Every parliamentary written question tabled by Ben Obese-Jecty this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 81–97 of 97 · Department for Transport
Whether any (a) land and (b) infrastructure used for the new Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedfordshire be acquired via compulsory purchase order.
At this early stage there is no land that is expected to be acquired via compulsory purchase order for the Universal Studios theme park or its associated transport infrastructure.
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) the completion of (i) Alconbury Weald and (ii) other new housing in Huntingdon, (b) planned commercial development at Brampton Cross and (c) the expansion of RAF (A) Wyton and (B) Molesworth on passenger numbers on the East Coast Main line.
The upcoming East Coast Main Line timetable recast in December 2025 will create additional capacity through the introduction of additional peak services between Letchworth and London King’s Cross helping to alleviate pressure on Thameslink services and the peak Peterborough to King’s Cross service, which should ease passenger numbers at stations such as Hitchin. Any significant increase in rail passenger demand, including from the developments mentioned, and subsequent requirement for potentially increased services would guide the Department’s future infrastructure planning.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure sufficient electric vehicle charging infrastructure for all cars parked off-street in privately owned car parks.
All new residential and non-residential buildings with off-street parking are required to install chargepoints. Elsewhere, the Government continues to offer grant funding for the purchase and installation of charging infrastructure. This includes flats, rented accommodation, domestic and commercial landlords, workplaces, charities, schools, and public sector organisations.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure sufficient electric vehicle charging infrastructure for all cars parked off-street in privately owned car parks.
All new residential and non-residential buildings with off-street parking are required to install chargepoints. Elsewhere, the Government continues to offer grant funding for the purchase and installation of charging infrastructure. This includes flats, rented accommodation, domestic and commercial landlords, workplaces, charities, schools, and public sector organisations.
How many (a) phones, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices have been lost by their Department since 5 July 2024.
The response below covers the central department (DfTc) and the five Executive Agencies: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Active Travel England (ATE). Please note: DfT(c) handle all IT devices for Active Travel England (ATE) and DfT Ministerial Private Offices, so they are included in the returns for DfT(c). Central department and five executive agenciesNumber of phone(s) reported as lost since 5 July 2024Number of laptop(s) reported as lost since 5 July 2024Number of other electronic device(s) reported as lost since 5 July 2024DfTc includes ATE and DfT Ministerial Private Offices6570DVLA000DVSA1034 bodyworn cameras 1 iPadMCA400VCA010Total79115
What recent assessment Network Rail has made of the need for a new East Coast Mainline station at Alconbury Weald.
The Department are aware of the long-standing local aspirations for an East Coast Main Line station at Alconbury Weald that would align with the new housing being developed in the area. We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government to ensure an integrated approach to infrastructure planning.
If she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the new Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedfordshire on passenger numbers on the East Coast mainline.
Rail passenger impact calculations have been considered throughout and there are not expected to be significant impacts on the East Coast Mainline.The Universal Studios Theme Park will be well-served by rail, with a new station at Wixams which is currently under construction on the Midland Main Line. Much of the park’s passenger demand will be in the opposite direction to normal commuter flows, thereby utilising existing capacity.
What new transport infrastructure her Department plans to build to support the new Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedfordshire.
As part of the Plan for Change, the government is working towards delivering a major investment in infrastructure around the site to support the delivery of the project and ensure it is well connected and easily accessible. The details of negotiations between private investors and the Government are currently confidential. Further information on plans for infrastructure investment around the site will be set out in due course.
What assessment has she made of the potential merits of upgrading the A1 at Buckden roundabout as part of delivery of the new Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedfordshire.
Whilst the Buckden roundabout on the A1 is out of scope of the Universal support package, National Highways are undertaking traffic modelling to assess peak travel demand in this region to understand how potential mitigation measures, such as junction upgrades on its network, could accommodate future growth. Any proposals would then be considered for possible delivery through the Government’s Road Investment Strategy (RIS) process.
What assessment has she made of the potential impact of the adequacy of the availability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure on sales of electric vehicles.
The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle. 2024 was a record year for the deployment of public charging devices, with nearly 20,000 added to the network. The UK was also the largest EV market in Europe in 2024, and the third in the world, with over 382,000 EVs sold.
What recent assessment Network Rail has made of the potential merits of proceeding with the proposed new East Coast Main Line station at Alconbury Weald.
The Department is aware of long-standing local aspirations for an East Coast Main Line station at Alconbury Weald that would align with the new housing being developed in the area. In December 2024 the Chancellor launched the second stage of the Spending Review. This is a zero-based Spending Review, to ensure every line of spending – including the transport infrastructure portfolio – delivers the Plan for Change and provides good value for taxpayers. This will support the development of a long-term strategy for transport, that delivers a modern and integrated network with people at its heart. It will consider a fundamental reset to how we approach capital projects, to ensure that transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time, supporting our strategic objectives. We expect the Spending Review to conclude by June 2025, and will therefore be unable to comment on the status of individual scheme proposals until that point.
If she will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of the proposed A141 upgrade north of St Ives.
The proposed A141 upgrade scheme is sponsored by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) as the Local Transport Authority. However, we understand that the current estimated capital cost of the scheme is between £225 million and £250 million. To date, the CPCA has allocated £6 million for the development of the Outline Business Case, with £2.006 million being spent so far, funded via the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund. An additional £8.67 million has been allocated to support future business case development.
What estimate she has made of the level of weekly passenger demand at the new Tempsford railway station.
No formal assessment on forecast weekly passenger demand at Tempsford has yet been made – however, early work provided by Network Rail and East-West Rail Company has provisionally classified Tempsford as a Category C station, which could see 500,000 to 2,000,000 passengers annually.
What the estimated cost to the public purse is of the new railway station at Tempsford.
The current cost estimate for Connection Stages 2/3 of EWR is £5-6bn, which is inclusive of an interchange station at Tempsford. The design of Tempsford station is not sufficiently advanced to give a robust cost estimate at this time.
What estimate she has made of the number of publicly available roadside electric vehicle chargers that will be required for the phase-out of the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles in Huntingdon constituency.
Huntingdon has 81 publicly available chargepoints as of 1 July 2024. The number of future public chargers required in a local area is dependent on a number of factors, such as electric vehicle (EV) uptake, levels of off-street parking and types of charging option. Local authorities play a key role in ensuring an area has a clear EV charging strategy. The Government is supporting local authorities through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund. Through the fund, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which includes Huntingdon, has been allocated £5,437,000 capital funding to transform the availability of charging for drivers without off-street parking. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were also allocated almost £542,000 in capability funding to secure dedicated in-house expertise to plan and procure the delivery of local chargepoints across their area.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring franchising plans to guarantee the consideration during the planning phase of bus services to villages that do not receive any.
The government is determined to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions. It has set out a plan to achieve this, based on giving local leaders the tools they need to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities they serve, including those in rural or isolated areas. As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this session. This will put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, ensuring networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill will increase powers available to local leaders to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, high-quality partnerships with private operators or local authority ownership.
How many settlements in Huntingdon constituency do not have a daily bus service.
At present, the majority of bus services in England outside London are provided on a commercial basis by private operators. The government does not hold information on individual bus routes. The government is determined to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions. It has set out a plan to achieve this, based on giving local leaders the tools they need to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities they serve. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce a Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England. We also plan to empower local transport authorities through reforming bus funding. By giving local leaders more control and flexibility over bus funding they can plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities. The Department will work closely with local leaders and bus operators to deliver on these ambitions.