Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric vehicle pilots were administered by Highways England in each year between 2014 and 2024; and what the cost to the public purse was per pilot.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
National Highways has an electric vehicle pilot working group. It has undertaken 3 electric vehicle trials as follows:
2023 – present: £337,382.83
2024 – present: £453,487.40
2024 – present: £16,206.05
The first two pilot projects listed were supported via the National Highways designated funds programme to support its commitment to progress towards a zero-emission fleet.
The third pilot was provided as a business demonstrator, provided on a loan basis by the vehicle manufacturer.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23517, on Crime: Westminster Bridge, what steps her Department is taking to tackle (a) unlawful parking and (b) unlicensed pedicabs on Westminster Bridge; and if she will initiate discussions with the relevant responsible authority.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Westminster Bridge is owned and managed by Transport for London (TfL). Ministers and officials have regular conversations with TfL on a variety of issues but decisions about unlawful parking and unlicenced pedicabs on Westminster Bridge are solely for them to make.
However, the Department for Transport has recognised the need to regulate the Pedicabs industry in London through the passing of the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024. This legislation will be applied through regulations that TfL are currently consulting on until 7 March 2025.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost of recycling (a) cement, (b) concrete and (c) asphalt for road maintenance and construction was in each year between 2014 and 2024.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The costs involved in recycling materials used in road maintenance and construction are a commercial matter for highway authorities, and the Department does not hold data on this. The Department encourages local highway authorities to consider the use of recycled road materials where feasible.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what industrial disputes are ongoing within (a) their Department and (b) each of the arm’s length bodies connected to their Department; how many (i) staff and (ii) contractors are involved in each dispute; what the form of industrial action is in each dispute; which recognised trade union is involved in each dispute; what the substantive matter is that is being disputed in each case; and what steps he plans to take to end each dispute.
Answered by Mike Kane
No recognised trade union currently holds a mandate to call industrial action in the Department for Transport or its Executive Agencies.
Members of PCS and Prospect unions in the Civil Aviation Authority have voted to take industrial action in a dispute over pay. The CAA is a statutory corporation and a public corporation of the Department for Transport. The number of staff potentially involved in the dispute is approximately 1,600, although it is estimated that 22% of staff are members of these unions.
PCS has called for a two-day strike commencing on 16 January followed by an overtime ban and work to rule.
Prospect has called for an overtime ban and work to rule commencing on 20 January.
Ministers look forward to a speedy resolution of this dispute and note that discussions between CAA management and unions are continuing. The pay of employees of the CAA is wholly a matter for the organisation itself.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to decolonise the (a) artwork and (b) heritage assets in (i) her Department, (ii) each of its arm’s length bodies and (iii) railway stations.
Answered by Mike Kane
The Department borrows art from the Government Art Collection and does not own artwork. As separate legal entities, the responsibility for creating policy and guidance for artwork sits with each individual Arm’s Length Body, rather than with the Department.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with (a) Stagecoach and (b) Stephensons on the frequency of buses in (i) England, (ii) the East of England and (iii) Suffolk.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport meets regularly with stakeholders, including bus operators, to discuss policy relating to local bus services.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what statutory basis the Special Escort Group is able to disapply (a) highways and (b) speeding restrictions; and whether she has a statutory role in this process.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Special Escort Group have the same road traffic exemptions and powers to stop and direct traffic as any other uniformed police officers, where necessary in the execution of their duty.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timescale is for (a) commencing and (b) completing upgrades to Ely and Haughley junctions.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This government is committed to delivering economic growth, and projects such as the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and upgrades to Haughley Junction have the potential to contribute to this. While the previous government made public statements of support for both projects, no funding was provided to allow either to progress.
The Chancellor has been clear about the state of the nation's finances and has launched a multi-year Spending Review. Decisions and timescales about individual projects will be informed by the review process and confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) total sum of compensation payments made to passengers by each railway franchise in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Statistics on the number of delay compensation claims made by passengers to each railway franchise is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and may be found online at: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/passenger-experience/delay-compensation-claims/ , ‘Table 4410 – Delay Compensation Claims’. The time series for this dataset begins in the financial year April 2018 to March 2019.
Data on the total sum of compensation payments made to passengers by each railway franchise between 2019/20 and 2022/23 may be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation. Data on compensation payments between 2009/10 and 2018/19 for those train operating companies where information was available can be accessed from: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20201020210716/https:/www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation. This data includes discretionary compensation paid by the train operators for poor service, e.g. out of service facilities, as well as delay compensation claims.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train cancellations there were for each railway franchise (a) in total and (b) as a percentage of the number of services run by each franchise, for each of the last ten years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information relating to the number of train cancellations for each railway franchise for the past ten years may be found online at: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance in ‘Table 3123 - Trains planned and cancellations by operator and cause.