Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that East Midlands Railways is able to access the additional rolling stock set out in the franchise agreement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The additional rolling stock for regional and local services cannot be released from its present operator until that operator introduces its fleet of new trains. Officials are in regular contact with East Midlands Railway and the other train operators involved with this in order to ensure that the changes take place as quickly as possible, whilst not putting the provision of existing services at risk.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating HGV licences for drivers who have recently retired to help support key industries experiencing driver shortages.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government takes road safety very seriously and the UK has some of the safest roads in the world. It is important that drivers with Category C and C+E entitlement on their driving licences fully meet the requirements for those returning to HGV driving. This includes a driver medical and renewing their Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).
A joint DfT/industry letter will be sent to HGV licence holders this week to encourage those who have left the profession to return.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using existing cameras on the Highway network to enforce littering laws and in issue fines.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
We want to see a road network free from litter, and we agree that there is more we can all do to keep the Strategic Road Network (SRN), the motorways and principal A-roads managed by National Highways (formerly Highways England), clear of litter. National Highways continuously seeks to improve the operational effectiveness of litter picking and influencing littering behaviour through communication campaigns and raising awareness of the increased possibility of being caught littering and fixed penalty notices.
National Highways is keen to use technology to help ensure our strategic roads are part of a modern network that supports a modern country. It is in ongoing discussions with technology companies and Litter Authorities about how technology and other enforcement tools can help reduce littering at the source. Footage from cameras can already be used as evidence of roadside littering and it is for the Local Authority to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to enforce fixed penalty notices or prosecute. National Highways is working to improve the evidence it provides to Local Authorities to assist them in prosecution.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether applications made to the Pinch Points Fund will be automatically resubmitted to the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund announced at the 2020 Spending Review will invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities, including investing in local transport schemes across the UK.
The Fund will supersede existing local growth funding streams in England including the Local Pinch Points Fund. Projects previously submitted to the Local Pinch Points Fund will not be automatically resubmitted into the Levelling Up Fund.
Department officials have written to local authorities asking them whether they would like any Local Pinch Points Fund Expression(s) of Interest submitted to the DfT to be considered for funding through the Levelling Up Fund in 2021/22 and local authorities in England are encouraged to consider prioritising these projects for the first round of the Fund. These will be subject to the same assessment process as set out in the technical guidance published on the UK Government website on 26 March.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding he has allocated to repair roads in Mansfield constituency in the last year for which information is available.
Answered by George Freeman
Department for Transport funding for local highway maintenance is allocated by formula to local highway authorities at the upper tier, to county councils or unitary authorities, so it is not available by Parliamentary constituency.
In 2019/20 the Department is allocating £18.423 million to Nottinghamshire County Council for local highway maintenance. Of this, £12.006 million is the Highways Maintenance Block Needs Element, £2.501 million is Highways
Maintenance Block Incentive Element and £3.916 million is Integrated Transport Block funding. In addition, the Department allocated £0.859 million through the Pothole Action Fund and Flood Resilience Fund for 2019/20.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people aged 16 to 18 years old who will benefit from the proposed introduction of a new discount railcard for that age group in (a) Mansfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands.
Answered by Andrew Jones
All young people aged 16 – 17 are eligible to benefit from the card in these regions, and market research indicates that approximately 2/3 of young people may take advantage in the East Midlands region.