Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of a transfer of responsibility for litter clearance for all All-Purpose Trunk Roads in all local authority areas to Highways England on (a) the environmental impact of roadside litter and (b) access arrangements for maintenance.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department is working closely with Highways England and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to determine the potential effects of any transfer of responsibility for roadside litter clearance on All-Purpose Trunk Roads from Local Authorities to Highways England, in relation to cost, effectiveness of litter clearance and safe access for regular road maintenance. This work is ongoing.
It is important to take a proportionate, evidence-based approach which recognises the pressures on Local Authority resources and costs associated with roadside litter clearance, especially considering the pressures which they have faced in the last year. At present, the Department has no plans to transfer responsibility of litter clearance of All-Purpose Trunk Roads on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) to Highways England.
DEFRA is due to publish a roadside litter report on All-Purpose Trunk Roads shortly and this may inform future work in reallocating responsibility for managing relevant cleaning activities from any Local Authority that is not fulfilling its statutory duties on the road network.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 May 2021 to Question 4576, if he will make it his policy to bring forward publication of the final prices for flexible season tickets; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The new flexible season tickets will go on-sale on 21 June, and become available for use on 28 June. Tickets will go on sale a week in advance to provide passengers enough time to consider the best option for them before planning travel.
A new season ticket calculator will be available for passengers to check the best value option for their travel plan.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the prices of the new flexible carnet tickets announced on 20 May have not been announced; on what date those prices will be published; for what reasons the tickets can be bought on 21 June 2021 but cannot be used for travel until seven days later; and what assessment he has made of the ability of (a) commuters (b) employers to plan for a safe return to work for people who have been working from home during the covid-19 outbreak without full information on flexible commuting costs.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
As announced on 20 May, alongside the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the Government is introducing new flexible season tickets across England this year, with the new tickets going on sale on 21 June, and becoming available for use on 28 June.
Tickets will go on sale a week in advance to provide passengers enough time to consider the best option for them before planning travel. A new season ticket calculator will be available for passengers to check the best value option for their travel plan.
Illustrative savings for routes across the country are available now in the press notice announcing the launch of flexible season tickets on www.gov.uk, but final prices will be published on 21 June.
We continue to work closely with operators and other stakeholders to ensure we can support people to return to the network safely and with confidence, including people travelling to work, in line with the milestones set out in the Government’s roadmap for exiting national measures. In line with the easing of restrictions on 17 May, operators increased service levels to around 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 25 March 2021 to Question 171561 on Railways: Season Tickets, what progress he has made on his work with the Treasury to develop part-time and flexible season tickets (a) for people who need them and (b) as part of the Government’s four-step covid-19 roadmap; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government recognises the change in travel patterns, the impact of COVID-19 and therefore the need to accommodate a more flexible style of working and travelling.
The Department is actively working with train operators to develop a solution that offers better value and convenience for those who commute flexibly, and we will provide further details shortly.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant the Answer of 21 January to Question 138919, what discussions he has had with the DVSA on the proportion of (a) all garages and (b) independent garages that provide MOT pick-up and drop-off services for people who are staying at home due to the covid19; if he will publish guidance on what steps such car owners should take if they need to renew their MOT but cannot find a garage offering such a service; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department regularly discusses issues related to MOT testing with DVSA. It is estimated that at least 70% of all MOT testing stations offer these services, including all of the large chains. There are no current plans to issue guidance to drivers unable to find a garage offering this service. If motorists are unable to obtain a pick-up and drop-off service at their chosen garage, they can also ask a member of their support bubble to help. Any driver will need valid insurance cover for their use of the vehicle.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2021 to Question 150750 on Railways: Season Tickets, what progress he has made on his work with the Treasury to develop a solution for people who need part-time and flexible season tickets; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government recognises the change in travel patterns, the impact of COVID-19 and therefore the need to accommodate a more flexible style of working and travelling. We also understand concerns about the cost of some rail fares and the impact that this can have on people’s budgets.
The Department is actively working with both Treasury and train operators to develop a solution that offers better value and convenience for those who commute flexibly, and we will provide further details in line with the Government’s four-step roadmap out of lockdown.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that airline companies are providing refunds to (a) travel agencies and (b) tour operators within timeframes that are consistent with those that dictate when travel agencies and tour operators must legally provide refunds to consumers whose flights or holiday packages have been cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are currently reviewing the practices of travel agents and airlines in issuing refunds to customers affected by the travel restrictions during COVID-19. In February the CMA issued an update on enforcement action being taken with individual agencies.
The Civil Aviation Authority reviewed airlines’ compliance on refunds last summer and concluded that a number of airlines were failing to meet the process time for refunding their customers for cancelled flights. Latest data suggests that airlines are now paying the vast majority of refunds in a timely manner between 4 and 14 days.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the proposed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects relating to his Department that the Planning Inspectorate's Examining Authority recommended consent should be withheld from in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018, (e) 2019, (f) 2020 and (g) 2021.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Applications for Development Consent Orders since 2015, for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in the transport sector, where the Examining Authority has recommended withholding consent, are:
Year the Examining Authority’s Recommendation was received | Name of scheme |
2015 | East Midlands Gateway Rail Freight Interchange |
2019 | A63 Castle Street Improvement-Hull |
2019 | Manston Airport |
2019 | A303 Sparkford to Ilchester Dualling |
2020 | A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down |
Although decisions on these applications are always made in the name of the Secretary of State, some decisions are taken by other ministers within the Department for propriety reasons and without the involvement of the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with the COP26 President to facilitate access for (a) delegates, (b) media and (c) civil society to COP26 by rail.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
A multifaceted transport plan is being developed to support the delegate experience at COP26 with rail travel a key element of the plan. The plan will encourage delegates, media, and civil society travelling from Europe to consider low-carbon travel options such as rail as a way of entering the UK.
The Department for Transport is working closely with Rail Operators and Network Rail to ensure appropriate provision of rail services on the key routes to Glasgow over the period the conference is taking place. Rail will be a key sustainable mode of travel to COP26 and will certainly be encouraged.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to proposed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects relating to his Department, in respect of how many of those projects the Planning Inspectorate's Examining Authority recommended that he should withhold consent; and how many times his Department rejected those recommendations in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018, (e) 2019, (f) 2020 and (g) 2021.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Since 2015, the Examining Authority has recommended withholding consent from five Development Consent Orders for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in the transport sector; in all five cases, the Secretary of State rejected those recommendations. The Secretary of State made one of these decisions in 2016, three in 2020, and one in 2021.