Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 64 of the document entitled GM 701 Asset delivery asset maintenance, published by Standards for Highways in March 2020, if her Department will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Highways England in meeting the standards for drainage and service ducts.

Under its Licence, National Highways must comply with its legal duties and other obligations to ensure the maintenance, resilience, renewal and development of the strategic road network (SRN), and must have due regard to any guidance, standards or specifications relevant to its statutory or other functions. This includes GM701 that the company authors and publishes. It details maintenance requirements to keep the SRN safe and serviceable by undertaking routine cyclical operations, including in areas such as maintaining drainage assets.

As the independent Highways Monitor, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) holds National Highways to account in its effectiveness in operating the SRN, delivery of the road investment strategy and compliance with its Licence. ORR does not audit individual maintenance activities, rather it takes a proportional, systemic, approach focussed on holding the company to account for its drainage performance indicator. This indicator shows the susceptibility of the SRN to flooding and provides insight of drainage condition on the SRN.

ORR publish an annual assessment of National Highways’ performance. Both ORR and National Highways work closely with the department to keep it informed of performance against areas such as maintenance.