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 - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
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 - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
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
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 - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
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
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
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.
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 - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
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 - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
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.