Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the new train timetable on the reliability of rail services.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The December 2022 timetable was designed to improve performance through some of the busiest parts of the network, including Manchester, Birmingham and the south east. Since it was introduced, the network has faced considerable challenges, with poor weather (snow, ice, wind, heavy rain), sustained industrial action and a wide-ranging programme of engineering works. The full impact of the timetable on service performance will only become clearer when network disruption stabilises, towards the end of January.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the (a) prevalence of Japanese knotweed on (i) railway embankments and (ii) other railway land and (b) potential impact of such Japanese knotweed on nearby (A) homes and (B) businesses.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Routine vegetation inspections are carried out by Network Rail on the full rail lineside estate on a three to four year cycle. Any Japanese knotweed identified on the estate is recorded, including details of how far the knotweed is from the railway tracks and from the boundary fence onto neighbouring land. For recording purposes, the lineside estate is broken down into eighth of mile sections. Records are currently held on file for 87,000 sections of lineside estate, knotweed was present in 1.12% of those sections when last inspected.
Network Rail has an established regime to deal with Japanese knotweed on the lineside estate, whether identified by a Network Rail inspection or reported by a neighbour or member of the public. Network Rail colleagues use the recorded information in line with its specific knotweed management guidance to prioritise locations for treatment and set up chemical treatment programmes that will run for three to five years or until the problem is controlled. Where knotweed is found on both sides of a boundary fence, processes are in place to enable Network Rail to work in collaboration with the neighbouring landowner to set up the most effective treatment for that location.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to prioritise active travel since September 2022.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department has continued to prioritise its work on active travel, and the last two months have seen significant amounts of recruitment into key Active Travel England (ATE) roles, as well as a process to select ATE’s non-executive directors. ATE also announced in October that it had established a new advisory panel consisting of Chief Medical Officer Sir Christopher Whitty; Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street; Chair of the Office for Rail and Road Declan Collier; and Arup's Global Transport Lead Isabel Dedring. ATE has also continued to work behind the scenes with local authorities to review their active travel plans and help maximise their chances of securing funding for active travel schemes.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the potential merits of reducing the cost of driving tests for people in receipt of benefits.
Answered by Karl McCartney
Driving test fees are set in legislation and cannot be reduced within existing provisions.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to announce a timetable for submissions to the Access for All Programme in Control Period Seven.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I recently commissioned the next round of nominations for the Access for All programme, with a deadline of 16 September. Any station in Great Britain without an accessible route into the station, to and between all platforms will be a potential candidate.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he is undertaking on the potential impact of e-scooters on people who are visually impaired.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department is working with groups representing disabled people, including the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee and the Inclusive Transport Stakeholder Group, to review options for e-scooter regulations.
The Department is gathering data on e-scooters through trials in 30 areas, where measures have been put in place to improve safety for disabled people and people with sight loss, such as requiring e-scooters to have a bell or a horn so that they are audible. Additionally, the Department has instructed all local authorities participating in trials to engage with disability groups in their area throughout the trial period to ensure their concerns are being heard.
The Department will consult publicly before any secondary regulations for e-scooters and the rental schemes are made.