Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the renationalisation of Northern Rail.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The financial impact on public funds from the Northern rail franchise being taken into public ownership on 1st March 2020 has not yet been finalised. Financial impacts will include any additional subsidy necessary to deliver current rail services above the cost contracted in 2015.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take help avoid disruption to railway services due to high temperatures.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Transport Secretary recognises passengers need the certainty of reliable and safe journeys, and is determined to work with industry to improve performance on the railway. We are committed to spending over £48 billion on the railway over the next five years, with an emphasis on increasing the pace of renewing outdated infrastructure to improve reliability. Network Rail is already treating rails to enable them to cope with heat, and has been applying reflective paint to reduce the heat absorbed. Since 2003, these methods have decreased the number of rail buckling incidents by 83%. In addition, Network Rail is also looking to the longer term and has in place a weather resilience and climate change strategy to ensure the infrastructure can cope with climate change and short-term periods of extreme weather.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to permit the use of electric scooters on public roads.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department recognises that people want to take advantage of the opportunities lightweight personal vehicles such as electric scooters can offer. Ministers are actively looking at ways to provide a framework for UK leadership in transport technology and innovation, and safe and effective regulation.
The Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy, published on 19 March 2019 includes a Regulatory Review to address the challenges of ensuring our transport infrastructure and regulation are fit for the future.
The Strategy can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-mobility-urban-strategy
The Department will use the Regulatory Review to examine current legislation and determine from the evidence what is needed to make the necessary changes for a safe and healthy future. One strand of this will look at options for enabling micromobility devices (such as electric scooters), and a consultation will be issued in due course.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the rate of prosecution of dangerous foreign drivers.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Road traffic legislation applies to everyone using British roads, including drivers and vehicles from other countries. Any driver stopped by the police for motoring offences in the UK will continue to be punished, whether British or foreign.
The Cross Border Enforcement Directive (2015/413/EU) assists countries in the prosecution of foreign vehicle owners when that vehicle is suspected of committing one (or more) proscribed offence in another Member State. In Britain, we prosecute the driver for these offences.
Additionally, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) operates the graduated fixed penalty and financial deposit system to enforce road traffic law for commercial goods and passenger carrying vehicles. The system covers areas such as: brakes, steering and drivers’ hours. The DVSA issues fixed penalties for non-compliance and vehicles are prohibited from moving until the defect has been rectified. In 2018/2019, DVSA inspected a total of 198,045 vehicles at roadside checks, including 104,697 non-UK vehicles.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implication for his policies of the report by Oxford Economics on behalf of the Railway Industry Association, published in February 2018.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Government welcomes the report by Oxford Economics on behalf of the Railway Industry Association, entitled “The Economic Contribution of UK Rail 2018”. My officials will be reviewing the report in detail, to consider how and where it might be used to inform future policies.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made in introducing Pothole Spotter systems.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department for Transport announced in January 2017 that we were undertaking a new innovative trial on the way potholes are identified and managed.
The Department for Transport is working in partnership with Thurrock, York and Wiltshire councils and two private sector SME’s, Soenecs and Gaist, to undertake this trial which allows high-definition cameras to be mounted to refuse collection vehicles and by deploying innovative intelligent software will identify road surface problems before they become potholes.
The trial has now commenced in Thurrock and Wiltshire and is expected to commence shortly in York once we have finalised the programme with the council.