Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to require HS2 Ltd. to release full ground condition survey reports for the Mid Cheshire area.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd has produced a report, entitled ‘Crewe to Manchester: Understanding the Ground Risk across the Cheshire Plain’, which is informed by ground investigation work undertaken so far. This report was published on the GOV.UK website on 3 March 2023.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of the safety of the ground for HS2 (a) Weaver Vale constituency and (b) Cheshire.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd has reviewed the ground conditions, the associated risks, and the appropriate mitigation measures for the HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg scheme as it passes across the Cheshire Plain in areas of former salt mining and other areas where salt mining is ongoing. Their assessment is published in the ‘Crewe to Manchester: Understanding the Ground Risk across the Cheshire Plain’ report published on the GOV.UK website on 3 March 2023.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
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 the presence of brine on (a) levels of subsidence and (b) ground condition on the HS2 route in (i) Weaver Vale constituency and (ii) Cheshire.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd has reviewed the ground conditions, the associated risks, and the appropriate mitigation measures for the HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg scheme as it passes across the Cheshire Plain in areas of former salt mining and other areas where salt mining is ongoing. Their assessment is published in the ‘Crewe to Manchester: Understanding the Ground Risk across the Cheshire Plain’ report published on the GOV.UK website on 3 March 2023.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
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 salt caverns on the safety of the ground along the HS2 route in (a) Weaver Vale constituency and (b) Cheshire.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd has reviewed the ground conditions, the associated risks, and the appropriate mitigation measures for the HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg scheme as it passes across the Cheshire Plain in areas of former salt mining and other areas where salt mining is ongoing. Their assessment is published in the ‘Crewe to Manchester: Understanding the Ground Risk across the Cheshire Plain’ report published on the GOV.UK website on 3 March 2023.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any ground investigations for HS2 have been carried out in (i) Weaver Vale (ii) Cheshire; and whether it is his policy to publish the evidence resulting from HS2 ground investigations.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd has previously undertaken ground investigations to increase the understanding of geological risks associated with settlement across the HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg scheme. Further ground investigations will be carried out as the scheme progresses. HS2 Ltd has recently published their ‘Crewe to Manchester: Understanding the Ground Risk across the Cheshire Plain’ report on the GOV.UK website on 3 March 2023.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) roads are adequately maintained and (b) potholes are fixed promptly in Weaver Vale constituency.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Weaver Vale constituency straddles two local authority areas, namely Cheshire West and Chester and Halton Borough Council.
Over the three-year period between 2022/23 - 2024/25, the Government is providing over £31.5 million to Cheshire West and Chester Council towards the maintenance of the local highway network in their area through the highways maintenance block (HMB) and the Potholes Fund.
It is up to Cheshire West and Chester how best to spend this funding to fulfil their statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. The Department encourages good practice in highway maintenance through channels such as the Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice produced by the UK Roads Leadership Group (UKRLG).
Halton Borough Council are a constituent member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA). During the five-year period between 2022/23 - 2026/27, the Government is providing LCRCA with £710 million through their City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS). The funding settlement is for investment in the local transport networks in the Liverpool City Region, as outlined in LCRCA’s business case and delivery plan.
LCRCA received an additional £3.75 million as part of the share of the £200 million announced at Budget 2023.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2023 to Question 168095, what discussions he had with the Leader of the House on bringing forward legislation on the deployment and operation of self-driving vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Secretary of State is in regular contact with the Leader of the Commons on the Department for Transport’s legislative programme. The government is committed to bringing forward Future of Transport legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2023 to Question 168095 on Transport: Innovation, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of any delay in implementing recommendation 4 of Sir Patrick Vallance's review on investment in the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is continuing to work closely with industry to support investment in innovative transport modes across the UK.
On 1 February, the Business Secretary announced £82m of joint government and industry R&D funding for seven Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) projects to pilot commercial passenger freight services.
To support further funding, the sector, and future investment in the UK, Government is committed to bringing forward Future of Transport legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for bringing forward a transport bill.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We will progress legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an estimate of the timescale needed for implementation of recommendation 4 of Sir Patrick Vallance’s Pro-innovation Regulation of Technologies Review: Digital Technologies.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government Response to Sir Patrick Vallance’s Report outlined that it is committed to bringing forward and implementing legislation on the future of transport when parliamentary time allows.
The Government has set out in its Connected & Automated Mobility 2025 paper that it plans to put in place a legal framework enabling the deployment and operation of self-driving vehicles by 2025.