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1169265

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Railways: Japanese Knotweed
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each of the last five years, (1) how many instances of infestation by Japanese Knotweed were recorded on Network Rail land and property, (2) how many complaints were received, and what was the cost to Network Rail of action taken to eradicate the species; (3) what action Network Rail takes in response to infestations and complaints about Japanese Knotweed; and (4) what action Network Rail takes in the event of this plant spreading from Network Rail land on to adjoining land and property.
	tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
	uin	HL121
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2020 answer text <ol><li><p>Network Rail are currently in the process of gathering data about historical Japanese knotweed instances, however there are currently 5138 distinct sites with active treatment of Japanese knotweed.</p><p> </p></li><li><p>The breakdown of complaints is as follows: 2019 – 25; 2018 – 62; 2017 – 42; 2016 – 72; 2015 – 73, not accounting for cases where a legal claim is made without a complaint. Some of these complaints developed into claims, with 170 claims made over the last 5 years. The total sum of these claim settlements amounts to £3.73m; this covers treatment costs as well as damages, investigation costs and legal costs. It was not possible to obtain figures for the overall expenditure on treatment, however it costs approximately £18-30 per metre square of knotweed to successfully treat it, over a period of 3 – 5 years.</p><p> </p></li><li><p>In instances where Japanese knotweed is discovered, the location of knotweed is recorded and mapped, followed by treatment activity tailored to whether it is affecting safe operation of the railway and/or creating biosecurity issues. Measures such as boot and tool cleaning are undertaken to prevent further spreading of the knotweed. In carrying out these actions, Network Rail complies with the Lineside Vegetation Management Manual and relevant legislation.</p></li><li>In the event of Japanese knotweed having spread to third party land, Network Rail complies with UK legislation and deals with complaints as quickly as possible. If knotweed growth is visible at the boundary, or on both sides of the fence, permission will be sought from the third party for treatment and, if obtained, a management plan will be jointly agreed. Only herbicides using the active ingredient glyphosate are used in these instances.</li></ol> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 20/01/2020 11:56:10 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

1181428

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Motorways
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 24 February (HL1571) and prior to their decision to conduct “an evidence stocktake to gather the facts about the safety of smart motorways”, (1) how many miles of smart motorways have been created to date, (2) what has been the total cost of that work, and (3) how many miles of such motorways had been planned.
	tabling member printed	Lord Framlingham
	uin	HL1998
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2020 answer text <ol><li><p>The SRN has been expanding and evolving since the 1960’s, and in 2018 was 4,513 miles in length. The last 25 years has also seen conversion of parts of the motorway network to become smart motorways:</p></li></ol><ul><li><p>Controlled Motorway (CM) - in 1995 the first mandatory variable speed limits used on the English motorway network were introduced on the M25 J10-J15. By the end of 2018, controlled motorways covered 137 miles of the network (around 3% of the SRN) and carried 7 billion vehicle miles of traffic (around 8% of total SRN traffic)</p></li><li><p>Dynamic Hard Shoulder Running (DHS) - in 2006 the first hard shoulder to be opened to traffic was put into operation on the M42 J3a-7. This pilot scheme was originally known as active traffic management. By the end of 2018, Dynamic Hard Shoulder Running motorways covered 66 miles of the network (around 1% of the SRN) and carried 3 billion vehicle miles of traffic (around 3% of total SRN traffic)</p></li><li><p>All Lane Running (ALR) - in 2014 the first ALR schemes went into operation on the M25 J5-7 and J23-27. By the end of 2018, ALR motorways covered 123 miles of the network (around 3% of the SRN) and carried 5 billion vehicle miles of traffic (around 5% of total SRN traffic).</p></li></ul><p> </p><p>The smart motorway evidence stocktake report and action plan was published on 12 March 2020 and is available on gov.uk.</p><p> </p><p>I will write to you to answer your questions 2 and 3.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 12/03/2020 17:54:00 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	134 label Biography information for Lord Framlingham

1524843

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2022
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	High Speed 2 Line: Remote Working
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any increased worker productivity as a result of home working since the beginning of the COVID pandemic; and in respect of any such assessment, what adjustments they have made to (1) their estimate of the number of business journeys likely to take place on HS2, and (2) their assessment of the productivity benefits originally thought likely to be derived from these shorter business journeys.
	tabling member printed	Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise
	uin	HL2789
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2022 answer text <ol><li>The extent of the long-term impact of the COVID pandemic on rail demand is still uncertain. However, a range of sensitivities were explored in detail in the January 2022 HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg Strategic Outline Business Case. Three sensitivities were undertaken which assess three possible scenarios. These scenarios are not predictions, but instead explore a range of possible impacts of the pandemic on future rail demand. For business and commuter demand, these ranged from 5% reduction in the low-impact sensitivity to a 47% reduction in the high-impact sensitivity.</li></ol><p> </p><ol start="2"><li>Wider economic benefits which include productivity benefits have been explored in the January 2022 HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg Strategic Outline Business Case. The productivity benefits are assumed to arise from reduced journey times, agglomeration benefits and from people and businesses moving to realise productivity benefits. These estimates were brought together alongside a wide range of sensitivity tests to provide a value for money assessment.</li></ol> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 03/11/2022 13:50:14 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	4152 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise

1314978

	registered interest
	date	17/05/2021
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	High Speed Two: Trees
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will require HS2 to publish (1) the number of trees they have removed, (2) the number of trees they have planted, and (3) the areas where these changes have been made.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL278
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2021 answer text <p>(1) HS2 Ltd does not specifically record or count individual trees removed or required for clearance, as recording is undertaken on an area basis (measured by hectare).</p><p>(2) As part of Phase One alone, HS2 Ltd will plant up to seven million trees and shrubs. Over 700,000 of those trees have already been planted. The area of new woodland will be well in excess of that which is lost. HS2 is creating more than 3300 hectares (33 square kilometres) of new woodland, wildlife and river habitats alongside the line from the West Midlands to London.</p><p>(3) Woodland areas to be lost as a result of HS2’s construction, and also those sites to be used for woodland creation, are described in the relevant Environmental Statement, published alongside the relevant legislation for each phase of the project.</p><p>Further updates on HS2 Ltd’s environmental performance, including with respect to the loss of ancient woodland and associated compensation response, will be published in the autumn.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 01/06/2021 12:10:05 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1438460

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2022
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Railway Stations
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 December 2021 (HL4859), which stations (1) on HS2 lines, or (2) elsewhere, will have platform heights of 1115mm above rail.
	tabling member printed	Lord Berkeley
	uin	HL6659
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2022 answer text <p>(1) The following HS2 stations will have a platform height of 1115 mm: Euston, Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange, Curzon Street. Subject to Royal Assent of draft legislation currently before Parliament, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly will have the same height.</p><p>(2) On the conventional network the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) standards specify a nominal height of 915mm. Platform heights may vary due to maintenance and historic reasons. Please note that the Crossrail central core and the Heathrow Express both have platforms at 1100mm to facilitate level boarding.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 21/03/2022 15:22:06 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	3526 label Biography information for Lord Berkeley

1646554

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Acceleration Unit
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Department for Transport's Acceleration Unit, what progress has been made to (1) speed up the delivery of transport infrastructure projects, (2) implement policy initiatives and programmes in relation to the Government's agenda, and (3) publish the total expenditure to date of the Acceleration Unit.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
	uin	HL8700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>(1) What progress has been made to speed up the delivery of transport infrastructure projects?</p><p>The Acceleration Unit was set up in 2020 to focus on unblocking project delivery and identifying ways to speed up the realisation of benefits from the Department for Transport’s infrastructure portfolio. During its time, the Acceleration Unit worked closely with sponsors, delivery bodies, HM Treasury and others to deliver against this agenda, supporting Project Speed and other acceleration opportunities. This has resulted in an increased focus in our delivery bodies and sponsor teams on both project specific barriers, as well as ways of speeding up our overall delivery systems.</p><p>The Department has now reorganised the way it delivers the work of the Acceleration Unit to reflect current circumstances and to best meet its needs. This builds on the success of what the Acceleration Unit has achieved and will allow the Department to continue to improve programme delivery.</p><p>(2) What progress has been made to implement policy initiatives and programmes in relation to the Government's agenda?</p><p>The Department continues to develop and implement policies to deliver the Government's agenda and is working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on planning reforms. On the 23 February this year the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) Action Plan was published, which sets out how these reforms will be delivered across government. The reforms will provide greater clarity and certainty to all stakeholders who use the NSIP system, making the NSIP consenting process better, faster, greener, fairer and more resilient, so that it can deliver against government's ambitions for major infrastructure.</p><p>(3) publish the total expenditure to date of the Acceleration Unit</p><p>The total expenditure of the Acceleration Unit was £1,270,824. This figure includes all costs related to the Unit, such as staff salaries, consultancy support, and business travel and subsistence. The figure represents the total for financial years 20/21 up to and including 23/24. The costs for the Acceleration Unit have been met from existing Civil Service budgets.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 03/07/2023 16:18:37 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson

1246796

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Electric Scooters: Pilot Schemes
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government which firms have been selected to run electric scooter trials in areas where trials are being undertaken.
	tabling member printed	Lord Moylan
	uin	HL9661
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>11 different companies are operating across the live trial areas. These are: Ginger, Spin, Lime, Beryl, Tier, Zwings, Voi, Bird, Neuron, Zipp, and Wind.</p><p> </p><p>Many of these companies have their own model of scooter which meets the minimum requirements set by the Department. Trials include both short- and long-term rental. The range of trial areas provide a diverse range of local environments in which to assess e-scooter use.</p><p> </p><p>The key areas we are seeking evidence of are the safety of e-scooters, what mode shift they cause, and what impacts they have on other road users. There is no minimum number of operators who need to participate in trials to assess this, but we will additionally seek to learn and share lessons on how different e-scooter providers operate.</p><p> </p><p>The local authorities hosting the trials have selected the operators they wish to work with. They have undertaken their own procurement processes, ensuring that the operators meet both the Department’s and their own requirements for the trial. We have set out these requirements in our guidance for local authorities and have only approved trials where these are met. The requirements include that the operator has geofencing and driving licence checks in place, that local areas have engaged with local police and disability groups, and that data generated will be shared with the Department.</p><p> </p><p>Many of the operators are going beyond these minimum requirements, including providing free helmets to users and offering online or in-person training to use the scooters.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton grouped question UIN HL9662 HL9663 HL9664 HL9665 question first answered 10/11/2020 16:21:14 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	4883 label Biography information for Lord Moylan

1246797

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Electric Scooters: Pilot Schemes
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that electric scooter trials test a range of (1) models, (2) providers, and (3) local circumstances.
	tabling member printed	Lord Moylan
	uin	HL9662
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>11 different companies are operating across the live trial areas. These are: Ginger, Spin, Lime, Beryl, Tier, Zwings, Voi, Bird, Neuron, Zipp, and Wind.</p><p> </p><p>Many of these companies have their own model of scooter which meets the minimum requirements set by the Department. Trials include both short- and long-term rental. The range of trial areas provide a diverse range of local environments in which to assess e-scooter use.</p><p> </p><p>The key areas we are seeking evidence of are the safety of e-scooters, what mode shift they cause, and what impacts they have on other road users. There is no minimum number of operators who need to participate in trials to assess this, but we will additionally seek to learn and share lessons on how different e-scooter providers operate.</p><p> </p><p>The local authorities hosting the trials have selected the operators they wish to work with. They have undertaken their own procurement processes, ensuring that the operators meet both the Department’s and their own requirements for the trial. We have set out these requirements in our guidance for local authorities and have only approved trials where these are met. The requirements include that the operator has geofencing and driving licence checks in place, that local areas have engaged with local police and disability groups, and that data generated will be shared with the Department.</p><p> </p><p>Many of the operators are going beyond these minimum requirements, including providing free helmets to users and offering online or in-person training to use the scooters.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton grouped question UIN HL9661 HL9663 HL9664 HL9665 question first answered 10/11/2020 16:21:14 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	4883 label Biography information for Lord Moylan

1246798

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Electric Scooters: Pilot Schemes
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of firms that would need to be involved in electric scooter trials for an evidence based policy decision to be made.
	tabling member printed	Lord Moylan
	uin	HL9663
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>11 different companies are operating across the live trial areas. These are: Ginger, Spin, Lime, Beryl, Tier, Zwings, Voi, Bird, Neuron, Zipp, and Wind.</p><p> </p><p>Many of these companies have their own model of scooter which meets the minimum requirements set by the Department. Trials include both short- and long-term rental. The range of trial areas provide a diverse range of local environments in which to assess e-scooter use.</p><p> </p><p>The key areas we are seeking evidence of are the safety of e-scooters, what mode shift they cause, and what impacts they have on other road users. There is no minimum number of operators who need to participate in trials to assess this, but we will additionally seek to learn and share lessons on how different e-scooter providers operate.</p><p> </p><p>The local authorities hosting the trials have selected the operators they wish to work with. They have undertaken their own procurement processes, ensuring that the operators meet both the Department’s and their own requirements for the trial. We have set out these requirements in our guidance for local authorities and have only approved trials where these are met. The requirements include that the operator has geofencing and driving licence checks in place, that local areas have engaged with local police and disability groups, and that data generated will be shared with the Department.</p><p> </p><p>Many of the operators are going beyond these minimum requirements, including providing free helmets to users and offering online or in-person training to use the scooters.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton grouped question UIN HL9661 HL9662 HL9664 HL9665 question first answered 10/11/2020 16:21:14 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	4883 label Biography information for Lord Moylan

1246799

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Electric Scooters: Pilot Schemes
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that firms providing electric scooters under the current trials can meet their undertakings; and what requirements must local and combined authorities operating such trials meet.
	tabling member printed	Lord Moylan
	uin	HL9664
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>11 different companies are operating across the live trial areas. These are: Ginger, Spin, Lime, Beryl, Tier, Zwings, Voi, Bird, Neuron, Zipp, and Wind.</p><p> </p><p>Many of these companies have their own model of scooter which meets the minimum requirements set by the Department. Trials include both short- and long-term rental. The range of trial areas provide a diverse range of local environments in which to assess e-scooter use.</p><p> </p><p>The key areas we are seeking evidence of are the safety of e-scooters, what mode shift they cause, and what impacts they have on other road users. There is no minimum number of operators who need to participate in trials to assess this, but we will additionally seek to learn and share lessons on how different e-scooter providers operate.</p><p> </p><p>The local authorities hosting the trials have selected the operators they wish to work with. They have undertaken their own procurement processes, ensuring that the operators meet both the Department’s and their own requirements for the trial. We have set out these requirements in our guidance for local authorities and have only approved trials where these are met. The requirements include that the operator has geofencing and driving licence checks in place, that local areas have engaged with local police and disability groups, and that data generated will be shared with the Department.</p><p> </p><p>Many of the operators are going beyond these minimum requirements, including providing free helmets to users and offering online or in-person training to use the scooters.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton grouped question UIN HL9661 HL9662 HL9663 HL9665 question first answered 10/11/2020 16:21:14 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	4883 label Biography information for Lord Moylan