Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the police and (b) highways authorities about the (i) trends in the level of and (ii) reasons for equestrian related accidents and fatalities on roads.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Statistics on reported road collisions, including involving horses, are collated by the Department based on data supplied by police forces. While there is ongoing engagement with police and local authority data providers related to the data, no recent discussions have taken place specifically in relation to equestrian related incidents.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) RMT and (b) Cross Country Trains to seek a resolution to avoid strike action and no service on the (i) Birmingham, (ii) Leicester, (iii) Cambridge and (iv) Stansted Airport line through Hinckley station on (A) Saturday 18 October and (B) Saturday 1 November 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is for CrossCountry, as the employer, to negotiate terms and conditions with their staff. Officials have been kept advised of the situation with the dispute.
On Thursday 16th, sufficient progress had been made and RMT suspended strike action on Saturday 18th October, but unfortunately too late for many services to re-instated in a meaningful way. We understand CrossCountry talks continue with RMT on the remaining issues to resolve the dispute without further strikes.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 61898 on Railways: Midlands, whether any funding announced in the Spending Review 2025 has been allocated to support Network Rail's work to develop a business case for later phases of the Midlands Rail Hub between Birmingham and destinations in Leicestershire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The first phase of Midlands Rail Hub (‘Western’ scope) would enable additional trains each hour between Birmingham and South Wales and the South West, and on Birmingham’s Cross City Line. This includes extending Chiltern services from Moor Street to Snow Hill station by improving connectivity across the region. The costs and delivery timescales for later phases are subject to further development work and subsequent investment decisions.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of funding the National-Level Transport Scheme allocates to the (a) investigation and (b) completion of business cases; and to the immediate construction of schemes that are ready to build.
Answered by Mike Kane
The department does not recognise the ‘National-Level Transport Scheme.’ and is therefore unable to provide an answer to this question.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has completed the capital review of transport projects.
Answered by Mike Kane
The Capital Review was undertaken by an external panel of independent experts, and has now concluded.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to highlight the importance of safety at railway level crossings during the school summer holidays.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Educating users is critical to ensuring that level crossings are used safely and we look to Network Rail as the owner of these assets to do this. Network Rail produces a wide range of educational material on safety on and around the railway, including on level crossing safety, which it promotes through media campaigns and through school and community events. It recognises that the school holidays can pose particular challenges and focuses significant effort in attending local schools and community events in the vicinity of level crossings to promote railway safety.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to provide funding for public transport in Leicestershire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to supporting public transport across the country. That is why we have confirmed £955 million for 2025/26 to support and improve bus services in England outside London. On our trains, the planned Great British Railways will have a relentless focus on driving up standards for passengers, including simpler fares and ticketing.
The Government is providing £8.1 million to Leicestershire County Council in 2025/26 that the council can use to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities. We are also providing Leicestershire County Council with £12.3 million for 2025/26, and a total of £73.9 million from 2026/27 to 2029/30, in Local Transport Grant, which the council can use for maintenance and enhancements of its local transport network.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of demand responsive travel in rural areas in (a) the UK and (b) Leicestershire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government believes demand responsive transport (DRT) has an important role to play in ensuring communities can access transport services in areas where more traditional, regular stopping services may not be viable.
The Department has funded 17 innovative DRT pilots through the Rural Mobility Fund. Each scheme is taking part in a detailed monitoring and evaluation process. This will provide a strong base of evidence and good practice for DRT and a better understanding of both the role it can play in rural areas and the challenges associated with introducing it. The final process evaluation will be published later in 2025, and an impact and value for money evaluation is underway, with findings available in late 2026.
Some of the Rural Mobility Fund schemes have grown beyond their original pilot areas, including Fox Connect in Leicestershire. This has expanded from serving an area in south west Leicestershire into five zones around Market Harborough and two zones around Melton Mowbray. Three new zones will shortly commence in north west Leicestershire and will connect parts of Hinckley and Bosworth. These zones provide access into the local town centre and also serve train stations and East Midlands Gateway, also served by Nottinghamshire’s DRT service.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that local leaders work across county borders to ensure the (a) development and (b) sustainability of cross-border public transport services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
With regard to bus services, Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) already work closely together when tendering routes that cross shared boundaries, and in delivering their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP). There are also requirements set out in the Transport Act 2000 for LTAs to take account of the effect of an Enhanced Partnership on neighbouring areas, and for policies on bus services in neighbouring LTA areas to be considered when developing their franchising arrangements.
The government has updated its bus franchising guidance to LTAs to make clear that they should consider cross-boundary services during any franchising assessment process. This includes as part of the commercial case, where they should set out how they intend to facilitate cross-boundary services to deliver relevant BSIP outcomes and targets in both authorities’ areas.
The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December which puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders. This Bill is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including services that cross local authority boundaries.
With regard to rail, Great British Rail (GBR) will be organised to work collaboratively with devolved leaders and local stakeholders to ensure rail services meet local needs. All tiers of local government in England will benefit from empowered local GBR business units that are outward-facing and engage with local authorities on their priorities and Local Transport Plans.
Through the government’s devolution agenda, Mayoral Strategic Authorities are increasingly serving rural areas. Mayors will have a role in the design of their local rail services. They will also have the power to create unified and integrated transport systems enabling local leaders to create transport networks that deliver for their areas. A single directing mind is essential to ensuring the railway serves passenger and freight interests nationally. It is also vital that mayors have the power to integrate local railways with other transport modes.
Later this year, we will publish the Integrated National Transport Strategy and set the vision for transport in England, putting people at the heart of how we plan, build and operate transport. The Strategy will aim to make public transport a more attractive option when people choose to travel and equip local leaders to make the right decisions for their areas. We want to address fragmentation and inefficiency across the transport system to ensure that public, private and third sector partners can work together to provide reliable transport services, including for cross-border journeys.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for the Midlands Rail Hub project; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the Hub supports rail travellers from (a) Leicestershire and (b) Hinckley and Bosworth consistency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor’s commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub in the 2025 Spending Review follows the release of £123 million last year to design the first phase (with additional services in central Birmingham, to the South West and South Wales, and improved reliability of services through New Street), which could be delivered by the early 2030s. Network Rail is working on the case for later phases, which could include improved services between Birmingham and destinations in Leicestershire including Hinckley.