Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has taken recent steps to provide support to (a) Nexus and (b) other transport companies to help with increased energy prices.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises the challenges faced by the light rail sector caused by higher energy costs. Light rail systems are eligible under the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme which provides a discount on wholesale electricity prices. This scheme is in place from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 and is reducing financial pressures across the light rail sector by millions of pounds this winter.
The Government has announced the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme, which will provide a level of support with energy costs for a further 12 months for non-domestic customers from 1 April 2023 to March 2024.
The Department continues to engage with Nexus and all local transport authorities that have light rail systems to fully understand the ongoing impacts of higher energy prices.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increased energy prices on (a) the Tyne and Wear Metro and (b) other light rail systems.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises the challenges faced by the light rail sector caused by higher energy costs. Light rail systems are eligible under the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme which provides a discount on wholesale electricity prices. This scheme is in place from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 and is reducing financial pressures across the light rail sector by millions of pounds this winter.
The Government has announced the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme, which will provide a level of support with energy costs for a further 12 months for non-domestic customers from 1 April 2023 to March 2024.
The Department continues to engage with Nexus and all local transport authorities that have light rail systems to fully understand the ongoing impacts of higher energy prices.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, whether he has launched the consultation on adequate minimum service levels for fire, ambulance and rail services; which stakeholders he will consult with; and when he plans for that consultation to conclude.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government will consult shortly on minimum service levels for fire, ambulance, and rail services, recognising the severe disruption that the public faces when these services are impacted by strikes, especially the immediate risk to public safety when blue light services are disrupted.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the viability of (a) light rail and (b) tram services of permitting those services to operate in the same concessionary fare system as buses.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age to ensure that no older or disabled person in England need be prevented from bus travel by cost alone.
Funding for this is provided through the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Settlement Funding Assessment: a Grant that supports a wide range of activities to ensure that each local transport authority receives the funding that they need. This funding is not ringfenced to enable local authorities to make spending decisions that more closely align with local needs and circumstances. There are currently no further plans to directly extend the concessionary fares for buses to light rail or tram systems.
In addition, local authorities have the powers to provide further discretionary concessions in addition to ENCTS, through local resources such as Council Tax.
All Travel Concession Authorities that have light rail or tram systems in England, including Nottingham City Council, choose to fund travel on their systems as a discretionary concession.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to extend recent support to maintain the viability of bus routes to also support local tram networks.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government has provided over £2 billion in emergency and recovery grants to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the bus and light rail sector and continues to discuss with the sector what further support might be appropriate.
Pandemic-related funding for English Light Rail systems outside London ended on 4 October 2022. This funding had represented exceptional subsidy for light rail systems as their operation and financial sustainability are largely devolved.
The Local Transport Fund, which provided funding until October 2022, helped local authorities with Light Rail systems to adjust to post-pandemic travel patterns.
Furthermore, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme will help reduce the financial pressure on light rail systems caused by higher energy prices this winter. This support is expected to be worth millions of pounds to the sector.
The Department continues to engage with key stakeholders in the Light Rail sector to understand the financial pressures on systems, including regarding energy prices.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on the intermodal rail freight industry of increasing the use of longer semi-trailers.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Transport began a long-term trial of longer semi-trailers (LSTs) for articulated goods vehicles in January 2012, to confirm whether their use would bring about anticipated environmental and economic benefits.
The 2017 annual report on the trial included project note E3, which specifically addressed the intermodal impacts of LST use. It concluded that where routes operating LSTs (during the trial) might have competed with rail at a limited level, rail has been able to respond effectively and integrate LST operations into its business model.
Following a consultation, a decision was taken that longer semi-trailers (LSTs) should be allowed into general circulation with light regulatory control on their use. An updated impact assessment relating to this decision was published in June 2022.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what additional funding his Department provided to (a) Blackpool Council and (b) Blackpool Transport to support the provision of (i) bus and (ii) tram services in Blackpool during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Katherine Fletcher
The total funding provided to Blackpool Council and Blackpool Transport for Bus and Light Rail services for March 2020 to October 2022 is £9.5m, broken down below.
The additional funding provided to Blackpool Council for Bus Services since March 2020 is £216,052.
The additional funding provided to Blackpool Council for Light Rail Services since March 2020 is £3,520,190.
The additional funding provided to Blackpool Transport for Bus Services since March 2020 is £5,779,425.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to help reduce the cost of tram services in England.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The provision of tram services is largely devolved in England. It is for local transport authorities and operating companies to determine ticket prices.
Throughout the pandemic, the Government has supported tram systems with exceptional financial support. In total, the Government will have provided around £250 million to English tram and light rail systems outside London. This funding has helped keep services running and reduced any need for local authorities and operators to pass financial pressures on to passengers.
The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers, including local authorities, are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter. As an energy intensive sector, it is expected many Light Rail systems will benefit significantly from this scheme.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022; and what the name is of each consultancy contracted.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The provisional consultancy spend for 2021-22 is £26.970m for the Core Department and Agencies.
The department’s spend on consultancy is published each year in the Annual Report and Accounts.
2020-21
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defras-annual-report-and-accounts-2020-to-2021 (page 100)
2019-20
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defras-annual-report-and-accounts-2019-to-2020 (page 87)
The names of consultancies contracted are listed below
A LUCK ASSOCIATES |
Actica Consulting Ltd |
Aether Ltd |
ALCHEMMY CONSULTING LTD |
Alexander Mann Solutions LTD |
Amber Employment Services Ltd |
Amec Foster Wheeler |
ARCADIS CONSULTING UK LTD |
Arpexas (Scotland) Ltd |
Bankserve |
Beamans Ltd |
Biopharma Consulting (BPC) |
BLUE BORDER LTD |
Broadhead Global Ltd |
Business Solutions Limited |
Capita |
Change Associates Ltd |
Commercial Consultancy Ltd |
Costain Ltd |
CURRIE and BROWN UK LTD |
Daisy Communications Limited |
Deloitte LLP |
Dirac Delta Solutions Ltd |
Dr Gabriele Hesselbein |
Dr Marion Simmons |
Dr Vanessa Carn |
DTA ECOLOGY LTD |
EBC CONSULTING LTD |
ENGINEERING SAFETY CONSULTANTS LTD |
Eric Crutcher |
Ernst & Young LLP (EY) |
FINYX CONSULTING LTD |
FIRST RESPONSE TRAINING and CONSULTANCY SERVICES LTD |
Frontier Economics Ltd |
G2 Recruitment Solutions |
Government Legal Department |
Health Management Ltd |
Ingentium Ltd |
IVDEOLOGY LTD |
J Weeks |
JACOBS UK LTD |
John Points |
Jones P Consulting Ltd |
JSA Services Ltd t/a Workwell |
Julie Gibson |
Keep IT Simple |
KLIFOVET AG |
KPMG |
KPMG Safi Al Mutawa & Partners |
L T S INTERNATIONAL LTD |
Learning Light |
Local Partnerships LLP |
Lockhart-Garratt |
Louisa Wood |
LSSC Ltd |
M Botony |
Management and Risk Solutions Ltd |
MCKINSEY & CO INC UNITED KINGDOM |
Met Office |
Methods Business Digital Technology |
METHODS CONSULTING LTD |
Mo Gannon & Associates Ltd |
Modality Systems Ltd |
Morgan Langley |
Network Rail |
Nibiru Ltd |
PA CONSULTING SERVICES LTD |
Park Health & Safety Partnership LLP |
Perfect Circle JV Ltd |
Philippe Sabot Consultant (PSC) |
PJM-HS CONSULTING LTD |
PKM Digital Ltd |
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP |
Proxima |
PUBLIC DIGITAL LTD |
RADMAN ASSOCIATES LTD |
Rare Little Beastie Ltd |
RBS |
REED |
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE LTD |
Richard Parker |
ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE. |
RSK GROUP PLC |
Seed Science |
SGS UK Ltd |
Silversands Ltd |
Stentiford, Grant |
THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP UK LLP |
The Neoteric Tech Company Ltd |
The Research Box Ltd |
Triple G Consulting Ltd |
University Of Liverpool |
VETERINARY VACCINES CONS LTD |
Whiteball Ltd |
WILLS TOWERS WATSON LTD |
WRAP |
WSP GLOBAL |
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for transport in West Yorkshire of extending the Bus Recovery Grant.
Answered by Karl McCartney
The Government has provided over £2 billion of support through emergency and recovery grants to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on bus and light rail services. A further £184 million in funding has been provided to continue supporting the sector following the Covid-19 pandemic until October 2022 to give services the maximum amount of time to recover. West Yorkshire Combined Authority has received over £8 million in emergency and recovery grant funding.
A condition of this new funding is that both Local Transport Authorities and operators must work together to assess the impact of funding ending in October and to ensure that effective and financially sustainable networks, which cater for the needs of the local public, are implemented once recovery funding ends. There are no plans to extend bus and light rail recovery funding beyond October 2022.
The Government has also provided over £2.5 billion in new funding to support improvements to bus services. West Yorkshire Combined Authority has received an indicative allocation of £70 million with which to deliver its Bus Service Improvement Plan.