Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many delays of more than 30 minutes have been caused to trains by hunts and hounds trespassing on the railway since 1 January 2021; and what steps he is taking to prevent these incidents from occurring.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We do not hold this information.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of (a) hunts and hounds trespassing on the railway and (b) (i) hounds and (ii) other animals, being struck by a train whilst on a hunt have been recorded since 1 January 2021.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We do not hold this information.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the League Against Cruel Sports report entitled Hunt Havoc: The Human Cost of Hunting With Hounds, published in October 2022, whether he has made a recent assessment of that report's findings on hunts causing interference on roads; whether he has made a recent assessment on the potential impacts of hunts on road users; and whether he is taking steps he is taking to address the findings of that report.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport does not hold any data on hunts causing interference on the road network.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has spent on supporting (a) public electric vehicle charging infrastructure and (b) off-street EV charging infrastructure in each of the last five years.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Figures detailing the funding spent through the Government’s various electric vehicle infrastructure schemes are show in the table below.
| 2021/22 YTD | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 |
EVHS and WCS | £29,297,000 | £25,962,000 | £13,248,000 | £13,323,000 | £10,316,000 |
ORCS, GULCSs and TAXI | £7,637,000 | £6,169,000 | £20,342,000 | £5,368,000 | £11,137,000 |
Total | £36,934,000 | £32,131,000 | £33,590,000 | £18,691,000 | £21,453,000 |
EVHS – Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme.
WCS – Workplace Charging Scheme.
ORCS – On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.
GULCSs – Go Ultra Low City Schemes
TAXI – Taxi Infrastructure
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce the cost of public electric vehicle charging, (b) increase cost transparency at public electric vehicle charging stations, (c) increase the reliability of public electric vehicle charging stations and (d) mandate local authorities to install public electric vehicle charging stations.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The UK is a global front-runner in supporting provision of charging infrastructure. Government has committed £1.3 billion to support the rollout of charging infrastructure. We are supporting rapid chargepoints along motorways and major roads and installing more chargepoints near homes and workplaces to make charging reliable and easy.
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles provides grants for domestic, workplace and public chargepoints to reduce the up-front costs of purchasing and installing an electric vehicle chargepoint. To further support drivers reduce the cost of charging, in December 2021 we laid legislation to require all new private chargepoints to be able to smart charge. Smart charging during off-peak periods when demand for electricity is lower can help avoid triggering unnecessary network reinforcement work to the electricity grid. Furthermore, this technology helps utilise renewable energy and can benefit consumers with cheaper electricity.
To increase confidence in the charging network and reduce range anxiety the Government consulted in Spring 2021 on using our powers under the Automated Electric Vehicles Act (2018) to improve the consumer experience at public chargepoints. Proposals included opening public chargepoint data; improving the reliability of the network; streamlining the payment methods offered to drivers; and increasing pricing transparency.
Drivers in the UK should expect reliability from the public network. Having chargepoints out of action is inconvenient, frustrating and can be unsafe. We consider that minimum reliability standards are required to drive improvements and hold poor performing chargepoint operators to account. Following consultation, we have announced that we will mandate new standards to ensure reliable charging. We have also announced that we will be mandating a single payment metric so consumers can easily compare the costs across networks which will be in a recognisable format, similar to pence per litre for fuel.
We will publish our full consultation response soon and intend to lay legislation later this year.
Government’s forthcoming EV Infrastructure Strategy will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK. The strategy will clearly establish Government’s expectations for the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the planning and deployment of charging infrastructure.
Local authorities will have a key role in planning and enabling the delivery of chargepoints to meet the needs of their local communities and areas, with particular focus on supporting those who do not have access to off-street parking.
We are working closer than ever with local authorities to encourage uptake of central government funding for electric vehicle chargepoints and ensure more widespread regional and local action in this space. We will continue to work to help mainstream capability and leadership, leading to local action to support zero emission vehicle uptake across every part of the UK.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has allocated to supporting (a) public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and (b) off-street EV charging infrastructure in each of the next three financial years starting March 2022.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government is investing over £1.3 billion in accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure over the next four years, targeting support on rapid chargepoints on motorways and major roads, and installing more on-street chargepoints near homes and workplaces to make charging reliable and easy. Our grant schemes and the £400m Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will see thousands more electric vehicle charge-points installed across the UK.
Budgets to support public and off-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure in each of the next three financial years have not yet been finalised. The Government’s forthcoming EV Infrastructure Strategy will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made by the US-UK taskforce to reopen travel between the two nations.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Prime Minister Johnson and President Biden made clear the importance of bringing about the return of safe trans-Atlantic travel as soon as possible. The Government continues to work closely through the joint UK-US Experts’ Working Group to develop meaningful options to ensure the return of safe and sustainable international travel.
The US maintains the executive order 212f limiting travel from a number of countries, including the United Kingdom. The reopening of transatlantic travel to fully vaccinated US passengers travelling to the UK from amber countries reflects the government’s clear ambition to work closely together to share best practice and influence reforms to empower trans-Atlantic recovery.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the viability of permitting e-scooter use (a) on roads, (b) on cycle lanes and (c) in other public spaces.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In July 2020 the Department made regulations to enable trials of rental e-scooters to take place. The trials will allow us to assess the safety of e-scooters and their wider impacts, before deciding whether they should be more widely and permanently legalised. 32 trials are underway in England and will run across the year, with final trial schemes due to conclude by 31 March 2022. This is an extension to the original deadline of 30 November 2021. It takes into account the slower start to trials as a result of the pandemic and will allow us more time to gather evidence as lockdown eases.
E-scooters in trial areas are permitted on roads, cycle lanes and tracks where the local authority considers it safe to do so, but they are not permitted on the pavement or on motorways. We have a comprehensive national monitoring and evaluation programme in place which will allow us to assess the impact of e-scooters.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to support airport-based vehicle rental businesses over the next six months.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government recognises the challenging circumstances aviation and associated business face as a result of Covid-19. Firms, across the economy, that are experiencing difficulties have been able to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor. This includes support through loan guarantees, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The extension of Government-backed loans and furlough payments announced at the Budget build on the support package available and will help ensure this vital and vibrant part of the UK economy is ready to bounce back in the wake of the pandemic.
We continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of reduced airline passenger numbers during the covid-19 outbreak on airport-based vehicle rental businesses (a) between March 2020 until May 2021 and (b) over the next six months.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government recognises the challenging circumstances aviation and associated business face as a result of Covid-19. Firms, across the economy, that are experiencing difficulties have been able to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor. This includes support through loan guarantees, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The extension of Government-backed loans and furlough payments announced at the Budget build on the support package available and will help ensure this vital and vibrant part of the UK economy is ready to bounce back in the wake of the pandemic.
We continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.