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Written Question
Bus Services: Leicestershire
Thursday 7th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to protect rural bus services in Leicestershire; and what discussions he has had with Arriva East Midlands about the necessity of such bus services.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In England, the majority of bus services outside London operate on a commercial basis. Where commercial service provision is insufficient to meet the needs of local communities, local authorities can subsidise bus services where this represents value for money. This ensures that service provision is aligned with local needs. The Department for Transport regularly engages with bus operators and local authorities throughout England on the provision of local bus services, including those in rural areas.

The Government recognises the importance of local bus services to ensuring communities can stay connected, including in rural areas, and has announced over £4.5 billion to support and improve bus services since 2020.

The over £4.5 billion includes:

o £2bn pandemic funding between March 2020 and June 2023, followed by £300m in further service support until April 2025 (of which £160m is BSIP+ (not included in the £2bn BSIP funding below) and £140m is BSOG+ funding);

o £2bn Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding, including £1bn for LTAs in the North and the Midlands recently reallocated from HS2 (of which we have already announced allocations for the first £150m in 2024/25 and allocations for 25/26 onwards will be published in due course);

o Nearly £600m of funding for the £2 fare cap until the end of 2024.

From the Bus Service Improvement Plan funding, Leicestershire County Council has been allocated over £7.5 million so far.

The Government also makes over £200 million available to bus operators every year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to help them maintain their network. A further £42 million in BSOG funding is provided directly to local authorities to help subsidise socially necessary bus services that might otherwise be commercially unviable, helping to support rural bus routes. Leicestershire County Council receives £535,302 of this funding every year.

The Government is also providing £20 million through the Rural Mobility Fund in England to trial 16 innovative demand responsive minibus services to better understand the challenges associated with introducing bookable bus services in rural and suburban settings. £1.3 million of this funding has been provided to Leicestershire County Council to trial their ‘FoxConnect’ service, covering rural areas between Hinckley and Leicester.


Written Question
Logistics: Automation
Wednesday 10th January 2024

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the impact of automation on entry-level (a) fork-lift truck drivers, (b) elementary storage occupations and (c) other logistics workers.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The ‘Future of Freight: A long-term plan’ sets out a cross-modal approach to a freight and logistics sector that is cost efficient, reliable, resilient, environmentally sustainable and valued by society. Priorities in the plan include investing in innovation while also supporting a diverse range of people to pursue careers in the sector.

We have established a People and Skills Delivery Group, bringing together government and industry, to address key barriers to recruitment and retention in the sector. Through this group, we will be assessing what technological advancements we can expect to see in the sector and what training provision will be required to retain and upskill the workforce, as well as how technology can be utilised to improve accessibility to the workforce.


Written Question
Inland Waterways: Leicestershire
Monday 4th December 2023

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to reopen the canal in Measham; and if he will take steps to provide compensation to Measham Parish Council for the loss of that amenity in recent years.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Whilst provision for the extension of the canal at Measham was made under previous plans for HS2, decisions regarding the restoration and reopening of the canal are a matter for the Ashby Canal Trust and not the Department for Transport or HS2 Ltd.


Written Question
High Speed 2 Line: Compulsory Purchase
Wednesday 29th November 2023

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many properties were purchased by HS2 Ltd using compulsory purchase orders in (a) North West Leicestershire constituency and (b) the UK.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

There have been no land or property purchased using compulsory purchase powers in the North West Leicestershire Constituency. The Secretary of State does not have compulsory powers for Phase 2b of the scheme.

It is not practicable to provide a figure for the number of properties that have been acquired via compulsory purchase order for the delivery of the HS2 project, as it is land parcels that are required for its delivery and so that is what is recorded.


Written Question
Listed Buildings: Appleby Magna
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the Land Registry does (a) not include a record of the sale in 2011 and (b) include a record of the sale in 2015 of the Old Rectory in Appleby Magna.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Land Registry only records the most recent transaction unless there are previous transactions which created binding benefits and burdens. Individuals can apply to Land Registry for historic copies of the register showing previous ownership and transaction information.


Written Question
Property: Appleby Magna
Tuesday 21st November 2023

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the Land Registry does (a) include a record of the sale in 2011 and (b) not include a record of the sale in 2015 of the Old Rectory in Appleby Magna.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Land Registry does have a record of the sale in 2015 of the Old Rectory in Appleby Magna and a copy of the Land Registry summary of title document is attached.


Written Question
Railways: Midlands
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to reopen the Ivanhoe line from Burton-on-Trent to Leicester.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The project is in the Development stage and is currently focusing on the reinstatement of services between Derby and Coalville. This will reconnect all key towns in the corridor and is likely to be deliverable the fastest. The Department is considering how an extension of this service to Leicester is best progressed.


Written Question
High Speed 2 Line: East Midlands
Monday 30th January 2023

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to link up HS2 to the Midland Mainline through the East Midlands Hub.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Integrated Rail Plan set out plans for a new high speed line between the West and East Midlands, connecting to an electrified Midland Main Line near East Midlands Parkway (HS2 East). Following the publication of the Integrated Rail Plan, DfT asked HS2 Ltd and Network Rail to work together to develop options on how to take forward HS2 East. This work is ongoing.


Written Question
High Speed 2 Line: Expenditure
Wednesday 7th December 2022

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how (a) much money and (b) many hours have been spent by (i) High Speed Two Limited and (ii) his Department on (A) the design and (B) consultation on the proposed HS2 line to Leeds from the East Midlands Hub since 21 November 2021.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Preparatory work on the study envisaged in the IRP of how HS2 services could best reach Leeds has been undertaken using existing Department for Transport staff as part of their routine work. No consultation has been launched. We intend to publish the terms of reference for the Study soon.

HS2 Ltd has not undertaken, and no money and no hours have been spent on, any proactive work (design or consultation) on the section of high speed route to Leeds from the East Midlands Hub in the period in question.


Written Question
Large Goods Vehicle Drivers
Wednesday 28th September 2022

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the number of HGV drivers in the UK; and what steps she is taking to address any shortages of those drivers.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The Office for National Statistics Annual Population Survey estimates that the number of HGV drivers in the twelve-month period ending March 2022 was 262,700, this is up from 253,200 in the twelve-month period ending December 2021. ONS have identified and are investigating an issue in the classification of some occupations in its statistics. While investigations are still ongoing, it is not anticipated that figures of HGV/LGV drivers will be significantly impacted.

In response the Government has taken decisive action to address the HGV driver shortage putting in place 33 short, medium and long-term interventions to date to help alleviate the existing HGV driver shortages. These interventions include investing up to £34 million to create skills bootcamps to train up to 11,000 more people to become HGV drivers. We are also supporting HGV driver training through apprenticeships, including the Large Goods Vehicle Driver and Urban Driver apprenticeships. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Jobcentre Plus are also supporting returning to driving and helping jobseekers become HGV drivers where appropriate.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has expanded HGV driver testing capacity and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has improved licencing processes in order to help get these new drivers on the road.

The Government continues to have positive engagement with the sector who report that the 33 measures are working.