Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to increase the (a) line speed and (b) services on the Birmingham-Black County-Shrewsbury route.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department is working with local stakeholders such as Midlands Connect to consider the suitability of options to reduce rail journey times on the section of line between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury.
Since the pandemic began West Midlands Trains has been operating one train per hour between Birmingham and Shrewsbury, with extra services at peak times, alongside the hourly Transport for Wales service. My officials are working with West Midlands Trains, Network Rail and the West Midlands Rail Executive to assess options for the best future service pattern to balance frequency, capacity and reliability for the route given the uncertainty in passenger demand caused by the pandemic.
In addition, Avanti West Coast provides a direct peak time return service from Shrewsbury and Telford to London via Birmingham.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the merits of Network Rail's proposal in the Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy to electrify the Birmingham-Black Country-Shrewsbury route.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department will consider the recommendations of TDNS carefully and will develop individual electrification schemes where appropriate, ensuring that they are deliverable and provide value for money for taxpayers.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for investment in the Birmingham-Black Country-Shrewsbury Line.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Midlands Connect are developing proposals to improve journey times between Birmingham and Shrewsbury. We expect to receive a business case in due course.
Proposals are also being developed to improve the service using existing infrastructure, including adding an additional London to Shrewsbury via Birmingham service on a Sunday morning from May 21 and an extra Shrewsbury to London via Birmingham return service on Weekdays and Saturdays from December 2022. These proposals are subject to an assessment of COVID impacts.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to help ensure that people in Wolverhampton South West constituency can access safe cycling and walking travel options.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government is investing £2 billion in cycling and walking schemes this parliament, supported by a new long-term vision to deliver better streets for cycling published in July.
£3,850,997 million was allocated to the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority area in June from tranche 1 of the Active Travel Fund. Tranche 2 allocations will be announced shortly. Decisions on allocating the remaining funding this parliament will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safeguards are in place to ensure that e-scooters used on roads and highways have been legally approved.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Department is running trials of rental e-scooters to assess their impacts when used on the road and cycle lanes. All e-scooters used in the trials must have approval from the Department – all other e-scooters remain illegal. We have set high standards, which includes having suitable lighting and braking, and passing stability tests designed to replicate use on uneven road surfaces.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) guidance on social distancing due to the covid-19 outbreak is being enforced on public transport and (b) reports of breaches from members of the public are taken seriously and investigated.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Department’s Safer Transport guidance and communications strongly advise passengers to maintain their distance where possible. Social Distancing is not required by law, however on 13 October 2020, Ministers from the Department for Transport met with transport sector representatives from all modes, and discussed the need for a renewed focus on enforcement and compliance with Coronavirus regulations and guidance.
According to British Transport Police (BTP) and Transport for London (TfL) data, over 165,000 interventions were made by officers against passengers refusing to comply with facial coverings regulations in the period up to 8 October. 7,731 passengers were prevented from boarding a service and 5,891 were directed to leave a service. BTP, TfL and police forces across the country issued 608 fixed penalty notices in the same period.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has published on using motorway lanes safely.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Highway code rules for Motorways (253 to 273) include rules for signals, joining the motorway, driving on the motorway, lane discipline, overtaking, stopping and leaving the motorway. The relevant advice on using motorway lanes safely is covered in the Highway code rules 264 to 266.
Highways England provides information and helpful guidance on using motorways safely on its website page ‘Safer Driving On Motorways’ which can be found at: https://highwaysengland.co.uk/road-safety/
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to (a) increase the number of electric vehicles on the UK's roads and (b) ensure the adequate supply of electricity for those vehicles.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is investing?around?£2.5bn?,?with grants available for ultra-low emission vehicles, as well?as funding?to support charge point infrastructure at homes,?workplaces,?on residential streets?and across the wider roads network. The Government consulted on bringing forward an end to the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans, from 2040 to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible. The responses are helping to inform our thinking on what further appropriate measures to achieve a faster transition will need to be. The Transport Secretary has also announced that the Government will consult on measures to improve the consumer experience of using the public charging network, so that charging an electric vehicle is as straightforward as refuelling a conventional vehicle today.
The Government and Ofgem are considering the implications of electric vehicle policy for the energy system. We are engaging with stakeholders, including network companies, to ensure that increasing demand can be accommodated whilst minimising the impact on businesses, workers and consumers across the UK, building on the significant demand and supply-side measures in place. The impacts presented in the National Grid’s latest Future Energy Scenario are readily manageable by the electricity system. The capacity market is our principal tool for ensuring we have sufficient generation capacity to meet demand on an annual basis. It should be possible to manage additional demand arising from greater uptake of EVs through adjustments to the amount of capacity secured in the four-year period ahead Capacity Market auctions. The electricity market is already set up to promote investment in generation capacity to meet demand; for example, the Contracts for Difference scheme facilitates significant investment in low-carbon generation. This complements numerous measures to ensure a smarter, more flexible energy system, increasing the efficiency of the electricity system to prepare for electric vehicles.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that public transport is accessible to people with disabilities during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government remains as committed to delivering inclusive transport for all passengers as they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. Our expectation is that transport operators should continue to assist disabled passengers who need assistance. I made this clear in my open letter to the rail industry on 8 April 2020 (www.gov.uk/government/speeches/letter-from-the-rail-minister-to-the-rail-delivery-group-on-maintaining-accessibility-during-the-covid-19-outbreak).
We have also made clear to local authorities that the Public Sector Equality Duty still applies and that they must continue to consider the needs of disabled people. An accessible public realm is vital to enabling disabled people to access public transport. On 9 May the Department published statutory guidance to local authorities on reallocating road space which makes clear that authorities must consider the needs of disabled people and those with other protected characteristics when making changes to their transport networks (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reallocating-road-space-in-response-to-covid-19-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities/traffic-management-act-2004-network-management-in-response-to-covid-19). Public Sector Equality Duty requirements apply to temporary measures as they do to permanent ones.
I am meeting regularly with key disability stakeholders, including Disability Rights UK, Scope, Guide Dogs and Transport for All, to hear directly from them about the experiences of disabled people using transport. This engagement helps the Department take action quickly if we find that passengers are not receiving the assistance to which they are entitled. Many stakeholder groups have also developed their own “model guidance”, which we have shared with Train Operating Companies.
The Government has launched an active communications campaign which advises people about exemptions to the face coverings rules for disability and health reasons. The publication reminds people that not all disability is visible and includes a non-compulsory exemption card should people want to use it.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that people using public transport wear appropriate face coverings during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Since the introduction of mandatory face coverings on public transport and in transport hubs in England from 15 June, the Department for Transport has taken a series of steps to ensure people comply with the legislation and wear appropriate face coverings.
To help introduce this policy, we focused on informing the public of the new requirements. The Department ran a successful communications campaign through its social media channels and produced a range of materials, including posters, videos and guidance, to support operators in conveying the new rules and exemptions from the policy to passengers.
With regards to enforcement, the regulations made under the Public Health Act 1984 include new powers for operators to deny access to a service, or direct someone to leave a service, who is not wearing a face covering without a valid exemption. There are also powers for the police, British Transport Police and Transport for London authorised personnel to issue a fixed penalty notice of £100. As the Prime Minister announced on 13 August 2020, we are bringing forward stronger enforcement measures which mean fines for repeat offenders double at each offence, up to a maximum value of £3,200.