Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of implications for his policies of the decision by the Office of Rail and Road to change timetable publishing periods from 12 to eight weeks.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Network Rail is seeking to reduce the time it takes to produce rail timetables to improve the industry's ability to respond more quickly to changes in demand patterns. This would mean that final timetables are published eight weeks in advance rather than 12 weeks as they are currently required to do.
Plans for this change have not been finalised and are a decision for the rail industry. The plans would require a change to the Network Licence Conditions for Network Rail. In response to Network Rail’s proposal, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), as the regulator, launched a formal public consultation seeking to take public views into account when making its decision about the licence change. The consultation ended on 25 May 2023 and the ORR are currently assessing stakeholders’ views before re-engaging with the industry on the matter.
In anticipation of this change taking place, Network Rail has been working with operators to develop systems that would enable provisional timetables to be published earlier to facilitate advance ticket booking - a measure I firmly support. The Department expects the rail industry to ensure that passengers are at the heart of decision making and that any new processes protect and enhance the customer experience.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of using asphalt to resurface roads on health.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
It is the responsibility of each local highway authority to manage its road network and to decide what materials are used for any resurfacing. These decisions should be based on local needs and priorities. Organisations undertaking works on the highway should have up to date risk assessments and Health and Safety Plans in line with current Health and Safety legislation.
The Government encourages the use of warm-mix asphalts to reduce the health and safety risks associated with the production and laying of asphalt at higher temperatures. Warm-mix asphalts reduce the risk of burns, and fume generation is reduced by around 50% for each 10°C reduction in temperature.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to provide support to refugees who wish to register their vehicles in the UK.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
My Department recognises the difficult circumstances of Ukrainians arriving here fleeing the conflict. As such, to support the registration of Ukrainian vehicles we have permitted some temporary modifications to be accepted in certain circumstances where a Ukrainian visa holder vehicle requires Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA), such as the use of beam deflector stickers. Specific agency personnel have also been assigned to support Ukrainians who wish to register their vehicle. The Department continues to explore options for how it can further support the Ukrainian community, I will keep this House and the Ukrainian community in the UK updated on this work.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 180134 on Railways: Concessions, when his Department plans to publish the outcome of its review of the Disabled Persons Railcard.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Department is currently working alongside the Rail Delivery Group and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee to undertake a review of the Disabled Persons Railcard and expects to complete the review during 2023.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to review the current level of revenue funding for active travel.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department has confirmed that a total of at least £100m of dedicated capital funding for active travel will be provided over the two-year period of 2023/24 to 2024/25. It is currently finalising the revenue budget for active travel for those years as part of its consideration of all future spending plans.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to review the level of funding planned for active travel until the end of this Parliament.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
A total of over £3 billion of Government funding is projected to be invested in active travel over the five years up to 2025 from a wide range of ring-fenced and non-ring-fenced funds. The Department has confirmed that a total of at least £100m of dedicated capital funding for active travel will be provided over the two-year period of 2023/24 to 2024/25. It is currently finalising the revenue budget for active travel for those years as part of its consideration of all future spending plans.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on the level of funding for active travel.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Officials from the Department meet regularly with active travel stakeholders to discuss questions of funding, policy and programme delivery. This includes regular meetings of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Stakeholder Advisory Group, which last met on 27 April.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to protect the active travel 4 budget.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Active Travel England will be shortly announcing the recipients of the £200 million of ATF4 funding. Investing in active travel is a transformative way to improve health and air quality, cut carbon emissions and support local economic growth. The £200m is part of over £3 billion which the Government is investing into active travel up to 2025.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 180134 on Railways: Concessions, if his Department will take steps to ensure that updated eligibility criteria use identity-first language such as autistic people.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Disabled Persons Railcard is administered by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on behalf of the rail industry.
The Inclusive Transport Strategy (ITS) was published on 25 July 2018. The ITS sets out the key policy and investment priorities to deliver a wholly inclusive transport system. Among the key rail commitments include the Department working with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) to undertake a review of the Disabled Persons Railcard (DPRC).
The Department will expect RDG to confirm if they plan to use identity-first language when outlining eligibility criteria following completion of the review.
We expect that the review will be completed in the first half of 2023. The review has looked at different aspects of the current card (e.g., eligibility and discount rate) and is now considering how a revised or refreshed card could be realised for the post-Covid railway.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for the Disabled Persons Railcard to include people with autism spectrum conditions who do not claim benefits; and what discussions he has had with stakeholders on this topic.
Answered by Huw Merriman
As per our Inclusive Transport Strategy commitment, the Department alongside the Rail Delivery Group and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) is currently undertaking a review of the Disabled Persons Railcard. The review is considering the eligibility criteria and also the options to verify entitlement.