Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that responses to the consultation on ticket office closures are given appropriate weight in line with the Equality Act 2010 and the Transport Act 2000.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Following the end of the consultations, the independent passenger bodies now play a vital role in assessing and shaping proposals. Train operators have entered into discussions with the passenger bodies to take account of feedback from the consultation responses. We expect train operators to work collaboratively with the passenger bodies in the coming weeks, to listen to the concerns raised and to refine their proposals accordingly.
The Department has no role in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) process unless objections cannot be resolved between the train operator and passenger body and are referred to the Secretary of State for a decision. If called upon to make a determination on a specific ticket office proposal, the Secretary of State will follow the TSA process alongside the relevant guidance and will take into account the equality implications of the proposal in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle strike action which delays commuters.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Since coming into office, the Secretary of State and I have positively changed the tone and facilitated discussions to bring an end to the industrial action.
Negotiations are between industry and the trade unions. RMT and ASLEF decided not to allow their members to have a say on the fair and reasonable offers that were proposed by industry. Instead, they rejected these outright and have pressed on with industrial action that impacts their members and the public. This industrial action will not avoid the need for essential workforce reform.
Together with industry we are keen to press ahead with critical reforms so that we achieve a financially and operationally sustainable rail network that provides a service that passengers deserve.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to (a) tackle reductions in bus services and (b) help ensure that older people can access transport.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Department for Transport recently announced a long-term approach to protect and improve bus services backed by an additional £300 million until April 2025. £140 million of this funding will go to bus operators to support services, and the remaining £160 million will go to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to protect and enhance bus services, and support local fares initiatives. This funding builds on the over £2 billion the Government provided to bus operators and LTAs from March 2020 to June 2023 to keep bus services running and mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.
This funding is in addition to the over £1 billion the Government is providing to 34 counties, city regions and unitary authorities to help local areas level up their bus services and deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans. We also make available up to £259 million every year for bus operators and LTAs to keep fares down and run services that might otherwise be unprofitable and could lead to cancellation through the Bus Service Operators Grant.
The Government supports council spending of around £1 billion a year on concessionary travel so that eligible older and disabled people can travel on off-peak buses up and down the country for free. Statistics for 2021/22 showed that concessionary bus journeys are down by more than a third since before the pandemic. That is why we recently launched the ‘Take the Bus’ communications drive to encourage older and disabled people who are eligible for a concessionary pass to use the free bus travel available to them to get out and about, meet friends and family, and rediscover local attractions.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage HGV drivers over the age of 60 to continue working; and whether his Department is taking steps to (a) reduce the cost for the Driver Qualification Card and (b) remove other barriers for people in this age range.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The five-yearly renewal of lorry and bus licences from age 45, and annual renewal from age 65 require an HGV driver to make a declaration regarding their health and to submit a medical report. This process is designed to be balanced and proportionate and reflect the greater road safety risks posed by the driving of larger vehicles. Age on its own is not a reliable indicator of health, however, it is widely accepted that the likelihood of developing conditions which may affect fitness to drive increases with age.
The Department for Transport has consulted on possible reforms to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, which was enabled by the UK leaving the European Union. Officials are reviewing responses to proposals, which include reforms to make renewal of cards and re-entry to the sector more proportionate for experienced drivers.
Welfare is key to driver retention and improving lorry parking facilities continues to be a central component of this work. Lorry drivers will soon benefit from improved roadside facilities and safer rest areas thanks to up to £100 million investment from industry and Government via the ‘HGV parking and welfare grant scheme’ and National highways funding to improve roadside facilities. This funding will support operators to improve security, showers and eating facilities.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure local commuter railway lines in the North East are served by (a) frequent and (b) reliable services.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Rail North Partnership (RNP), through which the Department and Transport for the North jointly manage Northern Train’s and TransPennine Express contracts, work closely with operators and stakeholders to monitor services and seek improvements to meet the needs of passengers and communities in the North East.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of the A19.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The A19 north of Thirsk is part of the strategic road network managed by National Highways. Safety is National Highways number one priority, and it is committed to continue improving road safety for all its customers, work force and supply chain across the network, including the A19.
National Highways has delivered a number of schemes recently on the A19, including carriageway widening between Norton and Wynyard, as well as new junctions at Testos and Downhill Lane, both of which are aimed at improving road safety, reducing congestion and enhancing accessibility for non-motorised users. It is also delivering a rolling programme of safety improvements at central reserve gaps along the A19.
The A19 is considered in National Highways London to Scotland East (North) route strategy. This will consider further work packages of interventions that address safety concerns on the route. It will also identify wider active travel, environmental, and resilience measures where possible. With regards to the accessibility of the A19, the route strategies process has used a broad range of metrics and stakeholder input to consider this, including: severance caused by the physical infrastructure, particularly the impact this has on pedestrians, cyclists and local communities; the physical capacity of the A19 and associated delay experienced by drivers; and the accessibility that the A19 affords to the work places and communities of the urban areas that it serves.
The initial findings of the London to Scotland East (North) route strategy will be published in the coming months. National Highways will continue to review the performance of the A19 and engage with its stakeholders ahead of the publication of final route strategies alongside its Strategic Business Plan and Delivery Plan following the publication of RIS3.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the timescale for self-driving vehicles to be permitted on UK roads.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We expect self-driving vehicles to be permitted on the roads in two ways:
(1) commercially available self-driving systems, that can drive in certain circumstances and which require a responsible human in the vehicle (such as those compliant with the Automated Lane Keeping System (ALKS) Regulation), will be deployed when a manufacturer brings a vehicle to market and it is approved; and
(2) self-driving passenger transport and logistics vehicles are also being trialled on the roads currently, and we anticipate progress towards the first deployment over the next 5 years.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the decarbonisation of the shipping sector.
Answered by Robert Courts
My department is supporting the decarbonisation of the UK Maritime sector through a two-pronged approach: R&D funding and investment; and a comprehensive policy and regulatory programme.
In March 2022, the DfT announced £206m for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions, (or UK SHORE) as part of the refresh of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, marking the biggest UK government investment ever in the commercial maritime sector. In May 2022, we launched the first of a series of packages under UK SHORE, including a second Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
On the policy and regulatory side, we are delivering on commitments made in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan; will publish a summary of responses to a call for evidence on increasing the uptake of shore power shortly which will then be followed by a full consultation; and will be launching consultations on phasing out the sale of new non-zero emission vessels and the course to zero, this year.
We will also continue to build momentum towards the publication of a refreshed Clean Maritime Plan in 2023.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of the Union Connectivity Review’s recommendations on strengthening transport links.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Union Connectivity Review (UCR) was published on 26 November 2021. The UK Government is grateful to Sir Peter Hendy for his work and is considering his recommendations carefully, to identify the solutions that work best for the people of the UK. We expect to publish the UK government’s response in due course.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve electric vehicle infrastructure in the UK.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Government has committed over £1.6 billion to support charging infrastructure at homes, on the street, in workplaces, destinations and along major roads. We have published a landmark electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure strategy setting out our plans to accelerate the rollout of a world-class charging network across the UK. Our strategy sets out our vision and commitments to make EV charging cheaper and more convenient than refuelling at a petrol station.
In addition, we have announced new regulations for public chargepoints to improve confidence in the charging network and make the user experience truly seamless. Drivers will benefit from simplified payment methods as well as the ability to compare prices and access real-time information about chargepoints. We will ensure there is a 99% reliability rate at rapid chargepoints. We will be introducing payment roaming to support the electrification of fleets. Chargepoints will need to have open data so that they are easy to find using maps and apps. We will lay legislation later this year.