Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of passengers that have passed through Stone, Staffordshire on trains since 2009.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department holds entry/exit data for passengers using Stone train station on a financial year basis. The number of passengers entering/exiting Stone station grew from 48,054 in 2009-10 to 214,040 in 2022-23. Whilst West Midlands Trains has been the operator since 2017, any data prior to this relates to London Midland.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to take steps to regulate the frequency of bus services.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises that frequent bus services are vital and has invested to protect them. How frequently bus services operate is a local decision and the responsibility of bus operators and Local Transport Authorities. While Enhanced Partnerships can place upper limits on frequencies, LTAs can subsidise frequency increases above the service levels provided commercially to meet local need. Since 2020, we have invested over £3.5 billion in buses, including a recently announced further £300 million to protect and enhance services from July 2023 to April 2025. Following the redirection of HS2 funding, on 23 October the government announced over £250 million will be allocated to local authorities in the Midlands to improve bus services.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that the costs of charging electric vehicles in public places remain affordable.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has recently laid regulations to improve the consumer experience across the public charging network. The regulations will ensure that pricing information is transparent, payment methods are simplified, charge points are reliable and public charge point data is freely available for consumers.
Through these regulations, the Government will ensure that drivers can get value for money by comparing prices across different public charge points through a single format of pence per kilowatt hour, similar to pence per litre of fuel.
Overall, in many cases electric vehicle drivers can benefit from savings on the cost of fuel compared to conventional combustion engines.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to hold discussions with car manufacturers on helping to ensure there is a provision of a range of wheelchair accessible battery electric vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government will continue to engage with vehicle manufacturers in the UK and other industry stakeholders to support the provision of zero emission wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs). It is already supporting the uptake of WAVs through the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and Plug in Vehicle Grant.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to help improve the frequency of bus services in rural areas; and if he will increase funding for the provision of additional buses in those areas where services are infrequent.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Good bus services are vital in rural areas and this Government has invested to protect them. Since 2020, we have invested over £3.5 billion in buses, including a recently announced further £300 million to protect and enhance services from July 2023 to April 2025 via BISP+ and BSOG+.The decision to cancel HS2 North of Litchfield means that we can do more still. We will direct £36 billion to Network North in the Midlands and North of England, this includes a further £1 billion extra for bus networks over the next five years.
On top of the funding already announced, this means extending the ‘Get Around for Two Pound’ single bus fares to the 31st December 2024.
Of the £1 billion we announced, in the first year, 2024-5 ,we’ll be allocating £150 million to councils to support and enhance bus networks in the Midlands and the North, this includes a further £4,982,000 for Staffordshire County Council.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with the Chief Executive of National Express on cuts to transport services in South Staffordshire.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport regularly engages with bus operators, including National Express, and will continue to do so to support the delivery of sustainable local transport networks.
On 23 October the Government announced that Staffordshire County Council has been allocated a further £4,982,000 for the first year of funding for buses redirect from HS2 funding, building on the £2,655,347 in BSIP+ funding to support and protect bus services allocated in 2023-4 and 2024-5. This can bus used by local authorities to support and enhance bus networks across Staffordshire and is on top of the extension of the national ‘Get Around For Two Pound’ national fare cap scheme.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the average number of trains that will leave Warrington Bank Quay each hour following the construction of HS2 phase (a) 2a and (b) 2b.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
No decisions have yet been taken on the train services that will operate when HS2 opens. These decisions will be taken nearer the time of delivery, drawing on advice from the West Coast Partnership and Network Rail. These proposals will be subject to public consultation and will cover the high-speed services as well as the recommended use of the capacity that will become available on the West Coast Main Line.
The Department is clear that the high-speed and West Coast services will complement each other to seek to maximise the benefits for passengers across the region.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the average number of trains that will leave Wigan North Western each hour following the construction of HS2 phase (a) 2a and (b) 2b.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
No decisions have yet been taken on the train services that will operate when HS2 opens. These decisions will be taken nearer the time of delivery, drawing on advice from the West Coast Partnership and Network Rail. These proposals will be subject to public consultation and will cover the high-speed services as well as the recommended use of the capacity that will become available on the West Coast Main Line.
The Department is clear that the high-speed and West Coast services will complement each other to seek to maximise the benefits for passengers across the region.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the average number of trains that will leave Blackpool each hour following the construction of HS2 phase (a) 2a and (b) 2b.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
No decisions have yet been taken on the train services that will operate when HS2 opens. These decisions will be taken nearer the time of delivery, drawing on advice from the West Coast Partnership and Network Rail. These proposals will be subject to public consultation and will cover the high-speed services as well as the recommended use of the capacity that will become available on the West Coast Main Line.
The Department is clear that the high-speed and West Coast services will complement each other to seek to maximise the benefits for passengers across the region.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the average number of trains that will leave Lancaster each hour following the construction of HS2 phase (a) 2a and (b) 2b.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
No decisions have yet been taken on the train services that will operate when HS2 opens. These decisions will be taken nearer the time of delivery, drawing on advice from the West Coast Partnership and Network Rail. These proposals will be subject to public consultation and will cover the high-speed services as well as the recommended use of the capacity that will become available on the West Coast Main Line.
The Department is clear that the high-speed and West Coast services will complement each other to seek to maximise the benefits for passengers across the region.