Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the safety of vehicles queuing on the carriageway as they exit the motorway at junction 28 of the M1.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways is currently working on proposals to improve the junction to address congestion and safety issues as well as to support local growth. One of the main reasons for the proposed improvements to Junction 28 of the M1 is to improve safety risks and hazards related to traffic and congestion at the junction, particularly the queuing on the main carriageway which can occur during peak periods.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of upgrading Junction 28 of the M1 on the implementation of the Government's missions.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways is currently working on a business case for these proposals. As part of this, they will consider a wide range of potential impacts including how upgrading the junction would align with Government Missions, such as improving regional economic growth from reduced delays.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to upgrade Junction 28 of the M1.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Improvements to Junction 28 of the M1 form part of the pipeline of projects being developed for possible delivery in a future Road Investment Strategy (RIS) period. Schemes in this pipeline are at this stage uncommitted, and the Department will need to decide which are the most viable for delivery. The Department expects to confirm which schemes remain in the pipeline, and will therefore continue to be developed during the next period, when RIS3 is published early next year.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when HS2 safeguarding measures will be removed from land in Bolsover constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is thoroughly reviewing the position it has inherited on HS2 and wider rail infrastructure before setting out more detailed plans in due course, including future plans for HS2 Phase 2b Eastern Leg safeguarding.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding to Derbyshire County Council for bus routes in rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government funding for bus services in Derbyshire has been allocated to the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA). The government allocated £40.6 million to EMCCA in 25/26 to support and improve bus services. This is an increase on funding allocated to EMCCA’s constituent authorities in 24/25, including Derbyshire County Council, which totalled £39.5 million. This funding can be used whichever way the local transport authority wishes to deliver better bus services for passengers, including supporting bus routes in rural areas.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that all communities in (a) rural and (b) semi-rural areas have access to public transport.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government knows that integrated public transport is vital to keeping communities connected. We also know that in rural and semi-rural areas, bus services can be a lifeline for many and can be the only means of accessing services, including other modes of transportation such as rail links.
The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. East Midlands Combined County Authority has been allocated £40.6 million of this funding, helping to improve bus services across the area.
Rail services, including those in rural and semi-rural areas, are supported by requirements on train operators to plan services and design timetables to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. The government commitment to public ownership through Great British Railways will also help to deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient transport services, whilst also ensuring safety and accessibility. Under public ownership, passenger services can be operated in the interests of passengers, not shareholders.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help promote private funding for new EV charging infrastructure at motorway service areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Access to a comprehensive charging network will enable more consumers to confidently purchase electric vehicles. Government is committed to supporting industry deliver a visible, reliable charging infrastructure on the Strategic Road Network, ahead of need, and support industry's own investment in transport decarbonisation.
There has been great progress on the rollout of chargepoint infrastructure on our Strategic Road Network. Rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoint numbers at motorway service areas have increased by around 125% over the last 18 months (based on industry data). Within one mile of the Strategic Road Network, there are over 5,250 open-access rapid and ultra-rapid chargers - an increase of around 100% in the last 18 months (based on data from Zapmap).
Industry has already committed over £6bn investment to support the rollout of public chargepoints across the UK, and government is working closely with industry to target government support where it is needed, including gaps in provision on the Strategic Road Network due to barriers such as high connection costs.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage public-private collaboration in the (a) investment and (b) delivery of welfare facilities for HGV drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport (DfT) and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade HGV parking and driver welfare facilities across England, including at independent truck stops and motorway service areas. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities, including Motorway Service Areas, along the strategic road network.
This investment is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.
DfT also established an industry-led Task and Finish Group (TGF) on HGV facilities, which commenced in February 2024. The TFG was a 12-month, industry-led forum focused on increasing capacity for safe and secure HGV parking, and driving industry adoption of existing HGV parking standards. DfT is considering the conclusions of this group.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support the roll out of (a) parking and (b) welfare facilities for HGV drivers at motorway service areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport (DfT) and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade HGV parking and driver welfare facilities across England, including at independent truck stops and motorway service areas. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities, including Motorway Service Areas, along the strategic road network.
This investment is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.
DfT also established an industry-led Task and Finish Group (TGF) on HGV facilities, which commenced in February 2024. The TFG was a 12-month, industry-led forum focused on increasing capacity for safe and secure HGV parking, and driving industry adoption of existing HGV parking standards. DfT is considering the conclusions of this group.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with motorway service area operators on the renewal of leases of those areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government owns the freehold of 19 motorway service areas. The DfT is in discussions with the operators regarding the future of the leases, recognising that many of these expire from around 2030. The nature of these discussions means they are commercially confidential.