Tag: Daniel Zeichner

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will establish a standards setting body with a code of practice and an appeals service for all accredited trade associations for the management of parking on private land.

Mr Marcus Jones

We are currently analysing responses to the discussion paper ‘Parking reform: tackling unfair practices’ issued earlier this year. The suggestion to establish a standards setting body with a code of practice and an appeals service for all accredited trade associations for the management of parking on private land was made in some responses, and we are actively considering this point as part of our wider work on parking. We will publish our response to the discussion paper in the New Year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward amendments to regulations under the Pet Animals Act 1951 to include a ban on the sale of kittens in pet shops.

George Eustice

Under the Pet Animals Act 1951 local authorities can already apply conditions to individual pet shop licences. This includes, for example, restricting the species that can be sold. The power to apply conditions to an individual licence is in section 1(3) of the 1951 Act and is intended to help secure the welfare requirements set out in that section. We are currently reviewing animal establishment licensing which will include looking at the 1951 Act.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish a full impact assessment of the Government’s proposal for clean air zones.

Rory Stewart

We will be working closely over the coming months with the five cities in which Clean Air Zones are to be introduced to develop the detail of the actions required. An impact assessment of the proposals for Clean Air Zones will be published later this year alongside a consultation on a framework for Clean Air Zones and the secondary legislation to be introduced.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 66 of his Department’s Road Investment Strategy Investment Plan, how much of the five ring-fenced investment funds totalling £675 million has been allocated to cycling and walking infrastructure projects.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Highways England has committed to provide a safer, integrated and more accessible strategic road network for cyclists and other vulnerable road users such as pedestrians. Through the first Road Investment Strategy for Highways England, £175 million has been made available between 2015 and 2020 to improve the safety of the Strategic Road Network and improve conditions for cyclists and other road users.

The Highways England delivery plan states that £78 million will be used to improve conditions for those cycling alongside and crossing the Strategic Road Network.

The remaining £97 million will be used to enhance the safety of our network, with £20 million of this specifically targeted at improving facilities to provide a more accessible and integrated network, which will also benefit pedestrians.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress the Government has made on an impact analysis and consultation on changes to current pavement parking legislation since the withdrawal of the Pavement Parking (Protection of Vulnerable Pedestrians) Bill.

Andrew Jones

I intend to convene a round table in March, the details of which are currently being finalised. The round table will discuss the topic, and help to inform the Department’s thinking and the work it plans to do later this year to examine more closely the legal and financial implications of alternative approaches.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) officials, (b) other staff and (c) contracted workers in his Department are working on taxi and private hire vehicle policy.

Andrew Jones

There are currently (a) two officials, (b) one further official on secondment to the Department and (c) no contracted workers working on taxi and private hire vehicle policy in the Department for Transport. All work in the Buses and Taxis division. The subject forms one part of the officials’ roles. This level of staffing for work on taxis and private hire vehicles is essentially consistent with that going back to 2009/10.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce details of the new Access Fund.

Mr Robert Goodwill

On 15 February 2016, we announced that the new Access fund would be launched later in 2016 for delivery in 2017/18, and would be preceded by a £20m Sustainable Travel Transition Year for 2016/17.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2016 to Question 26407, what funding for cycling in London is included within the (a) £925 million of capital funding and (b) £659 million of resource funding paid to Transport for London.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The annual funding grant paid to the Greater London Authority by the Department is not ring-fenced and it is a matter for the Mayor to determine how it is spent.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes his Department has made to the collection of data on bus fares and punctuality since 2010.

Andrew Jones

The department operates two surveys to collect data on bus fares and bus punctuality. Bus fares information is collected from bus operators every quarter and bus punctuality is collected from local authorities every year, both via online surveys.

In 2012 and 2015 the sample of operators from whom the Department collected data on bus fares was revised.

For the 2012/13 bus punctuality data collection the following voluntary questions were added to the survey:

• Do you continue to collect/record data on bus patronage in your area?
• If yes, can you please enter the number of passenger journeys on local bus services?
• Please indicate if you are able to share figures for individual operators with DfT (solely for use in validation of figures we collect directly from operators)
• If possible, please provide a contact name/email for any queries on the patronage data and any relevant notes in the box below (for example, if figures are not yet available but will be later)
• The Department is also interested in learning more about the number of passengers carried on flexible or demand responsive modes of transport, including community transport. If you are able to supply any information on these for your area (such as number of passengers, nature of service) please enter brief details below

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.