Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of permitting a twelve month extension to MOT tests for heavy goods vehicles in cases where it can be shown to be safe to do so; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is aware of calls from some sectors of the road haulage industry to issue Certificates of Temporary Exemption for periods of up to 12 months, in order to mitigate operational issues. These views are being actively considered at present. Consequent to passage of the Business and Planning Bill, regulations will be made relating to this issue in coming weeks.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has in place to enable commercial vehicles to undergo MOT testing; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The restart of heavy vehicle testing at scale was announced on 19 June to take effect from 4 July. Testing will initially be on a voluntary basis and Certificates of Temporary Exemption will still be available to manage the backlog of tests.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is providing to Network Rail on new open access rail applications such as those on the Great Western Main Line to operate between London, Bristol and South Wales.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department responded to Network Rail’s consultation on the latest open access application on the Great Western Main Line. The matter remains under consideration by Network Rail and the independent Office of Rail and Road.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his oral contribution of 12 May 2020, Official Report, column 176, what guidance he has provided to Network Rail on supporting new open-access rail applications.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
It is Network Rail’s responsibility to carry out a rigorous and robust assessment of the capacity and performance impacts on the network of each new open access application. The Department engages with Network Rail, as appropriate, on each new open access application.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) existing and (b) proposed open access rail operations; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The independent Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is responsible for determining access to the track for open access operators. However. we acknowledge that open access operators can play a contributory role improving rail services for passengers in circumstances where it delivers new and innovative services.
The DfT, as the competent franchising authority, have to balance the benefits of new open access operators with the impact on the value for money of taxpayers’ significant investment in the railway. We are aware that some open access operators have paused operations due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and hope to see them return to the network as soon as possible.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support he plans to provide to new open access rail proposals on the Great Western Mainline.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The independent Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is responsible for determining access to the track for open access operators. However, we acknowledge that open access operators can play a contributory role improving rail services for passengers in circumstances where it delivers new and innovative services.
The DfT, as the competent franchising authority, have to balance the benefits of new open access operators with the impact on the value for money of taxpayers’ in the railway.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to support Network Rail to identify available rail capacity on the Great Western Mainline for new open access rail services between London, Bristol and South Wales.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department responded to Network Rail’s consultation on the latest open access application submitted on the Great Western Main Line. The matter remains under consideration by Network Rail and the independent Office of Rail and Road.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to expand bus services in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision are primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. Local authorities are free to make their own decisions about the areas under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation.
Local councils are encouraged to utilise the tools in the Bus Services Act 2017, to help improve rural bus services and increase passenger numbers.
The Government provides £43 million of the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) directly to local authorities so that they can subsidise socially necessary bus services. As part of the 2018-19 local government finance settlement, the Government responded to a number of councils’ concerns over rural services funding by increasing the Rural Services Delivery Grant to £81 million. The 2019-20 settlement increased the Grant to the same level.
The additional £5 billion announced by the Prime Minister will boost bus services by including higher frequency services, new priority schemes to make routes more efficient, more affordable, simpler, fares and at least 4,000 new Zero Emission Buses.
This is on top of the £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package announced by the Government on 30 September to transform bus services across the country. This includes funds for £20 million to support demand responsive services in rural and suburban areas, which local authorities can bid for.
This package contains a further £30 million of funding to improve current services and restore lost services.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of electric car charging points (a) throughout the UK and (b) in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Government has a number of schemes which can be accessed by EV drivers across the country, including in Gloucestershire. The Government is providing funding for schemes to support chargepoint infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets. The Government’s on street residential charging scheme offers grants to local authorities to help support this investment at local level. We want to encourage private sector investment to build and operate a self-sustaining public network that is affordable, reliable and accessible. In many cases, the market is best placed to identify the right locations for chargepoints and make improvements to the network and it is essential that viable commercial models are in place.
We will continue to monitor whether any significant gaps in uptake or infrastructure provision emerge in the medium term. In the future we will consider whether there is a case for direct central government support in areas where there is a market failure, which may include areas outside the major conurbations.
In August 2017, South Gloucestershire Council were awarded £4,790,910 under Government’s [£42m] Low Emission Bus Scheme, for the provision of 110 Biomethane low emissions buses and accompanying infrastructure. The purpose of the scheme is to help improve regional air quality in UK towns and cities.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the prevalence of the use of e-scooters; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Given that electric scooters, and other micromobility devices, are treated like any other motor vehicle under the Road Traffic Act, this means they are subject to laws requiring them to conform to technical standards and be used safely. This includes requirements for users to have insurance, driving licences, number plates, and helmets. At present, it is difficult for electric scooters to meet these requirements and as such they are illegal to use on a public road. Therefore, the Department has made no assessment of their prevalence. The Future of Mobility regulatory review will address the challenges of ensuring our transport infrastructure and regulation are fit for the future. This is a broad programme of work, and we expect to publish an initial consultation in autumn this year.