Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing (a) local authorities and (b) police forces to retain revenues from speeding fines.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No recent assessment has been made.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the changes to the HS2 project on East West Rail.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
East West Rail (EWR) Connection Stage 1 (providing services between Oxford-Bletchley and Milton Keynes) is in construction and is due to enter into service by 2025. The East West Rail Alliance continues to work closely with HS2 Ltd to ensure the interfaces between the schemes are well understood and any shared risks mitigated.
EWR Connection Stages 2/3 are in development and will be subject to statutory consultation and DCO application.
No change has been made to the programme as a result of the Network North announcement.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the East West Rail project to introduce a streamlined blight scheme which expedites compensation at a specific phase of the project.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The East West Rail Need to Sell Property Scheme was launched in May 2023 to address generalised blight that may arise from the East West Rail project. Applicants to the scheme are asked to provide evidence against five criteria set out in the Scheme Guide and East West Rail Company is committed to resolving cases as quickly as possible. Where an application is successful, East West Rail Company will make an offer to purchase a property for the unblighted market value. Compensation under the scheme is the same as is offered under the HS2 Need to Sell Scheme.
The first application to progress to the East West Rail Need to Sell Panel was accepted in September 2023. Once a Development Consent Order application has been submitted, individuals or businesses with a qualifying interest in property within the relevant area and meeting other statutory requirements, would be able to serve a blight notice on East West Rail Company as the scheme promoter, requesting purchase of their property. The Department for Transport and East West Rail Company will keep property acquisition schemes for the project under review.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of approving a 10 percent of house value compensation payment as part of the East West Rail Need to Sell Property Scheme for homes confirmed as being blighted.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The East West Rail Need to Sell Property Scheme was launched in May 2023 to address generalised blight that may arise from the East West Rail project. Applicants to the scheme are asked to provide evidence against five criteria set out in the Scheme Guide and East West Rail Company is committed to resolving cases as quickly as possible. Where an application is successful, East West Rail Company will make an offer to purchase a property for the unblighted market value. Compensation under the scheme is the same as is offered under the HS2 Need to Sell Scheme.
The first application to progress to the East West Rail Need to Sell Panel was accepted in September 2023. Once a Development Consent Order application has been submitted, individuals or businesses with a qualifying interest in property within the relevant area and meeting other statutory requirements, would be able to serve a blight notice on East West Rail Company as the scheme promoter, requesting purchase of their property. The Department for Transport and East West Rail Company will keep property acquisition schemes for the project under review.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will include a question in the upcoming East West Rail 2024 Statutory Consultation on the level of support for the project; and if he will (a) record and (b) publish any comments left in the box for any other comments.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As set out in the Route Update Report published by East West Rail Company in May 2023, a statutory consultation on the project is expected to take place in the first half of 2024. Consideration will be given to the questions for consultation by East West Rail Company in advance of this.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with East West Rail on the timescale for when the 2024 Statutory Consultation will commence.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As set out in the Route Update Report published by East West Rail Company in May 2023, a statutory consultation on the project is expected to take place in the first half of 2024. Consideration will be given to the questions for consultation by East West Rail Company in advance of this.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to take steps to require that vibration and noise monitoring plans are shared with (a) affected residents and (b) elected representatives for feedback prior to their implementation by East West Rail.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
East West Rail Company is currently gathering information to understand current noise and vibration levels across the preferred route and to identify potential impacts from planned works. Mitigations and ongoing monitoring measures will be outlined in a Noise and Vibration Management Plan. Local residents and elected representatives will be able to comment on this as part of a forthcoming statutory consultation and during the examination process once a Development Consent Order application has been submitted.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Bedford to Cambridge section of East West Rail is still designated a nationally significant infrastructure project.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There has been no change to the designation of the East West Rail Project. In 2019 the then Secretary of State directed that the East West Rail Project between Bedford and Cambridge, as well as any associated matters, is nationally significant, and as such should be treated as development for which development consent is required, under section 35 of the Planning Act 2008. Due to this, East West Rail Co. will be required to make an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to obtain permission to construct and operate the railway.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing ownership records, alongside registered keeper details on V5C documents in the context of present lack of ownership documentation allowing people to change ownership or keepership of a vehicle without requesting checks.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The vehicle register held by the DVLA, is not a register of legal title or ownership of vehicles.
Based on the latest available data, the DVLA is confident that just over 92% of the keepers on record are contactable and traceable based on the information held.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing ownership records, alongside registered keeper details, on V5C documents.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) maintains a register of vehicles and their keepers in the United Kingdom. The purpose of the vehicle register is to assist in revenue collection, road safety, law enforcement and to record who is responsible for the vehicle’s day-to-day use. The vehicle register held by the DVLA, is not a register of legal title or ownership of vehicles.
The registered keeper of a vehicle can be an individual or a corporate organisation, and they are legally responsible for notifying the DVLA that they have disposed of the vehicle and for notifying them who the new keeper is. Based on the latest available data, the DVLA is confident that just over 92% of the keepers on record are contactable and traceable based on the information held.