Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reduce carbon emissions to zero from 2050 from the (a) aviation and (b) maritime sectors for UK (i) imports and (ii) exports.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Our Transport Decarbonisation Plan will set out the measures we will take to reduce carbon emissions from the aviation and maritime sectors for both freight and leisure travel, in line with our commitment to deliver net zero emissions across the transport sector by 2050.
The aviation and maritime sectors are international by nature and, in addition to our domestic work to reduce emissions, we are continuing to drive ambition for global emissions reductions in international fora.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2020 to Question 21252 on Oxford-Hereford Railway Line, whether he has received the draft evaluation from Network Rail of the Strategic Business Case for the North Cotswold Line Option 5 improvements.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department for Transport received Network Rail’s assessment on 26 August. A copy has been forwarded to North Cotswold Line Task Force representatives with an invitation to discuss the next steps for progressing the Business Case.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the frequency of serious accidents that close at least one lane in both directions from Junction 6 to Junction 4a of the M5 (i) before and (ii) since the M5 smart motorway was introduced.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The J4a-6 M5 smart motorway scheme started construction in January 2016 and was opened for traffic in May 2017. The table below contains the number of reported traffic collisions reported by Highways England for this stretch of road, where a lane closure has been implemented:
Calendar Year | No. of recorded Traffic Collisions with a lane closure |
2015 | 97 |
2016 | 93 |
2017 | 121 |
2018 | 207 |
2019 | 136 |
The Department’s review of the safety of Smart Motorways across England, published in March 2020, showed that overall, the evidence shows that in most ways, smart motorways are as safe as, or safer than, the conventional ones. But not in every way. To ensure we are doing all we can do to improve safety, a package of 18 measures were published in March. This will allow us to retain the benefits of smart motorways while addressing the concerns that have been identified.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has made to the Prime Minister on including the North Cotswold Line Strategic Outline Business Case improvements within the remit of the Project Speed taskforce.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Secretary of State has not made any representations regarding the North Cotswold Line SOBC to the Prime Minister. Network Rail is continuing undertake a review of the business case at the Department’s request, which is close to completion.
The Infrastructure Delivery Taskforce, named ‘Project Speed’, will be led by the Chancellor and will bring forward proposals to deliver government’s public investment projects more strategically and efficiently. This will ensure we are building the right things better and faster than before. All infrastructure projects will be in scope of this work.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department has received from Network Rail on the feasibility of the North Cotswold Line taskforce strategic outline business case.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Network Rail is continuing undertake a review of the business case at the Department’s request. This is expected to be completed in early summer, however the constraints of the current COVID19 situation may have an impact on the timescales for both the review and the Department’s subsequent consideration of the Task Force’s request for funding to develop the case and its entry into the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP).
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeframe is for the Network Rail to report its study of the North Cotswold Line Transformation Taskforce Option Five.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
I have asked Network Rail to carry out an assessment of the Task Force’s Strategic Outline Business Case, and to work with Great Western Railway to assess the operational aspects of the scheme. I am expecting Network Rail to provide me with the first draft of their assessment by early Summer. This will enable the Department to take an informed decision on the Task Force’s funding request to take the proposal forward. I have also written to Lord Faulkner setting out the way forward.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric car charging points have been installed in (a) Worcestershire, (b) Malvern Hills District Council area and (c) Wychavon District Council area.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government does not hold records of public chargepoints. According to data from Zapmap, as of 1 October 2019 there are 97 chargepoints (of which 46 are rapid) in the Worcestershire area. In the district council area of Malvern Hills there are 12 chargepoints (of which 4 are rapid) and in Wychavon district council, 21 chargepoints (of which 10 are rapid).
My Right Hon Friend the Secretary of State has recently written to local authorities across the country, urging them to take advantage of funding on offer to build up their electric car charging infrastructure and to increase local access to chargepoints for drivers.