Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the powers available to Local Authorities to hold utility companies to account for defects left behind after excavation work on grassed areas and grass verges.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Highway authorities have a range of powers to deal with utility street works. If the grassed area or verge is part of the public highway, utility companies carrying out excavations need to apply for a permit from the relevant highway authority, and they must reinstate them after works have been completed in line with requirements in the Specification for Reinstatement of Openings in the Highway (SROH). Authorities can inspect the quality of the reinstatement, during works and up to two years later, and can require any defects to be repaired.
New guidance and regulations introducing a performance-based inspections regime came into force on 1 April 2023. The new regime enables highway authorities to carry out more inspections of poorly performing utility companies.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has held recent discussions with vehicle manufacturers on the adequacy of onboard security measures to prevent vehicle thefts.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to reducing vehicle crime and new vehicles have a range of features fitted on a mandatory basis to deter theft of and from vehicles. In addition, the Criminal Justice Bill will create offences aimed at reducing vehicle crime.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's news story entitled New street works regime to clamp down on pothole pain, published on 31 March 2023, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the new street works regime.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
New guidance and regulations introducing a performance-based inspections regime came into force on 1 April 2023. The new regime enables highway authorities to carry out more inspections of poorly performing utility companies.
It is too early to assess the effectiveness of the new regime, however my officials are using the Government’s digital service Street Manager to gather data.
The Department liaises with highway authorities and utility companies continuously to monitor and discuss ways to improve performance. Delivering on its plan for drivers, the Government has launched a street works consultation including a proposal to direct at least 50% of money from lane rental schemes to be used to improve roads and repair potholes. Lane rental schemes allow local highway authorities to charge organisations for the time that street and road works occupy the road. Lane rental schemes allow local highway authorities to charge organisations for the time that street and road works occupy the road.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the viability of alternative schemes to the Highways PFI contract for Birmingham.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has assessed the viability of a range of alternative schemes to the Birmingham PFI contract. Following this, we have committed to continue Birmingham’s existing funding at approximately £50m for 2024/5. In subsequent years, Birmingham would be allocated formula funding in the same way as other local highways authorities across the country, as part of the highways maintenance block grant. This will be paid via the West Midlands Combined Authority in the usual way.
The Department will increase the additional funding going to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) under the Network North Roads Resurfacing fund to take account of the fact that the allocations announced in November 2023 did not include an amount for Birmingham. WMCA is also benefiting from over £1 billion of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) funding up to 2026/27, and set to benefit from indicative CRSTS2 funding of over £2.6 billion between 2027/28 and 2031/32.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the number of road casualty deaths and serious injuries in each core city.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department holds data on personal injury road collisions which are reported by police forces in Great Britain.
Precise collision location (based on one metre Ordnance Survey grid reference) is recorded so that data can be analysed for different geographies, including core cities. Data for all collisions are published on data.gov.uk: https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/cb7ae6f0-4be6-4935-9277-47e5ce24a11f/road-safety-data
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to provide funding for the Birmingham Eastside metro extension through the Network North plan.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Birmingham Eastside metro extension is the responsibility of the West Midlands Combined Authority, which will receive over £1bn extra funding as a result of Network North.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government announces new long-term plan to back drivers, published on 29 September 2023, if his Department will publish its assessment of the impact of speeding on road safety.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All available research shows a link between excessive speed and the risk of collisions.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
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 making the blue badge scheme enforceable on off-street local authority land.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Blue Badge scheme is a national scheme, the scope and legal parameters of which (including the eligibility criteria) are set by the Government. Blue Badges are recognised throughout the UK and provide concessions which apply to on-street parking. There are no plans to change this.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the West Coast Main Line to meet anticipated future passenger and freight usage in the context of the decision not to proceed the northern section of HS2.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
No decisions have been made on the train service that will run when HS2 opens. These will be made in due course and be subject to consultation, taking advice from the industry. These considerations will include passenger and freight services available on the West Coast Mainline from released capacity.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the potential increase in freight that will be transported along the West Coast Main Line in the context of not proceeding with the northern section of HS2.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
No decisions have been made on the train service that will run when HS2 opens. These will be made in due course and be subject to consultation, taking advice from the industry. These considerations will include passenger and freight services available on the West Coast Mainline from released capacity.