Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to upgrade existing waterways so that they can take larger cargos.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
To increase the use of freight on our waterways the Government provides revenue support through our Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight grants. We have committed £20 million per year to 2024/25 to support rail and water freight services on routes where they deliver environmental benefits over road haulage but are more expensive to operate.
The cross-modal and long-term Future of Freight plan, published on 15 June, sets out the Government’s objectives for a freight and logistics sector that is efficient, reliable, resilient and sustainable. The plan explicitly supports mode shift of freight from road to rail, inland waterways, coastal shipping and new innovative modes such as e-cargo bikes. The plan also sets out how government will raise the status of freight within the planning system, will develop with industry a £7 million Freight Innovation Fund and will undertake work to develop a National Freight Network. This work will support, and provide opportunities to increase the use of, waterways for freight.
Upgrades of the waterways network in the UK are the responsibility of the Canal and River Trust (CRT), which is sponsored by Defra. The Department for Transport continues to work with Defra officials and the CRT to ensure that freight is considered in the operation, maintenance and enhancement of the UK’s waterways.
There are a wide range of navigation authorities that manage inland waterways. These are either independent self-financing bodies such as port authorities or are funded by other branches of government such as Defra.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to commit to upgrading waterways by allocating adequate funding for navigation authorities.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
To increase the use of freight on our waterways the Government provides revenue support through our Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight grants. We have committed £20 million per year to 2024/25 to support rail and water freight services on routes where they deliver environmental benefits over road haulage but are more expensive to operate.
The cross-modal and long-term Future of Freight plan, published on 15 June, sets out the Government’s objectives for a freight and logistics sector that is efficient, reliable, resilient and sustainable. The plan explicitly supports mode shift of freight from road to rail, inland waterways, coastal shipping and new innovative modes such as e-cargo bikes. The plan also sets out how government will raise the status of freight within the planning system, will develop with industry a £7 million Freight Innovation Fund and will undertake work to develop a National Freight Network. This work will support, and provide opportunities to increase the use of, waterways for freight.
Upgrades of the waterways network in the UK are the responsibility of the Canal and River Trust (CRT), which is sponsored by Defra. The Department for Transport continues to work with Defra officials and the CRT to ensure that freight is considered in the operation, maintenance and enhancement of the UK’s waterways.
There are a wide range of navigation authorities that manage inland waterways. These are either independent self-financing bodies such as port authorities or are funded by other branches of government such as Defra.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the use of water freight.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
To increase the use of freight on our waterways the Government provides revenue support through our Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight grants. We have committed £20 million per year to 2024/25 to support rail and water freight services on routes where they deliver environmental benefits over road haulage but are more expensive to operate.
The cross-modal and long-term Future of Freight plan, published on 15 June, sets out the Government’s objectives for a freight and logistics sector that is efficient, reliable, resilient and sustainable. The plan explicitly supports mode shift of freight from road to rail, inland waterways, coastal shipping and new innovative modes such as e-cargo bikes. The plan also sets out how government will raise the status of freight within the planning system, will develop with industry a £7 million Freight Innovation Fund and will undertake work to develop a National Freight Network. This work will support, and provide opportunities to increase the use of, waterways for freight.
Upgrades of the waterways network in the UK are the responsibility of the Canal and River Trust (CRT), which is sponsored by Defra. The Department for Transport continues to work with Defra officials and the CRT to ensure that freight is considered in the operation, maintenance and enhancement of the UK’s waterways.
There are a wide range of navigation authorities that manage inland waterways. These are either independent self-financing bodies such as port authorities or are funded by other branches of government such as Defra.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the use of waterways for freight transportation.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
To increase the use of freight on our waterways the Government provides revenue support through our Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight grants. We have committed £20 million per year to 2024/25 to support rail and water freight services on routes where they deliver environmental benefits over road haulage but are more expensive to operate.
The cross-modal and long-term Future of Freight plan, published on 15 June, sets out the Government’s objectives for a freight and logistics sector that is efficient, reliable, resilient and sustainable. The plan explicitly supports mode shift of freight from road to rail, inland waterways, coastal shipping and new innovative modes such as e-cargo bikes. The plan also sets out how government will raise the status of freight within the planning system, will develop with industry a £7 million Freight Innovation Fund and will undertake work to develop a National Freight Network. This work will support, and provide opportunities to increase the use of, waterways for freight.
Upgrades of the waterways network in the UK are the responsibility of the Canal and River Trust (CRT), which is sponsored by Defra. The Department for Transport continues to work with Defra officials and the CRT to ensure that freight is considered in the operation, maintenance and enhancement of the UK’s waterways.
There are a wide range of navigation authorities that manage inland waterways. These are either independent self-financing bodies such as port authorities or are funded by other branches of government such as Defra.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve rest facilities for HGV drivers and (b) ensure the safety of lorries in refuge areas.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
(a) The Government recognises the need to ensure hauliers have access to appropriate services and facilities.
We are aware of the concerns expressed by many HGV drivers about the provision, quality and value of lorry parking in the UK. We have announced £32.5 million in new funding to improve roadside facilities for hauliers and are undertaking a new National Lorry Parking Survey supported by direct industry engagement to help identify where improvements are most needed. We continue to engage with key stakeholders to encourage the development of safe, secure and high-quality lorry parking.
(b) Safety remains our top priority and our motorways are the safest type of road in the country.
On motorways where the hard shoulder has been converted to a traffic lane, there is a whole system of inter-related features, working together to help drivers. They include clearly signed and orange-coloured emergency areas set back from the road to provide greater protection than a hard shoulder and with telephones linking directly to our control rooms.
Emergency areas are available for when a driver has no alternative but to stop and it has not been possible to leave the motorway or reach a motorway service area. They are approximately 100 meters long (the average length of a football pitch) by 4.6 meters wide and set back from the left-hand edge of the motorway.
A Smart Motorway Driver Education Course was designed and developed jointly between National Highways and Logistics UK specifically for the freight sector. Its core objective is to help improve drivers’ understanding of smart motorways and how to use them. It is available free of charge and is recognised by JAUPT (the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training) as part of professional drivers’ formal accreditation. Since its launch in 2018 it has been supplied to more than 150 organisations with almost 400 courses delivered to more than 2,800 delegates.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide details of all the strategies his Department is working on; and what the estimated publication date of each of those strategies is.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work is underway across DfT on a number of strategies which will set out the important role transport will play as we build back better from the Covid-19 pandemic. The major strategies under development in the Department are listed below (including a number of strategies for which other organisations will lead development). Where known, expected and approximate publication dates have been included.
Aviation Strategic Framework - A strategic framework for the Aviation sector over next ten years, focussing on building back better to ensure a successful future for UK Aviation.
Aviation Jet Zero Strategy - A vision for how the aviation sector will reach net zero emissions by 2050.
EV Infrastructure Strategy - Expected to be published soon, and will set out our vision for the continued rollout of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK – one which will enable mass uptake of cleaner vehicles.
Future of Freight - A long-term strategic plan for the freight and logistics sector, co-developed with industry, and expected to be published in Spring 2022.
Future of Transport Rural Strategy – Will set out Government’s approach to addressing the impact of new technology, changing demand and evolving business models on rural transportation.
Low Carbon Fuels Strategy - A strategy on the deployment of low carbon fuels across different transport modes in the period up to 2050, to be published by the end of 2022.
Maritime recovery road map - Our plan to support the recovery of the Maritime sector from the impacts of Covid-19, expected to be published in Spring 2022, forming part of our Maritime 2050 strategy (published in January 2019).
National Railways Accessibility Strategy - A commitment in the Williams-Shapps plan for rail, this strategy will consider how to improve inclusion and access for all to our railways. It is being developed by the Great British Railways transformation team following a commission from DfT.
Road Safety Strategic Framework – Will set out the Government’s plans for increasing the safety of our roads.
Second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy - A second 4-year statutory cycling and walking investment strategy, reflecting the new policies in gear change and the multi-year funding settlement at Spending Review 2021. This is expected to be published in Spring 2022.
Third Road Investment Strategy - Will set out the Government’s aims and proposals for investment in the strategic road network from 2025 to 2030. The final version is expected to be published in 2024.
Whole Industry Strategic Plan for Rail - A 30 year strategy for the future of the rail sector, which is being developed by the Great British Railways transformation team following a commission from DfT.
There is other work ongoing in the Department which may lead to the development of more formal, externally published strategies in future, including on the sharing and use of data across the transport sector and on transport labour market and skills.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to support recruitment and retention in the transport logistics industry.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have taken decisive action to address the acute HGV driver shortage, with 30 specific measures taken by the Government already. These include providing support and training for new HGV drivers, expanding HGV driver testing capacity and improving licencing processes. We are also investing £32.5 million in improving roadside facilities for hauliers. We will continue to encourage the road haulage industry to make employment as an HGV driver more attractive.
Furthermore, in partnership with the Freight Council and our Future of Freight programme, we are working with industry to identify how recruitment and retention across the entire freight and logistics sector can be improved for the long term.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing the transport industry with assistance towards investment in greener trucks.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Decarbonising transport is a key priority for the government and we have just published our world-leading plan, “Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain’ which outlines our commitments to decarbonise transport, including the road freight sector, and achieve net zero by 2050.
We are supporting the transport industry to invest in greener trucks through a wide range of measures. This includes £20m this year to develop Zero Emission Road Freight Trials which will support UK industry to develop cost-effective, zero-emission HGVs and their refuelling infrastructure in the UK. Trials will invest in research, innovation and construction of zero emission HGVs by UK based business and SMEs to support the development of cutting-edge HGV technology, breaking down barriers to adoption and speeding up the decarbonisation of our road freight sector.
Government supports transport industry investment in low emission trucks through the £23 million Hydrogen for Transport Programme, which funds the deployment of hydrogen vehicles and refuelling stations. The £20m Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition matched capital funding to projects that produced low carbon waste-based fuels to be used in aeroplanes and HGVs and the £20 million Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial supported industry-led R&D projects trialing low-emission technologies for freight.
Finally, Government is providing £582 million to continue the plug-in grants.
The plug-in truck grant (PiTG) encourages the uptake of cutting-edge, zero emission HGVs by reducing the purchase price of zero emission commercial vehicles. From March 2021 the PiTG was increased to 20% of the purchase price, up to a maximum of £25,000, for large trucks greater than 12 tonnes. The grant rate was increased in recognition of the higher upfront cost of these vehicles.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support businesses to electrify their road delivery fleet.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
We recognise that business fleets have an important role to play in the transition to zero emission driving. A central part to supporting this transition is the recently announced 2030 phase out of new petrol and diesel cars and vans, and the upcoming consultation on phasing out the sale of new diesel heavy goods vehicles.
The Government is investing £2.8 billion through a package of measures to support industry and consumers to make the switch to cleaner vehicles. This includes £582m for grant schemes to help with the cost of purchasing vehicles and £1.3 billion for the associated recharging infrastructure, which supports businesses to make the transition. We are showing leadership by working towards electrifying the Government’s fleet. In 2017 the Government committed that 25% of central Government cars will be ultra low emission by 2022, and in 2018 through the Road to Zero strategy committed to 100% ultra low emission cars by 2030.
The Government has funded a series of R&D competitions, focussed on developing zero emission vehicle and associated infrastructure technology, including seeking solutions to electrify fleets and improve fleet charging capability. The £20m Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial funded a series of industry-led trials of alternative propulsion technologies for UK commercial fleets. Other R&D programmes supporting fleet electrification include the £10m Wireless EV Charging for Commercial Users competition to examine the potential of wireless charging technology for taxi and home delivery fleets.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2020 to Question 118091 on Railways, if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) list of attendees of the Rail EU Stakeholder Roundtable meeting that took place on 17 November 2020.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Rail EU Stakeholder Roundtable meeting that took place on 17 November 2020 was attended by key members of the UK rail industry such as the Railway Industry Association (RIA), the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), Network Rail, HS1 Ltd, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), the Rail Freight Group (RFG), Logistics UK and Rail Forum Midlands.
Formal minutes of stakeholder roundtable meetings are not recorded to facilitate a free and open exchange of views on key issues. However, issues raised by stakeholders are then followed up directly by officials and updates are provided at subsequent meetings.