Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that Highways England enforces the terms of the contract agreed with Connect Plus in respect of litter clearance; and how many times Highways England has imposed a financial penalty on that contractor since the contract was awarded.

Highways England conduct a monthly Environmental Audit inspection to ensure Connect Plus meet their contractual obligations in respect of litter.

Although there is no direct mechanism to apply financial penalties for failure to collect litter specifically, Connect Plus are monitored on their performance with respect to removing litter from the strategic road network. Failure to meet their contractual obligations can trigger various sanctions, which can range from increased reporting, additional monitoring to loss of entitlement to certain bonuses. In extreme cases, if the performance of a contractor persistently falls below the terms of the specific contractual arrangements across multiple aspects of performance, this could lead to contract termination through contractor default.