The Highways Agency published a litter strategy in April 2014 and this highlights that since April 2011 the amount of litter on the strategic road network has reduced by approximately 25%.

The Highways Agency continues to work with relevant stakeholders on litter issues, including encouraging commercial vehicle operators to ensure their vehicles do not spill litter or debris. This includes working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Keep Britain Tidy to raise public awareness of the dangers and costs of litter.

The Agency also undertakes campaigns to encourage motorists to take their litter home making use of social media channels and roadside variable message signs to remind drivers to dispose of their litter responsibly.

DEFRA also plays an active role in reducing litter and, as you may know, provides funding to Keep Britain Tidy. This organisation is well established and undertakes a range of activities, including educational campaigns in respect of the impacts that litter can cause to the environment.

In respect to local highway authority roads, the Department for Transport does not hold data in respect of litter on the local road network, as litter clearance is a matter for the relevant local authority.

The Road Investment Strategy (RIS) stated our intention to upgrade all remaining sections of the A303 between the M3 and the A358 to dual carriageway standard, together with creating a dual carriageway link from the M5 at Taunton to the A303, as part of a commitment to creating a new Expressway to the South West.

We have started this process by developing and starting work on major improvements during the first Road Period between 2015/16 and 2020/21.

The upgrading of further sections of the route to dual carriageway standard will be developed for delivery in subsequent Road Periods.

The Highways Agency is currently refining and assessing the range of identified options to understand their traffic, environmental and economic impacts.

The Agency is in dialogue with established key stakeholders, including English Heritage and The National Trust, and engagement will continue throughout the development process. Across all schemes:

- Public engagement is expected to take place between 2016 and 2017;

- Recommendations on preferred route options is anticipated to be between late 2017 and 2018;

- Depending upon the progress of the statutory process, start on site aims to be between 2019 and early 2021.

There have been no general discussions between Her Majesty’s Government and Network Rail in relation to giving Network Rail additional compulsory purchase powers for the purposes mentioned. Her Majesty's Governmentand Network Rail from time to time discuss particular applications by Network Rail, under section 14 of the Railway Regulation Act 1842, in relation to obtaining temporary access to land neighbouring the railway, where this is needed for the purpose of certain safety works on the railway.

Network Rail can also apply to Her Majesty's Government, under section 15 of that Act, for a revival of the compulsory purchase powers which would originally have applied under the enabling legislation for the relevant stretch of railway; again this would be where such acquisition is needed to be able to effect safety repairs and works. Each application by Network Rail under section 14 and 15 is considered on its specific facts and the safety issues arising.

The powers of entry arising under section 14 of the 1842 Act were considered both by the Transport Resilience Review and the Powers of Entry Review under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. Following on from these Her Majesty's Government expects to consult with Network Rail and other stakeholders over a code of practice in relation to the use of section 14.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is assessing the evidence following the report of an incident involving the fishing vessel Aquarius with five crew on board in the North Minch on 17 March 2015. This assessment has included contacting the skipper of the vessel, as well as the Ministry of Defence, and is still ongoing.

The rolling stock for the current Northern and TransPennine rail services will not be subject to the residual value scheme established for that franchise.

The final cost of the Great Western electrification programme has not yet been determined. Network Rail continues to develop, design and cost the electrification programme with both the Department for Transport and the Office of Rail Regulation.

Network Rail must deliver the portfolio of electrification across the UK within its overall budget. We are working closely with Network Rail and the Office of Rail Regulation to ensure the successful delivery of the electrification of Thames Valley railways.

The Government is committed to improving services to the West of England, including re-signalling the Cornish mainline, to allow for increased frequencies of trains. The forthcoming Direct Award will set out options for rolling stock including for new-build rolling stock. The current order of bi-mode Intercity Express Programme trains is not intended for West of England services and will be deployed elsewhere.

The first Intercity Express Programme trains are scheduled to enter service in May 2017. The full fleet service timetable change is scheduled for 09 Dec 2018.

Britain has some of the safest roads in the world. However, young drivers are disproportionately involved in collisions.

There is a difficult balance to strike between promoting young drivers safety and their freedom to access work and education.

We won’t rule out further measures, but at present we are focussing our efforts on technological solutions.

We commissioned research into how telematics can reduce accident rates among young drivers and the findings will help to shape future road safety policy. A description of the research requirement has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

We expect phase one to be completed in April 2015. The timing of phase two will be dependent on the first phase.

The Department for Transport only holds information on reported personal-injury accidents on public roads (including footways) in Great Britain, which became known to the police.

The table below gives the number of deaths in Great Britain in accidents involving at least one driver with illegal blood alcohol content in each year since 2010.

These figures are produced from breath tests carried out by the police following accidents and information from coroners in England and Wales and procurators fiscal in Scotland about drivers who died in accidents. Due to complexity of the information from post-mortems and accidents where at least one driver did not stop, there is a considerable uncertainty about precisely which accidents involved drivers who were over the drink drive limit. As a result, the number of deaths is an estimate and the exact figure is unknown.

The figures in the table provide the best estimate of deaths and the upper and lower confidence interval represent the range in which we are 95% confident the exact figure falls.

Years with overlapping confidence intervals do not have statistically significant differences in the number of deaths. Therefore the number of deaths has been broadly the same each year from 2010 onwards.

The figures for 2013 are provisional estimates. Final figures for 2013 will be released in August 2015 alongside a first estimate for 2014.

It would be premature to make any judgements around the causes of the fire until the independent statutory investigations by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) and its French counterpart, BEA-TT have been completed.

I do not have an estimated date for completion or publication of the response to the Law Commission work. Responding to the Law Commission will be a matter for the next Government.

The number of people who were killed or seriously injured (known as KSI casualties) in reported personal injury road traffic accidents in Medway Council and Kent County Council each year from 2010 to 2013 is provided in the table below. The table also includes how many of the casualties were under the age of 18.

Statistics for 2014 will be available in June 2015.

Grimeford Lane will be re-opened by the end of week commencing 16 March.

The dates of closure for the other roads at present are in accordance with the following programme:

- Chorley Road – (skew bridge) full closure from 26 January – 19 June 2015

- Rawlinson Lane – full closure from 5 January – 22 May 2015

- Station Road, Blackrod – full closure from 2 February – 15 May 2015.

Network Rail took the decision to close the roads simultaneously in order to coordinate with the railway closures. These kinds of closures are planned up to two years in advance. In this area Network Rail had five bridges to rebuild and two possession slots; the intention was to split the bridge rebuilding over two years, doing two in 2014 and three in 2015. Due to environmental impacts identified at Grimeford Lane last year that particular bridge was rescheduled from the original plan to be completed this year.

Expenditure on the Department’s THINK! Road Safety don’t drink and drive campaign for the last four financial years is listed below.

The specification of signalling equipment that is placed on the network is for Network Rail to decide. It is not a role for Government. There are no funded plans to electrify this route and the rail industry has not identified electrification of the route as an investment priority.

We have not sought funding from any of the Public Health Responsibility Deal partners but a number of them do already support our drink drive campaign in other ways. Our aim is to develop partnerships with brands who can provide in-context solutions or ‘nudges’ to help drivers avoid alcohol if they are driving, or to help those people who are drinking get home safely without driving. These initiatives are all completely funded by the partner.

One example is Coca Cola, who for several years have run a designated driver campaign, rewarding designated drivers with a buy-one-get-one-free offer on coke drinks in thousands of venues during the festive season.

Last year we developed a new partnership with drinks company Diageo. They supported our campaign by using their Johnnie Walker ambassadors, Formula 1 drivers Jenson Button and Kevin Magnusson, to ask drivers to take a pledge to never drink and drive, in return for discounted taxi rides.

We also work closely with drinks company AB InBev. Their Budweiser Designated Driver campaign, promotes and celebrates the important role of designated driver.

We will continue to seek further partnerships with commercial brands who can extend the reach and impact of our campaigns.

The imposition of a fixed penalty notice is a fixed tariff fine that provides an appropriate forfeit without the need for incurring the cost of a court appearance. So all of the fixed penalty notices represent fines. Likewise the roadworthiness prohibitions imposed all require a fee to be paid to remove them in addition to any cost incurred to address the faults that caused vehicle to be subjected to the embargo.

The Department for Transport has not collected specific figures for court appearances and sentences related to offences detected by the taskforce.