Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take to tackle persistent speeding drivers on rural roads and through rural communities.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
We expect all drivers to observe the speed limit and enforcement of the speed limit is a matter for the police. Policing of our roads and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual chief officers, taking into account the specific local issues. Local residents, their elected representatives, and the police can discuss these matters together.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a national speeding campaign to tackle speeding offences on rural roads.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Road safety is a top priority for the Government, and the Department takes this very seriously. Road deaths and injuries can cause suffering, economic loss and life-changing misfortune, and reducing this on our roads is a key priority, including through reducing speeding.
One of the ways the Department does this is through the THINK! campaign, which currently targets young male drivers who are over-represented in deaths and serious injuries on our roads. THINK! is running a national speeding campaign targeted at this audience, following an uplift in the proportion of vehicles speeding in the first national lockdown. In 2019, speed-related factors contributed to almost half of road deaths and serious injuries among this audience and we know that young men are over-represented in industries where they still need to travel for work despite lockdown restrictions, such as manufacturing and essential retail. The campaign uses paid social media, broadcast radio, digital radio and Spotify advertising,, including messaging targeted specifically at young drivers travelling on rural roads.
Messaging on speeding and rural roads will also form part of an upcoming campaign due to launch in early summer which will also target high-risk young male drivers, and we will also use the Cabinet Office service to run radio advertising aimed at changing attitudes towards speeding among a broader audience, including a focus on rural roads.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding he has allocated to bus companies operating local routes in Suffolk to ensure that key routes are not closed as a result of limits on passenger numbers during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
During this period of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty, the bus industry has played a critical role in keeping Britain moving. On 23 May, the Transport Secretary announced a further £283 million in funding – of this, £254 million was for buses and £29 million for light rail – as part of the Government’s efforts to help protect and increase bus and light rail services. This is in addition to a funding package totalling £397 million announced in April.
Suffolk County Council to date have received funding totalling £416,712 from the Covid-19 Bus Services Support Grant (CBSSG).
The Department is working with the Department for Education as a matter of urgency to explore options to increase capacity to ensure students can get to school or college in September, and manage the expected increased demand for public transport that this will bring. This includes seeking to provide travel demand management support to local authorities in England outside London. However, it is clear that solutions must be locally led between transport authorities and operators.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department plans to allocate to Suffolk County Council to ensure that local bus routes provide an adequate service to (a) people commuting to work and (b) children travelling to school during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
During this period of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty, the bus industry has played a critical role in keeping Britain moving. On 23 May, the Transport Secretary announced a further £283 million in funding – of this, £254 million was for buses and £29 million for light rail – as part of the Government’s efforts to help protect and increase bus and light rail services. This is in addition to a funding package totalling £397 million announced in April.
Suffolk County Council to date have received funding totalling £416,712 from the Covid-19 Bus Services Support Grant (CBSSG).
The Department is working with the Department for Education as a matter of urgency to explore options to increase capacity to ensure students can get to school or college in September, and manage the expected increased demand for public transport that this will bring. This includes seeking to provide travel demand management support to local authorities in England outside London. However, it is clear that solutions must be locally led between transport authorities and operators.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to upgrade the A14 in Suffolk to enhance the route for transport between the port of Felixstowe and the areas incorporating the midlands engine and northern powerhouse schemes.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government recognises the importance of the A14 as a key artery and has invested £1.5 billion in the recently-opened improvements between Cambridge and Huntingdon. The second Road Investment Strategy, published with the Budget in March, confirmed funding for the development of a scheme to enhance the Copdock Interchange in Suffolk to enable smoother journeys for goods vehicles to and from the Port of Felixstowe.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide additional funding to upgrade the A14 in Suffolk.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government recognises the importance of the A14 as a key artery and has invested £1.5 billion in the recently-opened improvements between Cambridge and Huntingdon. The second Road Investment Strategy, published with the Budget in March, confirmed funding for the development of a scheme to enhance the Copdock Interchange in Suffolk to enable smoother journeys for goods vehicles to and from the Port of Felixstowe.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department plans to make available to local rail providers to improve infrastructure and rail connections (a) through the re-instatement of the direct Lowestoft to London Liverpool Street line and (b) from other rural areas to major cities.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government is committed to unlocking the potential of rail to connect rural communities such as Lowestoft to the capital and to other regional towns and cities. We have committed £48bn to operate, maintain, renew and enhance the England and Wales network between 2019 and 2024 and work is already underway to develop proposals for infrastructure improvements along the Great Eastern Main Line.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to introduce a compulsory 2 week quarantine period for air passengers arriving in the UK.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government continues to follow Public Health England guidance in relation to public health measures for passengers arriving to the UK. As this is a fast-evolving situation, the Government is currently working through a large number of potential measures specific to the aviation sector.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to introduce restrictions on international air travel to the UK as a result of covid-19.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
It is very important that flights are still able to land in the UK in order to allow Britons who have been stranded abroad as a result of the pandemic to return home, and to allow vital supplies to keep moving into and around the UK.
The Government is currently focused on returning British nationals and residents home. Government will focus on British people and their families who normally live in the UK and are trying to return home. This includes short-term British travellers and direct family members but does not include British overseas residents.
In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government is working to a scientifically-led, step-by-step action plan, focusing on taking the right measures at the right time. Airlines and airports have already implemented additional measures in response to COVID-19 in line with advice from PHE, SAGE and the Chief Medical Officer. Airports are displaying posters and digital signage relaying Government information about COVID-19. Passengers arriving into UK airports are being given a leaflet with information about the measures in place in the UK, and announcements are made on aircraft an hour before landing.
Government will keep this process under review as the pandemic develops. This may mean that measures and procedures change as we control the spread of, and understand more about, the virus. Any changes to our approach will be led by advice from SAGE and the Chief Medical Officer. Protecting the health of the UK public will always come first.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to deliver road improvements on the A14 between Cambridge and Felixstowe.
Answered by George Freeman
Development work for improvements to the A14/A12 Copdock Interchange is being supported with funding from the Port Infrastructure Fund, as announced in September 2019. The Department is considering proposals for other enhancements on this stretch of the A14 as part of the second Road Investment Strategy, which is expected to be announced shortly.