Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take legislative steps to require cyclists to wear helmets.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government strongly encourages cyclists to wear helmets, and this is reflected in The Highway Code, but there are no plans to mandate this.
A previous review of this matter concluded that the safety benefits of mandating helmets would be likely to be outweighed by the fact that it would put some people off cycling, thereby reducing the wider health and environmental benefits.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of available driving tests in Cheshire East.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.
Further information on these actions and progress of DVSA’s plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which was announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK.
Cheshire East is served by a cluster of test centres including, Macclesfield, Buxton, Newcastle Cobridge and Crewe. DVSA also has a remote site at Northwich, which is resourced with driving examiners (DE) from Chester.
From recent recruitment campaigns, for the Macclesfield and Buxton cluster of test centres, two potential DEs are undertaking training with a further two awaiting confirmation of availability for a training course.
For the Crewe and Cobridge cluster of test centres, two potential DEs are ready to start training, with one starting on 14 July. DVSA has also made offers to two more potential DEs who will start their training at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of electrifying rail routes.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This government expects electrification to play an important role to achieve our Net Zero 2050 target and, as such, we will continue to invest in electrification projects which will deliver value for money for the taxpayer. Electrification can also have wider benefits for the railway including increased reliability, cheaper operating costs and quicker journeys compared to diesel vehicles. Our strategy will be to focus on being more efficient with where we deliver electrification by leveraging the recent progress in battery technology. This will help to reduce the amount of electrification infrastructure that needs to be delivered to achieve our Net Zero target.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) English Devolution and (b) the statutory roles of Mayors on (i) rail freight paths and (ii) access.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government wants to bring decision making as close as possible to the communities those decisions impact. That is why we will give mayors a statutory role in governing, managing, planning and developing the Great British Railways (GBR) network.
This will ensure they will be appropriately consulted on GBR’s activity (including the development of railway plans, strategies and services), are able to scrutinise GBR’s performance. GBR will also be required to have due regard to devolved transport strategies.
An enhanced role for mayors will be balanced with GBR's role as the directing mind for the national network. The establishment of GBR will bring together responsibility for managing allocation of capacity and management of the infrastructure. GBR will therefore be able to make the best use of the rail network and provide a seamless service for passengers and freight users.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to ensure the Integrated Transport Strategy prioritises road safety.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Integrated National Transport Strategy will be published this year and set the long-term vision for transport in England, recognising the key role transport must play in driving growth and opportunities. The exact scope of the Strategy is being developed through a series of engagement activities that include a Call for Ideas and Regional Roadshows, but we will look at all modes to understand how transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve its users.
Improving road safety is one of my highest priorities. Too many people are killed and seriously injured in road traffic collisions, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. The Department is developing a road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to (a) help improve road infrastructure and (b) tackle traffic congestion around the Nantwich Bypass.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is the responsibility of the local transport authority to determine investment priorities for its transport network. The Nantwich Bypass (A51/A500) is a local highway and therefore falls under the jurisdiction Cheshire East Council, the local highway authority. In 2025/26, Cheshire East Council will receive a share of the £1.6 billion in capital funding for local highways maintenance, amounting to £21 million (£15.5 million baseline funding and £5.5 million in new funding).
Cheshire East Council will also receive a share of the £650 million-plus funding for local transport announced in the Autumn Budget 2024. This funding aims to support everyday journeys and improve transport connections in our towns, villages, and rural areas, as well as in our major cities.
Future funding beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the multi-year spending review in the spring, aligned with the government's new Integrated Transport Strategy, ensuring we are taking decisions in the long-term interests of the country.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to include people with mental health problems in the disability criteria for disabled railcards.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Disabled Persons Rail Card (DPRC) supports over 300,000 with disabilities to travel more affordably, recognising that people with a disability often face additional costs and barriers to participating in day-to-day activities such as travel. Although those with a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability can be eligible for a DPRC already, under some circumstances, the Department for Transport is currently reviewing the criteria to ensure they reflect a more comprehensive understanding of disability, particularly in relation to non-visible disabilities, and how people demonstrate their eligibility.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure airlines do not discriminate against elderly people who are not able to digitally check-in.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Nobody should be discriminated against because of their age when travelling by air.
All passengers have the choice to check in for their flight at the airport.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has plans to mandate a standard platform height for train stations.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ensuring accessibility for all passengers is at the heart of the Government’s passenger-focused approach and we will work to deliver a more reliable and consistent customer experience for everyone with accessibility needs.
Level boarding is an important factor, and the procurement of new trains will need to take account of allowing passengers to board and alight with ease.
At present, new, renewed or upgraded platforms at train stations in Great Britain are required to meet a nominal height of 915mm, as mandated by the National Technical Specification Notices and National Technical Rules for the interoperability of the GB railway.
There is no current plan to change these mandatory platform heights requirements for stations on the conventional mainline railway, but the Department keeps all rail interoperability requirements under review.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the accessibility of the railways for disabled people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. Since April 2024, 13 stations have been completed with a further 18 due to be completed by April 2025. This will be the most stations completed in one year since the programme started in 2006. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.