Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of potholes on drivers in Bexley.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has recently announced a £8.3 billion funding uplift for roads resurfacing across England between 2023/24 – 2033/34. As part of this it has provided the London Borough of Bexley Council with an additional £275,000 in 2023/24 and will provide a further £275,000 in 2024/25.
This money has been provided directly to the respective London Borough rather than via the Mayor of London. At a national level, the Department publishes statistics on gov.uk on the condition and maintenance of the highways in England.
Ultimately, however, under the 1980 Highway Act it is the responsibility of the local highway authority, in this case the London Borough of Bexley Council, to maintain and manage the highway network they are responsible for. In London, transport is a devolved matter, and the overall state of London’s roads is a matter for the Mayor.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's publication entitled DfT: spending over £500, December 2023, published on 25 April 2024, which Minister used RD Chauffeur Services on 18 December 2023; and what the (a) location and (b) purpose of the visit was.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Baroness Vere of Norbiton visited Northern Ireland between 27-29 September 2023 to conduct ministerial visits in relation to aviation and maritime. RD Chauffeur services provided a secure car service for these visits. The invoice was paid on 18 December 2023.
The Government Car Service is used wherever possible. On occasion, external companies are used for ministerial visits.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the sustainability of transport infrastructure.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DfT formed the Infrastructure Decarbonisation Division (IDD) in April 2023 to drive action on the decarbonisation of transport infrastructure. DfT requires all transport infrastructure projects that it funds to produce carbon management plans (CMP) that include a comprehensive whole life carbon assessment, and a plan to reduce carbon across the project lifecycle in line with PAS2080 principles.
DfT maintains frequent engagement with its Arm’s Length Bodies to support progress against their own carbon reduction plans.
In addition to taking action on transport infrastructure decarbonisation, DfT is also strengthening transport adaptation policy by launching a consultation on the Department’s first transport adaptation strategy on 3 April. The strategy sets a vision for a well-adapted transport network that is flexible, reliable, operates safely and is responsive to a changing climate. This strategy will raise ambition and ensure that adaptation becomes a part of ‘business as usual’, ensuring the transport network is more resilient in the face of climate change.
The Environment Act 2021 has introduced new requirements that will support action to improve the sustainability of transport infrastructure. Since 1 November 2023 Ministers have had a legal duty to have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement when making policy.
Network Rail and National Highways are progressing work to support nature recovery including through commitments to deliver no net loss in biodiversity across their estates.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following a 43 per cent increase in car insurance prices compared to this time last year, what steps they are taking to address the underlying factors that contribute to those high premiums, such as rising claims costs and inflation.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Whilst it is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market, we are engaging directly with the sector at an official and Ministerial level, with HMT Ministers who lead on this issue, to help us to establish if there are potential solutions within our power which will benefit motorists.
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority rules.
The FCA has been clear it will be monitoring firms to make sure they provide products that are fair value, and, where necessary, it will act.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2024 to Question 21943 on Official Cars, which organisation holds the information for the total miles driven by vehicles in the Government Car Service fleet from the start of financial year 2022-23 onwards; and by what means hon. Members can seek to obtain that information.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The information for 2022/23 was provided in response to Question 21943 (838,113.00). As a result of changes to legacy IT systems, the information for 2023/24 would only be available at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's publication entitled DfT: spending over £500, December 2023, published on 25 April 2024, which Minister used Network Executive Ltd on 14 December 2023; and what the (a) location and (b) purpose of the visit was.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 1st December 2023, Minister Opperman travelled to Barrow-in-Furness, the Grizebeck bypass, opened the A595 improvements and had further ministerial meetings in and around Carlisle. The invoice for this visit was paid on 14th December 2023.
The Government Car Service is used wherever possible. On occasions, external companies are used for ministerial visits.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the number of commercial long haul (a) routes and (b) flights operating from airports in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Through their work to negotiate, update and enforce the UK’s extensive portfolio of bilateral and multilateral “Air Services Agreements” my officials seek to: maximise business opportunities and ensure a level playing field for our airlines and airports; minimise administrative and cost burdens for industry; and remove barriers to operational and commercial flexibility.
This approach helps to deliver international connectivity, choice and value for money, benefitting businesses and consumers. The rights secured by my officials enable services to and from airports throughout the UK, but whether to exercise those rights is, of course, a commercial decision for airlines.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department issues on best practice in tackling potholes.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
To prevent potholes and other defects from forming in the first place, well-planned maintenance is vital, which is why the Department advocates a risk-based, whole life-cycle asset management approach to all aspects of the local highway network. There are various key bits of guidance that the Department recommends to local highway authorities, including a 2016 Code of Practice on Well Managed Highway Infrastructure, produced by the UK Roads Leadership Group and available via the website of the Chartered Institute for Highways and Transportation.
Other guidance includes the 2019 “Potholes: a repair guide” on which the Department worked with the Association of Directors, for Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT), and which is on the ADEPT website. This recommends that local highway authorities should wherever possible make permanent rather than temporary repairs, with temporary repairs only appropriate in emergency circumstances or where safety cannot be managed using alternative approaches.
To help local highway authorities to understand the impacts of the changing climate on local highway networks, the Department has published on gov.uk an independent report on the lessons learned from extreme weather-related emergencies over the period 2015 to 2020.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of crashes identified as to have been caused by automatism in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This information is not held by the Department.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of closing train ticket offices on (a) elderly and (b) disabled passengers.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In October 2023, the Government communicated to the industry that no ticket offices should close following consultation when it became clear that industry-led proposals did not meet the high thresholds for service set by Ministers. The consultation raised several important issues which we are working with the industry on, including the modernisation of fares and ticketing and improving accessibility.