Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential economic benefits to the South West of the proposed improvements to the A303-A358-A30 corridor.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The first Road Investment Strategy (RIS1), published in December 2014, recognised the importance of the A303/A358/A30 corridor and announced the Government’s intention to upgrade all remaining sections of the A303 between the M3 and the A358 to dual carriageway standard, together with creating a dual carriageway link from the M5 at Taunton to the A303, as part of a long-term commitment to creating a new high quality dual carriageway road to the South West.
Work on this long-term commitment is already underway, with Highways England in the process of developing three major improvements during RIS1: the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge Tunnel), A303 Sparkford to Ilchester dualling, and A358 Taunton to Southfields dualling.
The Government intends that subsequent Road Investment Strategies will fund the remaining improvements. The Department is using the evidence it has gathered through three years of research and public engagement to determine an affordable and deliverable investment plan for the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) that will be published in late 2019. Many proposals have been received for enhancement schemes to be included in RIS2 – competition for the available funding is therefore very strong.
The research phase has involved engagement with other Government departments such as the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Treasury and the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department. We are taking the findings of the local authority partners’ Economic impact study into account in the decision-making and the Government’s objectives for RIS2 include spreading economic growth across the country.
Each individual scheme to improve the A303/A358/A30 corridor is being considered on its own merits, including an assessment of wider economic impacts where appropriate. Although the importance of the corridor for economic growth in the South West is already understood and being acted upon, no recent estimate has been made by the Department of the potential effect on economic growth in the South West of the planned improvements.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department used the re-balancing toolkit to assess the regional and local economic benefits of improving the whole A303/A358/A30 corridor.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The first Road Investment Strategy (RIS1), published in December 2014, recognised the importance of the A303/A358/A30 corridor and announced the Government’s intention to upgrade all remaining sections of the A303 between the M3 and the A358 to dual carriageway standard, together with creating a dual carriageway link from the M5 at Taunton to the A303, as part of a long-term commitment to creating a new high quality dual carriageway road to the South West.
Work on this long-term commitment is already underway, with Highways England in the process of developing three major improvements during RIS1: the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge Tunnel), A303 Sparkford to Ilchester dualling, and A358 Taunton to Southfields dualling.
The Government intends that subsequent Road Investment Strategies will fund the remaining improvements. The Department is using the evidence it has gathered through three years of research and public engagement to determine an affordable and deliverable investment plan for the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) that will be published in late 2019. Many proposals have been received for enhancement schemes to be included in RIS2 – competition for the available funding is therefore very strong.
The research phase has involved engagement with other Government departments such as the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Treasury and the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department. We are taking the findings of the local authority partners’ Economic impact study into account in the decision-making and the Government’s objectives for RIS2 include spreading economic growth across the country.
Each individual scheme to improve the A303/A358/A30 corridor is being considered on its own merits, including an assessment of wider economic impacts where appropriate. Although the importance of the corridor for economic growth in the South West is already understood and being acted upon, no recent estimate has been made by the Department of the potential effect on economic growth in the South West of the planned improvements.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department used the Economic impact study produced by local authority partners in January 2019 in making an assessment of the potential merits of improving the A303/A358/A30 corridor.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The first Road Investment Strategy (RIS1), published in December 2014, recognised the importance of the A303/A358/A30 corridor and announced the Government’s intention to upgrade all remaining sections of the A303 between the M3 and the A358 to dual carriageway standard, together with creating a dual carriageway link from the M5 at Taunton to the A303, as part of a long-term commitment to creating a new high quality dual carriageway road to the South West.
Work on this long-term commitment is already underway, with Highways England in the process of developing three major improvements during RIS1: the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge Tunnel), A303 Sparkford to Ilchester dualling, and A358 Taunton to Southfields dualling.
The Government intends that subsequent Road Investment Strategies will fund the remaining improvements. The Department is using the evidence it has gathered through three years of research and public engagement to determine an affordable and deliverable investment plan for the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) that will be published in late 2019. Many proposals have been received for enhancement schemes to be included in RIS2 – competition for the available funding is therefore very strong.
The research phase has involved engagement with other Government departments such as the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Treasury and the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department. We are taking the findings of the local authority partners’ Economic impact study into account in the decision-making and the Government’s objectives for RIS2 include spreading economic growth across the country.
Each individual scheme to improve the A303/A358/A30 corridor is being considered on its own merits, including an assessment of wider economic impacts where appropriate. Although the importance of the corridor for economic growth in the South West is already understood and being acted upon, no recent estimate has been made by the Department of the potential effect on economic growth in the South West of the planned improvements.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, (b) the Treasury and (c) Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the wider economic benefits to the South West of the his Department’s proposed improvements to the A303/A358/A30 corridor.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The first Road Investment Strategy (RIS1), published in December 2014, recognised the importance of the A303/A358/A30 corridor and announced the Government’s intention to upgrade all remaining sections of the A303 between the M3 and the A358 to dual carriageway standard, together with creating a dual carriageway link from the M5 at Taunton to the A303, as part of a long-term commitment to creating a new high quality dual carriageway road to the South West.
Work on this long-term commitment is already underway, with Highways England in the process of developing three major improvements during RIS1: the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge Tunnel), A303 Sparkford to Ilchester dualling, and A358 Taunton to Southfields dualling.
The Government intends that subsequent Road Investment Strategies will fund the remaining improvements. The Department is using the evidence it has gathered through three years of research and public engagement to determine an affordable and deliverable investment plan for the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) that will be published in late 2019. Many proposals have been received for enhancement schemes to be included in RIS2 – competition for the available funding is therefore very strong.
The research phase has involved engagement with other Government departments such as the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Treasury and the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department. We are taking the findings of the local authority partners’ Economic impact study into account in the decision-making and the Government’s objectives for RIS2 include spreading economic growth across the country.
Each individual scheme to improve the A303/A358/A30 corridor is being considered on its own merits, including an assessment of wider economic impacts where appropriate. Although the importance of the corridor for economic growth in the South West is already understood and being acted upon, no recent estimate has been made by the Department of the potential effect on economic growth in the South West of the planned improvements.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on economic growth in the South West of the planned improvements to the A303/A358/A30 corridor.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The first Road Investment Strategy (RIS1), published in December 2014, recognised the importance of the A303/A358/A30 corridor and announced the Government’s intention to upgrade all remaining sections of the A303 between the M3 and the A358 to dual carriageway standard, together with creating a dual carriageway link from the M5 at Taunton to the A303, as part of a long-term commitment to creating a new high quality dual carriageway road to the South West.
Work on this long-term commitment is already underway, with Highways England in the process of developing three major improvements during RIS1: the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge Tunnel), A303 Sparkford to Ilchester dualling, and A358 Taunton to Southfields dualling.
The Government intends that subsequent Road Investment Strategies will fund the remaining improvements. The Department is using the evidence it has gathered through three years of research and public engagement to determine an affordable and deliverable investment plan for the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) that will be published in late 2019. Many proposals have been received for enhancement schemes to be included in RIS2 – competition for the available funding is therefore very strong.
The research phase has involved engagement with other Government departments such as the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Treasury and the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department. We are taking the findings of the local authority partners’ Economic impact study into account in the decision-making and the Government’s objectives for RIS2 include spreading economic growth across the country.
Each individual scheme to improve the A303/A358/A30 corridor is being considered on its own merits, including an assessment of wider economic impacts where appropriate. Although the importance of the corridor for economic growth in the South West is already understood and being acted upon, no recent estimate has been made by the Department of the potential effect on economic growth in the South West of the planned improvements.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the draft Drone Bill on model flying.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government recognises the long-standing safety culture adopted by model flying associations. We are working with the Civil Aviation Authority and model aircraft flying associations to explore ways in which we can reduce any unnecessary impacts of drone regulations on their activities.
We will be taking this approach to the draft Drone Bill, too. The draft Drone Bill will be accompanied by a public consultation which will cover the impact of the proposed Bill on all affected groups, including model aircraft flyers. The feedback from this consultation will be used to refine the Drone Bill before its introduction.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether plans to dual the A303 and upgrade the A358 will change in response to the recommendations in the recently published National Audit Office report, Progress with the Road Investment Strategy.
Answered by Andrew Jones
There are no plans to make changes to the dualling of the A303 and upgrade the A358 in response to recommendations made by NAO report.
This Government is taking the big decisions for Britain’s future, underlined by our record £15 billion funding for major road schemes to cut congestion, improve journey times and boost economic growth. As the National Audit Office acknowledged there has been a significant improvement in the efficient management of the strategic road network.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will assess the potential merits of introducing licensing regulations for drivers of large tractors and farming machinery on public highways similar to those governing HGV drivers.
Answered by John Hayes
Agricultural vehicles tend to travel much lower mileages on the public road and operate at significantly lower speeds than HGVs. The Government does not consider that it would be proportionate to the risk posed by these vehicles at current weight limits to impose on them the same licensing requirements as for HGVs.