Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if Ministers within her Department will meet with the hon. Member for North Cornwall to discuss safety improvements at the A30 junction at Plusha.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
I would be delighted to meet with the Hobourable Member to discuss these issues, and I understand this has been arranged and will take place in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to help prevent (a) accidents and (b) fatalities at the A30 junction at Plusha in the last 12 months.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
National Highways have conducted a study of the section of the A30 between Kennards House and Five Lanes which includes the junction at Plusha. Fatalities have all occurred due to right turn movements out of Plusha, and in November 2024 National Highways closed this crossover with temporary traffic measures preventing these movements eastbound towards Launceston. Instead, road users are being encouraged to use the nearby Five Lanes grade separated junction. The speed limit has also been reduced to 50mph at this location. National Highways, working with Cornwall Council and Devon and Cornwall Police, will be delivering a £4.6m scheme to improve the safety of this junction and broader route by limiting movements at a number of junctions along the A30.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government's forthcoming road safety strategy will prioritise infrastructure improvements at the A30 Plusha Junction in North Cornwall constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My department is developing our road safety strategy, the first in over a decade, and will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the maximum age threshold of driving volunteer minibus services to 80.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
An individual driving a minibus using additional entitlements through a Category B (Car) driving licence, may drive a minibus after the age of 70 but must demonstrate they meet higher Group 2 medical standards for reasons of passenger safety and safety to other road users. There are no plans to change this.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the maximum authorised mass permitted for volunteer minibus drivers to over 3.5 tonnes.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Drivers wishing to operate a passenger carrying vehicle with 8-16 seats must have the D1 entitlement on their driving licence. For drivers using their car licence to drive a minibus where the licence was first obtained after 1 January 1997, this weight is limited to 3,500kgs. Many minibuses come under the proscribed weights and can therefore be driven using additional entitlements on a category B (Car) licence. Any decision to amend existing rules would require a careful assessment of the road safety implications and our international obligations. The Department has no current plans to conduct such an assessment.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Cornwall Newquay Airport to London Southend Airport route operated by Eastern Airways is part of a Public Service Obligation deal.
Answered by Mike Kane
The Cornwall Newquay Airport to London Southend Airport route planned by Eastern Airways is a commercial service that is not part of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) contract.
The Department for Transport along with Cornwall Council continues to fund the PSO between Cornwall Newquay Airport and London Gatwick.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional (a) funding and (b) support for (i) local authorities and (ii) harbourmasters to (A) safely dispose of and (B) reclaim abandoned vessels.
Answered by Mike Kane
Many ports already have powers to remove, dispose of, and recoup costs pertaining to abandoned vessels. Environmental impact is a factor that may be considered as a part of a decision to intervene. If ports do not have powers to remove vessels, they can seek additional powers if needed by means of a Harbour Revision Order As these legal avenues already exist, the Department has taken no recent action, nor plans to undertake an assessment but we continue to welcome input from stakeholders on these issues.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to (a) reduce the number of abandoned leisure boats and (b) mitigate environmental damage from those boats.
Answered by Mike Kane
The department has taken no recent steps to address either of the two issues raised in the question. The department has issued advice in the port marine safety code around the issue of abandoned vessels, but that advice is aimed at vessels which pose a threat to safety. The department would expect that each port would use its powers in a reasonable manner to the limit of its authority to address any issue caused by abandoned leisure vessels, and would do so in would environmentally responsible way.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a detailed national registration system for leisure vessels.
Answered by Mike Kane
The Secretary of State for Transport has not assessed this the potential merits of introducing a detailed national registration system for leisure vessels. Whilst registering on the Small Ships Register is not mandatory, small ship owners are encouraged to register their vessel. The small ships register (part 3) currently has 34,527 vessels registered.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many scheduled trains with destinations in Cornwall were cancelled due to lack of crew in the last 12 months.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold cancellation data at this level of detail. However, we acknowledge that performance is not where it needs to be on Great Western Railway or Cross-Country services. This is due to a range of issues including infrastructure and fleet reliability, as well as traincrew availability. The Department is working closely with both operators to improve performance.