Every parliamentary written question tabled by Paul Kohler this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 121–140 of 163 · this parliament
Whether her Department has developed contingency plans to respond to potential legal challenges to the proposed expansion to Heathrow airport.
The Government will take all necessary and appropriate actions to ensure a sound legal basis for its decisions.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the change in the number of miles of (a) public footpaths, (b) bridleways, (c) restricted byways and (d) other public (i) walkways and (ii) cycleways in the UK since 2015.
The public rights of way network provides approximately 140,000 miles of linear access in England and Wales, with 83% found in England and 17% in Wales. In England this consists approximately of: 91,000 miles of footpaths20,000 miles of bridleways3,700 miles of restricted byways2,300 miles of byways open to all traffic (BOATs). In addition, when both the King Charles III England Coast Path and Coast to Coast National Trail are complete, the total length of National Trails in England will be 4,952 miles. Permissive paths also give the public access to large amounts of the English countryside. The National Cycle Network spans 12,000 miles of signed routes for walking, wheeling and cycling including over 5,000 miles of traffic free paths. There are 2,000 miles of canal towpaths in England and Wales. Information on overall lengths of publicly maintainable cycleways and footways, along with changes to the public rights of way network and other walkways and cycle paths since 2015 in England is held by the respective local authority. Further information on public rights of way and other public paths or routes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Welsh and Scottish Governments and Northern Ireland Executive respectively.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of miles of (a) public footpaths, (b) bridleways, (c) restricted byways and (d) other public (i) walkways and (ii) cycleways in the UK.
The public rights of way network provides approximately 140,000 miles of linear access in England and Wales, with 83% found in England and 17% in Wales. In England this consists approximately of: 91,000 miles of footpaths20,000 miles of bridleways3,700 miles of restricted byways2,300 miles of byways open to all traffic (BOATs). In addition, when both the King Charles III England Coast Path and Coast to Coast National Trail are complete, the total length of National Trails in England will be 4,952 miles. Permissive paths also give the public access to large amounts of the English countryside. The National Cycle Network spans 12,000 miles of signed routes for walking, wheeling and cycling including over 5,000 miles of traffic free paths. There are 2,000 miles of canal towpaths in England and Wales. Information on overall lengths of publicly maintainable cycleways and footways, along with changes to the public rights of way network and other walkways and cycle paths since 2015 in England is held by the respective local authority. Further information on public rights of way and other public paths or routes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Welsh and Scottish Governments and Northern Ireland Executive respectively.
How many additional miles of (a) public footpaths, (b) bridleways, (c) restricted byways and (d) other public walkways and cycleways her Department plans to deliver by 2030.
The Government recognises that investment in high quality active travel infrastructure delivers high value for money and supports its economic growth, health and net zero missions. Encouraging more active travel helps to revitalise high streets, enable people to live longer and healthier lives and helps to reduce transport emissions and to promote greener journeys. On 12 February, the Department announced the details of almost £300 million of funding for active travel in 2024/5 and 2025/6, which will deliver 300 miles of brand-new footpaths and cycle tracks. Total estimated benefits of this investment are £1.3 billion, including £9 million every year to the economy through improved productivity, equivalent to 43,000 fewer sick days a year, by making it easier to walk and cycle to work and for everyday journeys. Beyond the funding announced by the Department on 12 February, any further mileage for active travel routes, delivered up until 2030, will be dependent on the outcome of the Spending Review. Local authorities are empowered to decide where investment is made in their areas. As such, it is for local authorities to consider whether disused railway lines in their areas would be suitable for active travel routes and to work with National Highways, in their role as custodians of the Historical Railways Estate, to assess the viability of any particular routes.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of dedicated (a) cycleways and (b) walkways on public health.
The Government recognises that investment in high quality active travel infrastructure delivers high value for money and supports its economic growth, health and net zero missions. Encouraging more active travel helps to revitalise high streets, enable people to live longer and healthier lives and helps to reduce transport emissions and to promote greener journeys. On 12 February, the Department announced the details of almost £300 million of funding for active travel in 2024/5 and 2025/6, which will deliver 300 miles of brand-new footpaths and cycle tracks. Total estimated benefits of this investment are £1.3 billion, including £9 million every year to the economy through improved productivity, equivalent to 43,000 fewer sick days a year, by making it easier to walk and cycle to work and for everyday journeys. Beyond the funding announced by the Department on 12 February, any further mileage for active travel routes, delivered up until 2030, will be dependent on the outcome of the Spending Review. Local authorities are empowered to decide where investment is made in their areas. As such, it is for local authorities to consider whether disused railway lines in their areas would be suitable for active travel routes and to work with National Highways, in their role as custodians of the Historical Railways Estate, to assess the viability of any particular routes.
If she will make an estimate of the number of miles of disused rail lines that could be developed into (a) cycleways and (b) walkways.
The Government recognises that investment in high quality active travel infrastructure delivers high value for money and supports its economic growth, health and net zero missions. Encouraging more active travel helps to revitalise high streets, enable people to live longer and healthier lives and helps to reduce transport emissions and to promote greener journeys. On 12 February, the Department announced the details of almost £300 million of funding for active travel in 2024/5 and 2025/6, which will deliver 300 miles of brand-new footpaths and cycle tracks. Total estimated benefits of this investment are £1.3 billion, including £9 million every year to the economy through improved productivity, equivalent to 43,000 fewer sick days a year, by making it easier to walk and cycle to work and for everyday journeys. Beyond the funding announced by the Department on 12 February, any further mileage for active travel routes, delivered up until 2030, will be dependent on the outcome of the Spending Review. Local authorities are empowered to decide where investment is made in their areas. As such, it is for local authorities to consider whether disused railway lines in their areas would be suitable for active travel routes and to work with National Highways, in their role as custodians of the Historical Railways Estate, to assess the viability of any particular routes.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of dedicated (a) cycleways and (b) walkways on the economy.
The Government recognises that investment in high quality active travel infrastructure delivers high value for money and supports its economic growth, health and net zero missions. Encouraging more active travel helps to revitalise high streets, enable people to live longer and healthier lives and helps to reduce transport emissions and to promote greener journeys. On 12 February, the Department announced the details of almost £300 million of funding for active travel in 2024/5 and 2025/6, which will deliver 300 miles of brand-new footpaths and cycle tracks. Total estimated benefits of this investment are £1.3 billion, including £9 million every year to the economy through improved productivity, equivalent to 43,000 fewer sick days a year, by making it easier to walk and cycle to work and for everyday journeys. Beyond the funding announced by the Department on 12 February, any further mileage for active travel routes, delivered up until 2030, will be dependent on the outcome of the Spending Review. Local authorities are empowered to decide where investment is made in their areas. As such, it is for local authorities to consider whether disused railway lines in their areas would be suitable for active travel routes and to work with National Highways, in their role as custodians of the Historical Railways Estate, to assess the viability of any particular routes.
What discussions she has had with (a) statistical and (b) land registry authorities on the availability of land for use as public (i) walkways and (ii) cycleways.
The Secretary of State has not had any such discussions. It is a matter for individual local authorities to establish what land is available in their areas for public walkways and cycleways.
With reference to Q52 of the oral evidence given by the Permanent Secretary to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 4 February 2025 HC 505, how many (a) rooms and (b) rooms were the ten hotels in question able to accommodate; and what the saving to the public purse will be as a result of their closure.
The Home Office publishes numbers on people in hotels. It does not publish or report on number of rooms.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found on GOV.UK as part of the quarterly Immigration system statistics release. The Home Office also publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts.
With reference to Q16 of the oral evidence given by the Permanent Secretary to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 4 February 2025 HC 505, whether her Department has conducted horizon scanning on (a) spontaneous far-right protests and (b) child sexual exploitation by organised networks.
The Home Office and our policing partners keep all risks of criminality under review on an ongoing basis.
With reference to Q32 of the oral evidence given by the Permanent Secretary to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 4 February 2025 HC 505, if she will (a) provide a detailed cost matrix for each role within the police and (b) set out how announced Government funding will support the recruitment of new officers.
Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.5 billion, an increase of up to £1.1 billion compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement.This includes fully covering the costs for the pay award, the increase in the employer national contributions, funding for officer maintenance and an additional £200 million to kickstart the first phase of recruitment for 13,000 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood policing roles.For neighbourhood roles in 2025-26 we have asked forces to outline proposals for their workforce mix that is tailored to local needs and operational contexts, based on what is deliverable within their funding allocation.This will ensure that additional neighbourhood personnel in 2025-26 are delivered in a manner that is flexible and easily adaptable to varied crime demands, allowing forces to increase the neighbourhood policing workforce at pace.
What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on steps to improve the mental health of HGV drivers.
The Health and Safety Executive launched their Working Minds campaign in the transport sector, partnered with the Road Haulage Association. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the legal duty to prevent work-related stress and provides support and resources including risk assessment templates, examples and practical toolkits.The Department regularly engages with stakeholders to discuss matters of concern to the industry, including those relating to driver wellbeing.To improve the working conditions of HGV drivers while on the road, the department and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade truckstops across England. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities along the strategic roads network.
Whether her Department holds information on the percentage of truck stops on the Strategic Road Network which have free toilet facilities.
The department does not maintain records on the number of toilet facilities across its network. These facilities are operated commercially by private entities, who are responsible for ensuring they comply with legislative requirements and meet customer needs. All Motorway Service Areas, Motorway Rest Areas, All-Purpose Trunk Road Service Areas, Motorway Truck Stops, Truck Stops on All-Purpose Trunk Roads and Truck Stops which benefit from signs from the strategic road network must provide free parking for a minimum of 2 hours for all vehicles permitted to use the facility and free-to-use toilets with hand washing facilities.
Whether her Department is taking steps to help increase the availability of toilet facilities for HGV drivers.
The Department and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade truckstops across England. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities along the strategic roads network. This investment is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and eating facilities and increase lorry parking spaces. National Highways does not maintain records on the number of toilet facilities across its network. These facilities are operated commercially by private entities, who are responsible for ensuring they comply with legislative requirements and meet customer needs. All Motorway Service Areas, Motorway Rest Areas, All-Purpose Trunk Road Service Areas, Motorway Truck Stops, Truck Stops on All-Purpose Trunk Roads and Truck Stops which benefit from signs from the strategic road network must provide free parking for a minimum of 2 hours for all vehicles permitted to use the facility and free-to-use toilets with hand washing facilities.
How many free toilet facilities there are on the road network managed by National Highways; and how many and what proportion of these are accessible for HGVs.
The Department and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade truckstops across England. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities along the strategic roads network. This investment is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and eating facilities and increase lorry parking spaces. National Highways does not maintain records on the number of toilet facilities across its network. These facilities are operated commercially by private entities, who are responsible for ensuring they comply with legislative requirements and meet customer needs. All Motorway Service Areas, Motorway Rest Areas, All-Purpose Trunk Road Service Areas, Motorway Truck Stops, Truck Stops on All-Purpose Trunk Roads and Truck Stops which benefit from signs from the strategic road network must provide free parking for a minimum of 2 hours for all vehicles permitted to use the facility and free-to-use toilets with hand washing facilities.
Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 24076 on Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme: Wimbledon, who the seven recipients were.
The seven recipients in Wimbledon who received funding from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme from 2022 onwards are All Saints' Parish Church, St John the Baptist Church, St Mary's Church, St Luke's Church, St Winefride's Church, Christchurch West and Lantern Methodist Church.
Whether her Department's Roads Investment Committee has considered funding alterations to the London South Circular in the last year.
Over the last year the Department’s Roads and Local Investment Committee has considered a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) for Transport for London’s (TfL) Catford Town Centre road scheme, which would include the realignment of part of the A205 South Circular. The scheme is being progressed by TfL for possible funding as part of the Department’s Major Road Network/ Large Local Majors programme. The Department’s decision on whether to approve the SOC will be issued in due course.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the environmental health of Hogsmill River.
The Environment Agency (EA) continues to support volunteers and Citizen Scientists in monitoring water quality across the Hogsmill, focussing on known pollution hotspots. Collaboration efforts have identified misconnecting sewage outfalls causing pollution, which Thames Water have rectified. As part of the Water Company Price Review (PR19), Thames Water are committed to deliver a river restoration scheme at Kingsmeadow by 2027. There is also a partnership investigation to assess the impacts of groundwater abstraction on natural flows. The river restoration arising from these studies are scheduled for completion in March 2030. Thames Water are required under PR24 to increase the size of the storm tanks at Hogsmill Sewage Treatment Works to 4 times the current volume. This will reduce the number and duration of storm sewage spills. River Restoration is supported by the Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF). This year the funding has supported:the improvement of 250m of habitat and improved fish passage at Riverhill Mill.3,500 square metres of wetland habitat constructed at Tolworth Court, creating priority habitat, treating road run-off and providing flood storage.completion of the Chambers Mead Wetland Project Chamber Mead Wetlands - South East Rivers Trust A recent Enforcement Undertaking (£150,000) for a pollution incident in 2020 required Thames Water to improve the Bonesgate. The EA is committed to undertake a larger programme of wastewater asset inspections. It will have inspected 4,000 assets in England by the end of March 2025, up from 1389 the previous year, moving towards 11,500 a year by March 2027. This work will see significant improvements to water quality.
With reference to the Answer of 27 March 2023 to Question 169467 on Public Transport, when her Department plans to publish the final report on the Rural Mobility Fund.
The Rural Mobility Fund evaluation consists of two elements – a first stage including monitoring data collection and a process evaluation and a second stage including impact and value for money evaluation. An interim monitoring data collection and process evaluation report was published in September 2023 and a second concluding process evaluation report will be published later this year. The impact and value for money evaluation will be published in 2026.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a new approach to access charges to help incentivise rail freight operators to (a) fund greener assets and (b) use the network more efficiently.
As set out in Getting Britain Moving, we will reform the existing access, charging and capacity allocation regime, to enable GBR to become the directing mind and decision maker on use of its infrastructure. Part of this will involve considering how the new system could enable non-GBR operators, such as freight, to be incentivised to invest in greener traction or make better use of the network. However, before the Bill is introduced to Parliament, it is important to find out what industry stakeholders and the public think of these proposed reforms. Feedback from the eight-week public consultation, that we intend to launch in due course, will therefore help to inform the proposition on track access charging.