To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Cars: Insurance
Tuesday 13th February 2024

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet representatives of insurance companies to discuss bringing down the cost of car insurance.

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

Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance.


Written Question
Railways: Staff
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with train operating companies on trends in the number of people working in the rail industry.

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

The Department regularly engages with the rail industry on a range of issues, including around the workforce. The Government is committed to supporting the industry in reforming outdated working practices and improving the operational and financial sustainability of the sector.


Written Question
Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with his international counterparts on the potential merits of implementing a zero emissions vehicle mandate in their own countries.

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

The Secretary of State has done so frequently in the past, particularly at COP28, and will do so again when the opportunity arises.


Written Question
Electric Vehicles: Charging Points
Thursday 25th January 2024

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that electric vehicle charging stations are accessible to disabled motorists.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that all electric vehicle drivers can easily use public chargepoints. There are now over 53,600 available.

The Publicly Available Standard (PAS) 1899 provides specifications on designing and installing accessible chargepoints. It also considers chargepoints in the context of their wider built environment to ensure that the needs of other road and pavement users are reflected.

The Government is actively encouraging local authorities, and other relevant parties, to incorporate accessibility into their procurement models, especially as part of applications for the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.

The Government will continue to monitor progress to assess whether further intervention is required, including through a 24-month review into implementation of PAS 1899.


Written Question
Electric Vehicles: Charging Points
Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of public charge points for electric vehicles there will be by 2030.

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

The Government outlined in its 2022 Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure strategy that around 300,000 publicly available charging devices are expected to be needed to meet 2030 charging demand.

The number of public charging devices is rapidly increasing. 16,622 chargepoints were installed in 2023, bringing the total number of public chargepoints to 53,677 on 1 January 2024 – an increase of 45% since 1 January 2023. This puts us on a growth rate consistent with over 300,000 public charging devices in the UK by 2030.


Written Question
Electric Vehicles: Charging Points
Thursday 18th January 2024

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the impact on the cost of ownership of an electronic vehicle of only using public charging points.

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

Whilst the price of public charging is generally higher than domestic charging, all but the fastest chargers are still cheaper per mile than petrol. However, most EV drivers charge at home overnight where they can access cheaper, more flexible tariffs – a trend the Government expects will continue.

The Plan for Drivers announced several measures to help those without off-street parking to access cheaper domestic charging rates, including a trial grant for safe cross-pavement charging solutions.


Written Question
Electric Vehicles
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote the use of electric vehicles to help reduce running costs for (a) high mileage and (b) lower earning motorists.

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

EVs are already cheaper to run for the vast majority of drivers. Recently published independent research suggests an average saving of around £700 per year, with high mileage motorists benefitting the most.

Alongside reductions in battery costs, the Government’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, by giving car manufacturers the confidence to invest, will help drive down the purchase cost of electric vehicles. Although estimates vary, some external commentators predict price parity between EVs and ICE cars will be reached in the late 2020s.


Written Question
Large Goods Vehicles: Electrification
Thursday 11th January 2024

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help support the electrification of heavy goods vehicles.

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

The Department’s £200 million zero emission HGV demonstrator programme is supporting the introduction of up to 310 battery electric and 60 hydrogen fuel cell HGVs into UK fleets, as well as the deployment of supporting charging and refuelling infrastructure. The programme will provide real world evidence and performance data on which future investment decisions can be made.

The Department continues to work with industry stakeholders to develop a zero emission HGV and coach infrastructure strategy for publication in early 2024. A call for evidence on this topic closed on 14 December 2023.


Written Question
Electric Vehicles: Charging Points
Thursday 21st December 2023

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on installing six high powered, open access charge-points at each motorway service station by the end of 2023.

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

Around 96 per cent of motorway service areas (MSAs) now have charging available. When the aim was announced, there were only 4 ultra-rapid (150kw+) chargepoints across MSAs in England. There are now more than 260 ultra-rapid chargepoints, and more than 480 open-access (can be used with any electric vehicle) rapid (50kW) and ultra-rapid chargepoints at MSAs in total.

The Department will collect data from motorway service operators early in the New Year on how many chargepoints had been installed by MSAs by the end of 2023.


Written Question
Ports: Energy Supply
Monday 18th December 2023

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on providing maritime shore power in ports.

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

On 11 September, the government announced £29.5m of R&D funding will be allocated to shore power projects at the Port of Aberdeen, Atlantic and Peninsula’s Falmouth Port and Portsmouth International Port under the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure competition.

The Government and Ofgem published a joint Connections Action Plan on 22 November which will help to accelerate grid connections, including those that may support the deployment of shore power. We will also be publishing a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports in due course.