Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to (a) bring forward legislative and (b) amend existing legislation to tackle noise pollution caused by (i) motorcycles and (ii) modified vehicle exhaust systems.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not have plans to amend existing vehicle noise legislation.
The Department takes the impact of noise pollution on health, wellbeing and the natural environment seriously. Strict noise regulations for motorcycles are harmonised at an international level and require vehicles to demonstrate compliance before being placed on the market. Replacement exhaust systems that are to be used on the road must also meet strict noise limits that are aligned with those of the original vehicle.
The police have powers to deal with noisy vehicles on an ongoing basis. Under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 they can take action if they suspect a vehicle is being driven in a manner that makes excessive noise which is avoidable through reasonable driver care. In the same Regulations, vehicle exhaust systems are required to be maintained in good working order and not altered so as to increase noise.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's reports entitled Roadside Vehicle Noise Measurement - Phase 2 Final Report, published August 2021, and Work Order T0218 Roadside Vehicle Noise Measurement – Phase 3 Parts A to C, published March 2024, what assessment she has made of noise camera trials in (a) controlled and (b) real-world conditions in (i) detecting and (ii) identifying excessively noisy vehicles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department conducted controlled and real-world trials of noise camera technology between April 2022 and February 2023. Reports of these trials, including detailed assessment of the technology’s performance and potential merits, were published on 17 March 2024.
Overall, the trials demonstrated that noise cameras currently have the potential to detect and identify excessively noisy vehicles, but only when accompanied by human review of the recorded evidence, which is likely to lower the cost effectiveness of deploying the technology in many circumstances.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what long-term investment her Department is making in cycling and walking infrastructure within the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Future government investment in cycling and walking is being considered alongside all other transport priorities as part of the Spending Review. On 28 March, I informed Parliament of my intention to publish a third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy following the conclusion of the Spending Review. This will allow us to say more on the long-term funding for active travel, as required by the 2015 Infrastructure Act.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's document entitled Local highways maintenance: additional funding from 2023 to 2034, updated on 23 January 2025, whether the £132 million of Network North funding for Hampshire County Council will be provided between the 2023-24 and 2034-35 financial years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is determined to help local authorities such as Hampshire County Council tackle the poor state of our roads. The previous Government made a series of questionable funding promises in its Network North plan, and this Government has had to review their affordability. We have already announced a £500 million funding uplift for local highway authorities for 2025/26 and will say more on future years’ funding after the conclusion of the Spending Review. Hampshire County Council will benefit from an additional £14.1 million in 2025/26, an increase of around 36% on top of the Network North uplift in 2024/25, to help it carry out vital preventative maintenance works across the county.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport will be privately funded.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is clear that Heathrow expansion will be financed by the private sector.
Heathrow costs are regulated by the independent CAA, who are set up to ensure costs balance between airlines and the consumer. The specifics would need to be considered at the point proposals came forward.
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 Heathrow Airport (a) expansion and (b) increased flight traffic on reducing emissions to meet net-zero targets.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to reaching net zero by 2050 and meeting our climate change obligations, as set out in the Climate Change Act. Delivering greener transport to help make Britain a clean energy superpower is a Department for Transport priority.
DfT analysis shows that we can achieve net zero 2050 for aviation under a range of assumptions about future technology development.
We have been clear that any airport expansion proposals will need to demonstrate they contribute to economic growth and can be delivered in line with the UK’s legally binding climate change commitments, as well as meeting strict air quality and noise standards.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to (a) support British companies bidding for electric bus contracts and (b) ensure that (i) BYD, (ii) Yutong and (iii) other foreign companies do not have a disproportionate share of Government electric bus (A) contracts and (B) grants.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The transition to zero emission buses represents a great opportunity for UK bus manufacturers, both to supply the zero emission buses needed here in the UK and to win export orders abroad as other countries upgrade their bus fleets.
On 8 October, the Department announced plans to create a new UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel. This panel will bring together industry experts and local leaders to explore ways to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing. More details on this will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve bus services in rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to delivering better, more frequent and more reliable bus services for passengers. We have already made significant progress, introducing the Bus Services Bill to help give local leaders the powers they need to take control of their local services if they choose to do so, and announcing investment of over £1 billion to support and improve bus services.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All manufacturers must demonstrate that their vehicles and equipment comply with international vehicle approval requirements before they are permitted to offer their products for sale, and these include detailed provisions for vehicle lighting. The approval requirements are complemented by the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 to ensure that vehicles operating on the roads of Great Britain continue to have effective and safe lighting systems whilst in service.
All vehicle lighting requirements, including the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, are kept under review and amended as necessary to account for advances in vehicle lighting technologies and emerging evidence to ensure regulatory effectiveness is maintained.
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 raising the bus cap to £3 on pensioners.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Those of state pension age, currently sixty-six, have access to free off-peak bus travel under the terms of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme.