Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential uses for electric rolling stock which is non-compliant with disability access legislation for freight.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Any passenger rolling stock that did not meet the relevant accessibility regulations was returned to their respective owner prior to 31 December 2021. One such owner, Varamis Rail, has been successful in launching a freight service using converted Class 321 units following First of a Kind funding from the Department for Transport, in partnership with Innovate UK.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to reduce the number of suicides on the railways; what additional resources and measures, if any, they plan to introduce for the British Transport Police to minimise disruptions; and what additional training they plan to provide, if any, for railway employees.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is committed to working with the rail industry to reduce the number of deaths by suicide. Each rail operator is responsible for delivering a suicide prevention plan and maintaining accreditation to the independently assessed Safeguarding on Rail Scheme.
Their plan must include training of public-facing staff in suicide prevention, putting in place mitigation measures at stations and promoting avenues of help for vulnerable people at risk of suicide or self-harm.
The British Transport Police works in collaboration with its partners to ensure incidents are managed swiftly and people are treated with dignity.
Network Rail has a long-standing relationship with The Samaritans and funds the ‘Small Talk Saves Lives’ campaign. Since launching in 2017, the campaign has successfully raised awareness within railway stations and other public settings about the need to trust your instincts and start a simple conversation if you think someone might need help.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure the successful rollout of suicide prevention strategies for the rail network during and after the process of nationalisation.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to delivering a railway which is safe and secure for the public.
Reducing the number of deaths by suicide is a priority for the Department for Transport (DfT), with each rail operator currently responsible for delivering a suicide prevention plan, which includes the training of public-facing rail staff in suicide prevention and working with the British Transport Police (BTP) to deliver mitigation measures.
The Government will continue to make suicide prevention a priority for public sector operators, and will work with the BTP, Network Rail, the operators and DfT OLR Holdings Limited (DOHL) to enhance the existing approach to suicide prevention, including improvements to training for all staff working on our railways.
Network Rail has a long-standing relationship with The Samaritans, and funds the ‘Small Talk Saves Lives’ campaign. Since launching in 2017, the campaign has successfully raised awareness within railway stations and other public settings about the need to trust your instincts and start a simple conversation if you think someone might need help.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many electric trains are being held by rolling stock companies and have not been released to train operators; and how many electric trains have been scrapped in the last five years.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department does not track how many electric trains are with rolling stock operators but not leased to train operators.
I am able to say however that there are a number of new electric passenger train fleets undergoing testing prior to delivery to operators; these include South Western Class 701, East Midlands Class 810 and West Midlands Class 730. It is a matter for rolling stock owners to determine the future use of any fleets returned by passenger train operators.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 22 July (HLWS15), when they will introduce a Bill to establish a revenue certainty mechanism for sustainable aviation fuel; what is their assessment of the impact that delays in the introduction of the Bill have had on investment in the United Kingdom; and what progress they have made towards introducing a sustainable aviation fuels mandate to start from by 1 January 2025.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As announced in the King’s Speech, we will legislate in this session to introduce a revenue certainty mechanism for sustainable aviation fuel. We are on track to have legislation in place by the end of 2026. We will continue to work to support the development of a UK SAF sector.
The Government will be ready to implement the SAF Mandate on 1 January 2025. The SAF Mandate statutory instrument was approved by the House of Commons on 9 September with the House of Lords approving the regulation today (6 November).. The Department for Transport has shared draft guidance with obligated parties and aims to publish final versions of the guidance before the end of 2024. An IT system to administer the SAF Mandate is on track to be operational for the start of the SAF mandate scheme and is currently being tested with industry.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following their announcement on 9 September of the extension of bus franchising powers to local authorities, what steps they are taking to support and ensure that local authorities explore all franchising options, including (1) demand responsive transport, and (2) cross-boundary services.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The government has set out a plan to improve bus services based on giving local leaders the tools they need to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities they serve, including how demand responsive transport and cross-boundary bus routes can improve the experience for bus passengers.
On 9 September, the government laid a Statutory Instrument to open up bus franchising to all local transport authorities (LTAs). It also published a consultation on proposed updates to bus franchising guidance. These measures will speed up and lower the cost of franchising for LTAs. This Government will also bring forward a Buses Bill later in this parliamentary session which will remove the ban on the creation of local authority owned bus companies. This would give LTAs the option to improve connectivity for their passengers by, for example, potentially increasing services that run across local authority boundaries.
The government is also building capacity within the Department for Transport to provide practical support to LTAs throughout the process of delivering public control of buses.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they monitor the condition of bridges; and when they last received a request for data collection from local authorities concerning bridge conditions.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Monitoring the structural condition of bridges and other assets on the local highway network is a matter for local highway authorities.
The National Audit Office (NAO) recommended in its July 2024 report on the condition and maintenance of local roads in England that the Department for Transport should request information on the condition of other key road network assets, such as bridges, where local authorities are already collecting these data. The Department is currently considering its response to the NAO’s recommendations.
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Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to expanding transport funding for local authorities from annual allocations to five-year periods, in line with the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, to encourage long-term maintenance regimes; and what assessment they have made of the cost-effectiveness of this.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local road network. To this end, the Government will provide authorities with funding to help them fix up to a million more potholes across England each year.
The Government fully recognises the benefit of long-term settlements for local authorities.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to collect data from local authorities on the condition of cycleways and footpaths; whether they intend to allocate funding for maintenance; and what assessment they have made of the impact that this would have on active travel.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There is currently no agreed standard for monitoring the condition of cycleways and footways. Local authorities are required to report on carriageway surface condition under the Ministry for Housing and Local Government’s single data list, but not on the condition of cycleways and footways. Active Travel England is currently undertaking a pilot project to assess the condition of cycleways and footways in England.
The Department allocates highways maintenance funding to local highway authorities using a formula which is based on factors such as road length. It is up to local authorities to decide how best to spend this funding to fulfil their statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. In doing this, they should consider all parts of the highway network, including cycleways and footways. The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local road network. To this end, the Government will provide authorities with funding to help them fix a million more potholes across England per year.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce a National Transport Strategy.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government will develop a long-term strategy for transport, as laid out in our manifesto. This strategy will set out the Government’s vision and plan for delivering a modern and integrated transport system which better meets the needs of people across the country.