Every parliamentary written question tabled by Blake Stephenson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 121–140 of 149 · Department for Transport
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 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.
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 26373, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring balancing ponds owned by National Highways to Internal Drainage Boards.
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.
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.
With reference to page 64 of the document entitled GM 701 Asset delivery asset maintenance, published by Standards for Highways in March 2020, if her Department will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Highways England in meeting the standards for drainage and service ducts.
Under its Licence, National Highways must comply with its legal duties and other obligations to ensure the maintenance, resilience, renewal and development of the strategic road network (SRN), and must have due regard to any guidance, standards or specifications relevant to its statutory or other functions. This includes GM701 that the company authors and publishes. It details maintenance requirements to keep the SRN safe and serviceable by undertaking routine cyclical operations, including in areas such as maintaining drainage assets.As the independent Highways Monitor, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) holds National Highways to account in its effectiveness in operating the SRN, delivery of the road investment strategy and compliance with its Licence. ORR does not audit individual maintenance activities, rather it takes a proportional, systemic, approach focussed on holding the company to account for its drainage performance indicator. This indicator shows the susceptibility of the SRN to flooding and provides insight of drainage condition on the SRN.ORR publish an annual assessment of National Highways’ performance. Both ORR and National Highways work closely with the department to keep it informed of performance against areas such as maintenance.
What her planned timetable is for nationalising (a) London Northwestern Railway and (b) Thameslink.
The Department announced in December that South Western Railway’s services will be the first to transfer into public ownership in May 2025, followed by c2c’s services in July 2025 and Greater Anglia’s in the autumn. The Department will issue an expiry notice to Greater Anglia in due course to confirm the exact transfer date. Ministers will take decisions on further transfers in due course, taking account of relevant circumstances prevailing at the time. The Department expects the transfer of all rail passenger services currently operated by private sector train operators under contract with the Department to complete over the next 3 years.
Pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22408 on East West Rail Line: Construction, if she will make an estimate of costs for financial year 2025-26.
An update on costs for the East-West Rail project will be released at a future statutory consultation.
With reference to the East West Railway Company Limited consultation document Connecting people, building communities, published in November 2024, and pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22408 on East West Rail Line: Construction, whether the estimate provided in that Answer is based on (a) the Existing stations option or (b) the Consolidated stations option for Connection Stage 3 on the Marston Vale Line.
The capital cost estimate for East West Rail includes costs for relocating stations on the Marston Vale Line, should this option be chosen. This is subject to the outcome of the consultation and decisions have not yet been on taken on this.
If her Department has made an estimate of the cost to the East-West Railway Company Limited of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions.
East West Railway Company has not yet completed a detailed analysis.
Whether funding has been provided from the public purse to offset the impact of changes to employers’ National Insurance contributions on the East-West Rail Company.
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government set aside funding for public sector employers for additional NIC costs. This is in line with the government’s usual approach to supporting the public sector, as was the case with the previous government’s Health and Social Care Levy. 2025-26 allocations will be published as part of the Main Supply Estimates in the Spring.
Whether her Department is taking steps to seek private capital investment for East-West Rail.
The Department works with the East West Rail Company and other Government departments to explore opportunities for the delivery of enhancements through using third party funding and financing options. The Department has been clear with East West Rail Company that securing third party funding is an essential element of delivering the scheme to ensure that the burden on the taxpayer is reduced as far as possible.
Whether railway stations on East-West Rail will be owned by the (a) public and (b) private sector.
The exact operating model for East West Rail will be decided in due course.
What discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ringfencing funding for the entirety of the East West rail project.
£1.3bn has been provided towards the delivery of Connection Stage 1 of East-West Rail and the Budget on 30th October 2024 set out the Government’s support for the remaining stages of East West Rail, confirming funding to accelerate the delivery of works for Connection Stage 2 to provide services between Oxford-Bedford from 2030.
What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the maintenance regime for balancing ponds owned by National Highways.
The maintenance requirements of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) are governed by a robust set of standards - the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) - and National Highways determines the maintenance works to be undertaken on all assets, based on the GM701 standard which details asset maintenance requirements. While no specific assessment has been made by the Department on the effectiveness of the standards for maintaining SRN balancing ponds, standards are continually evolving in line with best practice.
If she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of maintaining balancing ponds owned by National Highways.
Maintenance costs for the Strategic Road Network (SRN) are borne by National Highways and their financial systems do not categorise spending to the level of sub-asset class granularity. I, therefore, cannot provide a reliable estimate for the costs of maintaining balancing ponds.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring balancing ponds owned by National Highways to Internal Drainage Boards.
No such assessments have been undertaken on the potential merits of transferring ownership of balancing ponds.