Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of performance on the Great Western mainline to South Wales.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Improving performance on the Great Western Main Line is a high priority for Network Rail and my Department. I have met the Chief Executive of Network Rail multiple times to discuss this issue and it is clear to both of us that current performance is not meeting the standards of reliability that passengers deserve. Last week Network Rail launched its £140m Thames Valley Recovery Plan, which focusses on improving performance over the next 18 months.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made on the provision of relief lines to allow additional capacity on the South Wales mainline in South Wales.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The government is investing in an enhancement of the Relief Lines between the Severn Tunnel and Cardiff. The proposed increase in line speed and capacity would improve the performance of existing passenger and freight trains and enable the operation of additional local services as set out in the recommendations of Lord Burns’ South East Wales Transport Commission. The Full Business Case for this scheme is on target to be delivered by the end of the year.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with UK sanction regimes at (a) airports, (b) seaports and (c) rail entry points.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport sanctions apply to all UK ports and airports. His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs lead on the enforcement of trade sanctions at rail entry points. At all ports, airports and rail entry points, there are clear processes in place to effectively identify and deal with sanctions breaches.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the Cardiff Crossrail project; and what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, (b) the Welsh Government and (c) Cardiff Council on that project.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The UK Government announced in January 2023 its commitment to providing £50m of Levelling Up Funding to Cardiff Council for the Cardiff Crossrail project, subject to approval of business case. DfT officials have met with Cardiff Council and Transport for Wales on a number of occasions to discuss the progression of the scheme and will continue to do so. The UK Government remains firmly committed to supporting the development of this project and levelling up all parts of the country.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) National Rail, (b) the Welsh Government and (c) Transport for Wales on the provision of relief lines between Newport and Cardiff Central to facilitate the addition of services and stations in (i) St.Mellows and (ii) other areas.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Upgrading the south Wales relief lines has been identified as a high priority by the Wales Rail Board comprising my department, Welsh Government and Transport for Wales and I recently authorised Network Rail to undertake further development work. Progression of the proposed Cardiff Parkway station at St Mellons is subject to the outcome of a Welsh Government planning decision.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many printers the Government (a) owns and (b) has access to for the production of (i) biometric residency permits and (ii) driving licences.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government owns and has access to six laser engraving machines that can be used for printing biometric residency permits and driving licences.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to take steps to bring forward further regulations to help tackle the dangerous use of e-scooters in (a) pedestrianised areas and (b) on pavements.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The use of e-scooters in pedestrianised areas and on the pavement is illegal under current legislation, and the Government has no plans to change this. As the Department develops regulations for e-scooters, it is determined to protect vulnerable road users by making users accountable for their actions and improving compliance with the rules. This work is informed by lessons learnt from trials, where measures have been put in place to improve rider training and require that e-scooters have a bell or a horn so that they are audible.
Enforcement is a matter for the police. The Department for Transport has been in regular contact with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, who are developing a national strategy for enforcing the law around e-scooters to encourage a uniform approach to the issue. It will consult before any new arrangements come into force, and all interested parties will have a chance to shape the new regime.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many ferry movements there have been between Welsh ports and the Republic of Ireland in each month of the last three year.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department for Transport does not collect statistics for vessel movements on a monthly basis but publishes annual figures. In addition, these statistics only show overall roll-on, roll-off ferry arrivals at the port, not the specific port of origin.
Figures for total vessel arrivals at Welsh ports with a ferry service to the Republic of Ireland in the last three years are available in the table below derived from Maritime Statistics (PORT0602) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/port-and-domestic-waterborne-freight-statistics-port.
Port | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
Holyhead | 3,058 | 3,081 | 2,778 |
Fishguard | 683 | 686 | 624 |
Milford Haven (incorporating Pembroke Dock | 683 | 681 | 687 |
Figures for 2021 are not yet available and will be published in Summer 2022.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of Transport for Wales on the ability of inter-city services to use the planned St Mellons Parkway station in the east of Cardiff when completed.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We welcome this private sector led proposal for an additional station serving the South Wales area and look forward to receiving the full business case for the scheme.
We will work with the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales under the Welsh devolution arrangements on this scheme as it progresses.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria the Government used to determine why (a) Ethiopia, (b) Kenya, and (c) Nigeria are not included in the red list for travel for hotel quarantine.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The criteria used to place travel bans on particular countries is based on the latest scientific and medical data, which show an increased risk to UK public health and an increased risk of community transmission of new COVID-19 variants identified. These are temporary measures and the government keeps data for countries and territories under constant review.
The government has made it consistently clear that it will take decisive action if the public health risk of people returning from a particular country without self-isolating becomes too high.
This list of countries with a travel ban remains under review, and the government will not hesitate to impose additional restrictions if the scientific and medical data from countries and territories change.