Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Office to tackle freight crime; and what assessment she has made of the merits of targeting the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme funding at areas with high rates of freight crime.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime can have on businesses and drivers. Through our Safer Streets Mission and wider reforms, we are tackling crime and restoring public confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system.
Alongside the Home Office Minister of State for Policing and Crime Reduction, I met Rachel Taylor MP, Chair of the APPG for Freight and Logistics on 26 March to discuss the impact of freight crime.
The Home Office continues to work closely with the police and the wider automotive industry to ensure our response to vehicle crime, including freight crime, is as strong as it can be.
The Department for Transport’s HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme is providing up to £43.5 million of joint investment with industry to upgrade HGV parking and driver welfare facilities across England. This investment has been allocated and is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.
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 roads network.
Future funding for financial years beyond 25/26 and its potential targeting towards high freight crime areas is subject to the Spending Review.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the the merits of extending the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme beyond the current funding period.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime can have on businesses and drivers. Through our Safer Streets Mission and wider reforms, we are tackling crime and restoring public confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system.
Alongside the Home Office Minister of State for Policing and Crime Reduction, I met Rachel Taylor MP, Chair of the APPG for Freight and Logistics on 26 March to discuss the impact of freight crime.
The Home Office continues to work closely with the police and the wider automotive industry to ensure our response to vehicle crime, including freight crime, is as strong as it can be.
The Department for Transport’s HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme is providing up to £43.5 million of joint investment with industry to upgrade HGV parking and driver welfare facilities across England. This investment has been allocated and is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.
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 roads network.
Future funding for financial years beyond 25/26 and its potential targeting towards high freight crime areas is subject to the Spending Review.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the merits of improving the road network in East England.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The second Road Investment Strategy sets out planned investment for the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the strategic road network in the East of England between 2020 – 2025. National Highways will shortly confirm its planned investment in the region for the 2025-26 Interim Settlement year in its Delivery Plan. The Department for Transport is developing the third Road Investment Strategy, which is anticipated to cover planned investment between 2026 – 2031.
The prioritisation of investment in all other road networks in the East of England are the responsibility of the relevant local highways authority.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic accidents involving horses took place between 2019 and 2024 in (a) England, (b) East Anglia and (c) South West Norfolk constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The department publishes statistics on road injury collisions which occur on the public highway and are reported by police via the STATS19 system.
The number of such collisions involving ridden horses are shown in the table below for 2019 to 2023, which is the latest year for which data is available.
Year | England | East of England | South West Norfolk constituency |
2019 | 51 | 5 | 0 |
2020 | 73 | 3 | 0 |
2021 | 76 | 7 | 1 |
2022 | 68 | 7 | 2 |
2023 | 49 | 7 | 0 |
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to reduce emissions from transport refrigeration units.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has commissioned research on emissions from auxiliary engines mounted on road freight vehicles. The interim reports were published on 9 February and 28 October 2024. The final report is due shortly.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) help improve the safety of (i) horses and (ii) horse riders on roads and (b) increase driver awareness of horse safety.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2022 The Highway Code was updated to improve the safety of all road users, particularly the most vulnerable. Key changes included the introduction of a Hierarchy of Road Users, which ensures that those who do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat that they pose to others, along with the strengthening of guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse-riders.
The Government's flagship road safety campaign, THINK!, ran campaigns to alert road users of the changes as they came into effect and broader behaviour campaigns to encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance. Results from the last campaign showed that by September 2023 93% of drivers agreed it was their responsibility to give space to vulnerable road users. We will continue to promote The Highway Code changes on THINK! and DfT social media channels and via our partner organisations.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve bus services in remote rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them, including in rural areas. The government has committed to increasing accountability by including a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.
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. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.
The Department has funded 16 innovative demand responsive transport (DRT) pilots through the Rural Mobility Fund, including the Flexibus+ scheme around Swaffham. Each scheme is taking part in a detailed monitoring and evaluation process. This will provide a strong base of evidence and good practice for DRT and a better understanding of both the role it can play in rural areas and the challenges associated with introducing it.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her policy is on the potential provision of funding for dualling the Norwich Western Link.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport has commissioned a review of the Department’s capital portfolio which will inform the next phase of the cross-Government Spending Review. It is too early to say how this will affect the proposed Norwich Western Link, but the Department will be in touch with the promoter, when there is further information.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will dual the A47 from Tilney to East Winch.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are currently no plans to dual the A47 from Tilney to East Winch, Norfolk. The performance of this section of the A47, and the wider A47 route, has been considered by National Highways as part of its interim East of England Route Strategy, and its investment requirements will form the basis of future network planning.