Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) cost and (b) estimated timescale for the installation of appropriate equipment to support electric vehicles after 2030.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government is aware that the majority of electric vehicle (EV) drivers charge at home and expects this trend to continue. To support those driving long distances and without off-street parking, the Government estimates that by 2030, around 300,000 public chargepoints will be needed as a minimum.
The number of local public chargepoints needed will vary across different areas and over time, depending on the types of chargepoint installed, travel patterns, and consumer preferences.
The Government wants the transition to zero emission vehicles to be consumer and market-led, supported by government measures where appropriate. It will support the commercialisation of chargepoint rollout through its Local EV Infrastructure and Rapid Charging Funds.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to consult with groups representing motorcyclists on banning the sale of petrol vehicles in the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government’s public consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles, i.e. motorcycles and trikes, was open to written responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022. This is being complemented with a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement with manufacturers and the wider industry, including groups representing motorcyclists, led by Ministers.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take to support the installation of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Southport constituency.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
To ensure that the transition to electric vehicles takes place in every part of the country, the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) fund will support local authorities to work with industry to transform the availability of charging for drivers without off-street parking.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which includes Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, has been allocated £9.65 million in capital funding, and £737,000 in capability (resource) funding through the LEVI Fund. This will enable strategic local provision of public EV infrastructure, particularly for those EV drivers without off-street parking.
Local Authorities can also apply to the £15 million On-Street Residential Chargepoint scheme for support. To date, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council has not applied for these grants.
Data on electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, held by the Department for Transport, is sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap. Charging devices not recorded on Zapmap are not included and the accurate number of charging devices may be higher than recorded in these figures. As at 1st April 2023, the Department estimates that there are 12 public charging devices in Southport constituency from this data.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of renewing the contract with Avanti West Coast on operational performance on that line.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Avanti West Coast has put in place a recovery plan which has already seen positive results, with more trains running for passengers and fewer Avanti West Coast caused cancellations. Weekday services have risen from 180 to 264 trains per day, the highest level in over two years. Cancellation rates have fallen from around 25% to 4.2%, the lowest level in 12 months. In addition, over 100 additional drivers have been recruited to reduce reliance on union-controlled overtime working.
Avanti West Coast is expected to continue to adhere to the plan and drive further improvement following the decision to grant a short-term contract extension. Officials will continue to use all contractual levers to drive the best outcomes for passengers. Performance will be closely monitored ahead of any decision on the longer-term operation of the contract.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department provides to local councils to increase the provision of electric vehicle charging points.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government is committed to ensuring that the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure happens across all areas of the country.
Over the last six years, 189 different local authorities have been awarded over £55 million of funding through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, which will see more than 14,000 chargepoints installed across the UK.
To accelerate this roll-out, the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund Pilot was launched in August 2022, and expanded further in February 2023. The pilot provides almost £60 million in public and private investment to 25 different local authorities across England and will deliver over 3,400 chargepoints and 600 gullies for drivers without off-street parking.
The LEVI Pilot is supporting the development of the full LEVI Fund. One aim of the fund is to address regional charging inequality and ensure no part of the country is left behind. The Department has developed a data-led allocation model to award the funding, which considers factors such as the level of rurality and the number of vehicles without off-street parking within the local authority.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to make sure that priority seats on public transport are given to the members of public who need them in situations when they are not offered or are declined to be given up.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Priority seating is important in enabling many disabled people to travel confidently and, as set out in the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000, it must be provided onboard buses.
It is for operators to determine how drivers assist passengers who require a priority seat, but they are subject to the Equality Act 2010, and must also ensure staff receive suitable training. The Government’s REAL training package can support operators to ensure staff understand the needs and rights of disabled passengers.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce train cancellations in the north of England.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Ministers, the Department, and Rail North Partnership Officials regularly meet with the senior management of Network Rail and operators to review performance. We are holding them to account for matters within their control and will continue to use all contractual levers to drive the best outcomes for passengers.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support electrification on the Southport to Wigan Rail line.
Answered by Huw Merriman
At present the Department does not have any plans to electrify the Southport to Wigan line. In the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, the Government committed to delivering a net zero rail network by 2050, with sustained carbon reductions in rail along the way. To help deliver this, we will electrify additional lines and deploy battery and hydrogen trains on some lines, where it makes economic and operational sense. The Great British Railways Transition Team will bring forward costed options for the Government to carefully consider in terms of overall deliverability and affordability.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to take additional steps to ensure the effective operation of the West Coast Main Line prior to the expiry of the short-term contract for the management of that line with Avanti West Coast.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Effective operation of the West Coast Main Line requires Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager, and the train operating companies including West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, and TransPennine Express to work collaboratively. Where train operating companies, including Avanti West Coast, perform poorly, the Department will continue to hold them to account for the things within their control using the mechanisms within the contract.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial support his Department offers local authorities which wish to develop business cases and proposals for submission through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline process.
Answered by Huw Merriman
For schemes to be able to enter the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) promoters will need to present a business case of the appropriate level (Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC), Outline Business Case (OBC) or Full Business Case (FBC)- with an SOBC as a minimum. Due to the challenging fiscal environment Government funding is not available to assist with funding these business cases.