Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
(South
Ribble) (Con)
1. What steps he is taking to support the roll-out of electric
vehicle charging infrastructure.
(South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con)
4. What steps he is taking to support the roll-out of electric
vehicle charging infrastructure.
(Kensington)
(Con)
6. What steps he is taking to support the roll-out of electric
vehicle charging infrastructure.
(Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)
16. What recent progress has been made on the roll-out of
electric vehicle charging points.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
()
It is very appropriate that my hon. Friend the Member for South
Ribble () has
asked this question because today is World EV Day. We are
investing £1.3 billion in accelerating the roll-out of charging
infrastructure over the next four years. On average, over 500 new
chargers are added each month.
When I speak to the people of South Ribble, they are keen to do
their bit to cut carbon emissions and also to get the benefits of
cheaper travel from electric vehicles, but the thing that is
constraining us and the problem we face is a lack of accessible
charging points, not only commercially in the centre of town but
in order to charge at home, across pavements and so on. Given
that today is World EV Day, will my hon. Friend assure me that
the Department will do everything it can to put the
infrastructure in place to encourage more electric vehicle use?
I heartily commend my hon. Friend’s constituents for the
transition to electric mobility. We are already supporting the
roll-out of over 25,000 publicly available charging devices,
including more than 4,700 rapid devices—one of the largest
networks in Europe. I am delighted that South Ribble Borough
Council is one of the 137 local authorities that has applied for
the on-street charge point scheme, which has awarded funding for
16 chargers. I am happy to work with her to get further
infrastructure rolled out.
I am sure my hon. Friend will agree that it was brilliant to see
earlier this week figures showing that ever more electric
vehicles than petrol or diesel ones are being sold. She has
talked about the on-street charging points. It is vitally
important that we get those in place and that these vehicles are
accessible not just to those who have driveways and private
parking. Will also she talk to her friends in the Treasury about
the distortion that vehicle excise duty can create, because
electric vehicles tend to be more expensive than their petrol and
diesel versions, sometimes pushing them into a higher excise duty
bracket?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the popularity of
electric cars. In fact, one in seven cars sold so far this year
has a plug. He will know that vehicle excise duties are obviously
a matter for my friends in the Treasury, but he will be also be
aware that we are continually supporting the up-front purchase of
electric vehicles via a very generous programme of grants, and
that is set to continue.
I warmly welcome the transport decarbonisation plan, particularly
the requirement that all new homes and offices have electric
vehicle charging points, which is a theme that I expounded in a
ten-minute rule Bill. Will my hon. Friend give me an update on
the timing of legislation?
I thank my hon. Friend for all the hard work she has done on her
ten-minute rule Bill, which addresses a vital issue. We in
Government are going to act. We have heard her calls and those of
her residents. We will publish our consultation response on
requiring all new residential and non-residential buildings to
have a charge point, and we intend to lay legislation later this
year. We have also confirmed our intention to mandate that home
and workplace electric vehicle chargers must be capable of smart
charging.
The continued roll-out of electric vehicles and the 25,000
charging point milestone is to be welcomed, but how confident is
the Minister that the investment in charging points, particularly
in remote and rural areas, will meet the scale of the challenge
when committed investment is still a twenty-fifth of the £1
billion earmarked from the far from carbon-neutral HS2?
The hon. Gentleman will be aware that his constituents in
Scotland, like those across the whole country, are benefiting
from the UK Government’s funding support: £1.3 billion is being
spent on grants, charge point infrastructure, installation, and
tax breaks on electric vehicle motoring. That is a significant
sum and it is benefiting his constituents in Scotland.
(York Central) (Lab/Co-op)
When the Minister talks about electric vehicles, she just talks
about cars. In York, we talk about e-scooters, e-bikes and
e-Motability vehicles. What is she doing to ensure infrastructure
for such vehicles so that people can go further on the cleanest
form of transport and have the dual function of charging for
active travel too?
I thank the hon. Lady for her support for active travel. It is
one of the Government’s key priorities, which is why we have
committed £2 billion to roll out cycling and walking
infrastructure across the country. Some of those schemes are
already being rolled out very safely, and many local authorities
up and down the country, including York, are benefiting from
them.
(Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)
Residents of Regatta Point, a block of flats in Brentford, want
to install electric charging points in their 60-space basement
car park. They are coming up against huge logistical difficulties
over transmission and getting the electricity down there for
overnight charging, and a huge cost of roughly £1,500 a space.
What is the Minister doing on the roll-out of EV charging for
overnight charging in apartment blocks to address the financial
and logistical hurdles they face?
The hon. Lady has raised an important point. The Government’s
intention is to ensure that wherever people live—whether that is
their own home, a terraced home without parking, or, as she says,
an apartment building—they have access to overnight charging,
because that is the most convenient way for people to charge. We
will be setting out more details in our infrastructure strategy,
which we are publishing soon, but we are looking closely at the
challenges of installing charge points in car parks and blocks of
flats.
(Sheffield South
East) (Lab)
I declare an interest, as I have an electric car. Local charging
is obviously important, but on Saturday I will be using my car to
go from Sheffield to Plymouth to watch Sheffield Wednesday play
and hopefully win. It is quite a challenge to find rapid charging
points on the journey to get there and back in reasonable time.
One of the concerns is that people get to a rapid charging point
and it does not charge rapidly. Apparently there is a problem
with the grid in many places not consistently providing the level
of charge needed for these rapid chargers. Could the Minister
have a look at that problem, because I think it is quite a
serious one?
I wish the hon. Gentleman a good journey. I hope his football
team is successful. He has raised some vital issues, and I assure
him that they are all ones we are addressing in our
infrastructure strategy. We are also addressing reliability in
our consumer experience consultation. We intend to lay
legislation later this year to deal with many of the issues he
has raised.
Maritime Industry: Decarbonisation
(Truro and
Falmouth) (Con)
2. What steps he is taking to decarbonise the maritime industry.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
()
We have set out our plans in the transport decarbonisation plan,
and have committed £20 million through the clean maritime
demonstration competition.
The port of Falmouth has a wonderful maritime heritage and huge
potential in the industry. It has already done some fantastic
environmental work, including the preservation of more than 100
acres of sea grass. Will my hon. Friend commit to working closely
with ports such as Falmouth to ensure that we can sustainably
decarbonise the maritime industry, while continuing to enable the
industry to grow and prosper?
I can absolutely commit to that. It is vital that we work with
all elements of the maritime industry to accelerate the
transition to net zero and to take advantage of the very real
opportunities for green growth. Both the British Ports
Association and the UK Major Ports Group are represented on our
clean maritime council, and I and my officials regularly engage
with the trade associations and individual ports on environmental
issues.
(Wythenshawe
and Sale East) (Lab)
I agree with the hon. Member for Truro and Falmouth () that
fantastic projects are under way across the UK, including in her
constituency, to get the maritime sector down to net zero. There
is, however, a significant funding gap when it comes to making
these developments a reality, and the Government, despite their
record, have not done anywhere near enough to address the
significant investment shortfall compared with other maritime
nations that we compete with. Does the Minister agree that it is
imperative that our vital maritime sector gets the support it
needs? Will he commit to addressing that and providing the
necessary funding to support the research and innovation that is
required?
I agree with the hon. Gentleman about the importance of
decarbonising the maritime sector, but I cannot agree with him
about the Government investment. We have invested £20 million in
the clean maritime demonstration competition. That seedcorn
funding will help to develop the technology that we will be
using. It is the largest technology competition ever run by the
Department for Transport. I am very glad that next week we have
London International Shipping Week, which is the flagship event
of the maritime year. We will be able to see the glories of the
UK’s maritime industry next week, and I look forward to seeing
the hon. Gentleman there.
Goods Supply Chain
(Glasgow Central) (SNP)
3. What discussions he has had with representatives of (a)
haulage and (b) other companies involved in the goods supply
chain on recent disruptions to the UK’s supply networks.
The Secretary of State for Transport ()
I have regular discussions with the road haulage industry. Over
the summer, we conducted a public consultation that resulted in
over 9,000 responses.
Despite all the Government’s protestations to the contrary,
Brexit and the end of freedom of moment are the lead causes of
the current driver shortage in the UK. Will the Secretary of
State listen to the Road Haulage Association when it says that it
does not have a cat’s chance of solving the problem unless it has
access to temporary labour in the short term?
I hear what the hon. Lady says, but actually it is a fact that
there is a global shortage. In the US, for example, drivers are
being hired from South Africa. In Poland, the shortage is 123,000
and, in Germany, 45,000 to 60,000. To say that this is just a
Brexit issue is completely untrue; it is about coronavirus. That
is why, as I said, we consulted on a series of measures, for
which the consultation closed on Monday, to ensure that we can go
back to pre-1997 driving licences—a Brexit bonus—to allow for
more tests to be taken for HGVs so that tests for both
articulated and rigid HGVs can be taken together. There are also
one or two other measures that I will return to the House quickly
to say more about.
(Rugby)
(Con)
Rugby is an excellent location for logistics, being at the centre
of England and at the crossroads of the motorway network.
However, despite the challenges that the sector faces, including
that of drivers, our haulage and courier businesses make sure
that we get the goods that we have ordered—usually
online—incredibly quickly. Will the Secretary of State pay
tribute to the extraordinary efficiency of our logistics sector?
I absolutely join my hon. Friend in that. This sector literally
works day and night to provide goods, medicines and vital
services around the country, for which we are hugely grateful. It
has done that throughout the pandemic in very difficult
circumstances. We on the Government side are pleased to see
salaries for haulage drivers going up. If they are paid 20% more,
or something like that, that would be good for British workers,
and I thoroughly support it.
(Oldham West and Royton) (Lab/Co-op)
This has been a summer where Ministers have shown an abject
failure of duty, whether on the exam fiasco, Afghanistan or the
HGV driver shortage. We have seen high-profile examples of
businesses impacted by supply-chain disruption and suppliers with
stock that they could not get out the door, yet Ministers seem to
do nothing. Will the Government finally accept that when it comes
to a crisis such as this, it is their job to solve it, not just
to sit on the sidelines and hope that it all works out? If they
do accept that, what action is the Secretary of State taking to
bring forward a road freight recovery plan to tackle head on the
long-standing warnings of truck driver shortages that have been
compounded by Brexit and covid?
First, we have introduced a temporary relaxation on drivers’
hours. Secondly, we have introduced £7,000 funding for the large
goods vehicle driver apprenticeship programme. Thirdly, there is
an additional incentive payment of £3,000 and, as I mentioned, we
have been working hard to free up space at the Driver and Vehicle
Standards Authority—the testing authority—so we are now testing
50% more drivers than we did before the pandemic. Yes, we have
been acting, but we are going to go further. I mentioned removing
the need for car drivers to take additional tests for a trailer—a
move we can make only because we are outside the EU—removing the
requirement for staged licence acquisition to obtain a lorry
licence and authorising third parties to assess off-road
manoeuvring for the lorry practical test.
If that is the best the Government have got, I am afraid that the
crisis will not be sorted. They talk about solutions and
interventions, but the long-term problems in the haulage industry
will not be resolved by those measures outlined, such as making
drivers work longer hours. It is only by training more that we
can help to fill the long-reported 90,000 vacancies.
This problem has been a long time coming. The Secretary of State
will know that well before covid, and a year before Brexit,
24,000 would-be truck drivers passed their theory test, but only
9,000 went on to complete their practical test, and yet even with
that knowledge and the industry pleading for intervention,
nothing has been done. This is a live crisis that is only getting
worse. Without real action, he will be left standing alone as the
Transport Secretary who stole Christmas, leaving shelves empty,
gifts absent from under the tree and restaurants and bars without
the stock they need to trade. Will he immediately take action and
set up a taskforce to resolve this crisis once and for all?
Mr Speaker
Order. I say to Front Benchers that these are meant to be
questions—statements come at a different time—and, please, we
have to shorten them. Those on each side complain to me
afterwards that they have not got in, so let us help the rest of
the Members of this Parliament.
Mr Speaker, I will be brief. This is the problem of having a
pre-written statement. The hon. Member heard the previous
answer—a 50% increase in the number of tests. He is right that it
is not enough, but that is why we have closed the consultation,
which I have just said we will act on fast, on what will
introduce even more testing capacity. The fact of the matter is
that we are acting on this. This is a global crisis—in Europe
alone there is a shortage of 400,000 drivers—and this is the
Government who are doing something about it.
(Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for those answers. It is clear that
there are huge backlogs at the DVLA and the DVSA, and he is
working to get through those, but will he also consider other
measures to address this crisis, such as skills provision and
signposting for jobseekers?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. As well as things such as the
provision of skills—I have talked about the £7,000 apprenticeship
programme—we are looking at what else we can do working with both
the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for
Education. He mentions the shortages with the problems at the
DVSA and, on the licensing side of this, at the DVLA. He may want
to join me in trying to persuade Opposition Members to end the
pointless DVLA strike, which is hurting the most vulnerable
people in our society who cannot get their licences back,
including those who drive HGVs.
Mr Speaker
Order. Just because one side takes advantage, I do not want the
other to do so.
(Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)
The penny has finally dropped. For the first time the Government
finally seem to understand the scale of the problem, and they
seem rattled. This was the reaction of the industry to expediting
the testing process, which we welcome. However, it is nowhere
near enough, and it will take at least two years to fill the gap,
if they attract enough drivers. Why then, as I asked the
Secretary of State when I wrote to him back in June, can he not
convince the Home Office to put HGV drivers on the shortage
occupation list for a temporary period? This is not just about
cancelling Christmas; shelves lie empty right now.
I do agree that this is an urgent measure. That is why, before
anybody else was talking about it, we were already
acting—carrying out these consultations, putting in place these
measures—and we have 50% more people being tested. I hear his
call for more immigration to resolve the problem, but we do have
to stand on our own two feet as the United Kingdom. There are a
lot of people coming off furlough, and I look forward to those
people getting jobs.
Transport Services to Isle of Wight
(Isle of Wight) (Con)
5. What assessment his Department has made of the potential
merits of imposing a public service obligation on vehicle and
passenger services between the Isle of Wight and UK mainland.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
()
We recognise the importance of this route. We will always keep
route assessments under review, including if there is any
evidence of market failure that requires intervention.
The Secretary of State knows that I hold him and his ministerial
team in high regard. However, is it right that we have in the
Isle of Wight ferry services a public service without any sense
of public service obligation, and can the Minister tell me of a
single example elsewhere in the United Kingdom where we have a
true lifeline public service with no lifeline obligation attached
to those services?
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. He is a long-standing
advocate of improving the service for his constituents, and he
and I have spoken about it on many occasions. He will of course
know that service provision to the Island is a matter for the
local council, working with service operators. None the less, the
Government will continue to monitor the service on this route,
and if there is anything he would like to discuss with me at any
time he need only ask.
Travel Companies: International Restrictions
(North East Fife) (LD)
7. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support
travel companies that are affected by ongoing international
travel restrictions as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
()
Where eligible, travel companies have been able to draw on the
unprecedented package of measures brought forward by the
Chancellor last year, such as the coronavirus job retention
scheme, as well as our work to safely restart international
travel under the global travel taskforce.
In addition to being hampered by the international travel
restrictions, many transport companies, such as long-distance
coach companies, are struggling because of the lack of test
provision for drivers. The Secretary of State spoke at length
about what is happening for HGV drivers, but will the Minister
confirm whether those changes will include PCV—passenger-carrying
vehicle—drivers with more capacity for testing, and will the
Government consider allowing tests to be taken in the delegated
in-house facilities of larger companies such as Stagecoach?
I thank the hon. Member for that question, which I know is
something that matters a great deal to her constituents. We are
looking to address the problem she raises, and I will be able to
give her some further detail on that shortly.
(Wythenshawe
and Sale East) (Lab)
Eighty-one thousand people working in air transport are currently
on furlough, including approximately 2,200 in my constituency,
which covers Manchester airport. Even in non-airport seats such
as that of the Secretary of State, just short of 300 souls face
the axe in less than a month’s time. Furlough is due to end three
weeks today, and if the Government continue to restrict the
market in some sort of latter-day corn law way, they have to make
a choice: either open up the market, or put in a sectoral deal.
Which is it going to be?
The hon. Gentleman is right to raise the importance of the air
transport industry and the travel industry more generally, not
just to his constituents but to all our constituents. That is
certainly the case for my constituents, and I am acutely aware of
it. The best way to support them all is to do what we in the
Department for Transport are hard at work doing, which is to
safely reopen international travel. Since we last spoke, on 2
August we expanded quarantine-free travel to passengers from the
European Union and the United States. We are working to expand
that further, and will continue to do so.
(Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)
Earlier I mentioned the penny dropping with regard to HGV
drivers, but the aviation and travel industries can only dream of
the Government understanding the magnitude of the crisis they
face. Tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of jobs have gone in
the sector, including 3,000 in my constituency, and that is with
a job retention scheme in place. If the scheme ends this month
there will be further damage to the sector. Did the Minister make
representation to the Treasury to extend the scheme for aviation
and travel, and if not, why not?
As I said to the hon. Member for Wythenshawe and Sale East
(), the
importance of this industry is well understood by me and the
entirety of Government. We are working hard to ensure that we get
international travel up and running again safely and securely,
because that is the best way to protect all our constituents. We
will continue to do that.
High-speed Rail: Hull to Liverpool
(Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)
8. By what date he plans to implement fully electrified high
speed rail on all routes (a) into Hull and (b) between Liverpool
and Hull.
The Minister of State, Department for Transport ()
Options for routes into Hull are being considered as part of the
integrated rail plan, which will be published soon.
November will mark five years since Conservative Ministers
blocked a £94 million privately financed scheme to electrify 70
miles of rail track between Selby and Hull. There are still no
guarantees of a date for Hull rail electrification, and there are
reports that the section of High-Speed 2 that would most directly
affect and benefit east Yorkshire is being scaled back or even
totally shelved. Last week Ministers announced £78 million for
electrifying 13 miles of line between Wigan and Bolton, with the
reason given being the economic case for that upgrade. The
economic case for an upgrade in Hull is even stronger, with our
energy estuary and freeport status. What exactly do Conservative
Ministers have against Hull and the east Yorkshire area?
We have delivered almost 700 single-track miles of
electrification over the past three years, and we continue to
expand the electrified rail network. That compares with just 63
miles in 13 years of the last Labour Government. Therefore we
will take no lessons from the Labour party on electrification.
(Cleethorpes) (Con)
If Hull, Immingham and the Humber ports are to benefit from their
freeport status, it is vital that we have a rail freight corridor
between the Humber ports and the west coast. What progress is
being made in that respect?
We recognise the importance of rail freight, and of supporting
all the newly announced freeports. I know that the rail Minister,
my hon. Friend the Member for Daventry (),
will be happy to meet my hon. Friend.
HS2 and East West Rail: Construction Traffic
(Buckingham) (Con)
9. What assessment he has made of the impact on roads along the
routes of (a) HS2 and (b) East West Rail of traffic connected to
the construction of those railway lines.
The Minister of State, Department for Transport ()
Assessments of the impact of HS2 construction traffic on roads
were included within the environmental assessments submitted
during the passage of the High Speed Rail (London–West Midlands)
Act 2017 and the High Speed Rail (West Midlands-Crewe) Act 2021.
For East West Rail the impact of construction on roads is
monitored in compliance with the Transport and Works Act orders.
I thank my hon. Friend, and the rail Minister, my hon. Friend the
Member for Daventry (),
for visiting my constituency during the summer recess to see for
themselves the many issues that the construction of HS2 and East
West Rail are causing for my constituents, one of which is the
perilous state of the roads following a number of HGV movements.
Will my hon. Friend reassure me that there will be urgent and
rapid action to make safe those roads affected by the
construction of those two projects?
Both the HS2 and East West Rail projects undertook full surveys
of road conditions for the designated lorry routes prior to the
construction works commencing. HS2 Ltd and East West Rail Company
must ensure that all road damage as a result of construction
works is repaired to the standard reported in those surveys. My
hon. Friend continues to be a vocal champion for his
constituents, and I look forward to continuing to work with him
on this and other issues.
(Slough) (Lab)
Earlier this year, the Prime Minister told this House that the
Government were
“going to develop the eastern leg as well as the whole of the
HS2.”—[Official Report, 10 February 2021; Vol. 689, c. 325.]
Last year, he told the House that plans for HS2’s eastern leg
remained “absolutely unchanged”. So when reports surfaced over
the summer that Ministers planned to mothball the eastern leg, I
was absolutely shocked. A U-turn, Mr Speaker? Another broken
promise from this Government? Surely not.
Being the helpful person that I am, I want to help the Government
put this scandalous rumour to bed once and for all. Can the
Minister, rather than giving the evasive answer that he gave me
last year about waiting for some sort of integrated rail plan,
confirm that the eastern leg of HS2 will be built in full, on
time and on budget?
I think the shadow Minister knows my answer. As the Prime
Minister announced, we are working on the integrated rail plan,
which is progressing well. It is only right that Ministers take
time to fully consider all the evidence from all the
stakeholders, regional leaders, the National Infrastructure
Commission and the Government’s own analysis before making a
decision. This is a cross-Government decision, but we intend to
publish the integrated rail plan soon.
(Elmet and Rothwell) (Con)
Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the problems with the HS2
phase 2b eastern leg is that local authorities seem constantly to
be adding to the cost? Leeds City Council told HS2 that it could
not shut any bridges or roads in the construction, meaning that
the line has to be on a viaduct, which has increased the cost
massively.
We are very keen to ensure that the benefits of HS2 are delivered
as affordably as possible, recognising the importance of valuing
every single penny of taxpayers’ money. Leeds and the regional
stakeholders have brought forward ambitious plans for
regeneration around a new Leeds station. That is one of the many
aspects that is being considered across Government by Ministers
not just in this Department but in the Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government and the Treasury ahead of making
decisions on the integrated rail plan.
(Ealing
Central and Acton) (Lab)
Local residents neighbouring the brand-new Old Oak Common
station, which has so far cost £6.98 billion and rising, showed
me last week how their east-west journeys by bus, buggy—you name
it—have become impossible because they are living in a barbed
wire-festooned dust bowl of a building site. Can we have an
urgent visit from the HS2 Minister? It should not just be
Conservative Members who get visits. I have been waiting for a
long time; the last time I was promised one was when the
Secretary of State’s name rhymed with “failing”.
I would be delighted to visit Old Oak Common again. It is the
largest ever railway station built in a single stage. It is a
32-acre site, and it will offer the hon. Lady’s constituents
unrivalled connectivity when it is open. I have visited in the
past, and I will be keen to visit again and meet the hon. Lady.
Kettering Railway Station: Capital Investment
(Kettering)
(Con)
10. What total capital investment (a) Network Rail and (b) East
Midlands Railway have provided for improvements and expansion of
facilities at Kettering railway station in the last three years.
The Minister of State, Department for Transport ()
Over the last three years, £24 million of capital investment has
been provided from Network Rail at Kettering station, with £1.13
million provided by East Midlands Railway.
Mr Hollobone
I thank the rail Minister for visiting Kettering station in May
to see all the improvements that have been made. How many
permanent jobs have been created by that investment, and when
does he expect the historic canopy renovation works to be
completed?
I thank my hon. Friend and neighbour for that question and for
allowing me to visit this wonderful station in his constituency.
Network Rail’s canopy works—the canopy is truly beautiful, Mr
Speaker—are planned for completion by the end of November this
year. Network Rail’s works at Kettering, including the mainline
route enhancements, have created 16 jobs, while East Midlands
Railway has created 70 jobs there.
South Western Railway Services
(Twickenham) (LD)
11. What assessment he has made of the potential impact on
commuters of proposals to reduce permanently South Western
Railway services from December 2022.
The Minister of State, Department for Transport ()
There is a consultation, which the hon. Lady well knows about, at
this point in time. I am told that South Western Railway intends
to provide 93% of its pre-covid capacity should that consultation
be agreed to. I continue to monitor the situation.
It is clear that SWR’s proposals to slash services by about half
from busy stations in my constituency, such as St Margarets and
Whitton, is being driven by the demands in its contract with the
Department for Transport. So will the Minister intervene and
review his contract with SWR to avoid these drastic cuts to
services on which local residents rely and for which they pay a
very high price? It is far too soon to be making decisions about
post-pandemic services.
I am watching the situation and looking forward to hearing back
from SWR about the consultation. I have been talking about this
very much with my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and
Ewell (), who has a similar campaign to that of the hon.
Lady on behalf of his constituents. SWR has sent the consultation
out to more than 3,500 stakeholders—MPs and other elected
representatives, passengers and so on. Everybody knows that the
number of passengers is still very much below the pre-pandemic
level. We are relying on the results of that consultation to try
to determine what future services need to look like.
Rail Services: Toton
(Mansfield)
(Con)
12. If he will take steps to ensure that services at Toton are
included in proposals set out in the Government’s integrated rail
plan.
The Minister of State, Department for Transport ()
It will not surprise Members to learn that the Department will
soon publish an integrated rail plan, which will confirm how we
intend to take forward the HS2 eastern leg.
I thank the Minister for that enlightening answer. He knows that
as well as for HS2 itself, the IRP has huge implications for our
regional economic growth, job creation and connectivity within
the region. Ahead of any decision in the IRP, will he and the
Secretary of State meet me, as the chair of the regional delivery
board, to make sure that that decision ticks the boxes that we
need in the east midlands?
I have been impressed by the scale of regeneration plans for the
proposed station at Toton and the way in which local leaders have
come together to maximise the benefits of HS2 for their
communities. It is important that we consider regeneration and
economic impacts upon local areas, as well as how to create the
right kind of transport network—the IRP will seek to balance
this. I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend again to discuss
this issue.
HGV Drivers: Road Safety
(Luton South) (Lab)
13. What assessment he has made of the impact on road safety of
the recent temporary increase to the maximum daily working hours
of HGV drivers.
The Secretary of State for Transport ()
The Department’s published guidance makes it clear that driver
safety and that of other road users must not be compromised, and
that the relaxation must only be used where necessary.
I thank the Secretary of State for that answer, and I refer to my
entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Longer
hours behind the wheel is not a solution to the shortage of HGV
drivers; it is unsustainable, exploitative and dangerous. So does
he agree with Unite the union, which represents many lorry
drivers and supply chain workers, that such a crucial piece of
our national infrastructure needs its own national council to set
decent standards across the industry and, most importantly, to
restore collective bargaining to improve and protect pay and
conditions?
It is worth understanding, as there is often misunderstanding
about this, that drivers are still bound by the working time
directive and still have to work an average of a 48-hour working
week over a 17 to 26-week period, and that the relaxations do not
increase the working time; they are in place to allow extra
flexibility. However, I do agree with the hon. Lady about the
need on drivers’ conditions—they have been poor over the years,
which is one reason why 99% of HGV drivers are men. We need to
improve those facilities, to bring many more people into the
sector, and I am very keen, as I mentioned before, to see better
pay and conditions as well.
Decarbonisation Commitments
(Glasgow North) (SNP)
14. What recent steps his Department has taken to facilitate
transport decarbonisation to help meet commitments to the (a)
Paris agreement and (b) forthcoming COP26 summit.
The Secretary of State for Transport ()
We recently published the transport decarbonisation plan and set
out our pathway to achieving net zero, and we are delivering an
ambitious, international COP26 campaign.
The Scottish Government have just announced that they will meet
the target long campaigned for by active travel groups of 10% of
the transport budget to be spent on active travel. That is
exactly the kind of ambition that needs to be highlighted at the
COP. So, first, I hope the Secretary of State will invite the
Scottish Transport Minister along to explain that ambition.
Secondly, will the Secretary of State outline what steps the
Government are taking to meet that ambition south of the border?
I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman missed it earlier in the
summer, but we announced an active travel programme—this was all
part of our £2 billion of funding, with, I believe, an additional
£330 million of that being spent this year alone. Of course COP26
will provide a fantastic opportunity for the United Kingdom to
showcase all the work we are doing collectively in order to
improve our climate.
(Eddisbury) (Con)
With an eye on COP26, I thank my right hon. Friend for his
support for the reopening of dormant railway stations as part of
the Government’s drive to net zero. In doing so, what assessment
has he made of local authorities that have both declared a
climate emergency and contributed to the preparation of business
cases for these exciting possibilities for communities such as
Eddisbury, which are still ill served by rail?
I thank my hon. Friend. I do think that local authorities that
declare a climate emergency should be prepared to pay more than
lip service to the issue. I was having a look and I understand,
unfortunately, that the Labour-led Cheshire West and Chester
Council is still refusing to contribute a mere £5,000 to his
valiant efforts to reopen Beeston Castle and Tarporley station,
the only potential station between Crewe and Chester.
(Bath) (LD)
In the past month, my constituents in Bath have been subjected to
the pollution of helicopter joyrides flying low over Bath.
Clearly, this type of leisure pursuit is hugely damaging to the
environment and does nothing to get us to net zero. Currently,
neither the Civil Aviation Authority nor Bath and North East
Somerset Council has the power to intervene. Will the Minister
meet me to find a way forward for my constituents?
I congratulate the hon. Lady for shoehorning that into this
particular question. I am more than happy to arrange for her to
meet my aviation Minister—the Under-Secretary of State for
Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Witney ()—to discuss it.
Air Travel: Covid-19 Test Costs
(Kenilworth
and Southam) (Con)
15. What steps he is taking to help reduce the cost of covid-19
testing for air travel.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
()
The Government recognise that the cost of testing can be high and
continue to work with industry to reduce costs further. The costs
of NHS Test and Trace tests for international arrivals were
reduced recently, and the Competition and Markets Authority is
conducting an urgent review into the testing market.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for what he said and for what he
is doing, but he knows that this problem affects not just those
who want to go on holiday, but those who want to see family and
may not have seen them now for years. To help those
families—particularly larger families—with these costs and to
resuscitate the aviation industry, as I know he is keen to do,
will he please do more to make sure that the costs of those tests
come down to be as low as they reasonably can be?
I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for that question and
particularly for his emphasis on the wide breadth of reasons why
people have to travel. Bringing families back together, as well
as business and leisure travel, is a major part of that and I
thank him for drawing the House’s attention to it. He can be
absolutely assured that the DFT will continue to work with travel
and testing providers to reduce costs further, for travel that is
cheap and easy, as well as safe, is our aim.
Road Conditions: England
(Blackpool South) (Con)
17. What steps his Department is taking to improve the condition
of England’s roads.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
()
In addition to investing £1.7 billion in local roads this
financial year, I am pleased to say that the Department has now
published its position paper on road condition monitoring on
gov.uk and is working with the highways sector towards a common
data standard to help local authorities to target defects in
their networks more effectively.
I thank the Minister for the additional £3.2 million that her
Department has provided to Blackpool Council for routine
maintenance work in the current financial year. Despite this
additional funding, many of my constituents are concerned that
Blackpool Council has the wrong local transport priorities and is
far too slow in completing routine maintenance work. What
priorities does her Department have in place to ensure that money
given to local authorities is spent in a timely and efficient
manner?
I agree with my hon. Friend and his residents that it is
incredibly disappointing that Labour-run Blackpool Council is
failing in its responsibilities to ensure that there are decent
and reliable roads for residents, which is clearly a priority. We
know from freedom of information requests that Conservative
councils fix potholes faster than their Labour equivalents. I
hope that Blackpool will work harder on this issue.
Motorists: Journey times
(Northampton South) (Con)
18. What steps he is taking to support motorists to reduce their
journey time.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
()
The Government are investing in major enhancements across the
strategic and local road networks to increase capacity and reduce
delays.
The car remains a great agent of enterprise and personal freedom
and we should never apologise for advancing its cause, so in that
spirit, what support will the Department provide to advance
construction of the much needed north-west and northern parts of
the Northampton ring road?
I commend my hon. Friend for his sterling efforts over a long
period to support investment in a key part of the local road
network in his area, which, as he says, is vital for jobs and the
local economy. I understand that West Northamptonshire Council is
exploring options to secure funding, and discussions will take
place in the spending review.
Public Transport Use
(North East
Derbyshire) (Con)
19. What steps he is taking to encourage people to use public
transport after the covid-19 outbreak.
The Secretary of State for Transport ()
The Department is working closely with operators to support
measures to increase passenger confidence and encourage a return
to the network. On the two trains that I took this morning, I
could see that it is working.
Buses are a clear manifestation of community across the country.
Even for small-state Conservatives like me, there is a role for
subsidy. Will the Secretary of State commit to a cautious
approach to subsidy that balances the opportunity for communities
to make services viable with encouraging them over the long term
to become self-sufficient?
I agree that buses are essential to communities: they connect
people, enable people to get to jobs and education, and drive
growth. That is why we are investing £3 billion of new money
during this Parliament outside London for English buses, with
consequentials, and why over the pandemic we provided £1.4
billion to support the sector.
Great British Railways: Headquarters
(Mid Derbyshire) (Con)
20. If he will outline the process for selecting the location of
the headquarters of Great British Railways.
The Minister of State, Department for Transport ()
The formation of Great British Railways is still in its early
stages. The location of its headquarters will be considered in
due course.
Mrs Latham
The Minister will be aware of the central role that Derby has
played in the history of British rail transport. Derby has also
invested in the future of the industry, with local businesses
helping to develop the UK’s first hydrogen trains. Does he agree
that that combination of pedigree and potential would make Derby
an excellent location for the new headquarters of Great British
Railways?
My hon. Friend knows my affection for Derby, which I represented
for 10 years in the European Parliament. She is right that Derby
has played an important role in the history of rail in this
country. I have heard her sales pitch this time and previous
times loud and clear, but I have to say that the location of
GBR’s headquarters will be considered in due course.
Topical Questions
(South East Cornwall) (Con)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.
The Secretary of State for Transport ()
Today is World EV Day, celebrating electric vehicle ownership
worldwide and right here in the UK—one of the best places to
drive an electric vehicle. Our extensive network of 25,000
publicly available charge points means that we have more rapid
chargers for every 100 miles of key strategic road than any other
country in Europe. We have made real progress, with more than
half a million electric vehicles on our road. I am pleased to say
that just last month, through grants and tax incentives, one in
six cars sold in this country had a plug on the end of it.
Mrs Murray
I have been working closely with local councillor Sheila
Lennox-Boyd to get improvements to the A38, including the
roundabout at Carkeel, which is a National Highways
responsibility, and the bridge, which is run by local councils.
Will the Secretary of State meet us to discuss this key route
into Cornwall?
I commend my hon. Friend for her very determined efforts in
campaigning for road improvements, not just there but elsewhere
in her constituency. I know that the roads Minister will be very
happy to meet her to discuss the matter further.
(Ilford
South) (Lab)
Back in July, speaking about the Prime Minister’s pledge to buy
4,000 UK zero-emissions buses by 2025, the Secretary of State
said that
“there are 900 buses in production right now”—[Official Report,
14 July 2021; Vol. 699, c. 408.]
Allegedly, this is the Government’s flagship policy, yet the
roll-out of these buses seems to be little more than rhetoric,
given that every British manufacturer of buses I have spoken to
says that they have no knowledge whatever of any orders. Will the
Secretary of State now tell the House exactly where those buses
are being made right now, as opposed to being potential on a DFT
internal spreadsheet or more greenwashed PR spin from this
Government?
I will tell you what I will do, Mr Speaker: not only will I write
to the hon. Gentleman, but I will publish a copy of the letter in
the House, for the House’s greater benefit. He will be interested
to see that those buses are not just ordered or in production;
some are actually on the road.
(Waveney) (Con)
T2. The restoration of the through rail service from Lowestoft to
Liverpool Street is vital to levelling up and improving
accessibility to the Waveney area. While it is a requirement of
Greater Anglia’s current franchise, it has not yet been
delivered. I would be grateful if my hon. Friend the Minister
confirmed that it is a priority for Great British Railways.
The Minister of State, Department for Transport ()
The current timetable structure and track capacity on the Great
Eastern line south of Ipswich have not allowed any new direct
services to be implemented to Liverpool Street at this time. I am
aware of the problem; my officials have asked Greater Anglia to
continue to see whether there might be opportunities to introduce
direct services between Liverpool Street and Lowestoft, as I very
much recognise the importance of the direct service.
(Coventry
North East) (Lab)
T3. Coventry City Council is leading the development of a
groundbreaking very light rail system that will offer small and
medium-sized cities like Coventry an affordable tram system. Will
the Minister pledge support for the securing of funds for the
prototype route in Coventry and ongoing development of the
concept to enable full autonomous operation, and will he commit
himself to a review of the legislation governing the installation
and operation of very light rail to enable a rapid roll-out of
systems across the country?
As the hon. Lady knows, I am very fond of her city, which is very
near my own. I do not know much about this particular project, so
I am very willing to meet her to go through it and see how we can
take things forward.
(Lichfield) (Con)
My hon. Friend will know that there is a bid in at the moment for
the shovel-ready scheme to convert the freight-only railway line
from Lichfield to Burton into a regular passenger service. It is
backed, in a personal capacity, by his fellow Minister, the roads
Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (), by my hon. Friend the Member for Burton
(), and—most
important of all!—by the West Midlands Mayor, because of the
connectivity. It will be driven, incidentally, by a
hydrogen-powered locomotive if it is given the go-ahead. Will my
hon. Friend come up to Lichfield to see for himself how vital
this rail service will be?
In his normal shy and retiring way, my hon. Friend has given me
an invitation that I simply cannot refuse. As he knows, we have
received a bid for the restoration of passenger services between
Lichfield and other places in round 3 of the restoring your
railway ideas fund, and I look forward very much to my
forthcoming visit.
(East Renfrewshire) (SNP)
T4. The Williams review proposed the consolidation of funding
streams for accessibility improvements at railway stations under
Great British Railways, an issue that has been raised with me by
local groups including East Renfrewshire Disability Action and
Clarkston Community Council, but to date there has been no detail
on this or on how the current arrangements, whereby Transport
Scotland bids for improvement cash from the Department for
Transport, will be improved under GBR. Will the Minister commit
himself to providing details of this funding, and help to make
our stations accessible to everyone?
I thank the hon. Lady for her very good question. As I mentioned
earlier, Great British Railways is in its formative stages, but I
will happily work with her and the accessibility groups that she
mentioned so that we can help to guide people through any new
systems that come forward.
(Hazel Grove) (Con)
T8. My hon. Friend the estimable rail Minister—the antidote to Dr
Beeching—is doing sterling work with the restoring your railway
schemes. Perhaps he can provide an update on the bid to reconnect
Rose Hill Marple, Romiley and Bredbury with Stockport. This is a
cross-party effort with diverse support from me, from the hon.
Members for Denton and Reddish () and for
Stockport (), and, indeed, from the right hon. Member for
Ashton-under-Lyne ().
Antidotes and doctors! Following his question to one of my
colleagues yesterday, I was not sure that my hon. Friend was all
that keen on vaccines—or vaccine passports, at least.
I am obviously well aware of my hon. Friend’s bid for the
Ashton-to-Stockport line, including the Rose Hill connection,
which is in round 3 of the restoring your railway ideas fund. He
has kindly given me a great deal of information about the bid,
and I have met him and the other proponents of it. I promise him
that we are assessing the bids, and expect to announce outcomes
very shortly.
(Rhondda) (Lab)
T5. I want to bring the Secretary of State to the Rhondda, if I
may, and shove him down a tunnel. It is a tunnel that belongs to
him, in fact: it is the tunnel between Blaencwm and Blaengwynfi.
It is a disused railway tunnel, and there is a great project to
try to get it opened up again. It would be a massive tourism
opportunity—it would bring lots of people to a very poor but very
beautiful part of south Wales—and it would also be a real
opportunity to enable more people to get to work on the other
side of the mountain. Can I please have a meeting with the
Secretary of State fairly soon to explain the whole project, and
can I then persuade him to come and be dangled down into the hole
in the Rhondda?
The Minister of State, Department for Transport, my hon. Friend
the Member for Daventry (),
says he has received an offer he cannot refuse. Also, I would be
very happy to come and visit when the diary allows.
(Glasgow North East) (SNP)
T6. I am still not happy with the answers given to my colleagues
about the lack of HGV drivers. The problems facing Carntyne
Transport in my constituency are absolutely due to Brexit and the
shortage of EU nationals to work for the company. Telling it that
we will have sorted all this out in x months or a couple of
years’ time just won’t wash. Given that the Government were
repeatedly warned what would happen if they pressed ahead with
Brexit, and given that that has all come to pass, what guarantee
can the Minister give that his Department will at least listen
and put solutions in place before pressing ahead with damaging
legislation?
I am all in favour of having a science-led emphasis on everything
to do with policy, and the fact that they are 123,842 lorry
drivers short in Poland suggests to me that this is not a
Brexit-only issue. I have explained the measures that are not
only going to happen next year or the year after but are
happening now with 50% more tests, and this will happen very
quickly with the consultation result that I have already
discussed.
(Dewsbury) (Con)
T9. There has been a major increase in reports of speeding
hotspots in Dewsbury, Mirfield, Kirkburton and Denby Dale,
leading to an escalation in reported accidents and near misses.
However, the ability to address this issue with road safety
measures such as speed cameras is hampered by the Department for
Transport’s 2007 circular. Does the Minister agree that
prevention is better than cure, and that a review of the current
guidelines is urgently needed?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
()
I strongly agree with my hon. Friend. I share his concern, and I
know that he is a passionate advocate for safer roads in
Dewsbury. I can tell him that the Department is currently working
to redraft that circular, with a new version to be published by
the end of the year.
(Sheffield Central) (Lab)
Two of my constituents, a Danish national and a British citizen
with Danish residence, were denied boarding a BA flight by the
airline’s staff because they did not accept my constituent’s
proof of Danish residence even though it was consistent with
Danish travel advice. Despite a letter that I received from a
Foreign Office Minister confirming that my constituents were
right, BA has refused to issue a refund and is standing by its
misinterpretation of the advice. Does the Minister agree that
airlines need clearer guidance on international travel
documentation post-Brexit, and will he raise the issue with the
airlines, the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary to ensure
that this does not happen again?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
()
I am grateful to the hon. Member for raising this matter. It is
difficult for me to comment on an individual case, but perhaps we
could meet and if he could give me further details I would be
very happy to take this up.
(Bexhill and Battle) (Con)
This week the Transport Committee has launched yet another
inquiry on international travel, and we will shortly be hearing
from the chief executives of leading airlines and airports as to
why they are doing less than 20% of the business they were doing
in usual times while mainland Europe is now up to about 70%. They
will be concerned that furlough is coming to an end, and they
will want to know whether the barriers to travel will be reduced
to make up the shortfall. I know the Secretary of State has done
a lot already, but can he offer some optimism and encouragement
on how the rules will change to allow the business to do more
transactions?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who does a terrific job chairing
the Transport Committee. We do want to see the recovery, and I
can inform him that I will shortly chair the second meeting of
the G7 Transport Secretaries to discuss exactly his point. We
will discuss how we can roll this out internationally using the
principle of fully vaccinated travel and how we can try to reduce
the costs and the imposition of the tests along the way. However,
those decisions have yet to be made, both domestically and
internationally, so I do not want to overly raise my hon.
Friend’s hopes but I can reassure him that we are focusing on
this.
(Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)
The SNP estimates that, in order to have the correct charge point
coverage by 2030, 700 new charge points will need to be installed
every single day. Can the Minister advise me on how many are
currently being installed, and whether we are ever going to reach
the target of 700 a day?
In our infrastructure strategy that is to be published shortly,
we will set out clearly how we are going to meet the charge point
targets that are required. I would like to draw the hon.
Gentleman’s attention to the fact that we are installing 500
charge points every month across the country, and that by 2023 we
will have six rapid chargers in every motorway service station
across the country.
(West
Worcestershire) (Con)
Our very popular rail Minister is aware of the excellent work
being done by the North Cotswold Line Task Force. Could he update
colleagues and councils along the North Cotswold line on his
conversations with the Treasury about doing more business
casework on redoubling a stretch of the North Cotswold line?
I had a recent meeting with the taskforce, and I am due to have
meetings with Treasury colleagues at which I have said I will
raise this issue. I believe I am waiting for a tiny piece of work
from the taskforce, so I look forward to receiving that and
trying to move the project forward with my hon. Friend.
(Richmond Park) (LD)
Does the Secretary of State agree that as London returns to work
and commuters begin to get back on the trains and into their
cars, it is important that we encourage people, as much as
possible, back on to public transport? In my constituency we
expect the construction of some 1,500 flats over the next few
years. Does he agree this is no time to be cutting South Western
Railway services to North Sheen, Mortlake and Barnes?
As I said to the hon. Member for Twickenham (), South Western Railway is undertaking a consultation
that will shape the future of services. It is important that that
consultation is viewed as one that we will listen to, and we will
listen to it. The hon. Member for Richmond Park () will have seen that recently, following consultation,
we decided not to proceed with the east coast main line proposals
because of stakeholder reaction, among other things, so it is
vital that the consultation is replied to in great detail, and I
hope she will do that.
