Department for Transport

The Government and rail industry, including Network Rail, have worked together and continue to work together to ensure plans are in place to minimise disruption allowing for freight and passenger services to remain operational where possible. The Civil Contingencies Secretariat is also convening ministers daily during the strike period to assess operational response and impact.

We are looking at everything we can do to help maintain services amid disruption and Minimum Service legislation is just one part of that. We are experienced in safely running very reduced train services - the industry is currently doing so right now. Minimum service levels are a government manifesto commitment to introduce legislation which would require train operators to run a base number of services in the event of strike action. We of course encourage employers and unions to reach agreement wherever possible.

We will review any relevant comparable available evidence, including safety measures, in these countries and others, when developing any policy around the introduction of Minimum Service Levels.

The total number of public electric vehicle chargepoints in the UK, as of 01 January, for each of the last 5 years, is given in the table below:

Source: DfT/Zap Map

The total number of public electric vehicle chargepoints in the UK, funded through the OZEV On-Street Residential ChargePoint scheme (ORCS), for each of the last 5 financial years is given in the table below:

ORCS grants are offered to successful applicants, but funds are only released upon final completion of installation. These figures only include charging devices that have been installed and claimed for.

In 2016 government awarded £40m to eight local authorities to support the delivery of a wide range of innovative chargepoint solutions in their areas. The total number of chargepoints delivered is provided in the table below. This includes fast and rapid chargepoints.

The Department’s data on the total number of public electric vehicle chargepoints comes from Zap-Map. We are unable to determine from this data which of the public chargepoints were delivered through funding from (a) the private sector or (b) local authorities.

While the Department publishes data on the number of chargepoints delivered through funding for domestic and workplace grant schemes, these charge points are not intended for public use.

The Secretary of State announced in the Spring further funding to support the local transport system and he continues to regularly engage with Cabinet colleagues to consider what further support Government can provide in these challenging times. Following 12 consecutive freezes on fuel duty, the Chancellor recently announced a 12-month cut to fuel duty of 5p per litre and the Business Secretary has recently asked the Competition and Market Authority to undertake an urgent review of fuel prices which is underway.

The Secretary of State announced in the Spring further funding to support the local transport system and he continues to regularly engage with Cabinet colleagues to consider what further support Government can provide in these challenging times. Following 12 consecutive freezes on fuel duty, the Chancellor recently announced a 12-month cut to fuel duty of 5p per litre and the Business Secretary has recently asked the Competition and Market Authority to undertake an urgent review of fuel prices which is underway.

All postal applications for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are being processed within normal turnaround times of 10 working days.

Data on the number of applications received from customers eligible for a reduction in VED due to receiving benefits is not available.

All postal applications for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are being processed within normal turnaround times of 10 working days.

Data on the number of applications received from customers eligible for a reduction in VED due to receiving benefits is not available.

On 4 April 2022 the Government announced indicative funding allocations totalling over £1 billion to thirty-one Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to deliver Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), as part of £3 billion for buses over the course of this Parliament. Confirmation and release of the funding is conditional on LTAs providing satisfactory plans showing how they intend to spend that funding, and submission of draft Enhanced Partnerships, Enhanced Partnership variations, or franchising delivery plans by 1 July.

We are providing over £525 million funding for zero emissions buses overthis Parliament.

In March 2021, the Government awarded £50 million of funding to the West Midlands Combined Authority to support the Coventry All Electric Bus City.

The Government has also announced nearly £270 million funding from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme to 17 areas.

As set out in the guidance for the All Electric Bus City and ZEBRA schemes, the funding awarded was conditional on local transport authorities delivering on the business cases. The remaining funding will be allocated over the three year spending review period.

Government works closely with the devolved administrations on supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles across the whole of the UK. Regular discussions about chargepoints as well as other measures to support electric vehicles are held on an ongoing basis with the Welsh Government. For example, officials continue to engage closely on the upcoming consumer experience regulations for public chargepoints in the UK.

In line with our published guidance, the Department has developed several scenarios of possible rail demand to reflect uncertainty including how passengers respond post-covid-19. The Department considers a wide range of evidence for our project appraisals and policy decisions.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publishes statistics on rail passenger journeys and revenue. The latest statistics cover the period to end March 2022. These are available at https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/passenger-rail-usage/

The ORR plan to publish rail passenger usage for the period covering April to June 2022 in October.

Ministers and officials meet regularly with the RMT on a variety of matters.

The Department works closely with rail industry partners to improve women's safety. The rail industry has established work programmes to tackle violence against women and girls, including targeted training of frontline staff and improved access to reporting.

In March this year, the Government’s independent Violence against Women and Girls Transport Champions, Laura Shoaf (Chief Executive, West Midlands Combined Authority) and Anne Shaw (Executive Director, Transport for West Midlands), published 13 recommendations – informed by stakeholder engagement – to further improve the safety of women and girls on the transport network, including rail.

The Department welcomed the ambition of the recommendations and is now working with partners from across Government and the transport industry – including rail – to deliver against them. This includes supporting the National Sexual Harassment on Rail campaign and the Rail to Refuge scheme.

Government remains strongly committed to modal shift and continues to operate two freight revenue grant schemes (£20m per year allocated for 2022/23 to 2024/25) to support: the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme for modal shift to rail and inland waterways; and Waterborne Freight Grants for coastal and short sea shipping. These grants help to remove around 900,000 HGV journeys off the road each year.

The Government set up the Manchester Recovery Task Force in January 2020 to address the unacceptable levels of train performance in the north west of England following the late change to the May 2018 timetable.

The task force, which includes Transport for the North and Transport for Greater Manchester, consulted on a number of options and took account of the more than 800 responses to identify the optimal service for users and the Northern economy.

Northern Trains and TransPennine Express, working with Network Rail and other train operators, used this assessment to develop the timetable which will come into force in December 2022 and which will improve performance significantly while still meeting the journey needs of the vast majority of regular travellers on lines into Manchester.

We do not have estimates broken down by types of investment.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has a core of 63 members of staff who work on responding to correspondence and enquiries from hon. Members. This includes those staff who work on the dedicated telephone line the DVLA provides for hon. Members. More staff will be involved in this work from across the DVLA on an ad hoc basis, depending on the nature of the specific query.

The Government regrets that the trade unions have chosen to go ahead with the strikes which are impacting local businesses and the ability of the general public to get to school, hospital and work. Ministers encourage the unions to keep negotiating with the railway companies as the employers, to resolve this dispute. The Secretary of State outlined this clearly in his letter dated 16 June 2022 to the RMT General Secretary.

The Government and rail industry, including Network Rail, have worked together and continue to work together to ensure plans are in place to minimise disruption allowing for freight and passenger services to remain operational where possible. We are working with the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, the Government’s emergency planning team, to improve readiness across Government, including mitigations for impact on critical supply chains.

The Government is taking immediate steps to support train services. A Statutory Instrument was laid on 27 June 2022, under the terms of which employment businesses will be able supply workers to replace striking workers. This will also allow trained staff with transferrable skills to move around the industry to cover for striking staff to keep the railways running. We are also looking to speed up the introduction of minimum service level legislation to ensure that when strikes take place, they are mindful of the rights of others, affected by their strikes. This would mean a certain level of train service would need to be provided.

There is no ‘rail industry’ wide Reward and People Principles document. Likewise, there is no ‘rail industry’ Employment Policy Framework. The definition of both Reward and People Principles and Employment Policy Framework in the operator contracts is broad, and there are likely to be a number of documents that fall within the definition.

The Secretary of State is in close contact with the industry on the negotiations and engages with them almost daily.

The RMT notified employers of the strike action on 7 June.

The Government has earmarked significant support, £16 billion, to keep train services running since the start of the pandemic and keep people in jobs during the height of lockdowns, the equivalent to £600 for every family in the UK and £160,000 for every rail worker. If recent shortfalls in passenger demand and revenue are maintained, this represents a £2 billion per annum loss in revenue. We do not think it is fair to continue providing the industry with an increased subsidy from taxpayers at a time when there is pressure on everyone’s finances.

We have asked Network Rail, train operators and the industry to consider all options to make the railway sustainable for the long term. Staffing costs is just one area of a wide range of reforms and changes. We need an agile workforce that can deliver for passengers. These reforms will make the railway more efficient, delivering more effectively for passengers and taxpayers.

The Government has earmarked significant support, £16 billion, to keep train services running since the start of the pandemic and keep people in jobs during the height of lockdowns, the equivalent to £600 for every family in the UK and £160,000 for every rail worker. If recent shortfalls in passenger demand and revenue are maintained, this represents a £2 billion per annum loss in revenue. We do not think it is fair to continue providing the industry with an increased subsidy from taxpayers at a time when there is pressure on everyone’s finances.

We have asked Network Rail, train operators and the industry to consider all options to make the railway sustainable for the long term. Staffing costs is just one area of a wide range of reforms and changes. We need an agile workforce that can deliver for passengers. These reforms will make the railway more efficient, delivering more effectively for passengers and taxpayers.

The RMT has demanded talks take place first at a national level rather than with individual train operating companies. Discussions are therefore taking place at national level under the auspices of the Rail Industry Recovery Group.

There is a framework of legislation in place to protect consumer’s rights when travelling by air, including a passenger’s right to care. In the event of flight cancellations and long delays, airlines are obliged to offer passengers free of charge meals and refreshments, and in certain cases hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and place of accommodation (hotel or other). Airlines are also obliged to provide passengers about their rights in those situations.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the Regulator for aviation, are responsible for the enforcement activities. They conduct assessments of industry and take forward action if breaches are found. The Government works closely with the CAA and will continue to do so.

We recently consulted on a range of consumer policy reforms, including additional powers for the CAA to enforce consumer rights and mandatory alternative dispute resolution for all airlines operating in the UK, to enable individuals to seek redress. We are currently reviewing all responses and will set out next steps in due course.

There is a framework of legislation in place to protect consumer rights when travelling by air, including when and what compensation is due in the event of cancellations and long delays, and airlines are obliged to provide passengers about their rights in those situations.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the Regulator for aviation, are responsible for the enforcement activities. They conduct assessments of industry and take forward action if breaches are found. The Government works closely with the CAA and will continue to do so.

We recently consulted on a range of consumer policy reforms, including additional powers for the CAA to enforce consumer rights and mandatory alternative dispute resolution for all airlines operating in the UK, to enable individuals to seek redress. We are currently reviewing all responses and will set out next steps in due course.

The Department is working with groups representing disabled people, including the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee and the Inclusive Transport Stakeholder Group, to review options for e-scooter regulations.

The Department is gathering data on e-scooters through trials in 30 areas, where measures have been put in place to improve safety for disabled people and people with sight loss, such as requiring ​e-scooters to have a bell or a horn so that they are audible. Additionally, the Department has instructed all local authorities participating in trials to engage with disability groups in their area throughout the trial period to ensure their concerns are being heard.

The Department will consult publicly before any secondary regulations for e-scooters and the rental schemes are made.

Rail station parking capacity is a matter for the relevant station operator and Network Rail. All station operators should consider the views of local authority partners on this issue.

Ministers and officials regularly meet with the RMT on a variety of matters.

In November 2020, the Government awarded £50,000 of Restoring Your Railway Ideas funding to Transport for Greater Manchester to develop a Strategic Outline Business Case to reinstate passenger services on the Bolton-Radcliffe/Bolton-Bury line. The SOBC was submitted to the Department on 21^st June 2022 and will be assessed in the coming months.

In November 2020, the Government awarded £50,000 of Restoring Your Railway Ideas funding to Transport for Greater Manchester to develop a Strategic Outline Business Case to reinstate passenger services on the Bolton-Radcliffe/Bolton-Bury line. The SOBC was submitted to the Department on 21^st June 2022 and will be assessed in the coming months.

Davenport station will receive Access for All funding as part of a 23 station package of works across Greater Manchester with a £1m contribution towards minor accessibility improvements. This work is anticipated to be completed by July 2023.

I am committed to improving access at all stations and have recently launched the next round of nominations for the Access for All programme. I welcome nominations for any station in Great Britain currently without step-free access.

In the three months since the beginning of this Spending Review period, the programme focus has been on developing the detailed technical and commercial work to inform business cases and future procurements to transform rail ticketing.

The documents needed to apply for a Veteran’s Railcard are set out on the Veteran’s Railcard Website: https://www.veterans-railcard.co.uk/are-you-eligible/

Verifying the eligibility of applicants and the validity of their documents is a matter for the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). The department is not responsible for processing railcard applications and does not, therefore, conduct cross-data analysis with the Ministry of Defence on Veteran’s Railcard applications.

We urge anyone who is aware of any incidences of fraud to contact the RDG and relevant authorities.

UK airlines lease aircraft and crew from foreign airlines to provide additional capacity, often during the summer holiday peak. The flexibility to bring in additional capacity for limited periods is welcomed by the UK’s largest carriers to manage seasonal peaks or when aircraft and crew are otherwise unavailable. This summer has seen an increase in this type of activity for several reasons including shortage of aircraft and of cabin crew. How the leasing of foreign aircraft and crew develops is something we will keep under review as the market recovers and evolves following the COVID-19 pandemic.

UK airlines lease aircraft and crew from foreign airlines to provide additional capacity, often during the summer holiday peak. The flexibility to bring in additional capacity for limited periods is welcomed by the UK’s largest carriers to manage seasonal peaks or when aircraft and crew are otherwise unavailable. This summer has seen an increase in this type of activity for several reasons including shortage of aircraft and of cabin crew. How the leasing of foreign aircraft and crew develops is something we will keep under review as the market recovers and evolves following the COVID-19 pandemic.

UK airlines lease aircraft and crew from foreign airlines to provide additional capacity, often during the summer holiday peak. The flexibility to bring in additional capacity for limited periods is welcomed by the UK’s largest carriers to manage seasonal peaks or when aircraft and crew are otherwise unavailable. This summer has seen an increase in this type of activity for several reasons including shortage of aircraft and of cabin crew. How the leasing of foreign aircraft and crew develops is something we will keep under review as the market recovers and evolves following the COVID-19 pandemic.

As at 23 June 2022, the member organisations of the Clean Maritime Council were: British Ports Association; Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Affairs; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Transport; ENGIE; Environmental Defence Fund; ING Bank; Innovate UK; Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology; Lloyd’s Register; Maritime and Coastguard Agency; Maritime Enterprise Working Group; Maritime London; Maritime UK; Offshore Renewable Catapult; Red Funnel; Smart Green Shipping Alliance; Strathclyde University; UK Chamber of Shipping; UK Major Ports Group, UN Climate Change Champion; University College London; Wightlink and Workboat Association.

The Maritime Skills Commission has one member of staff shared with the Diversity in Maritime Taskforce. The post is funded on a two-year basis from the Department for Transport and they are employed by Maritime UK. The Chair and Commissioners are part-time volunteers.

To increase the use of freight on our waterways the Government provides revenue support through our Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight grants. We have committed £20 million per year to 2024/25 to support rail and water freight services on routes where they deliver environmental benefits over road haulage but are more expensive to operate.

The cross-modal and long-term Future of Freight plan, published on 15 June, sets out the Government’s objectives for a freight and logistics sector that is efficient, reliable, resilient and sustainable. The plan explicitly supports mode shift of freight from road to rail, inland waterways, coastal shipping and new innovative modes such as e-cargo bikes. The plan also sets out how government will raise the status of freight within the planning system, will develop with industry a £7 million Freight Innovation Fund and will undertake work to develop a National Freight Network. This work will support, and provide opportunities to increase the use of, waterways for freight.

Upgrades of the waterways network in the UK are the responsibility of the Canal and River Trust (CRT), which is sponsored by Defra. The Department for Transport continues to work with Defra officials and the CRT to ensure that freight is considered in the operation, maintenance and enhancement of the UK’s waterways.

There are a wide range of navigation authorities that manage inland waterways. These are either independent self-financing bodies such as port authorities or are funded by other branches of government such as Defra.

To increase the use of freight on our waterways the Government provides revenue support through our Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight grants. We have committed £20 million per year to 2024/25 to support rail and water freight services on routes where they deliver environmental benefits over road haulage but are more expensive to operate.

The cross-modal and long-term Future of Freight plan, published on 15 June, sets out the Government’s objectives for a freight and logistics sector that is efficient, reliable, resilient and sustainable. The plan explicitly supports mode shift of freight from road to rail, inland waterways, coastal shipping and new innovative modes such as e-cargo bikes. The plan also sets out how government will raise the status of freight within the planning system, will develop with industry a £7 million Freight Innovation Fund and will undertake work to develop a National Freight Network. This work will support, and provide opportunities to increase the use of, waterways for freight.

Upgrades of the waterways network in the UK are the responsibility of the Canal and River Trust (CRT), which is sponsored by Defra. The Department for Transport continues to work with Defra officials and the CRT to ensure that freight is considered in the operation, maintenance and enhancement of the UK’s waterways.

There are a wide range of navigation authorities that manage inland waterways. These are either independent self-financing bodies such as port authorities or are funded by other branches of government such as Defra.

To increase the use of freight on our waterways the Government provides revenue support through our Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight grants. We have committed £20 million per year to 2024/25 to support rail and water freight services on routes where they deliver environmental benefits over road haulage but are more expensive to operate.

The cross-modal and long-term Future of Freight plan, published on 15 June, sets out the Government’s objectives for a freight and logistics sector that is efficient, reliable, resilient and sustainable. The plan explicitly supports mode shift of freight from road to rail, inland waterways, coastal shipping and new innovative modes such as e-cargo bikes. The plan also sets out how government will raise the status of freight within the planning system, will develop with industry a £7 million Freight Innovation Fund and will undertake work to develop a National Freight Network. This work will support, and provide opportunities to increase the use of, waterways for freight.

Upgrades of the waterways network in the UK are the responsibility of the Canal and River Trust (CRT), which is sponsored by Defra. The Department for Transport continues to work with Defra officials and the CRT to ensure that freight is considered in the operation, maintenance and enhancement of the UK’s waterways.

There are a wide range of navigation authorities that manage inland waterways. These are either independent self-financing bodies such as port authorities or are funded by other branches of government such as Defra.

To increase the use of freight on our waterways the Government provides revenue support through our Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight grants. We have committed £20 million per year to 2024/25 to support rail and water freight services on routes where they deliver environmental benefits over road haulage but are more expensive to operate.

The cross-modal and long-term Future of Freight plan, published on 15 June, sets out the Government’s objectives for a freight and logistics sector that is efficient, reliable, resilient and sustainable. The plan explicitly supports mode shift of freight from road to rail, inland waterways, coastal shipping and new innovative modes such as e-cargo bikes. The plan also sets out how government will raise the status of freight within the planning system, will develop with industry a £7 million Freight Innovation Fund and will undertake work to develop a National Freight Network. This work will support, and provide opportunities to increase the use of, waterways for freight.

Upgrades of the waterways network in the UK are the responsibility of the Canal and River Trust (CRT), which is sponsored by Defra. The Department for Transport continues to work with Defra officials and the CRT to ensure that freight is considered in the operation, maintenance and enhancement of the UK’s waterways.

There are a wide range of navigation authorities that manage inland waterways. These are either independent self-financing bodies such as port authorities or are funded by other branches of government such as Defra.

The bid to progress the case for reopening the Maid Marian line to passenger services was unsuccessful as part of the Restoring Your Railway programme. However, the Government recognises the potential benefits of restoration of the Maid Marian Line and will therefore take the case under consideration as part of the Toton Study.

This study, which was established following the publication of the IRP, will assess accelerating transport improvements at Toton, such as a station for local or regional services. It will also include looking at the synergies and combined business case for proposals to reopen the Maid Marian line to passenger services.

There is no evidence to suggest the current disruption affecting the aviation sector is due to the UK’s departure from the EU. The disruption is not unique to the UK and results from service recovery challenges following the Covid-related reductions in capacity.

The Government is supporting the sector where we can as it works hard to build back resilience. As set out in Flightpath to the Future, published in May 2022, supporting the aviation workforce is a priority for the Department and skills retention for highly trained jobs is a key element of the sector’s recovery plan.