Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to implement the recommendations of HMICFRS's July 2020 report, Roads Policing: Not optional - An inspection of roads policing in England and Wales.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The HMICFRS report Roads Policing: Not Optional was commissioned by the Roads Policing Review Governance Board which is jointly chaired by officials from the Department for Transport and the Home Office. Recommendations 1 to 3 and 7 were addressed to the Government. The remainder of the thirteen recommendations were for Chief Constables and the College of Policing.
In respect of Recommendation 1 that Department for Transport and Home Office produce a joint road safety strategy, the Government is going further. We will instead establish a cross Government Road Safety Strategic Board to engage all Departments in a strategic framework to reduce road casualties.
The use of statutory powers to require locally elected PCCs to include specific policing issues in their Police and Crime plans needs to be balanced with a proper regard for local autonomy and the will of local voters. PCCs are directly elected and must consult their communities in developing a Police and Crime Plan that reflects local circumstances. The Home Office is committed to working closely with the police and PCCs to consider what further improvements can be made to the effectiveness of roads enforcement in England and Wales and reduce road traffic casualties.
The Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR) will set clear direction to policing on the contribution they need to make to respond to national threats including terrorism, serious and organised crime and child sexual abuse. It will highlight where police forces need to work together, using local and/or regional capabilities, to protect the public. Following the SPR review that we concluded last year, we are considering the national threats and policing capabilities, such as roads policing, that are included in the SPR. The revised SPR will be published in due course.
Recommendation 7 was that the Government should refresh Department for Transport Circular 1/2007. The Department for Transport is currently redrafting and updating the guidance in consultation with stakeholders and it is anticipated new guidance will be published in the summer.
The Home Office and Department for Transport will continue to work with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing to monitor the progress made in respect of the recommendations relevant to them. This will be done in a manner that respects the operational independence of Chief Officers and the College of Policing.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the report on road safety targets which was commissioned by his Department in conjunction with WSP and Loughborough University.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The report will be published in full in due course.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which highway authorities were notified that they could not bid for active travel capital funding for 2021-22 from Tranche 3 of the Active Travel Fund.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department made it clear to authorities that their performance with earlier tranches of active travel funding would be taken into account in allocating future funds. One council was not invited to bid this year and, for similar reasons, a number of other authorities will receive a reduction in their allocation, or if their bids are not of high enough quality, potentially no funding at all.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of steel used by Highways England in the construction and repair of the strategic road network is manufactured in the UK.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Highways England cannot currently determine what proportion of steel used in the construction and repair of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) is manufactured in the UK. Steel is purchased within the supply chain and not by Highways England directly.
Highways England is working with its suppliers to obtain deeper visibility of raw material sourcing and manage its supply pipeline effectively.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of East Midlands Railways' plans to recruit and train drivers ahead of the introduction of the 16 May 2021 timetable.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
East Midlands Railway and Network Rail are conducting reviews into why the plans to uplift Regional Services in May proved unsustainable, and an assessment of staffing plans will be part of this which will be shared with the Department.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial penalties East Midlands Railway will be subject to in response to their failure to operate the new timetable introduced with effect from 16 May 2021.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The information and actions taken by East Midlands Railway will be evidenced and form part of the processes in considering its next Performance Based Fee payment.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what compensation will be payable to season ticket holders on East Midlands Railway affected by service reductions introduced via the temporary timetable introduced on 19 June 2021.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The reduction in services via the temporary timetable, sees the number of East Midlands Railway’s regional service provided each day similar to the numbers provided prior to its reinstatement in May, therefore there is no plan to compensate season ticket holders.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he or his officials have had with East Midlands Railway on the decision to remove services from the Regional Routes timetable introduced on 16 May 2021.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
East Midlands Railway reinstated 100 per cent of its Regional route services on 16 May. The operation of this timetable has not proved to be robust due to the introduction of different fleet, traincrew issues and sickness which East Midlands Railway communicated to officials and key stakeholders in early June. East Midlands Railway’s proposal to scale back the advertised service to one that could be reliably delivered was discussed in advance with the Department.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to rebuild public confidence in using public transport following the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Passengers have been advised to plan ahead and continue to follow guidance on how to travel safely. This includes sanitising their hands regularly, wearing a face covering unless exempt, opening a window to increase ventilation where possible, and maintaining social distancing where possible. We are working with operators to ensure service levels are high as restrictions ease. Operators have already enhanced their cleaning regimes at stations and on-board services and hand sanitisers are widely available at stations.
The Department has also launched the ‘It’s everyone’s journey’ campaign to reset travel behaviours and support disabled people to return to the transport network. The Department is working closely with operators to improve busyness data and on industry communication campaigns to build public confidence in using public transport. As announced on 20 May alongside the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the Department is introducing new flexible season tickets across England this year, with the new tickets going on-sale on 21 June and becoming available for use on 28 June.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to increase the use of public transport.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Passengers have been advised to plan ahead and continue to follow guidance on how to travel safely. This includes sanitising their hands regularly, wearing a face covering unless exempt, opening a window to increase ventilation where possible, and maintaining social distancing where possible. We are working with operators to ensure service levels are high as restrictions ease. Operators have already enhanced their cleaning regimes at stations and on-board services and hand sanitisers are widely available at stations.
The Department has also launched the ‘It’s everyone’s journey’ campaign to reset travel behaviours and support disabled people to return to the transport network. The Department is working closely with operators to improve busyness data and on industry communication campaigns to build public confidence in using public transport. As announced on 20 May alongside the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the Department is introducing new flexible season tickets across England this year, with the new tickets going on-sale on 21 June and becoming available for use on 28 June.