Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many High Court writs there are against High Speed Two (a) across the UK and (b) in South Northamptonshire.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
There are currently no High Court writs against HS2 Ltd.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to promote active travel; and if he will allocate funding to support the creation of a cycleway and footpath through Syresham and surrounding villages in South Northamptonshire constituency.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
On 28 July the Prime Minister launched ambitious plans to boost cycling and walking, with the aim that half of all journeys in towns and cities are cycled or walked by 2030. This includes a £2 billion package of funding for active travel over the next 5 years, which is the largest ever boost for cycling and walking, and will deliver transformational change. As part of this, the Department announced £175 million of active travel funding for local authorities on 13 November, including £1.3 million for Northamptonshire. Further decisions on funding for active travel schemes will be taken as part of the Spending Review. Decisions on which local schemes to support with this funding will be matters for local authorities.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the volume of traffic passing through the village of Farthinghoe on the A422 and (b) the effect on the wider local route network when the A422 is closed.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The A422 is managed by Northamptonshire County Council and assessments of traffic passing through the village of Farthinghoe, the effect on the wider road network, and proposals for a bypass on the A422 would be for the local council to consider.
The A422 meets the objective criteria to be eligible for funding as part of the Major Road Network (MRN). It is for Sub-National Transport Bodies, in this case England’s Economic Heartland, to work with Members of Parliament and local authorities to submit schemes for consideration for MRN funding by the end of July. If a MRN bid is submitted for this road, discussions will take place between Departmental officials, Highways England and Northamptonshire Highways, but to date none have been held.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the cost, including design and construction, of a bypass for the village of Farthinghoe on the A422.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The A422 is managed by Northamptonshire County Council and assessments of traffic passing through the village of Farthinghoe, the effect on the wider road network, and proposals for a bypass on the A422 would be for the local council to consider.
The A422 meets the objective criteria to be eligible for funding as part of the Major Road Network (MRN). It is for Sub-National Transport Bodies, in this case England’s Economic Heartland, to work with Members of Parliament and local authorities to submit schemes for consideration for MRN funding by the end of July. If a MRN bid is submitted for this road, discussions will take place between Departmental officials, Highways England and Northamptonshire Highways, but to date none have been held.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with officials at Highways England and Northamptonshire Highways on the benefits to the wider local route network of a bypass on the A422 at the village of Farthinghoe.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The A422 is managed by Northamptonshire County Council and assessments of traffic passing through the village of Farthinghoe, the effect on the wider road network, and proposals for a bypass on the A422 would be for the local council to consider.
The A422 meets the objective criteria to be eligible for funding as part of the Major Road Network (MRN). It is for Sub-National Transport Bodies, in this case England’s Economic Heartland, to work with Members of Parliament and local authorities to submit schemes for consideration for MRN funding by the end of July. If a MRN bid is submitted for this road, discussions will take place between Departmental officials, Highways England and Northamptonshire Highways, but to date none have been held.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the creation of the Major Road Network in Northamptonshire; what assessment he has made of the effect of the designation of the A422 as part of that network on the wider local route network (a) with the Farthinghoe bypass on the A422 and (b) without the Farthinghoe bypass.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The A422 is managed by Northamptonshire County Council and assessments of traffic passing through the village of Farthinghoe, the effect on the wider road network, and proposals for a bypass on the A422 would be for the local council to consider.
The A422 meets the objective criteria to be eligible for funding as part of the Major Road Network (MRN). It is for Sub-National Transport Bodies, in this case England’s Economic Heartland, to work with Members of Parliament and local authorities to submit schemes for consideration for MRN funding by the end of July. If a MRN bid is submitted for this road, discussions will take place between Departmental officials, Highways England and Northamptonshire Highways, but to date none have been held.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will visit the village of Farthinghoe to discuss with local residents the potential merits of the Farthinghoe bypass.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The A422 is managed by Northamptonshire County Council and assessments of traffic passing through the village of Farthinghoe, the effect on the wider road network, and proposals for a bypass on the A422 would be for the local council to consider.
The A422 meets the objective criteria to be eligible for funding as part of the Major Road Network (MRN). It is for Sub-National Transport Bodies, in this case England’s Economic Heartland, to work with Members of Parliament and local authorities to submit schemes for consideration for MRN funding by the end of July. If a MRN bid is submitted for this road, discussions will take place between Departmental officials, Highways England and Northamptonshire Highways, but to date none have been held.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department last (a) undertook a review and (b) updated the National Policy Statement for National Networks; and whether he plans undertake a (i) review of and (ii) public consultation on the National Policy Statement for National Networks in the next parliamentary session.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Secretary of State may review and update the National Policy Statement for National Networks (NPS NN) at his discretion. The Department’s focus is to ensure that the NPS NN, introduced in 2014, remains fit-for-purpose. At this time there are no ambitions or fixed timescales for a review of the NPS NN. Should the Secertary of State decide to amend or replace the NPS NN there will be a public consultation.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will update the business case for High Speed 2 to reflect the fact that there will be no link with High Speed 1.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We will continue to revise and update the economic case for HS2 as new project milestones are reached, such as decisions on the preferred route for Phase 2, to ensure it is based on the best available evidence and latest understanding of the project, including taking account of the decision to remove the existing proposals for the HS1-HS2 link from the scheme.