Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason Highways England does not undertake audits of its contractors’ work for litter clearance.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Litter picking is an activity undertaken as part of National Highways’ cyclical maintenance programme by its maintenance and response contractors.
To monitor and manage their performance, National Highways undertakes monthly performance reviews of each of their maintenance and response contractors. This is done through the Collaborative Performance Framework which includes a metric on sweeping and cleaning. Scores are reviewed and discussed with the supplier at a monthly performance review meeting where any areas of underperformance are addressed.
Additionally, National Highways carry out annual audits of each contractor through Service Quality Reviews, as set out in their ‘perform quality audit’ process. These audits are undertaken by National Highways’ quality performance assurance teams and National Highways does not hesitate to take remedial action where required.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 4 April 2019 on Access for All, HCWS1484, how many and what proportion of the projects awarded funding through the Access for All programme (a) have been and (b) are yet to be completed.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Approximately 45% of the current Access for All programme has entered into passenger service, with approximately 55% not yet complete although the majority of these are in construction.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce key performance indicators for Highways England in the elimination of rubbish on the strategic roads network.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways are monitored against a performance indicator in the performance specification for the current Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2). This measures the percentage of the Strategic Road Network where litter cleansing is managed by National Highways which is either free of litter, refuse and detritus, or predominately free apart from some small items, in line with the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. As part of developing the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), the Department for Transport is continuing to explore potential metrics for inclusion in the RIS3 performance specification, as was well as considering improvements to existing metrics, such as litter.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether offenders under the Ministry of Justice’s community payback project scheme have been used to remove litter from (a) A roads, (b) B roads and (c) motorways.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways worked with the National Probation Service, an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice, on the Community Payback Project and provided opportunities for litter picking at motorway service areas. Trial sites included Gloucester, Hartshead Moor, Chester and Leicester Forest East.
For health and safety reasons, National Highways is unable to facilitate offenders removing litter from Motorways or All-Purpose Trunk Roads.
B roads are a matter for each individual local authority and so this data is not held by the Department for Transport.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 4 April 2019 on Access for All, HCWS1484, for what reason work to provide step-free access at Mill Hill Broadway has not yet started.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There are many technical issues to overcome at this station, given it is located on the Midland Main Line and adjacent to the M1 motorway, all of which are currently under consideration.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 4 April 2019 on Access for All, HCWS1484, what recent estimate he has made of when work to provide step-free access at Mill Hill Broadway will be started.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Access for All project at Mill Hill Broadway station is at the outline design stage. Network Rail are in the process of reviewing and challenging the cost estimate provided by the contractor.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, over which motorway service areas his Department holds the freehold interest.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government, via its shareholding of National Highways, owns the freehold of 35 following motorway service areas:
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Highways England has used the community payback scheme in the last three years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways has collaborated with the National Probation Service, an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice, to provide opportunities for community service order candidates. In 2021 and 2022, National Highways was invited to make arrangements for litter picking trials and light maintenance at several motorways service areas including trial sites at Gloucester, Hartshead Moor, Chester and Leicester Forest East. In August 2023, National Highways also launched a project where candidates serving community service orders are assisting with graffiti removal and general maintenance in subways.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what was the original cost of the Access for All project at Mill Hill Broadway station.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Access for All project at Mill Hill Broadway station is at the outline design stage. The initial contractor estimate to deliver the project is £8m, which Network Rail are currently reviewing and challenging.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated cost is of the Access for All project at Mill Hill Broadway station.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Access for All project at Mill Hill Broadway station is at the outline design stage. Network Rail are currently reviewing and challenging the cost estimate.