Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of basing the Northern Transport Acceleration Council in the north of England.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Department has established the Northern Transport Acceleration Council, an advisory forum to progress and unblock existing priority transport projects, to speed up the delivery of vital infrastructure projects and connect communities across the North’s towns and cities. It has successfully brought together leaders from across the north of England to meet and engage with Ministers.
Given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings have so far been held online. However, we look forward to engaging with leaders in the North in person as soon as it is safe to do so.
The council is supported by a small secretariat team of officials based in the North. They work alongside regionally based area leads and DfT’s Acceleration Unit to connect with local transport authorities and northern leaders.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding the English national concessionary travel scheme to enable eligible people to travel on bus services prior to 9:30am.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Under the terms of The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme a holder of a concessionary bus pass is able to travel between 09.30am and 11.00pm on weekdays and all day at weekends and on Bank Holidays
Local authorities in England have the power to offer additional local concessions, such as extending the hours of the concession, and three quarters of authorities already do so.
This area is kept under review. The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme costs around £1 billion annually so any changes, such as extending the concession to include morning peak time travel, would need to be carefully considered for their impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) recent progress he has made on and (b) future plans he has to electrify rail networks in the north of England.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
We are continuing to progress development and design of the TransPennine Route Upgrade, including the examination of the case for full electrification of the route. The electrification of the Midland Main Line, from Market Harborough to Nottingham and Sheffield, is also currently being examined by the Department and Network Rail and is at an early stage of development.
Electrification of the rail network will be an important part of how we will decarbonise the railway and meet net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Therefore, the Department will consider further electrification schemes with Network Rail to ensure that they can be delivered efficiently and affordably.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to extend the MOT eligibility period for vehicles that are due an MOT before 2 December 2020 when the owner of that vehicle is clinically vulnerable.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
At present there are no plans to further extend MOT due dates, for either the public as a whole or those who are clinically vulnerable. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency have published guidance on how to safely conduct an MOT test while adhering to social distancing measures, and they continue to work with the industry on reducing the potential risk of transmission of COVID-19.
The Department continues to monitor the situation as it evolves and any further changes made to MOT expiry dates will be made based on the evidence available.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is providing for open access train operators during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
During the COVID-19 outbreak, open access operators have been able to draw upon the extensive support measures that Government has made available across the economy, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Government has supported applications by Hull Trains and Grand Central for extensions to their track access contracts, in order to allow them to seek more favourable terms from lenders and suppliers. The British Transport Police Authority has allowed Hull Trains and Grand Central to defer the contributions they make towards the cost of policing the railway during the period when the companies were in hibernation and not running trains.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he next plans to review the list of countries not subject to covid-19 travel quarantine exemptions; and how frequently those reviews are being undertaken.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Health Regulations relating to the self-isolation requirements remain under constant review, and are updated as required. The country exemption review takes place each week.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how frequently his Department updates the list of counties not subject to covid-19 travel quarantine exemptions; and when he plans to next update that list.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Health Regulations relating to the self-isolation requirements remain under constant review, and are updated as required. The next formal review will be on 27 July 2020.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support drivers that are required to renew their driving licence during the covid-19 lockdown but who are unable to apply online and have been advised not to apply by post.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency announced on 4 June 2020 that drivers with a photocard driving licence due to expire between 1 February and 31 August 2020 will be granted a seven-month extension to their licence.
For those drivers who need to renew their entitlement to drive, the quickest and easiest way to do so is to use DVLA’s online service. Drivers who are unable to use the online service should submit a paper application in the normal way. However, paper applications will take longer to process in the current circumstances.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assurances he can provide to employees based at Arriva Rail North's offices in York who are concerned about the uncertainty around the future of the Northern franchise.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The current financial position of the Northern franchise will not impact on the railway’s day-to-day operations. The business will continue to operate as usual with no impact on Northern services or staff.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the provision of water fountains at UK airports to reduce reliance on single-use plastic bottles.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Government recognises the importance of making drinking water more readily available in public places, as a means of reducing single-use plastic bottles. As laid out in the 25 Year Environment Plan, and Resource and Waste Strategy we are already taking action in this area. The Government has encouraged retailers, coffee shops and transport hubs, including airports, to provide tap water to support refilling water bottles.