensive cycling and walking safety review in 2018 and held discussions with a wide range of stakeholders as part of that review. The safety benefits of mandating cycle helmets for cyclists are likely to be outweighed by the fact that this would put some people off cycling, thereby reducing the wider health and environmental benefits. The Department recommends that cyclists should wear helmets, as set out in The Highway Code, but has no intention to make this a legal requirement.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on building greater resilience into the rail network as a result of climate change.
Answered by Wendy Morton
My department takes resilience of the railway very seriously. The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail includes a priority for long-term investment in climate resilience supported by smarter forecasting, planning and technology. The Department is working closely with Defra and the Climate Change Committee to ensure infrastructure risks are identified and addressed. Defra is the lead government department for climate change adaptation and is regularly in contact with the Treasury on the associated costs.
Network Rail has made significant progress in developing its understanding of weather risks and how these will shift as the climate changes into the future. Network Rail has developed a Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation (WRCCA) Strategy which has helped improve governance, knowledge and practices throughout its business. There are a number of mechanisms through which it identifies, records and controls its risks, including its updated Control Period 6 Route WRCCA Plans and recent Asset Management WRCCA Plan. Further information can be provided on this is required. Network Rail is also working on implementing the recommendations of the Mair and Slingo reports.
Furthermore, the third National Adaptation Programme is due in 2023. It will showcase the government’s strategy and plans to tackle the effects of climate change, including how to protect people, infrastructure and the environment in heatwaves. For transport, this means working closely with transport infrastructure operators to take meaningful and measurable action to address risks posed by our changing climate.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take into account the impact of reduced public transport in (a) The Wrekin and (b) other rural areas on levels of (i) rural peripherality and (ii) socio-economic deprivation as part of his assessment of (A) the Telford and Wrekin Sustainable Transport Package and (B) other integrated transport bids.
Answered by Karl McCartney
When assessing bids for local transport projects, the Department considers a range of factors including alignment to strategic priorities, local context, deliverability, as well as financial, economic and commercial cases.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on people's (a) socio-economic wellbeing and (b) job opportunities of waiting lists for a motorcycle theory test.
Answered by Karl McCartney
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency operates a six month forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this. All available theory test appointments are shown on the live booking system and any additional tests are added as soon as they become available. There is capacity available to book motorcycle theory test appointments within this window.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times for a motorcycle theory test.
Answered by Karl McCartney
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency operates a six month forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this. All available theory test appointments are shown on the live booking system and any additional tests are added as soon as they become available. There is capacity available to book motorcycle theory test appointments within this window.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for making a decision on Shropshire Council's bid for Government funding for bus services across Shropshire as part of the Government's Bus Back Better strategy.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
At the Budget we announced £1.2bn of dedicated funding for Bus Service Improvement Plans as part of the £3 billion we have committed to improve bus services over the course of this Parliament. Our aim is to announce indicative funding allocations by end of February.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of electric recharging stations across the road network.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government will provide over £1.3 billion over the next four years to support the continued roll-out of chargepoints on motorways and major A roads, in homes and businesses and on-street.
The Government is working with the operators of motorway service areas (MSAs) and major A road services to ensure that this charging provision is in place ahead of customer demand. The aim is to help support early adoption of electric vehicles and remove range anxiety concerns for drivers on long journey.
By 2023, we aim to have at least six high powered, open access chargepoints at MSAs in England, with some larger sites having ten to twelve. By 2035, we expect the number to increase to around 6,000 high powered chargers across the network. To ensure the private sector can continue to expand the charging network at pace in the 2020s, the Government will invest £950 million through the Rapid Charging Fund to future-proof grid capacity along the Strategic Road Network to prepare for uptake of zero emission cars and vans ahead of need.
Local authorities can already apply to the £20 million On-Street Residential Charging Scheme. Government also committed at Spending Review 2020 to a new Local EV Infrastructure Fund which will facilitate the rollout of larger-scale chargepoint infrastructure projects across England for local areas. Details of how local EV charging will be supported will be announced in due course and the fund is due to launch in Spring 2022.
Alongside funding support, Government’s forthcoming electric vehicle Infrastructure Strategy will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK. The strategy will focus on how we will unlock the chargepoint rollout needed to enable the transition from early adoption to mass market uptake of electric vehicles. We will set out our next steps to address barriers to private investment, and level up charge point provision.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of cancellations of West Midlands Railway trains travelling in and out of Shropshire.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department oversees the delivery of the West Midlands National Rail Contract (NRC) in conjunction with the West Midlands Railway Executive (WMRE), a consortium of 14 local authorities.
The Department and WMRE monitor the performance of West Midlands Trains (WMT) against its obligations on a four weekly basis and meets with WMT regularly (both formally and informally) to discuss these matters.
It is disappointing that the number of traincrew related cancellations on routes within the West Midlands has increased since the start of October and the Department and WMRE are closely monitoring the steps WMT are taking to address the performance problems, and, if appropriate, will be using the full range of remedies available under the NRC.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the increased use of micro-mobility vehicles and e-scooters, if he will include a new category in the STATS19 data system to record personal injuries and accidents caused by electric scooters and other micro-mobility vehicles on public highways and pedestrian areas.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Since July 2020 I have held four e-scooter roundtable meetings with groups representing the interests of disabled people, including those with sight loss. The most recent roundtable was have held on 7 June 2021. Local areas involved in the trials gave presentations on what they are doing to address the concerns of disabled people in trial areas.
We have instructed all local authorities participating in trials to engage throughout the trial period with these groups in their local areas to ensure their concerns are being heard and, where possible, mitigated.
E-scooters are treated like any other motor vehicle under the Road Traffic Act. As such it is illegal to use an e-scooter in spaces which are set aside for use by pedestrians, cyclists, and horse-riders. This includes on the pavement and in cycle lanes. The law is very clear and there are existing penalties for improper use. Enforcement of offences relating to unlawful use of e-scooters is an operational matter the police.
The STATS19 data collection system has recently been reviewed. As part of this review, it is proposed that a new category of ‘powered personal transporter device’ – including, but not exclusive to, e-scooters – is added to the list of available vehicle types in STATS19. Stakeholder feedback on the review recommendations is currently being analysed and is scheduled for publication alongside the next road casualty statistics later this year.