Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question 285402 and the 2019 Spending Review, what additional funding will be allocated for (a) walking and (b) cycling to meet Government targets for levels of activity in those areas.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government remains committed to the aims of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS). The Department will confirm shortly with local authorities and others what funding will be available in 2020/21 for various Government-funded walking and cycling schemes. Longer-term funding decisions will be a matter for the autumn Budget and the 2020 Spending Review.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to increase the level of funding allocated to (a) walking and (b) cycling to meet Government targets for levels of activity in those areas.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Decisions on future funding for cycling and walking will be made as part of the multi-year Spending Review, now planned for 2020.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the planned expansion of Heathrow does not contribute to an increase in air pollution.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
In regards to air quality, following designation of the Airports National Policy Statement, it is now down to an applicant for development consent to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality impacts of its scheme, including during construction, and put forward an appropriate package of mitigations that address air quality impacts and demonstrate compliance.
In order to grant development consent, I would need to be satisfied that, with mitigation, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations.
Separately, my Department will also be working to speed up the research, development and adoption of low and zero carbon aviation technology.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential environmental benefits of permitting use of light electric vehicles on (a) roads and (b) public paths.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Department has made no assessment of the potential environmental benefits of light electric vehicles, however cycling and walking do offer active travel benefits. The Future of Mobility regulatory review will address the challenges of ensuring our transport infrastructure and regulation are fit for the future. This is a broad programme of work, and we expect to publish an initial consultation in autumn this year.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the document entitled, Bus Services Act 2017:Bus Open Data Consultation Response, whether his Department has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to require audio-visual equipment be installed on local bus services.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government understands the importance of clear, accessible information in helping bus passengers to make informed journey decisions and to travel with confidence, and in Summer 2018 consulted publicly on plans to improve the availability of open data and to ensure that accessible information is provided onboard local bus services across Great Britain.
We continue to analyse responses to the accessible information consultation and expect to announce our next steps regarding the making of Regulations and publication of guidance later in the year.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the removal of non-national language voice-overs for the theory driving test on the ability of refugees to live and work in the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The focus of the driving test is to help to ensure that all drivers have the knowledge, skills and understanding to use UK roads safely and responsibly. Since the language support change in 2014, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has introduced a new practical driving test and is currently working on a new driving theory test for the early 2020s. The DVSA is taking into account, as part of planning the new theory test, candidates for whom English is a second language.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the recent Government consultation on New cycling offences: causing death or serious injury while cycling, whether his Department has consulted on introducing new road traffic offences committed by people other than cyclists.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The recent consultation related specifically to proposals for new cycling offences.
In October last year the Government provided its response to the consultation on serious driving offences and confirmed its intention to increase the maximum penalties for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs from 14 years’ imprisonment to life and to create a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether levels of payment of Disabled Living Allowance are used to assess applications for Blue Badges.
Answered by Jesse Norman
A person who receives the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance is eligible for a Blue Badge under the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000, as amended. Similarly, a person will be eligible if they receive a score of at least 8 points in relation to the "moving around" activity of the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the effect of building a third runway at Heathrow on the residents of Tooting constituency.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Following Parliament’s historic decision to endorse expansion at Heathrow, the Airports National Policy Statement was designated. This allows an applicant to bring forward an application for development consent, which would be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. Expansion at Heathrow would bring up to £74 billion of benefits to passengers and the wider economy.
As part of the next stage of the process, an applicant will need to carry out further consultation with local communities on the finer details of their scheme design and the associated compensation and mitigation packages. The applicant would also be expected to conduct a full environmental impact assessment. Alongside this an applicant will need to develop plans for the necessary airspace changes around the airport, including new flightpaths. These will also be subject to consultation with local communities, ahead of being submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority for approval.
The Government undertook a strategic assessment of the effects of Heathrow expansion on local communities surrounding the airport, as part of the Appraisal of Sustainability (AoS). This assessment included consideration of a range of effects, including those to the environment, and the local economy. The AoS was first published online in February 2017 and consulted on as part of the Airports National Policy Statement process. The AoS was available for MPs consideration before the Parliament’s historic decision to back expansion at Heathrow.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on the sale of railway arches across the UK and the effect of such sales on local businesses.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department has regular discussions with Network Rail about the proposed sale of its commercial business.
When the sale was announced last year, Network Rail wrote to all affected tenants to reassure them that after the sale that all lease arrangements and protections will be unchanged.
Network Rail’s sale of its commercial estate business will enable them to focus more effectively on the services people want to see from their railways by improving safety, reliability and capacity.