Oral Answers to Questions

Rachel Maclean Excerpts

Monday 18th May 2020 Commons Chamber

[Jane Hunt (Loughborough) (Con)]

What support his Department is providing to help ensure that bus services continue to operate during the covid-19 outbreak.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Rachel Maclean) [V]]

The Government are providing significant funding for the bus industry at this time. Our covid-19 funding package for England’s buses totals £397 million. As part of this, local authorities have access to a £30 million supported bus services fund. To date, 46 bids have been received. No bids have yet been received for the rural mobility fund because the deadline is 4 June.

[Daniel Zeichner [V]]

Of course, hydrogen-powered buses have a much longer range, making them more suitable for rural routes and rural areas, and we have some of the leading hydrogen-powered bus manufacturers in the world. The Government have introduced the all-electric bus town scheme. Where is the equivalent for hydrogen?

[Rachel Maclean]

The hon. Gentleman is right to say that we are focusing on new all-electric bus towns, which is an exciting part of the money that the Prime Minister has announced to support buses up and down the country, but it is not right to say that we are not focusing on hydrogen buses. We have actually allocated £4.36 million to hydrogen buses and supporting infrastructure.

[Jane Hunt]

The Government have recently published the safer transport guidance for operators, which is very welcome indeed, but I wonder whether the Minister could set out what steps are being taken to ensure the financial viability of bus services while maintaining social distancing.

[Rachel Maclean]

I can tell my hon. Friend that we are working urgently to provide further support to bus operators so that they can run service provision as people return to work and at the same time observe social distancing.

[Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)]

What support the Government are providing to local authorities to promote active travel among people returning to work as the covid-19 lockdown is eased.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Rachel Maclean) [V]]

On 9 May, the Government announced a £2 billion package of support for active travel. This includes £250 million of funding this financial year to support people to take up cycling and to enable local authorities to make their roads and pavements safer.

[Ruth Cadbury [V]]

I welcome the £250 million funding so that cycling and walking improvements can be rapidly installed ahead of the expected tidal wave of traffic as people go back to work, but when will the Government finally publish their long-awaited revised design guidance on cycle-friendly infrastructure and the evidence that they commissioned back in 2018 on the amount of funding needed to meet their targets to double cycling and increase walking by 2025?

[Rachel Maclean]

I recognise that the hon. Lady is a really keen cyclist. We want to boost cycling across the country. The schemes that she refers to are being worked at, and we can provide further details of those in due course.

[Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)]

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on protecting the health of food delivery drivers during the covid-19 outbreak.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Rachel Maclean) [V]]

Ministers have been in discussion with Cabinet colleagues about measures to protect the welfare of delivery drivers, including those carrying food.

[Mr Sheerman [V]]

At a time in this crisis when many of us are very dependent on home delivery, there is growing evidence that children as young as 16 on a provisional licence are wobbling on to the road, holding a mobile phone with Google Maps on it in one hand, to make deliveries. That is a very dangerous situation. Is the Minister not aware of the large number of reports of young people being killed and seriously injured because they are not qualified to drive and are doing a very dangerous task?

[Rachel Maclean]

Of course the Government would be concerned by the incidents that the hon. Gentleman mentions. Ensuring the safety of drivers making deliveries is of paramount importance, and the Government do not want anyone to feel unsafe or unsure about whether they have the necessary equipment to work safely. That is why detailed guidance has been issued to all transport workers, in conjunction with our colleagues in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

[Munira Wilson (Twickenham) (LD)]

What recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of British Airways on its planned restructuring.