Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to extend the provisions of the Bus Services Act 2017 in respect of franchising bus services to local transport authorities other than Combined Authorities.
Answered by George Freeman
The Bus Services Act 2017 provides mayoral combined authorities with automatic access to franchising powers.
Other local authorities may franchise bus services with the consent of the Secretary of State. Guidance on what the Secretary of State will consider in deciding whether to franchise is available at:
We have no plans to change these arrangements at present.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with First Group UK on (a) the provision of bus transport in the UK and (b) their plans for the divestment of their UK bus division.
Answered by George Freeman
Ministers and officials meet regularly with a range of bus operators to discuss a variety of issues. A record of ministerial meetings is available at: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/789fd6df-87a9-4144-bc59-62b0b84e59f0/department-for-transport-ministerial-and-special-adviser-meetings-with-external-organisations-including-meetings-with-newspaper-and-other-media-proprietors-editors-and-senior-executives
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department will review the cost of train fares.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government understands the concern about the cost of some rail fares and the impact that this can have on people’s budgets. This is why the Government has ensured that regulated rail fares can rise by no more than inflation for the last six years. The Williams Review is considering how to enable a railway that is able to offer good value fares for passengers, while keeping costs down for taxpayers.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 291482, what the length of time was between the submission of a strategic outline business case by the relevant sub-national transport body and the communication of an initial assessment of the proposed scheme by his Department for the most recent scheme costing over £100 million for which his Department provided such an assessment.
Answered by George Freeman
All Strategic Outline Business Cases which were submitted to the Department on 31st July have gone through a robust assessment process over the summer. This followed guidance made available on gov.uk.
The Department has been in contact with Sub-National Transport Bodies (STBs), including Transport East, to discuss the outcomes of the assessment process for all regions’ Strategic Outline Business Cases, including that for the provision of a North Ipswich bypass. Formal advice on the scheme will be sent to Suffolk County Council shortly.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeframe is for his Department to (a) consider the strategic outline business case for the provision of a North Ipswich bypass and (b) publish its response to that business case.
Answered by George Freeman
All Strategic Outline Business Cases which were submitted to the Department on 31st July have gone through a robust assessment process over the summer. This followed guidance made available on gov.uk.
The Department has been in contact with Sub-National Transport Bodies (STBs), including Transport East, to discuss the outcomes of the assessment process for all regions’ Strategic Outline Business Cases, including that for the provision of a North Ipswich bypass. Formal advice on the scheme will be sent to Suffolk County Council shortly.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will fund the improvement to junctions on the A14 with the A1156 (East of Ipswich) and A12 (North), the A1189, the A1214 and A12 (South) and the A1156 (West of Ipswich) as requested by the New Anglia LEP and associated organisations.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department is considering this and other proposals for enhancements to the Strategic Road Network as part of the second Road Investment Strategy. The Strategy, which will set out an investment plan for 2020 to 2025, is expected to be announced shortly.
Development work for improvements to Copdock Interchange (the junction between the A14 and A12(South)) is being supported with funding from the Port Infrastructure Fund, as announced on 26 September.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 291480 on A14: Freight, whether Highways England has carried out a formal assessment of disruptions to freight traffic on any of the UK's strategic freight routes.
Answered by George Freeman
Highways England assesses the performance of, and constraints on, the Strategic Road Network for all road users in order to compile its route strategies, which help inform decisions on future investment. The most recent strategies were published in 2017. Highways England deals with incidents on the network every day and has robust contingency plans in place to minimise disruption.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has had from Suffolk County Council on the proposed North Ipswich Route in the last 12 months.
Answered by George Freeman
Suffolk County Council has developed a Strategic Outline Business Case for the provision of a North Ipswich bypass. Transport East, the sub-national transport body for the region, submitted this to the Department for consideration under the Major Road Network and Large Local Majors programme in July 2019.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on disruptions to freight traffic on the A14; and what estimate he has made of the cost of those disruptions to (a) hauliers and (b) other vehicles.
Answered by George Freeman
No formal assessment has been made by Highways England into disruptions to freight traffic on the A14 and they do not hold information in this form.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Suffolk county council on the Ipswich northern route since 1 January 2019.
Answered by George Freeman
Department for Transport officials have had regular discussions with Suffolk County Council regarding the Ipswich Northern Route since January 1 2019. As well as regular engagement, the Department has offered analytical support to all scheme promoters as part of the Major Road Network (MRN) and Large Local Majors (LLM) programme.