Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of effect of the Mayor of London’s management of Transport for London finances on delays to Crossrail.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Crossrail Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL).
The Department remains fully committed to the delivery of Crossrail to get the railway fully open as soon and as safely as possible. The Government continues to work with Crossrail Ltd and TfL to support this.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vouchers have been allocated under the Fix your Bike Voucher Scheme in (a) Greater London, (b) Bexley Borough and (c) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency to date.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
As of the 25th November 2020, there were 104,898 vouchers in total issued to addresses across England. Of this total, 18,919 vouchers were issued to addresses in Greater London; of which 394 were to addresses in the London Borough of Bexley; of which 171 vouchers to addresses in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to improve public transport in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The responsibility for transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and delivered by Transport for London.
Ministers and officials in the Department for Transport hold regular discussions with the Mayor, Deputy Mayor for Transport, Transport for London, Network Rail and Train Operating Companies on a range of transport matters, including improvements to the public transport network across London.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Mayor of London’s management of Transport for London finances since 2016.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
My Department works closely with Transport for London to ensure essential services continue to operate in the capital. The Mayor of London’s fares freeze has cost TfL an estimated £640m over the last four years and during this time TfL’s debt has increased by almost 30%.
However, the financial impact of COVID on TfL has been significant. That is why the Government has recently agreed a further funding package for TfL of up to £1.7bn to ensure the continuation of public transport services.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) Transport for London on the timescale for Crossrail becoming fully operational.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Mayor of London, covering a variety of subjects, including progress in delivering Crossrail.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction in the number of crossings made on the Dartford Crossing during the covid-19 outbreak on air quality in the surrounding areas.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Highways England continuously monitor air quality on the Dartford Crossing and operate two automatic air quality stations either side of the A282. Monitoring station ID51 is located next to the northbound carriageway and monitoring station ID52 is next to the southbound carriageway.
The measured monthly average nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations between January and August (covering the COVID-19 lockdown period) for 2019 and 2020 are provided in Table 1.
Table 1 Air Quality Monitoring Data
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | Average March to July | |
Site 51 NB | 2019 | 38.3 | 39.6 | 26.4 | 42.5 | 30.8 | 32.8 | 28.9 | 30.1 | 32.3 |
2020 | 21 | 13.6 | 16.7 | 20.2 | 25 | 24 | 18.6 | 30.7 | 20.9 | |
Site 52 SB | 2019 | 71.6 | 67.9 | 61.7 | 46.5 | 55.3 | 53.2 | 55.1 | 50.2 | 54.4 |
2020 | 58.1 | 51.8 | 43 | 32.7 | 35.3 | 38.4 | 42.4 | 42.7 | 38.4 | |
As shown in Table 1 the impact of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions has led to a reduction in measured NO2 concentrations between March and July 2020 (bold figures), which corresponds to a reduction in traffic flows between the same time period.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
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 the proposals submitted by Southeastern to introduce flexibility in rail ticketing.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Government recognises that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a fundamental change in working patterns and that this could have long-term effects on commuter behaviours.
In response, the Department for Transport has proactively worked with the rail industry, and is currently considering proposals received from train operators, including from Southeastern, to try to ensure better value and convenience for part-time and flexible commuters.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to covid-19 lockdown restrictions, what recent assessment he has made of the level of compliance of people wearing face coverings on public transport.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Regular reports from Network Rail and the train operating companies continue to suggest high rates of compliance. The Office for National Statistics weekly survey which tracks the proportion of people declaring they use a face covering on public transport also suggests high levels of compliance with the regulation. Latest data (collected 8-12 July) shows 82% of public transport users in England used a face covering - a significant increase in compliance from 57% in the first week of June. Not all people can wear or are required to wear a face covering and so we would not expect compliance rates to be 100%.
We have implemented a significant communications campaign, and have been working with transport operators on raising public awareness and encouraging all groups of passengers to comply with the requirement to wear a face covering. We are aware of lower levels of compliance in some areas and are working with local transport authorities to understand and tackle the reasons for such variance. British Transport Police, Transport for London enforcement officers and local police forces are working hard to encourage compliance and, where necessary have been fining passengers who fail to comply.