Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the cost to the economy of the increased number of (1) delays, and (2) cancellations, of rail services.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department recognises that delays and cancellations, especially those made close to the time of travel, can be very inconvenient for passengers and prevent them from travelling with confidence. When trains are regularly cancelled this can disrupt people’s lives, communities and the economy.
The Department does not hold information on the cost to the economy of the current poor performance on parts of the rail network. The Department has been clear that industry needs to make significant improvements to deliver the punctual, reliable services across the country that support economic growth.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when work on the proposed rail link between Bedford and Cambridge will (1) start, and (2) be completed.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
CS2 (Bletchley to Bedford) and CS3 (Bedford to Cambridge) are at development stage, and options for the sections were consulted on as part of a wide-ranging non-statutory consultation from March-June 2021.
EWR Co. is currently reviewing submissions to this and intends to publish the response to the consultation later this year.
As a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), EWR Co. is planning to submit a Development Consent Order (DCO) to secure the relevant planning and permitted development powers and the Government and EWR Co. will set out next steps for the project in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to incentivise the increased use of electric vehicles.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Government has committed £2.5 billion since 2020 to support the transition to zero emission vehicles, with funding to offset their higher upfront cost, and to accelerate the rollout of chargepoint infrastructure.
Alongside grants for plug-in vehicles, there are also tax benefits in place such as zero road tax, and company car tax rates, which can save drivers over £2,000 a year. Once fuel costs and tax incentives are factored in, we expect the total cost of ownership to reach parity during the 2020s, compared to petrol and diesel cars.
On 25 March, we published our electric vehicle infrastructure strategy. This strategy sets out our vision and commitments to make EV charging cheaper and more convenient than refuelling at a petrol station so that all drivers can transition with confidence.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the backlog of road repairs nationally; and what assessment they have made of the impact such repairs will have on (1) communities, and (2) the economy.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the responsibility for maintaining the highway rests with the respective devolved administrations.
In England, National Highways is responsible for the strategic road network, that is motorways and major A roads. On the local road network local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area.
Whilst the Government does not intervene in local highway maintenance decisions, we are providing over £2.7 billion funding for local highways maintenance for local authorities outside of London and City Region areas over the next three years.
The Department for Transport encourages good practice in local highway maintenance for all local highway authorities and endorses the UK Roads Liaison Group’s Code of Practice on Well Managed Highway Infrastructure.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need for better coordination across rail networks of (1) rail ticket types, (2) ticket restrictions, and (3) ticket names; and what steps, if any, they are taking to improve such coordination.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail recognised the need for better coordination of fares and ticketing across the rail network. The creation of Great British Railways will help to simplify the current confusing ticketing system and support a modernised customer experience. To support this, the Government is investing £360 million over the next three years in a programme of Fares, Ticketing and Retailing (FTR) reforms including a new online retail channel and app to supersede existing separate train company websites, contactless ticketing in urban areas and the extension of digital ticketing across the network.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of speed cameras since 2019 with regard to (1) operability, (2) placement, and (3) any other relevant factors; and what steps they are taking as a result of any findings.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
It is up to the traffic authority and the police to decide whether to install speed cameras and how they wish to operate them. This is a local decision in which the Department does not become involved.
The Department issues non-mandatory guidance to English traffic authorities on how cameras could be deployed if the local decision is to use them. This guidance, Use of Speed and Red-light Cameras for Traffic Enforcement: Guidance on Deployment, Visibility and Signing, is available on gov.uk and is currently being updated.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need for more charging points for electric vehicles in rural parts of the country; and what steps they are taking in response to any such assessment.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) is available to all UK local authorities, including those with rural areas, to apply to and provide public chargepoints for their residents without access to private parking. £20 million is available in 2021-22.
More broadly, the Government has committed over £1.3 billion for charging infrastructure. This funding includes the Local EV Infrastructure Fund, which will be opened to English local authorities next year. This fund will facilitate the roll-out of larger scale charging infrastructure projects across the country.
To support local authorities in accessing this financial support and developing EV chargepoint strategies, DfT funds Energy Saving Trust to offer expert advice. Energy Saving Trust, in partnership with DfT, also hosts a library of webinars and guidance for local authorities on installing charging points. This includes webinars specifically for rural local authorities.
Later this year the Government will publish the EV Infrastructure Strategy which will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the whole of the UK, including rural areas. It will also set out roles and responsibilities for ensuring charging infrastructure rollout is delivered at the pace needed to transition to a zero-emission car and van fleet.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ease any traffic congestion on the A303 near Stonehenge.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Roads Investment Strategy 2 reflects this Government’s commitment to upgrading the A303/A358 corridor as a priority for improving connections between the South-West and London and the South-East. The delivery of the corridor is a part of a long-term aim to improve inter- and intra-regional connectivity, by providing a second reliable high-performing connection between the South-West and the South-East, in addition to the M4/M5.
Following an Order of the High Court made on 30 July 2021, the Secretary of State's decision dated 12 November 2020 to grant development consent for the application by Highways England for the proposed A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge) scheme has been quashed. The Secretary of State must now re-determine that application.
As a live planning case, it would not be appropriate for the Department to comment further on the scheme at this time.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the shortage of HGV drivers on the gritting of roads during the forthcoming winter.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Section 41(1A) of the Highways Act 1980 places a duty on local authorities to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice. It is the local authority’s responsibility to ensure that there are adequate drivers available to carry out gritting.
Alongside the interventions that Government has made to mitigate any possible HGV driver shortage, the DfT is working closely with local authorities and stakeholder bodies such as ADEPT and will be monitoring the capacity of local authorities with respect to driver numbers over the winter period.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations concerning the provision of lorry parks.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
No specific discussions have taken place with the devolved administrations specifically concerning provision of lorry parks. Lorry parking is a matter for the devolved administrations.