Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the provision of information at bus stops for visually impaired people.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
I recognise the importance of bus station and stop accessibility in facilitating inclusive end-to-end journeys, and we have commissioned research to understand the perspective of disabled passengers and others.
The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) were created to deliver equality of opportunity for disabled bus and coach users, enabling all passengers to travel in safety and comfort. In June we launched a Call for Evidence as part of a wider review of PSVAR, to obtain views on how effective the Regulations have been and how they might evolve to continue meeting the access needs of all passengers.
Ultimately, the provision of bus stations and bus stops is a matter for Local Authorities, who must pay regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty and comply with other equalities duties, when taking related decisions.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has issued to bus drivers on carrying passengers who are (a) frail and (b) use mobility aids.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Operators of bus and coach services have various duties to support disabled passengers, which include the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 and the Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations 1990. The government has previously issued guidance to support their implementation.
Earlier this month we made the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations and will soon publish guidance to support operators to implement the new requirements.
The government has also published the “REAL” training course to help transport providers ensure their staff understand disabled people’s rights and how to support them effectively.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of further extending the bus fare cap.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government introduced the £2 fare cap on single bus tickets in England outside London on 1 January 2023 to help passengers save on their regular travel costs and to help increase patronage on buses. The Department for Transport’s interim report evaluating the first month of the scheme found that 10% of survey respondents were making more bus journeys since the scheme started, and around a third felt that the fare cap had had a positive impact on their cost of living. A survey conducted by Transport Focus of over 1,000 people also reported that 11% of respondents stated that they were using the bus more as a result of the cap.
This scheme was due to end on 30 June 2023, but on 17 May, the Department announced that the £2 cap would be extended for a further four months from 1 July until 31 October. This will be followed by a longer-term fare cap of £2.50 from 1 November 2023 to 30 November 2024, with both the extension to the £2 cap and the £2.50 cap being backed by further Government investment of up to £200 million.
The Department will continue to monitor the impact of the fare cap and use the results to inform future approaches, policies and interventions to support the bus sector.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to help support local authorities to (a) maintain and (b) extend bus routes.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government has provided over £2 billion in emergency and recovery funding for bus services in England outside London since March 2020. On 17 May, the Government announced a long-term approach to support and improve bus services with an additional £300 million from July 2023 until April 2025. £160 million of this funding will be provided to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) through a “Bus Service Improvement Plan plus” (BSIP+) mechanism focused on improving bus services in local areas, whilst allowing local authorities to make local decisions on protecting services. The remaining £140 million will be provided to bus operators via a “Bus Service Operators Grant plus” (BSOG+) mechanism to help protect vital services.
The Government is also providing over £1 billion to 34 local LTAs to support the delivery of their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), including to maintain and extend bus routes. Following the announcement of 17 May, the Department has changed the rules to allow LTAs who were allocated BSIP funding to use up to 10% of this funding to support existing services where necessary. A switch of over 10% of this allocation will require approval from the Department for Transport.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of river transport on pollution levels in urban settings; and what comparative assessment he has made of recent trends in (a) road and (b) river transport usage.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Whilst operational usage of rivers and canals is a matter for the relevant navigation authorities, rather than the Department for Transport, as part of the development of the Future of Freight Plan, published in 2022, Government engaged with the inland waterways sector to better understand domestic freight flows but has made no specific assessment of individual waterways.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential ways rivers may be further utilised as urban transport routes (a) nationally and (b) on the River Ouse, Yorkshire.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Whilst operational usage of rivers and canals is a matter for the relevant navigation authorities, rather than the Department for Transport, as part of the development of the Future of Freight Plan, published in 2022, Government engaged with the inland waterways sector to better understand domestic freight flows but has made no specific assessment of individual waterways.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a frequent flyer levy.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Matters related to taxation are the responsibility of HM Treasury.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the level of funding for active travel on the level of vehicle emissions in the next five years.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Transport Decarbonisation Plan, published in 2021, set out the range of greenhouse gas emissions savings projected to be delivered by 2050 as a result of active travel policies. As the Plan sets out, the Department will continue to adapt its plans and take further action if needed to decarbonise transport, including publishing progress and reviewing the pathway at least every five years.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to enable (a) local authorities and (b) devolved administrations to contribute to the development of his Department's the priorities for delivering a strategy to meet local transport needs.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The department regularly engages with English Local Transport Authorities and Local Highways Authorities to inform policy making. This can be through national bodies such as the UTG or ADEPT, or regional bodies such as the Sub-national Transport Bodies. There is also ongoing engagement with officials, including via our Area Leads who are Local Authorities’ key interface with the department.
We are also due to shortly publish updated guidance on how LTAs should develop their Local Transport Plans. These plans should set out an area’s strategic approach to their local transport, and will be a key tool in enabling strategic discussions between LTAs and the department.
My ministerial colleagues and I also have good relationships with our counterparts in the devolved governments and have held several meetings since our appointment. I attended the Inter-ministerial Group for Transport on Wednesday 24 May, which was chaired by the Welsh Government. The meeting had a productive discussion including on local transport needs, and there was agreement to further collaboration and information sharing between the governments on Active Travel policy. It plans to meet again in September.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason his Department has reduced the planned level of funding for active travel in the period to 2025; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing funding for road building measures as an alternative.
Answered by Jesse Norman
This Government has done more than any other in relation to the promotion of walking and cycling, and it remains fully committed to the vision that by 2030 half of all journeys in towns and cities are walked or cycled as well as to the objectives outlined in the second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
Around £3 billion is projected to be invested in active travel up to 2025, despite the need for efficiency savings across Government. These were due to global financial pressures, triggered by the impact of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, as well as by supply chain disruption as the global economy recovers from the effects of Covid-19.
These factors are affecting all areas of transport spend. However, the Department is managing inflation within the existing budgets by deferring the construction and development of several major schemes, as set out in the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament on 9th March.