Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to support rural bus services as covid-related support is reduced.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
During the pandemic, the Government has provided unprecedented levels of financial support to the bus sector through its emergency and recovery support packages. Over £1.7bn has been provided to operators and Local Transport Authorities to date since March 2020. This is in addition to £200 million of Bus Services Operator’s Grant (BSOG) paid by the Department directly to operators, and £43 million of BSOG paid directly to LTAs so that they can subsidise socially necessary bus services.
Our National Bus Strategy is explicit about seeking to ensure that the needs of rural transport users are given equal consideration to those in urban environments. The Government recognises that the transport needs of communities in rural areas differ from those in urban environments for a variety of reasons including demographics, lower population density and travel distances. All English Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) have had the opportunity to set out their requirements and needs in Bus Service Improvement Plans.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has estimates for the amount of freight transported across the A1 each week.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department for Transport does not hold data on the volume of freight that is carried on any specific route within the UK. The Department for Transport collects and publishes detailed information about domestic freight activity via the Continuing Survey of Road Goods Transport. However, while this survey asks the origin and destination of freight journeys, in order to minimise the burden on hauliers, it does not ask drivers to specify the route they have taken.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) any UK ports use China's LOGINK system and (b) his Department has made an assessment of (i) LOGINK and (ii) China's role in port logistics standards.
Answered by Robert Courts
Operational systems and IT platforms are a commercial matter for the ports concerned, and the Department for Transport does not hold records of the systems used by each port or assessments of systems available for procurement by ports. The Department for Transport regulates transport Operators of Essential Services under the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018 to improve standards of cyber security and resilience and is supported by technical advice and guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), as the UK’s national technical authority.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the Road Investment Strategy pipeline 3 projects; and whether he plans projects additional to the 32 projects already outlined.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Of the 32 “RIS3 Pipeline” projects listed in the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2), 31 are each at a different stage of development by Highways England. We expect to receive Highways England’s advice on the options for each project over the next two years, helping to inform our investment decisions for the third Road Investment Strategy that will cover the Road Period starting in 2025. Only those projects that are affordable, deliverable and secure strategic objectives will be funded for construction.
The remaining Pipeline project listed in RIS2, the A21 Safety Package, has been accelerated for delivery in the current Road Period (2020-25). Candidates for further Pipeline projects will be considered on their merits as they emerge, taking account of resources available for their development.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on safety on the A1 of the (a) frequency of motor vehicle accidents in the latest year-long period for which data is available, (b) proportion of journeys travelled by HGVs and (c) number of productivity hours lost due to motor vehicle accidents on the A1 between the M25 and the M62.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Safety is the Department and Highways England’s main priority on all sections of the Strategic Road Network (SRN), comprised of England’s motorways and principal A-roads, and this is addressed through public information campaigns and infrastructure solutions where necessary. No specific policy assessment has been undertaken on safety on the A1 as distinct from other roads.
The number of reported personal injury road accidents that included at least one motor vehicle in 2019 on the A1 and A1(M) was 802, with 326 being reported in the same year on the A1 and A1(M) between the M25 and M62. The proportion of journeys travelled by Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) on the A1 is not available. HGVs accounted for 11% of all motor vehicle traffic on the SRN in 2019, but this is not available to be broken down by road number. Data on productivity losses due to vehicle collisions is not routinely collected and monitored but is taken into account when assessing the need for specific policy responses such as infrastructure schemes.