Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen cybersecurity across the railway sector.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport (DfT) works across Government to introduce relevant standards, guidance, and policy to ensure the cyber security and resilience of our essential services.
DfT uses both policy and regulatory levers to support the rail sector to effectively manage cyber risk and assist the sector to secure its networks and systems. We work closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the rail industry, and others to continuously assess and mitigate emerging cyber threats to the sector.
As Competent Authority under the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018, DfT regulates rail Operators of Essential Servies (OES) to ensure that rail services which are most critical to the British public are compliant with relevant cyber standards. We will use the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (CSRB) to strengthen our regulatory powers, improve incident reporting, and expand the type of entities in scope.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the separate eligibility criteria for children under three for the Blue Badge scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since 17 June 2011, children under the age of three have been eligible for a Blue Badge if they fall under either or both of the following criteria:
(a) a child who, because of a condition, must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around with the child without great difficulty
(b) a child who, because of a condition, must always be kept near a motor vehicle so that, if necessary, treatment for that condition can be given in the vehicle or the child can be taken quickly in the vehicle to a place where such treatment can be given
Whilst the Department recommends that local authorities treat each application for children under the age of three as a special case, it does not consider that there is a compelling case for giving automatic Blue Badge eligibility to disabled children below the age of three who do not meet the above criteria. In most cases, they could reasonably be carried in a pram or pushchair, in much the same way as able-bodied children of a similar age.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage the greater use of regional airports across the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector. Regional airports invest in their infrastructure to attract passengers and airlines, while airlines are well placed to deliver services to their customers by responding to demand for different routes.
The Government continues to support vital connectivity to the regions through public service obligation routes whilst an expanded Heathrow could provide an opportunity to strengthen regional connectivity to the UK’s hub airport.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timeline is for publishing the new research on the extent and impact of pavement parking.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. The new research announced last week will not delay this; my officials are finalising its terms now. The Department will aim to publish within 12 weeks of agreeing final outputs, per Government Social Research protocols. Local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to make an announcement on pavement parking.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. The new research announced last week will not delay this; my officials are finalising its terms now. The Department will aim to publish within 12 weeks of agreeing final outputs, per Government Social Research protocols. Local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has received any recent representations from (a) individual and (b) organisations on the standard of maintenance of (i) tactile cones and (ii) other pedestrian crossing aids for blind and visually sighted people; and what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on the maintenance of (A) tactile cones and (B) other pedestrian crossing aids for blind and visually sighted people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not received any such representations. The provision and maintenance of tactile cones and other pedestrian crossing aids are matters for local authorities. Local authorities have a duty under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to provide for the safe movement of road users, including pedestrians. They also have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to provide accessible services.
The Department has endorsed the code of practice ‘Management of Electronic Traffic Equipment’ which provides good practice advice for local authorities on maintaining assets including traffic signals and associated equipment. This is published by the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the planned £8.5 million reduction in funding for the British Transport Police Funding on the policing of crime on the rail network.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The budget for the British Transport Police for the financial year 2025/26 is £415m - a 5.9% increase on the year before.
The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with Transport for London on the (a) welfare and (b) remuneration of bus drivers in London.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL, and any impacts of strike action on London’s transport network are for TfL to manage. Nevertheless, the Government understands this is disappointing for passengers and businesses and we continue to encourage all sides to work together to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible. Likewise, TfL and their contractors are responsible for operational and welfare decisions regarding bus services and bus drivers operating in the Capital.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September to Question 71269 on Train Operating Companies: Conditions of Employment and Trade Unions, whether this information is held by DfT Operator Limited.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DFTO currently has oversight of six Train Operating Companies (TOCs). The TOCs are subsidiaries of DFTO and trade union agreements are negotiated, held and managed at the subsidiary level rather than by DFTO itself. Similarly operating practices on employees rights are also administered and managed by the TOCs rather than DFTO.
Asked by: Peter Fortune (Conservative - Bromley and Biggin Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her policy is on investment in the Dartford Crossing.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Dartford Crossing is one of the most important roads in the UK, used by an average of 150,000 vehicles daily, of which almost 40% are freight vehicles: a much higher proportion than for other major roads. Consequently, significant annual expenditure (£42.2million in 2023/24) goes on operating, maintaining and improving the Crossing, particularly in relation to the older tunnels, which require increasingly intensive maintenance to, for example, the ventilation, electrical and drainage systems.
Additional capacity across the River Thames east of London will be provided by the Lower Thames Crossing, complementing the Dartford Crossing which will remain an essential part of the London Orbital road.