Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
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 implementing stronger regulation for e-bikes, including full registration and insurance requirements.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has no intention of requiring cyclists, including those who ride Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles, to be registered or to have insurance. This would require a national registration scheme for all cycles which would be complex and expensive to design and administer. It would also be likely to lead to a reduction in the number of people cycling, which would have negative health and environmental consequences. The Government believes that insurance for cycling should remain a matter of personal choice. Cyclists who are not insured are liable for the consequences of their actions should these result in injury or damages to others.
Those who ride e-mopeds, or forms of e-cycle that do not comply in full with the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983, are already required to have insurance and licence plates. Enforcement of these rules is a matter for the police, who have the power to seize illegal e-cycles and to fine individuals who fail to stop when instructed to do so.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle dangerous driving.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are currently considering policy options in this area.
THINK! is the Government’s flagship road safety campaign. It aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads in England and Wales by changing attitudes and behaviours among those at most risk.
The primary audience for THINK! is young men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over.
The latest phase of the THINK! speeding campaign is currently live and highlights the risks of driving too fast for the conditions on rural roads, circumstances that contribute to high numbers of young driver casualties. The campaign features advertising in cinemas, radio, digital audio and gaming environments, as well as working with content creators and influential platforms to tackle speeding via the voices the young audience trust.
The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help support improvements to (a) local transport links and (b) networks across (i) Yorkshire and (ii) Northern Lincolnshire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is committed to improving local transport across the Yorkshire and Humber. The Chancellor announced in the Autumn Statement on 30 October a range of funding to support local transport, including funding that will provide for development of West Yorkshire Mass Transit and renewal of the Supertram in Sheffield. This includes an uplift to national City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) funding in 2025-26 by £200m, helping to improve the local transport in our largest city regions and drive growth and productivity across the country. This is in addition to the £570m and £830m already allocated to South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire for CRSTS1.
Additionally, the Chancellor announced over £650m of funding for local transport beyond City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements to ensure that transport connections improve in our towns, villages and rural areas as well as in our major cities. This includes funding to progress transport-related Levelling Up Fund projects through to 2025/26 including schemes such as Connecting West Leeds which will provide multi-modal enhancements to capacity, efficiency, safety and accessibility for all users of the A6120 Leeds Outer Ring Road.
Furthermore, the government has committed to delivering better bus services, and in the Budget confirmed investment of over £1 billion in 2025/26 to support and improve bus services and keep fares affordable.
This investment sits alongside the measures we are already undertaking to reform the bus system, including through the introduction of the Buses Bill later in this Parliamentary session, as we seek to ensure local leaders have the powers they need to deliver the better, more reliable services that passengers deserve.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on the roll out of bus franchising.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 9 September 2024, the government laid a Statutory Instrument to open up bus franchising to all local transport authorities (LTAs) in England. It also published a consultation on proposed updates to bus franchising guidance, which closed on 7 October 2024. These measures will speed up and lower the cost of franchising for LTAs. The government’s response will be published in due course.
The government will also bring forward a Buses Bill later in this parliamentary session which will build on this progress by increasing powers available to local leaders to choose the model that works best in their area, including franchising or local authority ownership.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Wakefield Council to improve bus services in Wakefield, in the context of the recent closure of the Wakefield bus depot.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At present, decisions such as where to run bus services in England outside London are predominantly a matter for the relevant bus operator. In response to this, the government has set out a plan to improve bus services based on giving local leaders the tools they require to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities they serve.
Government intends to bring forward a Buses Bill later in this parliamentary session and government has also committed to increasing accountability by providing safeguards over local networks across the country and empowering local transport authorities through reforms to bus funding.
The Department for Transport is already engaging with local leaders and bus operators, including in West Yorkshire, to provide the tools they need to deliver the services that best meet local needs.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will commission a review into the adequacy of the bus services provided by Arriva.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At present, decisions such as where to run bus services in England outside London are predominantly a matter for the relevant bus operator. In response to this, the government has set out a plan to improve bus services based on giving local leaders the tools they require to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities they serve.
Government intends to bring forward a Buses Bill later in this parliamentary session and government has also committed to increasing accountability by providing safeguards over local networks across the country and empowering local transport authorities through reforms to bus funding.
The Department for Transport is already engaging with local leaders and bus operators, including in West Yorkshire, to provide the tools they need to deliver the services that best meet local needs.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help recruit more driving examiners to tackle the backlog of outstanding practical tests.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In response to increased demand for car practical driving tests, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has reviewed its recruitment process and increased its recruitment effort to bring in 450 new driving examiners over the next 12 months.
As part of this, DVSA has already recruited and is training 250 new examiners this year, and is working to recruit and train another 200, focusing on areas where the demand is highest.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on (a) autonomous delivery robots and (b) other emerging technologies in transport systems.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I have attended the Cenex Expo, focused on Net Zero and Connected Automated Mobility. At Cenex I attended a roundtable to discuss next steps for the CAM sector and how to ensure public understanding. I also participated in a demonstration of an Ohmio vehicle. I have also visited Wayve, a UK developer of self-driving technology.
As you will appreciate, the new Government is still in its early stages, and I am carefully considering next steps in this policy area and the stakeholders I should meet to inform those decisions.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the reliability of bus services in rural communities.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this parliamentary session, which will put decision-making into the hands of local leaders across England, including in rural areas. This will allow local areas to determine how best to design their bus services so that they have control over routes and schedules.
The government has also committed to increasing accountability by providing safeguards over local networks across the country and empowering local transport authorities through reforms to bus funding.