Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which wildlife protection projects relate to HS2 works; and what the cost is of each.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
HS2 must meet regulatory and legal requirements to protect existing wildlife and is also committed to a target of ‘No Net Loss’ in biodiversity. HS2 Ltd therefore deploys an adaptive approach to wildlife protection and environmental mitigation. The design and construction of HS2 is required to meet legislative and regulatory requirements, and HS2 Ltd’s proposals for mitigation are subject to review, inspection and guidance from the regulators to ensure mitigations are in place to protect wildlife.
HS2 is an integrated scheme where routine wildlife protection costs are accounted for within the overall costs, except for a number of specific structures. It is therefore not feasible to immediately isolate a proportion of the costs for the mitigation required for wildlife protection, which is an ongoing responsibility as construction continues and circumstances on the ground continue to develop.
Once constructed, the new HS2 railway will result in over 33 km2 of habitats being in place for species to use, a significant amount of which is directly provided as part of HS2’s commitment to wildlife protection.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total number of minutes is that trains have been delayed in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Delays affecting Trains in Great Britain | |
Year | Total Number of Delay Minutes |
01/04/14 - 31/03/15 | 12,939,361 |
01/04/15 - 31/03/16 | 13,681,340 |
01/04/16 - 31/03/17 | 14,685,985 |
01/04/17 - 31/03/18 | 14,830,151 |
01/04/18 - 31/03/19 | 16,743,884 |
01/04/19 - 31/03/20 | 16,952,755 |
01/04/20 - 31/03/21 | 6,745,965 |
01/04/21 - 31/03/22 | 10,486,810 |
01/04/22 - 31/03/23 | 13,734,944 |
01/04/23 - 31/03/24 | 15,499,548 |
Note: | |
Delay minutes affecting all passenger operators, excluding private or charter operators. | |
Includes all delay minutes which are allocated to incidents which are attributed a reason and a responsible owner. | |
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using (a) AI and (b) automation for rail reforms; and if she will have discussions with (i) Network Rail and (ii) train operators on the potential impact of those bodies using (A) AI on (B) automation on costs (1) for rail passengers and (2) to the public purse.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department recognises the potentially transformative role that technologies such as Artificial Intelligence can play across all transport modes, including rail.
Within rail, these technologies have the potential to deliver step-change improvements in several areas, including to the passenger experience, train positioning and control, infrastructure and asset management, safety management, energy management and emissions control.
My officials continue to work closely with Shadow Great British Railways and other rail industry bodies including Network Rail and the Rail Safety and Standards Board to ensure that the benefits of these technologies are fully recognised and realised.
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.