Written questions by Stephenson.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 35021 on Motor Vehicles: Dangerous Driving and Noise, if she will make an assessment of the potential connection between excessively noisy vehicles and dangerous driving.

The Department does not have plans to carry out an assessment of the potential connection between excessively noisy vehicles and dangerous driving.The Department takes the impact of excessive noise on health, wellbeing and the natural environment seriously and conducted roadside trials of noise camera technology between October 2022-February 2023. Reports of these trials, including detailed assessment of the technology’s performance and potential merits, were published on 17 March 2024. Overall, the trials demonstrated that noise cameras currently have the potential to be used for enforcement, but only when accompanied by human review of the recorded evidence, which is likely to lower the cost effectiveness of deploying the technology in many circumstances.

If she will make an estimate of the number of passengers expected to interchange onto East-West Rail services at Cambridge South whose journeys began at London Stansted Airport in the next 12 months.

No estimate has been made of the number of passengers using Cambridge South station as an interchange to change from East-West Rail services to connecting services to Stansted Airport.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of East West Rail on Thameslink services (a) from London to Bedford, (b) from Bedford to London, (c) northbound on the East Coast Main Line and (d) southbound on the East Coast Main Line.

EWR Co’s proposals to use six tracking north of Bedford have been designed to mitigate impact on Thameslink services from Bedford to London. EWR trains will provide an interchange at Tempsford with East Coast Main Line services but will not run on the East Coast Main Line. There may be a slightly additional dwell time on some East Coast Main Line Thameslink services to accommodate the new stop at Tempsford.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of running East-West Rail to Stansted Airport.

There are currently no plans to extend the EWR service outside of its core scope, but through services may be an option in the future.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30410 on Govia Thameslink Railway and London Northwestern Railway: Nationalisation, what the relevant circumstances considered are.

A range of factors will be taken into consideration as Ministers go through a process of decision-making on further transfers into public ownership, following the transfers of SWR’s services in May, c2c’s in July and Greater Anglia’s in autumn 2025. We expect further transfers to follow the order in which operators’ current contractual minimum terms expire, unless an operator defaults on its contract to the extent that there is a contractual right to terminate, or other extenuating circumstances arise. Other factors for Ministers to consider could include, but are not limited to, operational factors and relevant circumstances prevailing at the time.

If she will make it her policy to introduce a ban on pavement parking in non-metropolitan areas.

The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the consultation in 2020 and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forward, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of planned housing developments in Bedfordshire on Thameslink services.

Any assessment on the impacts of housing developments on public transport is a matter for local partners through development of their local plans.

Whether her plans for Great British Railways will end the practice of cancelling stops to make services run faster once trains have set off.

The Government’s plans for rail reform will deliver an accountable and integrated public body, Great British Railways (GBR), which will take decisions on the use of the railway in the public interest and deliver Government priorities. GBR will plan and implement an achievable, reliable timetable, so that the services promised to passengers are delivered. Better coordination of the timetable will reduce delays, improve reliability and reduce costs. We understand that missing stops will be inconvenient, but sometimes it is the best way to quickly recover a reliable service for all users.

What plans her Department has to increase reliability on Thameslink services through its Great British Railways proposals.

Currently all train operators are required to plan services and timetables designed to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. Improving railway performance is a top priority for this Government. We have been clear with Govia Thameslink Railway, who operate Thameslink services, that we will not tolerate poor performance and will continue to hold them to account through a range of measures. The Government’s plans for rail reform will deliver an accountable and integrated public body, Great British Railways (GBR), which will take decisions on the use of the railway in the public interest and deliver Government priorities. GBR will plan and implement an achievable, reliable timetable, so that the services promised to passengers are delivered. Better coordination of the timetable will reduce delays, improve reliability and reduce costs.

What plans her Department has to increase capacity on Thameslink services through its Great British Railways proposals.

Currently all train operators are required to plan services and timetables designed to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. Improving railway performance is a top priority for this Government. We have been clear with Govia Thameslink Railway, who operate Thameslink services, that we will not tolerate poor performance and will continue to hold them to account through a range of measures. The Government’s plans for rail reform will deliver an accountable and integrated public body, Great British Railways (GBR), which will take decisions on the use of the railway in the public interest and deliver Government priorities. GBR will plan and implement an achievable, reliable timetable, so that the services promised to passengers are delivered. Better coordination of the timetable will reduce delays, improve reliability and reduce costs.

What plans her Department has to reduce fares on Thameslink services through its Great British Railways proposals.

Whilst it is our ambition through public ownership to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway. Through future legislation, we will set out the role Great British Railways (GBR) will have in fares, ticketing, and other operational aspects of the Railway. Fares and ticketing will continue to be the responsibility of train operators until GBR is established. The Government’s plans for rail reform will deliver an accountable and integrated public body, GBR, which will take decisions on the use of the railway in the public interest and deliver Government priorities. GBR will plan and implement an achievable, reliable timetable, so that the services promised to passengers are delivered. Better coordination of the timetable will reduce delays, improve reliability and reduce costs. Waste, inefficiency, and fragmentation on today’s railways is costing the taxpayer dearly. Reforming our railways will make them more efficient, providing better services for passengers and better value for the taxpayer. Once all franchises are in public ownership, up to £150 million could be saved every year in fees alone that would have been paid to private sector owning groups. Instead, under public ownership, every penny can be spent for the benefit of passengers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 30745 on National Highways: Flood Control, if she will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of providing additional funding to Internal Drainage Boards that wish to take on responsibility for Highways balancing ponds.

The ownership and management of National Highways’ assets, at this level, fall within National Highways’ delegated authority. The Department does not plan to make an assessment on the future ownership of balancing ponds owned by National Highways.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of installing noise cameras to tackle excessively noisy vehicles on rural roads in Bedfordshire.

The Department for Transport conducted roadside trials of noise camera technology between October 2022 and February 2023, which assessed a range of different road conditions. This trial demonstrated that noise cameras currently have the potential to be used for enforcement to tackle excessive vehicle noise but only when accompanied by human review. It is ultimately for local authorities and the police to consider what the most appropriate enforcement routes may be for addressing issues with excessive vehicle noise within their area. The use of noise camera technology has already been taken forward by some local authorities.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential connection between excessively noisy vehicles and dangerous driving.

The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the potential connection between excessively noisy vehicles and dangerous driving.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of existing enforcement of HGV restrictions.

The Department keeps all policies under its remit affecting Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) under review, such as those on weights and dimensions. Local restrictions, such as access times for HGVs on certain routes, is a matter for the relevant transport authority (for example, National Highways in the case of the Strategic Road Network).Enforcement is a matter for both the police and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The DVSA target their enforcement using a number of available tools to ensure that we do not place an unnecessary burden on compliant operators in the UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 26375 on National Highways: Flood Control, whether she plans to ask National Highways to increase the granularity of their spending record-keeping to allow an estimate to be made of the cost to the public purse of maintaining their balancing ponds in the 2025-26 financial year.

Decisions regarding categorisation of spending at this level fall within National Highways’ delegated authority. There have been no discussions with National Highways on its spending on the maintenance of balancing ponds and there are no plans to ask National Highways to change the granularity of its financial reporting in 2025/26.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 26374, if she will make a specific assessment on the effectiveness of the standards for maintaining SRN balancing ponds.

The GM701 standard (as referenced in the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 26374) covers the asset maintenance requirements of the Strategic Road Network. National Highways determines the maintenance works to be undertaken on all assets based on the GM701 standard, asset need and budget availability and this assessment is undertaken annually, with updates undertaken periodically. The Department does not have any current plans to assess the standard GM701. Independent assessment and monitoring of National Highways is, however, undertaken by the Highways Monitor, the Office of Road and Rail (ORR), to ensure effectiveness in operating the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and compliance with its Licence. The ORR have previously set out clear expectations of maintenance in their annual reports, which also includes assessment of National Highways’ Asset Management strategy and performance or compliance with standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 26375 on National Highways: Flood Control, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of maintaining balancing ponds owned by National Highways on the climate resilience of the transport network.

The Department does not plan to make an assessment of the potential impact of maintaining balancing ponds owned by National Highways on the climate resilience of the transport network; National Highways already follow prescribed maintenance regimes so the capacity of balancing ponds is retained. The provision of balancing ponds for flood mitigation has been common practice in highway design for many decades and is usually determined as part of a flood risk assessment during the design of a road. It should, however, be noted that the provision of balancing ponds is not usually for the protection of the highway, but to prevent downstream flooding once the water leaves National Highways’ boundary. Additionally, I would like to reassure you that that climate change requirements are included in National Highways’ drainage design standards, having been introduced in 2006. Since then, National Highways drainage schemes, including balancing ponds, are designed with the latest climate change allowances in accordance with relevant published national policy to ensure resilience to flooding.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 26375, if she will ask National Highways to make an estimate of the amount spent on maintaining balancing ponds in Bedfordshire in each of the last five financial years.

National Highways’ financial systems do not categorise spending to this granularity, however, National Highways estimate approximately £380,000 has been spent on balancing ponds in Bedfordshire since October 2019. Spend on balancing ponds includes general maintenance such as de-reeding, de-silting and jetting, alongside ancillary work including clearance of vegetation, removing fly-tipped waste and renewing fences around the ponds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 26375 on National Highways: Flood Control, whether she has had discussions with National Highways on the amount they are spending on maintaining balancing ponds.

Decisions regarding categorisation of spending at this level fall within National Highways’ delegated authority. There have been no discussions with National Highways on its spending on the maintenance of balancing ponds and there are no plans to ask National Highways to change the granularity of its financial reporting in 2025/26.