Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for zero and low emission buses.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since February 2020, an estimated 4,200 Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs) have been funded across the UK, including 1,300 ZEBs supported by £280m through the ZEBRA 1 programme. We announced a further £129m in September 2023 under the ZEBRA 2 programme.
My department has an ongoing monitoring and evaluation project for ZEBRA. An interim evaluation report was published in June 2023.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of franchising more local bus services.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government will support any Local Transport Authority wishing to franchise their bus services.
The Bus Services Act 2017 provides automatic access to franchising powers to Mayoral Combined Authorities in England.
Other authorities can request those powers from the Secretary of State but need to demonstrate that they have the capability and resources to deliver franchising, and that franchising is the best option to deliver improvements for passengers.
The Department is currently revising the Bus Services Act 2017 Franchising Scheme Guidance, published in November 2017, to provide updated and detailed advice on the franchising process.
Regarding the current action on Go North East, I hope both sides can come to a mutually acceptable agreement that delivers for passengers.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on ending the sale of new non-zero emission buses, coaches and minibuses.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The National Bus Strategy contained a commitment to set a legal end date for the sale of new diesel buses and set an expectation for when the entire bus fleet will be zero-emission.
In spring 2022, the Department consulted on determining the exact date for ending the sale of new, non-zero emission buses. Calls for evidence about the decarbonisation of coaches and minibuses were also held. We will provide further updates in due course.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish guidance on socially and economically necessary bus services.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
We plan to publish new guidance on socially and economically necessary services (SENS) in this Parliament.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 50 of the National Bus Strategy for England, when his Department plans to commence the review of the rights of local authorities to set up new municipal bus companies.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
We will publish a Call for Evidence during this Parliament, as the first part of a review into whether it remains right that local authorities cannot set up new municipal bus companies.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will issue guidance to local authorities recommending a minimum proportion of accessible parking spaces (a) in local authority car parks and (b) on high streets.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department has already published guidance for local authorities on provision of accessible parking spaces in off-street car parks in Inclusive Mobility: A Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure. This is available free to download at
Provision of on-street disabled parking bays is a matter for local authorities. There are no recommended minimum proportions, it is for them to determine what provision is appropriate based on local circumstances.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many blue badge applications were made by each health condition in the last 12 months.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport does not collect this information.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has taken recent steps to provide support to (a) Nexus and (b) other transport companies to help with increased energy prices.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises the challenges faced by the light rail sector caused by higher energy costs. Light rail systems are eligible under the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme which provides a discount on wholesale electricity prices. This scheme is in place from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 and is reducing financial pressures across the light rail sector by millions of pounds this winter.
The Government has announced the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme, which will provide a level of support with energy costs for a further 12 months for non-domestic customers from 1 April 2023 to March 2024.
The Department continues to engage with Nexus and all local transport authorities that have light rail systems to fully understand the ongoing impacts of higher energy prices.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increased energy prices on (a) the Tyne and Wear Metro and (b) other light rail systems.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises the challenges faced by the light rail sector caused by higher energy costs. Light rail systems are eligible under the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme which provides a discount on wholesale electricity prices. This scheme is in place from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 and is reducing financial pressures across the light rail sector by millions of pounds this winter.
The Government has announced the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme, which will provide a level of support with energy costs for a further 12 months for non-domestic customers from 1 April 2023 to March 2024.
The Department continues to engage with Nexus and all local transport authorities that have light rail systems to fully understand the ongoing impacts of higher energy prices.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will increase funding for public transport services.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Public transport plays a key role in supporting several Government policy areas including decarbonisation, levelling up and growth.
I was delighted to visit Gateshead recently to launch the Get Around for £2 bus fare cap. We are also pushing ahead with the National Bus Strategy and the Integrated Rail Plan.
Following the confirmation of our budgets in the 2022 Autumn Statement, we are working through how we continue to deliver our priorities whilst managing the impact of inflation.