Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to consider the revised Lyme Regis and Bridport Harbour Order (revision of October 2022) on Dorset Council.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The department does not manage the process of Harbour orders, as this process is led by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The MMO is unusually busy with Harbour orders at present but is working continuously to process all harbour orders. While the Department is keen to work with the MMO to understand how we can support more sustainable efficiencies in the longer term, no assessment has been made of the impact of time taken for this order or any other.
For an accurate status update of the harbour order in question, we suggest the Council contacts the MMO directly.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of moving to multi-year funding settlements for local authorities to support long-term transport infrastructure investment.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This government is committed to providing greater stability to local government by giving councils multi-year funding settlements and ending wasteful competitive bidding.
Funding to local authorities for transport in future years is being considered as part of the current Spending Review, the outcome of which will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the recent £2 million Bus Service Improvement Plan funding allocated to Dorset Council is effectively utilised to enhance bus services in underserved rural communities within West Dorset.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to seeing better, more reliable bus services delivered right across England, including in West Dorset and other rural communities.
Local transport authorities are encouraged to use funding for Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) on schemes that they, and local operators, believe will deliver the best overall outcomes in growing long term patronage, revenues and therefore maintaining service levels, whilst ensuring essential social and economic connectivity for local communities.
This will be different for each area. We believe local leaders know their areas best and so are best placed to make decisions about how to improve services to ensure they meet the needs of local communities.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with farming communities on the potential impact of rural road infrastructure on farming operations.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local highway authorities are responsible for their local roads, in both rural and urban areas. It is up to them to engage as necessary with relevant stakeholders, including farming communities, on matters of this sort.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will hold discussions with Great Western Railway on improving seat availability on services in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department officials have regular discussions with Great Western Railway (GWR) about the provision of capacity across its network, including in the West Dorset constituency. Additional capacity was added in May 2023 to ensure trains run consistently once every two hours but there are no immediate plans to increase capacity at this time.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing additional diesel multiple units to the Great Western Railway fleet on the environment; and whether she plans to take steps to help mitigate the environmental impact of diesel trains on Great Western Railway services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Great Western Railway (GWR) is introducing additional diesel units from the end of this year. This will enable older diesel units to be retired and provide more resilience across the network. The Department continues to work with the industry to develop plans to move towards decarbonisation in the longer term.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with Great Western Railway on improving customer satisfaction of services in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department officials have regular discussions with Great Western Railway (GWR) on matters related to customer satisfaction on its services, including those that run through West Dorset. The operator is held to account for its performance both at stations and on trains.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to help support Great Western Railway to procure additional rolling stock.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Great Western Railway and Network Rail have been working together to develop plans to replace ageing rolling stock with trains that will better meet the needs of passengers in the future. Any specific proposals are subject to both business case approval and funding being available.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will allocate 10% of the transport budget to active travel to increase cycling levels.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Decisions on future Government funding for active travel will be a matter for the Spending Review, which is considering all transport expenditure in the round. Investment in active travel supports the Government’s economic growth, health and net zero missions, and the Department announced the details of almost £300 million of funding for active travel in 2024/5 and 2025/6 on 12 February.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department plans to provide to Dorset Council for (a) cycling and (b) walking infrastructure in each of the next three financial years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 12 February, the Department announced the funding allocations for the Combined Active Travel Fund (CATF), the dedicated revenue and capital funding round for 2025/26. Dorset Council was awarded £774,233 and it will be for the authority to decide on infrastructure projects it may wish to progress with this funding.
Decisions on future Government funding for active travel will be a matter for the Spending Review, which is considering all transport expenditure in the round. Specific funding allocations to Dorset Council for 2026/27 and 2027/28 will be agreed after the Spending Review concludes.