Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 10 November (HL11340), in the Transport Analysis Guidance what, if anything, is the smallest period of time that can be taken into account in evaluating time saved by a scheme under consideration.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Transport models are capable of capturing almost any scale of changes in journey time, down to fractions of seconds. Typically, these are aggregated across travellers to provide a measure of the impact of the scheme.
In the Department’s Appraisal Summary Table, used to capture the key results in the appraisal, promoters are requested to provide a breakdown of the total monetary value of net journey time changes by the following increments:
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 10 November (HL11340), when were the Stated Preference Techniques used in Transport Analysis Guidance assessments last updated.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport’s (DfT’s) Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) uses evidence based on a range of valuation methods, including Stated Preference (SP) techniques.
The valuations of changes to passenger travel time in TAG are based on a large-scale set of SP surveys carried out in 2014/15, which surveyed 9,000 individuals and businesses to understand travel behaviour, and elicited values relating to travel time and reliability, as well as parameters relating to journey quality. Findings from this research were implemented in TAG in 2017, and are kept under review.
Further guidance on journey quality impacts for bus and active mode travel are underpinned by SP studies undertaken in 2009 and 1996/7 respectively, while evidence on the ‘option value’ of rail travel is drawn from a 2006 SP study.
Aspects of the evidence base in TAG on impacts to life and health, used in the appraisal of environmental and safety impacts, draw on several SP studies undertaken during the 1990s.
The DfT regularly reviews the evidence base underpinning TAG to ensure it remains a robust basis for investment decision-making. This includes commissioning new research using a variety of valuation methods. A notable recent example relates to the 2023 DfT and National Highways-commissioned study into road freight values of travel time, which utilised SP techniques.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 11 November (HL11526), when the post-opening evaluation of Worcester Parkway Station will be carried out.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Worcestershire Parkway was funded by Worcestershire County Council (WCC), it developed the business case with forecast usage, revenue and costs. The Government supported it through a commercial agreement for train services to use the station. The Government has not commissioned post opening evaluation, but WCC has undertaken studies that show the passenger usage and revenue has exceeded their forecast. Lord Bradshaw is advised to contact WCC for further information.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of reports that the National Cyber Security Centre is evaluating whether the Chinese bus manufacturer Yutong can deactivate buses remotely, (1) what is the timetable for this evaluation, and (2) what assessment they have made of recent security concerns raised by the governments of Norway and Denmark in respect of Chinese-made electric buses.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government takes national security extremely seriously and continuously monitors, understands and mitigates potential security threats from a wide range of technologies. My officials are looking into the Norwegian reports and will feed any new information into our continuing work.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield on 3 November (HL11119), what proportion of the solar panels being used in the UK are manufactured domestically or in Europe.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not hold this information.
Several small firms based across the UK are involved in assembling conventional solar panels at a small scale as well as more innovative, building-integrated roof slates, and thin film technology that can also suit structurally lighter roofs. Several other firms also produce mounting structures and composite electrical equipment for ground-mounted and rooftop solar installations.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the YouGov report Press regulation: public attitudes and expectations, published by the Press Recognition Panel on 5 November; and whether they plan to take further action in this area.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is interested in a range of evidence concerning public attitudes to news media and we have noted the publication of the report.
The UK has a self-regulatory system for the press, which is independent from Government. This is vital to ensure the public has access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. Our aim as a Government is to ensure we strike the balance between freedom of the press and protecting the public from harm. We are carefully considering next steps to determine the best route forward to safeguard public trust in our news media.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 27 October (HL11341), what credit was claimed for the potential reduction in congestion and journey times arising from the widening scheme on the south-western stretches of the M25; for what period these claims were made; and what has been the actual experience.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The widening of the south-western stretches of the M25 took place over twenty years ago, with the most recent scheme (M25 J12-15) completed in 2005. Any information available on schemes completed a long time ago will be held in the National Archives.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 27 October (HL11342), what were the forecast effects of (1) the Elizabeth Line, and (2) Worcestershire Parkway Station prior to their opening; and what are the latest measured effects of those schemes.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The forecast effects and latest measured effects of the Elizabeth Line are set out in two post-opening evaluation reports published in 2024 and 2025. Both reports can be found on the Transport for London website.
In summary, the evaluation evidence finds that the Elizabeth Line has had positive impact on both employment growth and housing growth, although the impacts have not been uniform across all areas. The evaluation finds that between 2015 and 2023, employment growth around Elizabeth line stations consistently outperformed the total London average (25% growth around Elizabeth line stations compared to 14% in London). The growth in jobs and connectivity has been accompanied by a surge in housebuilding. 71,000 new homes have been delivered around Elizabeth line stations since 2015. By 2024, the residential property stock around inner London Elizabeth line stations increased by 19% compared to 10% for all inner London.
The forecast effects of the opening of the Worcestershire Parkway Station were expected to be: (i) reducing road congestion and road vehicle carbon emissions by reducing road vehicle usage; (ii) address Worcestershire's poor accessibility to and from London arising from the limited frequency and length of journey time of North Cotswold Line services; (iii) transform access to the rail network for Worcestershire passengers; and (iv) tackle Worcestershire's exclusion from the Cross Country network (Bristol-Birmingham-North West/North East).
No post-opening evaluation of Worcestershire Parkway Station has as yet been carried out. However, latest measured impacts of the station are assessed as:
Passenger numbers: Over 2 million journeys in five years, far exceeding forecasts.
Carbon impact: Achieved carbon neutrality within five years; saves ~1.8 million kgCO₂e annually.
Economic and transport role: Significant modal shift to rail, reducing congestion and supporting sustainable travel; demand strong enough to trigger plans for car park expansion and service enhancements.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 27 October (HL11342), what has been the effect on projected housing growth and access to employment in the relevant areas of (1) the Elizabeth Line, and (2) Worcestershire Parkway Station.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The latest evidence on the effect of the Elizabeth Line on housing growth and access to employment can be found in the 2024 and 2025 post-opening evaluation reports. Both reports can be found on the Transport for London website.
In summary, the evaluation evidence finds that the Elizabeth Line has had positive impact on both employment growth and housing growth, although the impacts have not been uniform across all areas. The evaluation finds that between 2015 and 2023, employment growth around Elizabeth line stations consistently outperformed the total London average (25% growth around Elizabeth line stations compared to 14% in London). The growth in jobs and connectivity has been accompanied by a surge in housebuilding. 71,000 new homes have been delivered around Elizabeth line stations since 2015. By 2024, the residential property stock around inner London Elizabeth line stations increased by 19% compared to 10% for all inner London.
No post-opening evaluation of Worcestershire Parkway Station has as yet been carried out. However, the measured impact on housing and access to employment of the station are assessed as:
Housing: Strategic growth area planned for up to 10,000 homes and a new town centre; initial phase aims for 5,000 dwellings and 50 hectares of employment land by 2041.
Employment: Mixed-use development includes logistics and office space; Midlands Rail Hub proposals could add 140 weekly services, expanding access to jobs in Birmingham, Cardiff, and beyond.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 27 October (HL11341), what delays faced by road users during the works were factored into the calculations of overall reduction in congestion and journey times.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In line with the Department for Transport’s Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) Unit A1.3, User and Provider Impacts, costs to existing transport users due to the construction of a road investment scheme are recorded in the appraisal. The impact of delays during construction and maintenance are estimated using the same transport models used to predict the overall traffic effects of the scheme. Bespoke software packages, as described in TAG, are used to value the delays to transport users using standard economic parameters.
The Transport Economic Efficiency (TEE) table, produced for all road investment schemes, allows for the user delays during construction and maintenance to be recorded alongside the travel time benefits of the road investment scheme, to ensure that the economic appraisal accounts for both the benefits and disbenefits for users of the road investment scheme.