Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding was (a) allocated and (b) spent on railways in Wales between 2010 and 2024 by fiscal period.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The table below shows the UK Government funded expenditure on operations, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of railways in Wales for each financial year, noting that we do not have data for the financial year 2010/2011.
Financial Year | 11/12 | 12/13 | 13/14 | 14/15 | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 | 21/22 | 22/23 | 23/24 |
£million | 230 | 249 | 318 | 307 | 388 | 508 | 502 | 551 | 460 | 414 | 434 | 521 | 525 |
Spending on railways in Wales by the Welsh Government, including continuing subsidy for rail services operated by Transport for Wales is not included, nor is payment made by the Department in respect of services that Transport for Wales operates wholly within England.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the electrification of the train line between Uckfield and Hurst Green on economic growth in Sussex.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A Strategic Outline Business Case was developed by Network Rail in 2021 which considered the potential benefits of electrifying the line between Hurst Green and Uckfield. This assessment concluded that the scheme would have positive impacts on train service performance and reliability, together with wider economic benefits. The scheme was paused by the previous government following Spending Review 2021; no development work has taken place since that point.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the electrification of the train line between Uckfield and Hurst Green on train reliability.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A Strategic Outline Business Case was developed by Network Rail in 2021 which considered the potential benefits of electrifying the line between Hurst Green and Uckfield. This assessment concluded that the scheme would have positive impacts on train service performance and reliability, together with wider economic benefits. The scheme was paused by the previous government following Spending Review 2021; no development work has taken place since that point.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the electrification of the train line between Uckfield and Hurst Green on passenger service.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A Strategic Outline Business Case was developed by Network Rail in 2021 which considered the potential benefits of electrifying the line between Hurst Green and Uckfield. This assessment concluded that the scheme would have positive impacts on train service performance and reliability, together with wider economic benefits. The scheme was paused by the previous government following Spending Review 2021; no development work has taken place since that point.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of running the Class 171 diesel fleet of trains on the line between Uckfield and Hurst Green on the environment.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not made a specific assessment of the environmental impact of operating diesel trains on the Uckfield branch line. As the line is not electrified, it is a matter for the operator to ensure that they meet the needs of customers by deploying the appropriate rolling stock to deliver train services while reducing environmental impacts wherever possible.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to encourage people to use public transport in order to reduce congestion and its associated effect on air quality.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government is committed to tackling congestion and improving air quality across the UK. High quality and accessible public transport will play a key role in this, alongside other forms of sustainable transport such as cycling and walking. Our rail plans are seeing the largest investment in the railway since Victorian times, which will help make rail travel more attractive through state-of-the-art new trains and stations, together with more and faster services. The Bus Services Act, which received Royal Assent in April 2017, gives local authorities a further range of tools, such as partnership working and franchising, to deliver service improvements for bus passengers, aiming to drive up bus use and help cut congestion. Our Cycling and Walking Strategy, published in April 2017 identified £1.2bn of investment in cycling and walking from 2016-21.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to monitor speed limits and ensure that they are appropriate.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government does not monitor speed limits, as traffic authorities set local speed limits in situations where local needs and conditions suggest a speed limit which is lower than the national speed limit. The Department has issued guidance to local highway authorities on setting local speed limits, which can be viewed online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-local-speed-limits
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to promote the use of cycle paths.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
As with all local cycling infrastructure, local authorities are best placed to promote cycle paths in their area, which offer cyclists an alternative to cycling in the carriageway.
However, the decision to use a path will depend on the individual cyclist. While they can be attractive to some cyclists, particularly less confident cyclists, cycle paths may not always be convenient for experienced cyclists.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the use by local authorities of central government grants to tackle potholes.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department’s annual road condition statistics suggest that the condition of our roads is improving. The Department’s analysis estimated that the Highways Maintenance Block funding to local authorities provided very high value for money, with a Benefit Cost Ratio of just over 7. However no specific evaluation has been undertaken on the effectiveness of the use by local authorities of central government grants to tackle potholes.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of legislation related to compensation for people whose vehicles are damaged by unreported potholes.
Answered by Andrew Jones
It is for each highway authority to decide on what compensation is provided to those who have a legitimate claim in relation to a defect on the public highway based on the statutory legislation as set out in the Highways Act 1980 (as amended).