The A303 Sparkford to Ilchester Dualling scheme started construction in September 2021. National Highways is now planning to Open for Traffic in Winter 2024/2025.

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.

The Department annually collects and publishes information on GOV.UK regarding the condition of roads in England, covering surface condition, skidding resistance, and highway maintenance treatments and expenditure. This information comes from surveys which identify a series of road surface defects, although some of these defects may be related to potholes, the number of potholes cannot be recorded. The most recent release can be read on GOV.UK.

The Department does not hold information on the condition of footpaths, this information will be held by local authorities for their own asset management needs.

There is no nationally agreed definition of a pothole. It is up to local authorities to decide which surface defects on the highway to treat, following a risk-based approach. This is set out in the best practice document “Well Managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice”, which is available online.

This is an industry led process where Train Operating Companies put forward proposals to close or change the opening hours of station ticket offices and launch passenger consultations. The independent passenger bodies, Transport Focus and London TravelWatch, are currently considering the consultation responses and will publish their response to each train operator’s proposals once the process has completed.

Ensuring the welfare of passengers and rail staff is a top priority for train operating companies, including during particularly hot weather. The advice remains for passengers to carry a bottle of water on all train journeys in hot weather, so that they can keep hydrated. Most modern trains also have air conditioning installed to maintain cool temperatures, but, where air conditioning is not available, operators ventilate trains as best as they can by opening windows throughout journeys and train doors at stations, where possible.

For hot weather, an ill passenger or an air conditioning failure, South Western Railways stocks water on most trains, and will provide to passengers in those circumstances. South Western Railway also maintains water supplies at key stations so that they can be added to trains during periods of extreme hot weather, particularly at key stations on their longer distance lines.

Ensuring the welfare of passengers and rail staff remains a top priority for the Government, particularly during hot weather, which can increase the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion or fainting. The Office of Rail and Road is responsible for safety oversight of the railway in Great Britain and works with train operators to encourage all passengers to follow the latest public health and travel advice.

While no study has been undertaken specifically on the health and safety issues of water not being provided on services lasting more than three hours, the advice to passengers is to carry a bottle of water on all train journeys in hot weather so that they can keep hydrated. Most modern trains also have air conditioning installed to maintain cool temperatures, but where air conditioning is not available, operators ventilate trains as best as they can by opening windows throughout journeys and train doors at stations, where possible. Many operators also offer free water in hot weather and when services are delayed.

Department Officials worked closely and extensively with South Western Railway (SWR) to understand the root cause, solution and timelines for returning to the full timetable. It was determined that the cause was contaminated bio fuel in the storage tanks at Salisbury Depot. SWR has hired an independent investigator to find out how and why this occurred which will take a few weeks to conclude.

SWR returned to its normal timetable from Friday 28 April, which included direct services between Exeter and London Waterloo. Some Exeter to Waterloo services and services between Salisbury and Southampton returned earlier. The cost to the regional economy was minimised as passengers had the option to travel via Salisbury and Basingstoke or to change tickets to another operator on a similar route.

We are carrying out accessibility audits at all stations in Great Britain. Around 95% of these are complete and the data will be made publicly available once the project is complete.

We are also assessing over 300 nominations for Access for All funding for the period 2024-29, including a nomination for Castle Cary, should further funding be made available.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has a 24-week forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this. The DVSA adds new test appointments to the booking system on a weekly basis when the 24-week forward booking window refreshes.

All available practical driving test appointments, including cancellations, show on the live booking system to everyone at the same time. The DVSA adds any additional tests to the system as soon as they become available.

In 2012, the Government established the independent Airports Commission to examine the nature, scale and timing of any requirement for additional capacity to maintain the UK’s global hub status. The Airports Commission carried out a detailed assessment of the UK aviation market and considered that it was served by a diverse system of airports, from a global aviation hub at Heathrow through large scale point-to-point airports, such as Manchester, Birmingham and Gatwick, down to small airports primarily focusing on maintaining lifeline routes.

Further assessment of the UK aviation market and its hub status was carried out by the Government as part of the development of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), which provides the primary basis for decision making on development consent applications for a Northwest Runway at Heathrow Airport. The ANPS sets out the importance of Heathrow Airport’s position as one of the world’s major hub airports.

Whilst the decision by Loganair to withdraw from Teesside Airport is disappointing, it is ultimately a commercial decision by the airline.

The Government recognises the importance of regional airports to our aviation sector and to the communities they serve. We continue to support regional airports through various policy measures such as our introduction next year of a 50% cut in Air Passenger Duty on domestic flights.

The Government’s commitment to supporting London’s transport network is ongoing, and we have provided close to £5 billion of support throughout the pandemic. DfT officials are currently working with TfL to build an evidence-based recommendation on how to progress with driverless trains on the underground. This will inform any future decisions.

The Department is working closely with Transport for London (TfL) to ensure that London’s transport network is able to support the restart and economic recovery of the city. The Government’s commitment to supporting London’s transport network is ongoing, and we have provided close to £5 billion of support throughout the pandemic. However, transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and TfL.

Following the move to Plan A and in anticipation of the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions, the Department will be working closely with train operators to develop a passenger offer that it is fit for the future, and carefully balances capacity and performance, while protecting the public purse.

The Department has been working closely with rail operators as they mitigate the impact of staff absences on rail services.

The current temporary train timetable is providing passengers with certainty so they can plan their journeys confidently as they return to work in person. As staffing pressures ease and passenger demand increases, operators are increasing rail services accordingly to meet demand.

South Western Railway advises that its temporary timetable, which commenced on Monday 17 January 2022, comfortably retains enough capacity to meet demand whilst ensuring that many services for key workers and schools have been retained.

The impact of the latest COVID variant has led to a sharp increase in staff absenteeism and a drop in passenger demand. Consequently, as part of the overall reductions in service, direct services between Exeter to London Waterloo will not be available during the temporary timetable period, as was the case in the same period last year.

South Western Railway has assured the Department that the timetable will be kept under constant review.

South Western Railway has responded to the Omicron variant which has seen a sharp increase in staff absenteeism and a sharp drop in passenger demand.

Rather than make weekly changes to the timetable, South Western Railway initiated a temporary timetable which commenced on Monday 17 January 2022. This will give customers greater notice of the planned timetable over the coming weeks.

The full East West Rail (EWR) scheme (Oxford to Cambridge) is planned to be delivered, and operational for passenger and freight services, by the end of the decade. We are currently working hard with the East West Railway Company and Network Rail to develop the right future service patterns for the scheme. This will help ensure that EWR objectives are achieved and provide the best possible connectivity for the communities and customers.

Plans, including costs, for the whole scheme are still in development. We will release further details in due course.

Environmental implications and ensuring economic sustainability have been important parts of the decision-making process for the EWR scheme.

• A strategic objective of EWR is to provide a sustainable and value for money transport solution to support economic growth in the area. This is to be achieved by improving transport connections within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, and ensuring the line supports new housing development in the area.
• The EWR scheme aims to become a net-zero carbon railway. It is committed to protecting the environment by finding approaches to delivery that avoid, minimise or mitigate negative environmental impacts. As part of this, for example, the East West Railway Company has committed to delivering biodiversity net gain in the area.

The full East West Rail (EWR) scheme (Oxford to Cambridge) is planned to be delivered, and operational for passenger and freight services, by the end of the decade. We are currently working hard with the East West Railway Company and Network Rail to develop the right future service patterns for the scheme. This will help ensure that EWR objectives are achieved and provide the best possible connectivity for the communities and customers.

Plans, including costs, for the whole scheme are still in development. We will release further details in due course.

Environmental implications and ensuring economic sustainability have been important parts of the decision-making process for the EWR scheme.

• A strategic objective of EWR is to provide a sustainable and value for money transport solution to support economic growth in the area. This is to be achieved by improving transport connections within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, and ensuring the line supports new housing development in the area.
• The EWR scheme aims to become a net-zero carbon railway. It is committed to protecting the environment by finding approaches to delivery that avoid, minimise or mitigate negative environmental impacts. As part of this, for example, the East West Railway Company has committed to delivering biodiversity net gain in the area.

The full East West Rail (EWR) scheme (Oxford to Cambridge) is planned to be delivered, and operational for passenger and freight services, by the end of the decade. We are currently working hard with the East West Railway Company and Network Rail to develop the right future service patterns for the scheme. This will help ensure that EWR objectives are achieved and provide the best possible connectivity for the communities and customers.

Plans, including costs, for the whole scheme are still in development. We will release further details in due course.

Environmental implications and ensuring economic sustainability have been important parts of the decision-making process for the EWR scheme.

• A strategic objective of EWR is to provide a sustainable and value for money transport solution to support economic growth in the area. This is to be achieved by improving transport connections within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, and ensuring the line supports new housing development in the area.
• The EWR scheme aims to become a net-zero carbon railway. It is committed to protecting the environment by finding approaches to delivery that avoid, minimise or mitigate negative environmental impacts. As part of this, for example, the East West Railway Company has committed to delivering biodiversity net gain in the area.