Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department will treat the transfer of Dartford Crossing toll revenues to a private Lower Thames Crossing operator as a loss of income to the Department.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government's preferred financing option at this stage is the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model. Under the RAB model, ownership and operations of the Dartford Crossing would transfer to a new regulated private sector entity, which would be responsible for operating and maintaining both the Dartford Crossing and the new Lower Thames Crossing, ensuring a consistent and reliable service. This entity will be overseen by a regulator to ensure it performs and protects users. Charges from the Dartford Crossing and the new Lower Thames Crossing would be received by the entity under this model and this means charges will be used towards keeping the crossings well‑maintained and journeys running smoothly for users. This approach brings in private capital to fund the majority of construction, delivering better value for taxpayers and reducing the overall pressure on public budgets. The Department has built the effect of this into its financial forecasts.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which local authorities have received funding from Government-funded schemes supporting the procurement of new buses, including zero-emission, electric, hydrogen and hybrid buses, in each of the last five years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My department has published which local authorities have received funding from Government-funded schemes to procure new buses through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas programme on gov.uk.1
The West Midlands Combined Authority also received £50m in 2021 for the Coventry All Electric Bus City.
In addition, various local authorities have used devolved funding schemes to procure new zero emission buses.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what policy reason route-level impact assessments were not published for ferry-dependent communities ahead of laying secondary legislation for the domestic maritime UK ETS.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is neither proportionate nor expected to conduct individual route-level impact assessments for all routes in scope of the ETS. An Impact Assessment was published alongside the main Authority Response to the "UK Emissions Trading Scheme Scope Expansion: maritime sector” consultation, which includes analysis of regional and distributional impacts.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what timetable exists for the rollout of shore power and grid capacity upgrades at UK ports ahead of the UK ETS entering force for domestic maritime in July 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The policies in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, including the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) to domestic maritime, will encourage investment in maritime decarbonisation. Vessel operators and ports are best placed to determine the timeline for when they invest in shore power rollout.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she has any plans to expand automatic crash detection requirements to powered two wheel vehicles.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Emergency call (eCall), an automatic crash notification system, is a legal requirement in mass produced new types of cars and light commercial vehicles since 31 March 2018. Whilst aftermarket approaches are available that can be utilised for other vehicle types, the Government has no current plans to extend this as a mandatory requirement for other vehicle types such as motorcycles.
We are considering plans to review the existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing, and licensing that take account of both long-standing plans in the Department for Transport and the Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency, and proposals received from the motorcycle sector. More details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve motorcycle safety.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Emergency call (eCall), an automatic crash notification system, is a legal requirement in mass produced new types of cars and light commercial vehicles since 31 March 2018. Whilst aftermarket approaches are available that can be utilised for other vehicle types, the Government has no current plans to extend this as a mandatory requirement for other vehicle types such as motorcycles.
We are considering plans to review the existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing, and licensing that take account of both long-standing plans in the Department for Transport and the Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency, and proposals received from the motorcycle sector. More details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
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 the eCall system on the number of casualties or fatalities on the roads.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
A 2013 pre-legislation appraisal concluded that following full adoption of eCall in the UK (in 2018), casualty reduction was likely to be at most 13 fatalities a year and 100 serious injuries involving car and van occupants only. No post-implementation review has been conducted.