Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of improving access to wifi on trains for (a) the economy and (b) productivity.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I have asked my officials to explore the feasibility of a range of technology options to improve passenger connectivity on the rail network. The Department is also measuring the strength of mobile signals along the rail network to fully understand where interventions are needed, and the potential impacts.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving licences were issued to people born outside of the UK by nationality in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The information requested is not available, as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not record the nationality of driving licence holders.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of pot holes that were reported in each of the last 25 years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is the responsibility of local highway authorities to manage and maintain their local highway networks, including understanding what parts of the network require maintenance, based on local needs and priorities.
Local authorities are required to provide road condition information to the Department as part of the data obligations set out in the Single Data List. The Department publishes this information on gov.uk, and the data goes back to March 2007.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department has provided for the repair of potholes (a) in Great Yarmouth constituency and (b) nationally in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. Norfolk County Council is the local highway authority for the Great Yarmouth constituency, and they are therefore responsible for the condition and maintenance of their local network.
This Government has a commitment to enable local highway authorities in England to fix up to a million more potholes a year. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year. The Government will confirm funding allocations to English local highway authorities in due course.
The funding the Department has provided for local highway maintenance, including but not limited to the repair of potholes, in Norfolk and nationally in each of the last ten years is in the table below:
Year | Highways Maintenance funding - Norfolk County Council (£m) | Total Highways Maintenance funding - England (£m) |
2015/16 | 28.637 | 1,156 |
2016/17 | 29.474 | 1,026 |
2017/18 | 33.812 | 1,222 |
2018/19 | 42.338 | 1,346 |
2019/20 | 29.592 | 1,051 |
2020/21 | 50.073 | 1,626 |
2021/22* | 35.757 | 1,125* |
2022/23* | 35.757 | 1,125* |
2023/24* | 46.623 | 1,475* |
2024/25* | 40.267 | 1,275* |
*Includes equivalent funding within areas in England receiving City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of emergency calls made by irregular migrants crossing the channel on the basis of information that is later found to be false for each year since 2018.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
HM Coastguard does not hold information on the number of emergency calls made by irregular migrants crossing the channel on the basis of information that is later found to be false.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to allow independent lifeboat services to use (a) blue lights and (b) sirens on public highways.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ministers are giving consideration to this matter. An update will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is the Minister taking to reduce the impact from cyclists using (a) strobe and (b) flashing lights on (i) motorists and (ii) other road users.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Standards for the fitment and use of bicycle lights are set out in the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended.
Front and rear flashing lights are only permitted on bicycles provided they do not cause undue dazzle or discomfort to other road users, have a constant flashing frequency of 1 to 4 hertz and, if they are the only lights fitted, an intensity of not less than four candelas.
Enforcement of road traffic law is generally an operational matter for individual police forces and their officers can issue verbal warnings or fixed penalty notices, or report riders for formal prosecution.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to support local bus services in Great Yarmouth Constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Improving local bus services is a key part of this government’s growth mission, and the government has set out plans to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions.
As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this session. This will put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in Great Yarmouth, to ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill will seek to increase the powers available to local leaders to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, high-quality partnerships with private operators or local authority ownership.
In addition, the government has confirmed an additional £925 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London, bringing total bus investment at the Budget to over £1 billion. Local authorities can use the £925 million to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.
The government will continue working closely with local transport authorities including Norfolk County Council, and others, to deliver better bus and public transport services throughout England.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of immigration on the road system.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department models future demand for road transport based on Office for National Statistics population forecasts, which include changes in population arising from immigration and other demographic change. Furthermore, the Department’s Common Analytical Scenarios consider futures that include high or low immigration to enable future uncertainty to be taken into account.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) average waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for the DVLA was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The table below provides the average waiting time, over the last five years, for someone who calls the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to be connected to an advisor. Please note that the figures for the various years are not directly comparable as the DVLA has moved to a new telephony platform which allows them to manage customer demand in different ways.
Fiscal Year | Average waiting time in minutes |
2020-2021 | 07:16 |
2021-2022 | 10:12 |
2022-2023 | 09:18 |
2023-2024 | 12:55 |
2024-24 Oct 24 | 13:22 |