On 7 February 2020, the Department published a detailed breakdown of annual investment in cycling and walking from 2016/17 to 2018/19, which includes information on how much funding has been provided to local and combined authorities in the West Midlands over that period. Copies of the report and other associated information are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investment-schedule-in-cycling-and-walking-interventions.

Under the Active Travel Fund, the Department made available around £17 million to Transport for the West Midlands (TfWM) in 2020/21 for schemes to boost cycling and walking. It is up to TfWM to determine in discussion with its seven constituent authorities where this funding is spent. In the current financial year the Department will be providing both revenue funding and capital funding to local authorities for active travel schemes. TfWM is due to receive £1.9 million of revenue funding to support local capacity building and behaviour change initiatives such as cycle hire and repair schemes.

The Department will make a further announcement in due course about TfWM’s capital funding allocation for 2021/22.

In 2020/21 the Department also made available over £20 million nationally for the Fix Your Bike voucher scheme and for pop-up “Dr Bike” maintenance stations.

Northumberland County Council is in the process of submitting planning applications for the scheme.

There are no plans to remove Blyth Bebside from the programme.

Earlier this year the Government committed £34m for the restoration of passenger services between Newcastle and Ashington. I expect a Final Business Case by the end of the year.

Our forthcoming Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) will set out the scale and pace of rail decarbonisation necessary to deliver a net zero transport system by 2050. Decisions on funding for decarbonisation schemes and subsequent allocations will be made in the usual way to ensure that they are value for money and affordable.

High-level estimates of the cost of decarbonising the railway made by Network Rail and the rail industry will inform the government's approach to rail decarbonisation, which will be set out in the Department’s forthcoming Transport Decarbonisation Plan. The costs of individual schemes will be assessed separately to ensure value for money and affordability.

The impact of Covid-19 on passenger numbers travelling on South Western Railway services has been significant, and is not expected to return to previous levels when restrictions are lifted for some time. The Class 442 fleet is no longer needed to deliver SWR’s planned timetable. SWR has decided to withdraw it with immediate effect and cease the programme of modifications that were underway to avoid incurring further costs to the taxpayer to reintroduce and operate these trains. The withdrawal of the fleet is expected to save circa £8million per year in operational costs.

The Class 442s would have been withdrawn in August 2024 in any event as the trains are not compliant with requirements for Persons with Reduced Mobility. This decision brings this forward and removes a fleet that is not fully accessible from the Rail Network sooner than originally planned.

We continue to develop our rail portfolio in line with the rail industry’s Project SPEED principles, reflecting the need to deliver fast and efficient outcomes for the significant investment this government is making in rail. That means we are embedding the rail industry’s Project SPEED principles in every one of our investment decisions. We are also working with colleagues across Government to ensure that the HMT led Project Speed initiatives are also embedded in rail projects.

Ahead of finalising the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), Ministers are fully considering the evidence from all stakeholders, including those from the North East, as well as the NIC's Rail Needs Assessment, to ensure that the benefits of investment in rail infrastructure are delivered to passengers and communities more quickly, levelling up and spreading greater prosperity across the country.

Government is committed to investing nearly £340m to upgrade the Tyne and Wear Metro fleet and secure its future for decades to come. The first new trains arrive from 2022 and enter passenger service in 2023.The Government has invested £317m in a major Metro renewals and refurbishment programme to 2020/21 and has supported the running costs with a £256m revenue grant over the same period. We have confirmed £20m of capital funding for renewals this year and £27.1m to support operations.

The proposal to reinstate the Leamside Line is being examined by Transport for the North to inform the design of Northern Powerhouse Rail, and, as such, is being considered as part of the IIRP. Its forthcoming publication will therefore inform the Department’s planning for the long-term future of both the East Coast Main Line and additional rail routes throughout the North East.

For the financial years 15/16 to 19/20 the Secretary of State for Transport has provided £12.084 billion in funding for renewals contracts let by Network Rail in England and Wales. However, these figures do include some internal costs, such as staff and materials. Due to the way in which Network Rail record expenditure, it is not possible to extrapolate the internal costs from these figures.

The management for delivery of the Bikeability grant was last competed in 2016 under the Highways England Specialist Professional and Technical Services (SPATS) framework. The contract was awarded to Pell Frischmann with a start date of 8 September 2016 and an end date of 31 August 2018, with the option to extend for a further two years. The proposal included the establishing of an independent charity with a view to the management of the programme being transferred to this charity, and the management functions were duly transferred to the new charity, the Bikeability Trust, on 1 September 2018.

Between 2010/11 and 2019/20 the average funding provided to Bikeability grant recipients per training place delivered has varied between £29 and £38. The figures vary because the grant provided for delivering different Bikeability modules range from £5 per pupil for the basic level 1 Bikeability training, to £40 per pupil for the more comprehensive level 3 Bikeability training. Some children do more than one type of training or module. The figures refer to Bikeability training delivered in England, but not including London. More detailed figures are available on the Bikeability website at https://bikeability.org.uk/support/publications/

More widely, by way of context, from 2006 (when Bikeability started) to 2010, on average 65,360 children were trained every year; since 2010, on average 328,472 children have been trained every year.

The Government continue to hold discussions on Eurostar’s financial situation with the French Government.

The Rail to Refuge Scheme is a successful and effective scheme that assists survivors of domestic abuse. On average, 4 survivors of domestic violence are helped each day. In the first 40 weeks of financial year 2020/21 the scheme has assisted 776 Adults and 277 children to reach a place of safety. I endorse the scheme and am pleased that additional funding has been secured to support the scheme for the next 12 months.

On 7 February 2020, the Department published a detailed breakdown of annual investment in cycling and walking from 2016/17 to 2018/19 alongside the first report on progress made towards delivering the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS). This includes information on how much funding each local authority received over that period. Copies of the report and other associated information are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investment-schedule-in-cycling-and-walking-interventions. An update including a detailed breakdown of annual investment in 2019/20 and 2020/21 will be published in due course. In the meantime, local authority allocations under the Active Travel Fund in 2020/21 are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-active-travel-fund-local-transport-authority-allocations/emergency-active-travel-fund-total-indicative-allocations.

Open Access Operators (OAOs) do not have any contractual relationship with Government. Rail Operators who held franchises prior to the pandemic, have an on-going contractual relationship with Government and are now party to Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements (ERMAs). These measures were necessary for franchised operators to enable the Government to continue meeting its Section 30 legal obligations to ensure the provision of rail services. These obligations do not apply to OAOs.

The Government has provided support to OAOs through the wider comprehensive package of support measures to businesses across the economy. OAOs have drawn on these measures, particularly the furlough scheme.

Officials will continue to monitor this situation and engage with all open access operators during the pandemic.

The Government absolutely recognises that Eurostar has been severely impacted by COVID-19. We are also aware of the important economic benefits Eurostar offer the UK including providing high speed environmentally friendly links to our European neighbours and providing for circa 3,000 jobs directly and indirectly in the UK.

It is in our mutual interests to ensure the long-term sustainability of these important services as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, which is why we will continue to engage with both the company and France to discuss all support options available.

All of the funding currently available to Access for All has been allocated to projects. We are in the process of setting the funding envelopes for the next control period. When further funding is available, any station without an accessible route into the station and to all platforms will be a potential candidate.

I can confirm to the hon. Member that neither I nor ministerial colleagues in the Department have discussed this matter with the Chancellor since the safeguarding directions were issued 11 days ago.

What recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for the Bakerloo Line extension since the Government’s formal issuing of safeguarding directions on 1 March 2021.

I thank the Government for safeguarding the land for the Bakerloo line extension. This is a project that will not just improve transport across London, but create jobs and homes and provide a much-needed economic boost for the whole national economy. The next step, though, is that crucial funding. It is disappointing to hear that there have not been any discussions. What

resources have the Department and the Treasury set aside to develop a single preferred option for the extension to ensure that construction is under way as soon as possible, to boost our national economy?

The Department for Transport has reviewed the recovery plans which light rail operators, including Nexus, submitted as part of receiving emergency Government funding, and will discuss those with each light rail operator in March. The Department continues to be in regular discussions with light rail operators to assess funding requirements beyond the currently agreed emergency funding package.

To date the Government has announced up to £41 million in Light Rail Revenue Restart Grant (LRRRG) scheme funding for the Tyne & Wear Metro for the period from March 2020 to the end of the 20/21 financial year.