Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2023 to Question 147240 on Cycling and Walking: Finance, when he plans to publish the findings of his Department's cycling and walking investment strategy active travel investment model.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The active travel model was developed in 2019 and published in 2020 to underpin the development of the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2), which was published in July 2022. The publication of the full results of the modelling was delayed because of the pandemic and other pressures. The Department is considering next steps, including what further modelling might be needed to inform the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS3).
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 9 March 2023 on Transport Update, whether the projected investment from April 2021 to April 2025 outlined in the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy has been revised.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government will provide an update on this in its next report to Parliament on the delivery of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Written Statement entitled Transport Update published on 9 March, what assessment his Department has made on the potential impact of cuts to active travel funding on the Government's target for half of journeys to be walked or cycled by 2030.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The total amount of funding needed to achieve the Government’s target for half of all journeys in towns and cities to be walked or cycled by 2030 depends on a wide range of factors. Since the first-ever statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS1) in 2017, the Government has made a great deal progress. Over the course of this Parliament, the Department expects over £3 billion to be invested in delivering safe and accessible walking and cycling infrastructure and providing training that gives people the skills and confidence to walk and cycle more as part of their everyday journeys.
An assessment of the extent to which the Government is on track to meet the 2030 target will be made as part of the development of the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS3) in due course.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it remains his Department's policy to have targets on (a) half of all journeys being walked or cycled by 2030, (b) 55 per cent of primary school children walking to school by 2025 and (c) walking or cycling becoming the natural choice for shorter journeys by 2040.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government’s ambitions for walking and cycling up to 2025 and 2030 are outlined in the second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2) which was published in July 2022. The Strategy complements the Government’s Gear Change plan, which was published in July 2020.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the political situation in Kashmir.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK’s long-standing position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or act as a mediator. We continue to monitor the situation and encourage both countries to engage in dialogue and find lasting, diplomatic solutions to maintain regional stability.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on implementing the Road condition data and technology review, published in August 2021; and what his timetable is for the delivery of that review.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport (DfT) has chosen to take forward option 3 outlined in the Road condition data and technology review position paper; that ‘Local highway authorities can choose any surveying technology that aligns to a new industry data standard.’
DfT has now established the data standard steering group with representatives from both local highway authorities and industry experts and has procured the services of the British Standards Institute (BSI) in March 2022 and Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) as technical author in August 2022. These bodies will develop this new data standard, which will be inclusive of multiple technologies whilst providing robust comparable road condition data for national reporting by DfT.
The DfT aims to publish the new data standard at the end of 2023, and is continuing to work with BSI, TRL, and the steering group of industry experts as part of the iterative development of the standard. Once the standard is in place in 2024, there will be a period to enable technology providers and local highway authorities to fully conform to it. The DfT intends to have a full switch to the new data standard from 2026 onwards.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support local authorities to develop interventions to safeguard against female genital mutilation.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Data on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is collected in the FGM Enhanced Dataset by National Health Service healthcare providers in England. This dataset presents a national picture of the prevalence of FGM in England and supports work in the NHS to prevent and treat FGM. It is therefore a valuable information source supporting the identification, commissioning and management of FGM services locally.
The Home Office’s FGM Team provides a range of resources for frontline professionals. This consists of an FGM resource pack, which includes a section for local authorities, a free e-learning course, statutory multi-agency guidance and a range of communications materials.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) number of people currently waiting for a practical driving test and (b) average waiting time for a practical driving test.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
As of 6 March 2023, there were 530,456 car practical driving tests booked and 61,000 driving tests available within the next 24-weeks.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Forced Marriage Unit plans to take steps to publish data on the number of cases of female genital mutilation it is supporting.
Answered by Sarah Dines
The Government’s Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) supports British nationals (including dual nationals) overseas who are at risk of or who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM).
The FMU’s published annual statistics, which provide information on the numbers of victims and potential victims (generally of forced marriage) for whom it has provided support, have since 2020 included figures on the numbers of victims and potential victims of FGM for whom support has been provided. The figures for 2021 showed that, out of the 337 victims and potential victims for whom support was provided, three were victims or potential victims of both forced marriage and FGM, and 18 were victims or potential victims solely of FGM. The statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/forced-marriage-unit-statistics. Statistics for 2022 will be published in the coming months.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his planned timetable is for the BRIGHTLY consortium implementing the UK's food security programme in Yemen.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The BRIGHTLY consortium will start operating on the ground in April 2023 and has a signed agreement up until December 2026. Working with local and international NGOs, the consortium will support up to 40,000 Yemeni people a month through provision of both cash-based and livelihood programmes. These have been proven to be effective approaches to building resilience and empowering households to escape poverty.