Written questions by Cane.

What steps she is taking to strengthen retrospective rural-proofing of her Department's policies.

The Department keeps the impact of its policies on rural communities up and down the country under continual review and has strengthened retrospective rural-proofing in three ways.Firstly our Transport Appraisal framework is rigorous and provides structured guidance during the appraisal process. It ensures that local context is effectively captured and that place-based analysis is appropriately conducted, including within rural communities.Secondly, the Department consistently considers the distributional impacts of its policies through the application of equalities impact assessments. These assessments include a thorough review of potential differential impacts on communities including rural communities, ensuring that Ministers are fully informed when making policy decisions.Thirdly, we are commissioning and publishing independent evaluations of programmes with significant rural reach- such as Demand Responsive Transport pilots funded through the Rural Mobility Fund and the Tackling Loneliness with Transport pilots - and will publish further evaluation outputs in the coming months to inform future policy and guidance.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of upgrading transport infrastructure upgrades on economic growth.

Growth is this government’s top priority and formed a fundamental part of the analysis informing the Spending Review. Our significant investment in transport infrastructure will deliver a step-change in transport connectivity across the country, which is vital for economic growth. It boosts productivity by reducing travel time for businesses; widening access to markets and supporting trade; better matching workers’ skills to high quality jobs; and increasing the economic density of the country.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of rail fares on the cost of living.

As we reform fares and deliver Great British Railways, we must ensure passengers and taxpayers get a fair deal. Since the pandemic, the amount of taxpayer subsidy provided to the railway industry has increased from under a quarter in 2018/19 to almost half of total income in 2023/24. Our goal is to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers, while ensuring the railway’s long-term financial sustainability.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of commencing the Ely junction upgrade project.

The Secretary of State updated Parliament on 7 July regarding which rail and road infrastructure projects will progress following the completion of the Spending Review. The Ely junction scheme was not among those projects funded at this time. The previous government had committed to a number of infrastructure projects that were unfunded, this included the Ely junction scheme.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of passenger rail performance.

Improved performance is one of this Government’s strategic priorities for rail services. We are determined to enhance services for passengers and deliver better value for money for the taxpayer. Following a decade of decline, we are starting to see train performance stabilise, with cancellations now no longer rising. The Rail Minister is continuing to meet with the Managing Directors of all train operators and their Network Rail counterparts, to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards.

What steps she is taking to increase access to rail links in rural communities.

The government knows that public transport needs to be better integrated in order to improve the experience for passengers, providing access to services and keeping communities connected. We also know that in rural areas, bus services can be a lifeline for many and can be the only means of accessing services, including other modes of transportation such as rail links. The government is taking action to help improve local bus services and encourage greater integration between transport modes. We introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has been allocated £10.5 million of this funding, helping to improve bus services and connectivity across the area. The government will also be publishing an Integrated National Transport Strategy this year to set the vision for transport in England. It will focus on how transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve the people who use it, including those in rural areas.

What steps she is taking to make rail fares more affordable.

We are overhauling the fares system to make it easier for passengers to trust that they are buying the right ticket and getting the best fare. We need to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers as we reform fares and deliver Great British Railways, ensuring everyone gets a fair deal. This year's fares increase of 4.6 per cent was the lowest increase in three years and help to support the Government’s long-term plans to achieve financial sustainability of the railway. Our rail sale, celebrating the 200th anniversary of passenger train in this country, saw passengers travelling with up to 50 per cent discounts on their fares from 17 January to 31 March, accounting for just over 1 million discounted trips, bringing in £9.23 million in gross sales.

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the weight of volumetric concrete mixers on (a) the number of journeys undertaken by volumetric concrete mixers and (b) carbon emissions.

The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The following factors were considered: reduction in payload per journey, increased waste, and increased vehicle mileage. Information received did not provide any compelling evidence for permitting a weight limit exemption specifically for VCMs. As part of its consideration of the evidence, the Department for Transport has assessed the potential environmental impacts in accordance with the Environment Act 2021 which requires Ministers of the Crown to have ‘due regard’ to the environmental principles policy statement when making policy.This is not a change to the policy on weights for VCMs but a decision to continue with the existing policy that a temporary exemption will come to an end in 2028.

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the maximum weight of volumetric concrete mixers on the number of lorry drivers required.

The call for evidence conducted from October to December 2023 was an opportunity for respondents to present evidence, but it did not reveal significant new evidence supporting a change in policy.The outcome of my department’s review into VCMs was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-reviewThis is not a change to the policy on weights for VCMs, but a decision to continue with the existing policy that a temporary exemption will come to an end in 2028.

What steps she is taking to increase railway capacity.

The department requires its operators to plan services and rail timetables that are designed to meet expected passenger demand. These should be resilient and provide value for money for the taxpayer. Timetables are kept under review and, where appropriate, adjusted to reflect fluctuations in demand. Individual infrastructure enhancement schemes that may increase capacity will be assessed on their alignment with Government Missions and Transport Priorities, the strength of their business case, and their affordability. Great British Railways will provide the opportunity to take joined up, whole system decisions that make the best use of the network for passengers and taxpayers.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the bus fare cap on vulnerable people.

On 1 January, the government introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London until 31 December 2025. The government is investing over £150 million to deliver the £3 cap, which replaced the £2 cap, and will ensure millions of people, including vulnerable people, can continue to access affordable bus fares and better opportunities all over the country. If the government had not taken action, the bus fare cap would have ended and fares would have jumped back up to their previous levels on 1 January which could have meant fares soaring above £10 on the most expensive routes.

What steps she is taking to increase access to rail links in rural communities.

Rail has an important role in connecting rural communities as part of the wider transport system. The department requires its train operators to plan services and rail timetables that are designed to meet expected passenger demand. These should be resilient and provide value for money for the taxpayer. These timetables are kept under review and, where appropriate, adjusted to reflect fluctuations in demand.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the bus fare cap on trends in the level of bus users.

The government is investing over £150 million to deliver the new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025. Under the plans of the previous administration, the £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain a cap on bus fares beyond this point. The published interim evaluation of the £2 fare cap showed that patronage continued to recover following the COVID 19 pandemic and early evidence from the first two months of the scheme suggested the £2 fare cap may have played a role in this recovery. The final evaluation of the £2 fare cap, including a further assessment of its impact on patronage will be published in due course.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of bus services in rural areas.

Good local bus services have an essential role to play in keeping rural communities connected. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them, including in rural areas. The government has committed to increasing accountability by including a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of passenger rail performance.

Ministers have been clear that rail services have been failing passengers. Cancellations are at a ten-year high and punctuality is inconsistent across the network. We need to improve services for passengers and deliver better value for money for the taxpayer. Publicly-owned Great British Railways will end years of fragmentation – bringing together track and train to deliver for passengers with more reliable, better-quality services and simpler ticketing and fares. Shadow Great British Railways (SGBR) will start to provide the opportunity to take joined up, whole system decisions that improve performance for the benefit of passengers and taxpayers.

What steps she is taking to help increase the availability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund is providing local authorities in England with over £380m to support the installation of tens of thousands of public chargepoints. As well as significant funding, the Government continues to make it easier, quicker and cheaper to install chargepoints. In December, the Government announced that it will make changes to planning legislation to facilitate off-street chargepoint installations and to allow the use of street works permits for quicker charger deployment. The Government also published guidance to help local authorities with cross-pavement charging solutions and the results of a review to address common issues around EV infrastructure and grid connections.

What steps she is taking to make rail fares more affordable.

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. Most regulated rail fares will increase by 4.6 per cent on 2 March 2025. This will be the lowest absolute increase in three years and will support the Government’s long-term plans to achieve financial sustainability of the railway.

When she plans to decide whether her Department will provide funding for the Ely area capacity enhancement scheme.

This government is committed to delivering economic growth, and projects such as the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement have the potential to contribute to this. While the previous government made public statements of support for the project, no funding was provided to allow it to progress.The Chancellor has been clear about the state of the nation's finances and has launched a multi-year Spending Review. Decisions and timescales about individual projects will be informed by the review process and confirmed in due course.