Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the proposed West London orbital rail link on connectivity between West London Boroughs.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Any assessment of the impact on West London boroughs would be carried out by Transport for London as part of its development of the West London Orbital scheme.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) she and (b) officials in her Department have had with the Mayor of London on proposals for the West London Orbital railway.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). The Department for Transport works closely with TfL to understand the long-term needs of London’s transport infrastructure and opportunities to enhance its network, including potential major projects such as the West London Orbital.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of improving cross-borough public transport links in London on (a) the economy, (b) air quality and (c) social mobility in London.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London, including assessment of the economic, air quality and social mobility impacts of changes to London’s transport network. However, the Government recognises importance of London’s transport network for the capital’s and UK’s economy and for London’s air quality and social mobility, and at Autumn budget confirmed £485m of capital funding for investment in London’s transport infrastructure.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has plans to consult with (a) community and (b) environmental groups on her Department's plans to modernise airspace.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Anyone sponsoring a proposal to change airspace must follow the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Airspace Change Process (CAP1616). This process sets out the requirements for airspace change sponsors to engage with and consult those potentially affected by airspace change, including local communities and environmental groups. This includes a requirement to engage with relevant stakeholders at different stages of the process, from the initial design principles to detailed options appraisal, before any final plans are submitted to the CAA.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps officials in her Department have taken to introduce a reciprocal driving licence exchange agreement with Kosovo.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Following a request from the Kosovan Embassy to consider a possible reciprocal driving licence exchange agreement, officials have carried out a full assessment of the information provided by the Kosovan authorities. This assessment concluded that driver testing and licensing arrangements in place in Kosovo are comparable with those in this country.
The department is now progressing the work required to achieve an exchange agreement. All driving licence exchange agreements are subject to a legally required public consultation and the introduction of the relevant legislation.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of noise cameras on road noise levels.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department conducted roadside trials of noise camera technology between October 2022 and February 2023. Reports of these trials, including detailed assessment of the technology’s performance and potential merits, were published on 17 March 2024.
The Secretary of State for Transport has not had discussions with local authorities on the use of noise cameras.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the use of noise cameras on roads.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department conducted roadside trials of noise camera technology between October 2022 and February 2023. Reports of these trials, including detailed assessment of the technology’s performance and potential merits, were published on 17 March 2024.
The Secretary of State for Transport has not had discussions with local authorities on the use of noise cameras.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he as made of the cost to individuals of replacing blue badges lost due to theft.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department sets the legislation that governs the Blue Badge scheme and provides guidance for local authorities who are solely responsible for administering the scheme.
Current legislation provides local authorities with the means to tackle abuse of the Blue Badge scheme locally, such as the power to retain and cancel badges found to be stolen.
Data on the number of Blue Badges stolen in the last 12 months are not currently available. The latest published statistics show that in the year ending 31st March 2023, 1700 Blue Badges were reported stolen in England. The figures reflect cases that have been recorded in the Blue Badge Digital Service database. It is possible that not all instances of loss or theft will be reported and recorded, and therefore will not be included in these figures.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had recent discussions with the Home Office on the theft of blue badges.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department sets the legislation that governs the Blue Badge scheme and provides guidance for local authorities who are solely responsible for administering the scheme.
Current legislation provides local authorities with the means to tackle abuse of the Blue Badge scheme locally, such as the power to retain and cancel badges found to be stolen.
Data on the number of Blue Badges stolen in the last 12 months are not currently available. The latest published statistics show that in the year ending 31st March 2023, 1700 Blue Badges were reported stolen in England. The figures reflect cases that have been recorded in the Blue Badge Digital Service database. It is possible that not all instances of loss or theft will be reported and recorded, and therefore will not be included in these figures.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of blue badge thefts in the last 12 months.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department sets the legislation that governs the Blue Badge scheme and provides guidance for local authorities who are solely responsible for administering the scheme.
Current legislation provides local authorities with the means to tackle abuse of the Blue Badge scheme locally, such as the power to retain and cancel badges found to be stolen.
Data on the number of Blue Badges stolen in the last 12 months are not currently available. The latest published statistics show that in the year ending 31st March 2023, 1700 Blue Badges were reported stolen in England. The figures reflect cases that have been recorded in the Blue Badge Digital Service database. It is possible that not all instances of loss or theft will be reported and recorded, and therefore will not be included in these figures.