Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve safety for pedestrians from collisions involving e-scooters.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Safety will always be a top priority for e-scooters, as for every other mode of transport. As we develop new regulations, we are determined to protect vulnerable road users by making users accountable for their actions and improving compliance with the rules. Our work will be informed by lessons learnt from trials, where measures have been put in place to improve rider training and require that e-scooters have a bell or a horn so that they are audible. We will consult publicly before any new arrangements come into force.
The use of e-scooters on the pavement is illegal under current legislation, and the Government has no plans to change this. Enforcement is a matter for the police. The Department for Transport has been in regular contact with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, who are developing a national strategy for enforcing the law around e-scooters to encourage a uniform approach to the issue.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve road safety for horse riders.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government takes very seriously the safety of horse riders and other vulnerable road users and is committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on England’s roads.
Following Parliamentary approval, The Highway Code was updated on 29 January 2022 to include changes to improve safety for all road issues - including horse riders.
Key changes include the introduction of a Hierarchy of Road Users, which ensures that those who do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat that they pose to others, along with the strengthening of guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse-riders.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help improve road safety for cyclists.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government takes very seriously the safety of cyclists and other vulnerable road users and is committed to reducing the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on England’s roads. In July 2020 the Prime Minister launched ambitious plans to encourage cycling and walking. This includes a £2 billion package of funding for active travel over 5 years, which is the largest ever boost for cycling and walking, and will deliver transformational change and improve safety for people cycling.
On 14 May 2022 the Government announced £200 million of funding for new walking and cycling schemes across England, including £35m for the National Cycle Network and a new £8 million e-cycle programme. We have also set up Active Travel England as an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport, which will have a much more hands-on role with local authorities: working with them to get their cycling and walking schemes right and making sure they deliver them properly.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve road safety for cyclists.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government takes very seriously the safety of cyclists and other vulnerable road users and is committed to reducing the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on England’s roads. In July 2020 the Prime Minister launched ambitious plans to encourage cycling and walking. This includes a £2 billion package of funding for active travel over 5 years, which is the largest ever boost for cycling and walking and will deliver transformational change and improve safety for people cycling.
On 14 May 2022 the Government announced £200 million of funding for new walking and cycling schemes across England, including £35m for the National Cycle Network and a new £8 million e-cycle programme. We have also set up Active Travel England as an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport, which will have a much more hands-on role with local authorities: working with them to get their cycling and walking schemes right and making sure they deliver them properly.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to increase suicide prevention awareness signage at (a) motorway bridges and (b) other bridges across the road network.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government and National Highways takes its responsibility to support vulnerable people on the road network extremely seriously.
National Highways has also worked in partnership with Samaritans to develop specific guidance for placing crisis signs on the Strategic Road Network and Road Investment Strategy includes dedicated funding through to 2025 for its regional teams to place signs when a need is identified.
Local authorities already have powers to provide suicide prevention signs. It is for them to work with relevant charities, public health bodies, and other stakeholder groups to consider whether such signing would be beneficial and in what locations.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points on the motorway network.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
In May last year, we published an ambitious vision for rapid charging infrastructure along strategic roads in England over the next decade. By 2023 we aim to have 6 rapid chargepoints at every motorway service area in England. By 2030 we aim to have 2,500 across the SRN and 6,000 by 2035. To support this goal, the Government will invest £950 million in the Rapid Charging Fund which will future-proof electrical capacity at motorway and major A road service areas to prepare the network for 100% ZEV uptake ahead of need. We are also working closely with devolved administrations to provide support for their plans to improve chargepoint availability on the motorway networks in their areas.
Today, a driver is never more than 25 miles away from a rapid chargepoint anywhere along England’s motorways and major A roads.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to make further financial support available to taxi businesses and drivers in response to the delayed relaxation of the covid-19 restrictions originally planned for 21 June 2021.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government has announced several measures available to UK businesses, including the taxi and private hire sector, to support them through the pandemic. The majority of taxi and PHV drivers are self-employed and can therefore apply for grants through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).
On 3 March, the Chancellor announced that the fourth SEISS grant will be set at 80% of 3 months average trading profits paid out in a single instalment, capped at £7,500.
A fifth grant covering May 2021 to September 2021 will be open to claims from late July 2021. The amount awarded will be determined by how much an operator’s turnover has been reduced in the year April 2020 to April 2021. More information on support will be provided on GOV.UK by the end of June 2021.
Operators can continue to apply for the Additional Restrictions Grant via their Local Authority, which is a discretionary grant to businesses not receiving other support or who are extremely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the economic effect on British businesses of the international shortage of shipping containers.
Answered by Robert Courts
We have not conducted a specific economic assessment. Government has been working closely with the freight sector and wider business to mitigate the impact on UK supply chains of this global issue.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the two-year period for passing a practical driving test from the date of a successful theory test for people waiting to take practical driving tests during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The two-year validity period of the theory test certificate is set in legislation and the Government has taken the decision not to lay further legislation to extend it. The primary reason is that the two-year validity is in place to ensure that a candidate’s theoretical knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point they drive on their own for the first time. Extending the validity would provide less reassurance that this is the case. Those whose certificate previously expired and have since passed the theory test will now have a further two years in which to pass the practical test.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department uses for the establishment of travel corridors between the UK and other countries.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
I refer the honourable member to the Secretary of State for Transport’s Written Ministerial Statement on travel corridors made on 6 July 2020.