Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to start recording official data on e-bike usage as part of the National Travel Survey.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The National Travel Survey records data on all personal domestic travel by its respondents by any mode of transport. The figures presented in our statistical publications are kept under constant review, through assessment of the reported prevalence for different modes and journey types.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps Highways England is taking to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide on the strategic road network which exceed statutory limits.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Highways England are supporting the uptake of electric vehicles by working to ensure that 95 per cent of the strategic road network will have a chargepoint every 20 miles.
Highways England have also been exploring and testing a range of measures and innovative products as part of their programme of air quality research. They have evidence that tall barriers can reduce concentrations of NO2 for the residents closest nearby, and they are progressing with work to see how these could be installed on the network. This work is underpinned by their £100m Air Quality Designated Fund.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has in place to ensure that Highways England takes steps to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide on the strategic road network which exceed statutory limits.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government’s plans are set out in the 2017 Air Quality Strategy and Highways England are working to deliver compliance with air quality limits in the shortest possible time. Specifically, Highways England are taking a number of steps to improve air quality on the roads they manage and are working with local authorities to reduce NO2 on their roads. This activity is supported by the £100m Air Quality Designated Fund.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits extending the eligibility for the older person's bus pass to 60 year olds in England.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
There have been no assessments on extending the statutory scheme for older person’s bus passes to all 60-year olds in England. Government is committed to retaining the current benefit which means ensuring its financial sustainability. The process of equalising the difference in the age of eligibility between men and women will go some way to support this.
However, local authorities have powers to provide enhancements to the statutory scheme should they wish to put these in place based on their assessments of local funding priorities and resources.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.25 of the Autumn Statement 2016, on which schemes the £100 million of investment in road resilience projects referred to will be spent.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Autumn Statement on 23 November 2016 announced £100 million would be made available from 2017/18 to improve resilience to flooding on our road network. The Department for Transport will now develop criteria to be published in due course for which local highway authorities can submit bids to the Department.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.8 of the Autumn Statement 2016, which projects will receive funding for rail resilience.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 17 November an additional £10m funding to help strengthen the resilience of the railway line from Exeter to Newton Abbot via Dawlish. In addition, we have asked Network Rail to develop schemes to improve the resilience of the rail network to flooding in the Axe Valley (Devon) and around the River Irwell in Manchester. The Department will continue to discuss with Network Rail other priorities for investment to improve resilience.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 December 2010, Official Report, column 7WS, what consideration his Department has given to the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when making new policy and legislation since May 2015.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Being able to analyse properly the impact of policies in relation to particular groups is a fundamental part of good policy-making. This is done in a range of ways, particularly through engagement with civil society and professionals.
Cabinet Office guidance to all Government departments advises that child rights impact assessments should be undertaken on policy and legislative changes, and Impact assessments are regularly undertaken where the child is directly affected by proposed changes.
The Department for Transport (DfT) in line with Article 12 of the Convention is always willing to listen to the views of children and young people and is willing to engage with them and their representatives for the exchange of knowledge and information that informs our policy making.
In addition, in line with Article 23, as part of the Government’s wider inclusion agenda, our ambition is to enable disabled young people to fulfil their potential and, like everyone else, to have the opportunity to play a full role in society. DfT is advised by the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) on transport legislation, regulations and guidance and on the transport needs of all disabled people.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much subsidy was paid to the operators of the Northern rail franchise in each financial year between December 2004 and April 2016.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Subsidies paid from 2004 to 2008:
2004/05 – 81.0 million (part year - December 2004 to March 2005)
2005/06 – 278.2 million
2006/07 – 168.5 million
2007/08 - 119.3 million
Figures from 2008 onwards are published on the Office of Rail and Road’s (‘ORR’) website at: http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/95218cca-408d-4047-83ce-a542c53b59e6. 2015-16 financial information will be made available following publication of Audited Statutory Accounts.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to prevent toxic fumes from aircraft engines entering the cabin and causing crew and passengers to fall ill.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Following a recommendation in 2007 by the Committee on Toxicity (the COT) – an independent committee of toxicology experts – the Department commissioned a series of scientific studies as part of a research programme into cabin air. The principal research study, carried out by Cranfield University, was published in May 2011. In addition to the principal study, three further research studies were commissioned and published by the Department. The Department’s four published reports were formally submitted to the COT for consideration in June 2012. The COT considered the research reports, as well as other research published in the scientific literature since 2007, and subsequently published their position paper in December 2013 in which they concluded that further research was needed to properly understand the effects.
The Department does not plan to undertake any additional research on this issue and wrote to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) informing them of the four scientific studies commissioned by the Department. The limited number of incidences means that a larger data sample from more than just the UK would be beneficial. In addition, given that the same planes, engines and oils are used all round the world and across borders, an international approach to any future research investigations would now be more appropriate. EASA has launched in spring 2015 a preliminary in-flight cabin air measurement campaign, which will develop the methodology and put into place adequate equipment to perform cockpit and cabin air measurements. The results of this campaign, which will be used to prepare for an envisaged large scale project in the future, are expected in autumn 2016. The Department will follow the progress of this work with interest.
At a national level, the Aviation Health Unit as part of the Medical Department of the Civil Aviation Authority, will continue to monitor issues around cabin air as part of their wider role as the specialist adviser to the Government on aviation health issues.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on the reopening of Workington North station.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department for Transport has no record of any recent representation on this matter.