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Written Question
Unadopted Roads: Repairs and Maintenance
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department are taking to enforce the repair of potholes by owners of unadopted roads where such damage poses a danger to (a) traffic and (b) the public.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This is a matter for local highway authorities.

Under the 1980 Highways Act, the highway authority is responsible for the management of those streets that have been adopted by it, or its predecessor authorities. A road that is not maintained at public expense by a highway authority is known as a private street, as defined by Section 203(2) of the Act. The responsibility for management of private streets generally rests with those who own properties that either front onto or border the street concerned (known as “frontagers”).

Under section 230 of the 1980 Highways Act the local highway authority has the power, without commitment to adoption, to require the frontagers of a private street to carry out urgent repairs, within in a set time limit, to prevent danger to road users or the public. This is, however, entirely a matter for local authorities.


Written Question
Railways: Greater Manchester
Thursday 20th July 2023

Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the potential closure of train station ticket offices in Wigan on the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of passenger rail travel in Greater Manchester.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, when proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours (including closures) operators are required, amongst other things, to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of passengers. We would also expect operators to consider equality related needs of passengers and make this clear in the notice sent to other operators and passenger groups.

Together with industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes. Train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.


Written Question
West Coast Main Line
Monday 17th October 2022

Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the (a) frequency and (b) reliability of train services on the West Coast Main Line following the decision to award a contract extension to Avanti West Coast.

Answered by Kevin Foster

The Department has been working with Avanti West Coast to overcome operational issues. Agreed steps include additional drivers entering service, extra trains on its key routes, and extended booking options. The contract extension will provide an opportunity to implement these steps.


Written Question
Clean Air Zones: Greater Manchester
Thursday 13th January 2022

Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of global supply chain issues in the automotive sector on the ability of businesses, organisations and individuals in Greater Manchester to upgrade to cleaner, compliant vehicles under the plans for the introduction of a Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

Under the 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Concentrations, a number of local authorities including those in Greater Manchester were required to take urgent action to address NO2 pollution.

Greater Manchester authorities identified a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) as the means of achieving compliance with NO2 levels in the shortest possible time.

We have provided for a Clean Air Fund (CAF) to help local authorities support individuals and businesses affected by local air quality plans and least able to adapt. This includes making a substantial £132 million CAF award to Greater Manchester to help businesses upgrade to compliant vehicles. The HGV support scheme has recently opened for applications. Schemes for those vehicles that will initially be exempted from the CAZ are due to launch later in the year. As such, most of the funding already provided is yet to be allocated.

We have also agreed with Greater Manchester authorities we will continue to work with them to understand the situation in the future based on the monitoring and evaluation of progress and to keep the position of further funding under review subject to clear evidence of need and have agreed a process for doing so.

We understand that Greater Manchester authorities will also provide an exemption from charging for people and businesses who can show they are awaiting the delivery of a compliant vehicle.


Written Question
Travel: Coronavirus
Monday 29th June 2020

Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, the Governments of which countries have been contacted by the Government to discuss the establishment of international travel corridors with the UK.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The Government has announced that it has assessed the health measures at the UK border and as a result passengers will be exempted from self-isolation requirements in certain circumstances on arrival in the UK. This will apply to international rail, maritime, and aviation.

The Government will announce further details including a full list of the countries and territories from which arriving passengers will be exempted from self-isolation requirements later this week.


Written Question
Travel: Coronavirus
Monday 29th June 2020

Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the criteria used to assess the suitability of countries with which the UK plans to establish international travel corridors.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The Government has announced that it has assessed the health measures at the UK border and as a result passengers will be exempted from self-isolation requirements in certain circumstances on arrival in the UK. This will apply to international rail, maritime, and aviation.

The Joint Biosecurity Centre, in close consultation with Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer, has developed a categorisation of countries and territories from which it is considered to present a lower risk from a public health perspective for passengers to enter the UK, without a requirement for 14 days isolation. This has been informed by factors including the prevalence of coronavirus within the country and, crucially, the numbers of new cases and the potential trajectory in the coming weeks of the disease in the country. This categorisation will inform Ministerial decisions about the easing of the current border measures.

The Government will announce further details including a full list of the countries and territories from which arriving passengers will be exempted from self-isolation requirements later this week.


Written Question
Airports: Coronavirus
Tuesday 2nd June 2020

Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to discuss with his overseas counterparts an agreement on a common international standard for healthcare screening at airports.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

There are weekly meetings of the International Civil Aviation Organisation Council Aviation Recovery Task-Force which was set up specifically to address the aviation industry’s recovery from the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This brings together states, multilateral organisations and industry bodies. The UK takes a leading role in this forum, and in its associated sub-groups.

The UK also plays an active role in the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) which has regular meetings. Potential common health measures for aviation are discussed in both of these forums. Finally, the Secretary of State has met with foreign transport ministers to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on international aviation.


Written Question
Travel: Coronavirus
Tuesday 2nd June 2020

Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeframe for coming into force is for the measures in relation to international travel contained in the document entitled, Our plan to rebuild: the UK Government’s covid-19 recovery strategy, published on 11 May 2020.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The Home Office announced on 22 May that it currently intends to introduce these measures on 8 June.


Written Question
Heathrow Airport: Coronavirus
Tuesday 2nd June 2020

Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of trials of large-scale temperature checks to help screen arriving and departing passengers for suspected covid-19 infection at Heathrow Airport.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

Temperature testing is not currently a requirement at UK airports, however we are keeping all measures under constant review to ensure our approach is determined by the latest situation and is informed by the latest scientific findings. We have been engaging closely with London Heathrow Airport on the implementation of their temperature screening trial and are keen to see the results.

The department’s Chief Scientific Advisor has advised there are some limitations of temperature testing such as some symptomatic cases not always having a high temperature through the period when they are infectious. Therefore, it is important that any changes to our approach will be led by advice from SAGE and the Chief Medical Officer. Protecting the health of the UK public will always come first.


Written Question
Transport: Coronavirus
Tuesday 10th March 2020

Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he is putting in place to help prepare (a) hauliers, (b) transport providers, (c) couriers and (d) other mobile members of the workforce for a widespread outbreak of coronavirus.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

Public Health England, and their counterparts in the devolved administrations, are responsible for determining and publishing health advice in relation to Covid-19. On 14th February PHE published guidance for staff in the transport sector which was made available on the GOV.UK website.

The Department for Transport continues to work with PHE, the Department for Health and Social Care and the transport sector to ensure all guidance remains relevant and up to date.