Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric vehicle charge-points have been installed as part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund as of 5 February 2024.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Pilot, launched in August 2022, and expanded further in February 2023, has provided funding to deliver 3,400 chargepoints and 1,000 gullies.
The full fund was launched in March 2023 and we announced five successful applications on February 5, 2024. Further successful applications will be announced in coming months.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric vehicle charge-points have been installed as part of the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant as of 5 February 2024.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant (EVCG) scheme provides support for those who own and live in a flat or rent any residential property (including shared ownership). Grants of up to £350 per chargepoint are available for eligible applicants to help with the costs of purchase and installation.
As of 1st July 2023, the EVCG has funded the installation of 3,433 domestic sockets since the scheme was launched in April 2022.
Previous domestic grant schemes funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme and Domestic Recharging Scheme) have delivered 380,555 domestic charging devices since 2013.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take to help increase accessibility of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that all electric vehicle drivers can easily find public chargepoints that they can use. The Government and industry have supported the installation of over 53,600 publicly available charging devices.
The Publicly Available Standard (PAS) 1899 provides specifications on designing and installing accessible chargepoints. It also considers chargepoints in the context of their wider built environment, to ensure that the needs of other road and pavement users are reflected.
The Government will continue to monitor progress to assess whether further intervention is required, including through a 24-month review into implementation of PAS 1899.
The Government is actively encouraging local authorities, and other relevant parties, to incorporate accessibility into their procurement models, including through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund. This £381 million fund will support local authorities to work with industry to ensure that the transition to EVs takes place in every part of the country.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to invest in cycling infrastructure in the next five years.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is investing more than £3 billion into active travel up to 2025. This includes existing funding for active travel schemes delivered through funding streams such as the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) and National Highways to level up access to active travel across the country. The Department will invest at least £100 million of dedicated capital funding across the remainder of the Spending Review period up to 2024/25. Funding for 2025/26 onwards is subject to the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the number and proportion of buses in Kent and Medway that are able to provide audio-visual announcements; and whether he plans to provide funding to increase the number of buses equipped for such announcements.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
In 2021/22, 25% of buses in England outside of London were equipped to provide audio-visual information. We do not hold more granular information, such as statistics specific to Kent and Medway.
We plan to require the provision of audible and visible information on local bus and coach services across Great Britain and intend to introduce the Accessible Information Regulations.
We have allocated £3.55m to the Real Time Information Group, who will be supporting small operators with the upfront costs of the planned Regulations.
The 2021 National Bus Strategy requires all Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) outside London to produce Bus Service Improvement Plans. Our Guidance created to support LTAs with the development of these plans recommends that buses offer end to end accessibility, by for example, offering onboard accessible information.
We have also required buses funded through the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme to provide audible and visible information as standard.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he has made an assessment of the potential impact of e-scooter policies on people with sight loss and other disabilities.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Rental e-scooter trials were launched in July 2020 in 32 areas across England. The Department for Transport commissioned an independent evaluation of the e-scooter trials, covering data up to December 2021. The evaluation examines how and why rental e-scooters are used, and by whom, as well as safety, mode shift, environmental and wider social impacts.
From the key findings, the majority of residents saw the introduction of e-scooters in their area as positive. Some members of the public raised concerns about the behaviour displayed by riders, with pavement riding causing particular concern among pedestrians with mobility issues and blind or partially sighted individuals.
The findings have already been used to inform updates in guidance and regulation of the e-scooter trials and will continue to be used to inform future e-scooter policy. The Department will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders representing the needs of blind and visually impaired people, including through a public consultation, before any new arrangements come into force.