Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to support cycle businesses in England.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to supporting UK businesses that manufacture, retail and service cycles and e-cycles. This support takes many forms including unprecedented investment in safe cycling infrastructure which enables more people to cycle safely; and initiatives such as the Cycle to Work scheme which allows many people to access cycles more cheaply. These and other measures help increase the demand for new cycles and e-cycles, and for the servicing of existing cycles and e-cycles.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following recent fluctuations in the energy market, what long-term plans they have to transition to more sustainable and affordable energy sources.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As stated in Powering Up Britain, published in 2023, the mission of the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero is to replace reliance on imported fossil fuels with cheaper, cleaner, domestic sources of energy. This set out our strategy to increase supply of low-carbon energy by enhancing our strengths on wind, solar and nuclear power electricity generation alongside hydrogen production and carbon capture, usage and storage. This includes the infrastructure to produce, store and transport low-carbon energy around the country and to capture, transport and store carbon dioxide.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 24 of his Department's publication entitled Network North: transforming British transport, CP 946, published on 4 October 2023, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the new plan for HS2 will result in nearly doubling capacity up to 250,000 seats per day across the primary long-distance operator on the West Coast Main Line and Phase 1.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The estimated increased seat capacity across the primary long-distance operator on the West Coast Main Line and HS2 set out in the Network North publication was based on illustrative assumptions about the potential services that could run across existing and new infrastructure once HS2 Phase 1 is brought into service.
This assumed 3 HS2 trains per hour running between London and Birmingham with additional capacity at peak hours, and assumptions on potential services which could run north of Birmingham. The latter are now being further refined through work with industry partners.
No final decisions have been made on the train service that will run when HS2 opens. These will be made in due course and be subject to consultation, taking advice from the industry. These considerations will include passenger and freight services available on the West Coast Main Line from released capacity.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure residents in (a) rural and (b) urban areas benefit equally from improved access to all broadband providers.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government continues to remove barriers to broadband roll out, including making considerable legislative changes and publishing non-statutory guidance to encourage fibre deployment. As well as changes to the Electronic Communications Code, all new build homes are required to have gigabit-ready physical infrastructure installed, and gigabit-capable connections where these can be provided within a cost cap. The Department continues to work closely with both local authorities and operators to support the rollout of digital connectivity across the UK and has published the Digital Connectivity Portal, extensive guidance for local authorities and operators to help facilitate broadband deployment. We also continue to work with the Department for Transport to trial a more flexible street works permitting system.
Alongside this, Project Gigabit is the government’s flagship £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities, left out of commercial delivery plans, to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband.
Some of the hardest to reach parts of the UK are rural communities and therefore Project Gigabit will level-up mostly rural and remote communities across the UK. Most of our delivery volume will come through local and regional contracts and subsidies to suppliers to extend their gigabit-capable networks to premises that will not otherwise be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans. These contracts require the supplier to offer wholesale access to their network for other internet service providers to use, facilitating fair, open access to the infrastructure government is subsidising.
Most urban and suburban areas are already well served or part of commercial rollout plans, however, to reach our ambition of nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030, we recognise that pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas left out of commercial plans need to be tackled.
Work is ongoing to find solutions and define an appropriate course of action to ensure these premises are not left behind, solutions for these premises may involve working with suppliers and local authorities to enable commercial delivery rather than using public subsidy.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to impose 20mph speed limits on school roads; and if he will provide funding to devolved Administrations to purchase speed limit signs for each (a) primary and (b) high school.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In England, responsibility for setting local speed limits rests with the traffic authority. The Department for Transport advises that in specific and limited areas traffic authorities should consider the use of 20mph schemes, for example outside schools.
Speed limits in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Department for Infrastructure.
There are no plans to provide specific funding to devolved Administrations for the purchase of speed limit signs.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2023 to Question 6204, what his planned timetable is for the 2024 review of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund progress tracking takes place regularly. This includes reporting from local authorities who receive LEVI funding, which they are required to provide to the Department.
Alongside this regular monitoring, the first evaluation activities relating to the LEVI Fund commenced in late 2023, in the form of engagement with Capital Fund applicants. Upcoming evaluation activities include interviews with stakeholders and a follow up survey with Capital Fund applicants, Pilot and Capability Fund recipients. A final report later this year will summarise findings and will be published in accordance with the GSR Publication Protocol.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether all (a) buildings and (b) workplaces staff from their Department occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All buildings and workplaces have a risk assessment in place. These are reviewed at suitable intervals or when any changes are made to the infrastructure or working practices.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent fatal road accidents in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Britain’s roads are some of the safest in the world, but we are always looking at ways to help keep drivers and all road users safe. To date, £147.5 million has been allocated to Local Authorities (LAs) in England via the Government's Safer Roads Fund. This has been targeted at improving the safety of over 80 of the most high-risk, rural, and urban ‘A’ roads.
The Department for Transport is working closely with Local Authorities (LAs) and the Road Safety Foundation to provide tailored safety interventions specific to each road’s risk; encouraging safe system principles and improving infrastructure for active travel. This scheme is expected to save 2,200 lives over the next 20 years and is already improving safety for all road users.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much flooding response funding has been allocated to Tamworth constituency in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In a flood situation local partners will come together to manage the response and support their communities. These will include our blue light services, the local authority and the Environment Agency as well as community members themselves. Their staff, and volunteers, play such an important role in supporting those affected, for which I am sure the hon.Member will agree they should be thanked and congratulated.
Depending on the severity of the flooding, this will usually be coordinated through the Local Resilience Forum. This is where partners will come together to will manage a response to a flood event that may have impacts on homes, infrastructure, transport links and community hubs.
Flooding can be devasting for those at risk impacted, which is why we are investing £5.2 billion in continuing to build defences that will better protect both homes and business, building on the £2.6 billion invested between 2015 and 2021 which provided better protection to 314,000 homes across England.
I am aware that during Storm Henk in January, the Polesworth gauge on the River Anker recorded its highest level, which would have been very worrying for your constituents. But I am delighted to know that investment already made in Tamworth meant that some 2,500 properties in Tamworth were protected, with only some minor surface water flooding behind defences. Many of which I am sure benefitted from the £15 million Lower Tame scheme, competed in 2015.
Following the recent storms the Environment Agency is assessing its existing defences to ensure they can continue to meet current and future needs. I know the Environment Agency is also exploring with partners the feasibility of the Tamworth Left Bank Flood Alleviation Scheme, on which, if it can go ahead, they anticipate beginning construction in late 2026 with completion expected in early 2029.
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.