The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy consultation document does not contain measureable targets for walking.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The draft Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy contains two objectives for walking.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to (a) announce the criteria and (b) begin the bidding process for allocating the funding available through the Pothole Action Fund.
Andrew Jones
The Pothole Action Fund is worth £250 million over the next five years to local highway authorities in England, outside London. On 7 April the Government announced the share each local highway authority will receive from the £50 million available for 2016/17. Funding is allocated according to the size of the road network the local highway authority is responsible for.
Further details can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cash-for-councils-to-fill-almost-1-million-potholes
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s current projections are for Government annual spending on the (a) Cycle City Ambition Grant, (b) Bikeability cycle training, (c) Highways England Funding, (d) Access Funds and (e) any other under the cycling and walking strategy programmes for each of the next five years.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The projected budgets for the next five years for the (a) Cycle City Ambition Grant, (b) Bikeability cycle training, (c) Highways England Funding and (d) Access Funds are as follows:
|
Programme |
Total |
|
Cycle Cities Ambition grant |
£99m |
|
Bikeability cycle training grant |
£50m |
|
Highways England Fund |
£85m |
|
Sustainable Travel Transition Year / Access Fund |
£80m |
Much more widely, however, other Government funding streams will also contribute to projects which will deliver improved cycling and walking. Through the Local Growth Fund, an investment of at least £476m is planned by local enterprise partnerships for cycling infrastructure.
From the Integrated Transport Block funding, local authorities will use £194m to invest in cycling and walking.
Regarding highways maintenance, from 2018/19 the plan is to change the formula used to allocate local highways maintenance capital funding so that it also takes into account footways and cycleways as well as the roads, bridges and street lighting, which it is currently based on. Once implemented, around 9% of the funding for local highways maintenance will be based on footway and cycleway lengths and equates to £196m.
In addition, a record £6bn will be spent on tackling potholes and improving local roads between 2015 and 2021, which will benefit all road users, including cyclists.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of officials of his Department resigned in each of the last six years.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The information requested is in the table below.
|
TIMEFRAME |
NUMBERS OF VOLUNTARY RESIGNATIONS |
% PROPORTION OF OFFICIALS (based on headcount not Full Time Equivalent Data) |
|
01/04/2015 – 31/03/2016 |
462 |
3.3 |
|
01/04/2014 – 31/03/2015 |
489 |
2.8 |
|
01/04/2013 – 31/03/2014 |
428 |
2.5 |
|
01/04/2012 – 31/03/2013 |
378 |
2.1 |
|
01/04/2011 – 31/03/2012 |
421 |
2.3 |
|
01/04/2010 – 31/03/2011 |
374 |
2.0 |
The Department for Transport data relates to the central department and its agencies during the timeframe indicated, Highways England are therefore excluded from the 15/16 figures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of the introduction of driverless cars on UK roads on levels of insurance premiums.
Andrew Jones
We know that the insurance industry is keen to recognise and reward technologies that will make vehicles safer; the latest safety features, like autonomous emergency braking, can help reduce insurance premiums. As highly automated, and fully automated, vehicle technology should help reduce collisions, we believe this should be reflected in insurance premiums.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps will be taken to ensure the safety of driverless cars.
Andrew Jones
We have developed ‘Pathway to Driverless Cars: a Code of Practice for testing’ to promote the safe and responsible testing of automated vehicle technology on UK roads. It clearly and simply sets out that testers must obey all relevant road traffic laws and that test vehicles must be roadworthy; a suitably trained driver or operator must be ready, able, and willing to take control if necessary; and appropriate insurance must be in place. Alongside this we are funding research and demonstration projects and working with international regulatory bodies to develop an appropriate framework for the safe sale and use of automated vehicle technology.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what operational mitigation measures have been proposed by (a) Heathrow Airport Limited and (b) Gatwick Airport Limited to reduce the effect of aviation noise in the event of expansion of those airports.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Heathrow Airport Ltd. and Gatwick Airport Ltd. have published proposals on their respective websites to mitigate the impacts of aviation noise. The Government is continuing to engage with promoters for all three schemes shortlisted by the Airports Commission to develop the best possible packages of mitigation measures, including on noise.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of households eligible for the property compensation scheme proposed by Gatwick Airport Limited under the current proposal for the expansion of Gatwick Airport.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The property compensation scheme proposed by Gatwick Airport Limited consists of two elements, compulsory purchase and a voluntary purchase scheme (‘Home Owner Support Scheme’). Approximately 168 properties will be eligible for compulsory purchase compensation. The number of properties eligible for voluntary purchase will be determined by the promoters published eligibility criteria in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether Parliamentary authority is required for UK ratification of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.
Anna Soubry
We expect the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement will be a mixed agreement covering areas of both EU and Member State competence. In that case, it will be subject to agreement by each EU Member State, the EU Council and the European Parliament. As part of this process the agreement will be laid before Parliament for scrutiny before it is ratified by the UK. We will confirm the procedures for Parliamentary approval when it is presented for signature.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the potential economic effect in Northern Ireland of the imposition of border checks between that country and the Republic of Ireland in the event of a UK withdrawal from the EU.
Mr Ben Wallace
The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
The UK and Ireland are part of the EU Customs Union, which means that there are no customs controls on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Without this, goods being exported across the border could be subject to various forms of customs controls and their liability to duty determined according to complex Rules of Origin.
The absence of cross-border restrictions has both encouraged cooperation and increased trade over the last twenty years. Overall, around 60 per cent of Northern Ireland’s exports go to the EU, with 37 per cent going to Ireland alone. It is the Government’s view that if the UK left the EU these arrangements could be put at risk.