Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to launch its consultation on reform of the Bus Service Operators Grant.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport intends to publish the consultation on reform of the Bus Service Operators Grant later this year.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Enhanced Partnerships are operating in England outside London; and what the current status is of any proposed Enhanced Partnerships not yet operating.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
76 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in England outside London are pursuing an Enhanced Partnership (EP) to deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) and provide better bus services to passengers. The majority of LTAs that have been awarded BSIP funding have now made their EPs.
For LTAs not in receipt of BSIP funding, 10 are finalising the content of their EP, in consultation with local bus operators and the rest have either now made their EP or are in the final stage awaiting the approval of local decision makers before making their EP. We expect the vast majority of EPs to be made and in operation by 31 March 2023.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many local transport authorities have received confirmation of their Bus Service Improvement Plan funding; how much of that funding has been disbursed; and which of those authorities have received their funding.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Funding for 29 Bus Service Improvement Plans has been confirmed, representing 31 Local Transport Authorities. So far, payments have been made to 23 Local Transport Authorities to deliver the first year of their plans. To date, £143.5 million has been paid.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which local transport authorities were allocated funding for demand responsive transport schemes as part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan process; and how much funding each such authority was allocated.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Fifteen Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) were allocated funding for demand responsive transport (DRT) schemes as part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) process, totalling over £37m. This figure only includes schemes from LTAs who have had their funding confirmed. In cases where the LTA has not provided granular detail, some elements of this funding will include funding for other services alongside DRT.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to evidence given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Roads, Buses and Places to the Transport Committee at Question 423 on 29 June 2022, what progress has been made in implementing multi-operator ticketing for buses in England outside London; and what stage his Department’s planned procurement process to develop a technical solution for multi-operator ticketing and automatic revenue apportionment has reached.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
My Department is working with representatives from the bus industry, through the Project Coral consortium, as well as Transport for the West Midlands and Midlands Connect, to develop a technical solution for multi-operator ticketing and automatic revenue apportionment for buses in England outside of London. Procurement is planned later this year.
We are also encouraging local authorities in England, through Enhanced Partnerships, to pursue low-cost, interim measures whilst the national system is being developed. For example, through paper-based, multi-operator tickets and mutual acceptance of return tickets, where different operators serve the same corridor.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Environment Agency on the possibility of the River Great Ouse flooding in winter 2022-23.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State regularly discusses a range of matters with the Environment Agency (EA).
The Great Ouse river catchment area has been subject to regular flooding, with serious floods in 1912, 1947, 1953, 1998 and more recently, in 2020. The EA has worked to better protect thousands of properties from flooding in the catchment. Since 2003, the EA has invested in building and funding flood defence schemes that now better protect more than 25,000 properties across the catchment from flooding and erosion.
In the last year alone, the EA has invested around £18million in flood defence schemes and assets in the Great River Ouse catchment. It operates over one thousand assets to manage water through the catchment and it offers advice to riparian property owners on their responsibilities and how to prevent blockages to rivers that could increase flood risk. For properties in areas not protected by flood defences, the EA is looking at the potential for new schemes and also other measures such as Property Flood Resilience (PFR).
The risk of flooding can never be fully eliminated and it will continue to pose a threat to this region. The EA urge people to be prepared for flooding by following its ‘Prepare, Act, Survive’ guidance. The EA supports local flood action groups to help them better prepare their communities for future flood events and also provides the Flood Warning Service to provide time for people to prepare for flooding, and to protect their families and homes.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to ensure that the RAF provides support for the 2018 RAF 100 National Aerospace Camp; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The 2018 RAF100 National Aerospace Camp at RAF Syerston, due to take place between 18-25 August, will be fully supported by the RAF. While plans are currently being finalised, in addition to approximately 100 Cadet Force Adult volunteers, regular RAF personnel and aircraft will take part, and a number of activities are planned at local RAF bases.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what applications he has received from Milton Keynes Council for funding for (a) homelessness and (b) rough-sleeping projects since May 2014.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Department’s £50 million Homeless Prevention Programme comprises of thee funds:
£20 million to establish a network of 28 ambitious Homelessness Prevention Trailblazer areas;
£20 million rough sleeping grant fund for 48 projects providing targeted prevention and early intervention for those at imminent risk of sleeping rough; and
£10 million for 8 Social Impact Bond projects to provide personalised support for long-term rough sleepers.
Milton Keynes submitted bids for all three funds. In response to their cross-authority bid with Luton and Bedford for Rough Sleeping Grant funding, they were awarded £624,000.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons provide prisoners with their possessions in a holdall on release.
Answered by Rory Stewart
It is policy that all prisoners are issued with a plain nylon bag to carry his or her property upon final release.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.
Answered by Mark Field
Tackling the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is a priority for the Foreign Secretary and for me. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will jointly host, along with Defra and DFID, a high level International IWT Conference in London in October 2018. Ahead of this, staff across our diplomatic missions overseas and in London are working, both bilaterally and through multilateral fora, to engage countries, NGOs, academia and business to work with us to deliver a step change in the global fight against this threat to endangered species.