Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) reports and (b) complaints there have been relating to (i) abandoned roadworks equipment and (ii) degraded signage on the (A) A3, (B) A31 and (C) A331 in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Removal of roadworks equipment comes under Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act. The Act enables local highway authorities to charge utility companies for delays in completing roadworks on public highways, and since 2001 regulations have been in place which allow local highway authorities to impose charges on statutory undertakers. Every job has an end date and if works or barriers are still on site past this end date, daily charges can be imposed. These charges start at £250 a day, and on the busiest roads go up to £10,000 a day.
The Department does not hold any information on the number of reports or complaints of abandoned roadworks equipment, only local highway authorities have that information.
The A3, A31 and A331 form part of the Strategic Road Network. As such, National Highways is responsible for installing, maintaining, cleaning, and repairing signage on these roads. Damaged and incorrect road signage on any of these roads can be reported to National Highways at the following link: https://report.nationalhighways.co.uk/
National Highways maintains records of reports and complaints submitted via its online platform, including issues relating to road signage and other highway assets on the Strategic Road Network. The Department does not hold disaggregated data, but National Highways may be able to provide the number of reports concerning abandoned or incorrect equipment on the A3, A31 and A331 upon request.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department has provided to local highway authorities on the timely removal of (a) cones, (b) sandbags, (c) signage and (d) other abandoned roadworks equipment.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Removal of roadworks equipment comes under Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act. The Act enables local highway authorities to charge utility companies for delays in completing roadworks on public highways, and since 2001 regulations have been in place which allow local highway authorities to impose charges on statutory undertakers. Every job has an end date and if works or barriers are still on site past this end date, daily charges can be imposed. These charges start at £250 a day, and on the busiest roads go up to £10,000 a day.
The Department does not hold any information on the number of reports or complaints of abandoned roadworks equipment, only local highway authorities have that information.
The A3, A31 and A331 form part of the Strategic Road Network. As such, National Highways is responsible for installing, maintaining, cleaning, and repairing signage on these roads. Damaged and incorrect road signage on any of these roads can be reported to National Highways at the following link: https://report.nationalhighways.co.uk/
National Highways maintains records of reports and complaints submitted via its online platform, including issues relating to road signage and other highway assets on the Strategic Road Network. The Department does not hold disaggregated data, but National Highways may be able to provide the number of reports concerning abandoned or incorrect equipment on the A3, A31 and A331 upon request.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will commission a review into the (a) management arrangements and (b) maintenance outcomes on non-trunk A roads that cross multiple local authority areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is the responsibility of local highway authorities to maintain the highways network in their area, as per section 41 of the Highways Act 1980.
However, the Government is determined to end the pothole plague on our roads, which is the result of a decade of under-investment by the previous Government. We have provided an extra £500 million for councils this year to allow them to make an immediate start on this.
To qualify for their share of the £500m funding uplift, local highway authorities will have to publish a report in plain English on their websites by the end of June, detailing the condition of their local roads, how much they are spending on maintaining them, and how well they are adhering to best practice.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms her Department has to coordinate maintenance responsibilities between multiple local authorities on A roads that do not fall under the remit of National Highways.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 local highway authorities have a duty to maintain the highways network in their area. DfT does not have legal mechanisms under the act to co-ordinate maintenance responsibilities between multiple authorities on A roads that do not fall under the remit of National Highways. Section 8 of the Act provides for agreements to be made between neighbouring local highways authorities.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with Hampshire County Council on pavement parking; and whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to support local authorities in tackling concerns related to pavement parking.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not had discussions with Hampshire County Council about pavement parking. The Department held a consultation in 2020 and has been considering the responses to the consultation and working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forward, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to restrict and enforce pavement parking.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
Whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of Farnborough Airport on levels of pollution.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The monitoring of local air quality is the responsibility of the relevant local authority and noise controls should be set through the planning system. My officials regularly engage with a range stakeholders in the sector.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of expansions in clean air zones on levels of costs for road users.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has no plans to expand any of the Clean Air Zones, and therefore no assessment has been made.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on unpaid compensation payments for (a) British Airways and (b) Norse Atlantic passengers.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department expects all airlines to ensure passengers receive the best possible service, including timely payment of compensation where it is due.
The Department regularly engages with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on a range of matters. As the independent regulator for aviation, the CAA is responsible for ensuring airlines comply with their legal obligations towards passengers, including those relating to compensation.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring airlines operating in UK airports to be members of the Civil Aviation Authority approved alternative dispute resolution scheme.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Air passenger rights remain a priority, and the Department will continue to consider opportunities to ensure passengers are provided with the highest level of protection possible.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the cost of rolling stock contract renegotiations on the nationalisation of South Western Railways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
South Western Railways services will transfer into public ownership on 25 May 2025, as its National Rail Contract with the Department expires. New rolling stock leases will be in place prior to the date of transfer. The expected cost of renewing leases were already recognised in the expected future budget requirements.