Highways England conduct a monthly Environmental Audit inspection to ensure Connect Plus meet their contractual obligations in respect of litter.

Although there is no direct mechanism to apply financial penalties for failure to collect litter specifically, Connect Plus are monitored on their performance with respect to removing litter from the strategic road network. Failure to meet their contractual obligations can trigger various sanctions, which can range from increased reporting, additional monitoring to loss of entitlement to certain bonuses. In extreme cases, if the performance of a contractor persistently falls below the terms of the specific contractual arrangements across multiple aspects of performance, this could lead to contract termination through contractor default.

On 22 November 2018, the Government published a two-year action plan and response to the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) Safety Review Call for Evidence. This made clear its commitment to the hierarchy of road users.

Included within CWIS SR action plan is a commitment to review the guidance in The Highway Code to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians. We are currently agreeing the scope and delivery of this review, and would expect the hierarchy of road users to fall within scope. The review will be conducted in consultation with the Department's stakeholders, according to its usual practice.

Highways England ensures that its supply chain is selected, incentivised and performs in line with its key performance indicators. Supplier performance is measured on a monthly cycle through the Collaborative Performance Framework process. This scores suppliers on a scale of 0 – 10; the metrics are updated annually.

The contractual arrangements for firms working on the strategic road network provide for both financial reward and penalty depending on performance against the agreed cost of work undertaken. There is also a process of redress for poor quality, including non-compliance with contract, standards or statutory obligation. This ranges from contractors having to bear the cost of correcting defective work through to contract termination.

Highways England is responsible for the motorways and main A-roads in England. It is spending £5bn on maintenance and renewals, which includes spend on resurfacing and pothole repairs, in the first Road Investment Strategy period (2015-2020).

Highways England is also working with its suppliers to improve the performance of road surface materials so that the service life is prolonged, helping to reduce the number of potholes in future. As part of this work, Highways England has ongoing road trials of new and innovative products.

The Department for Transport intends to publish a refreshed road safety statement and the two-year road safety action plan later this year.

It is the Government’s intention for the additional £420 million funding for 2018/19 for local highways maintenance capital funding as announced in the Budget 2018 to be utilised by end of this financial year. This funding is to support the repair of potholes, to keep local bridges and structures open and safe, and to aid other minor highway works that may be needed. It is for each highway authority to determine how this funding is used based on their own local assessments and requirements.

Highways England are responsible for cleaning litter on motorways and a small number of A roads. Local Authorities are responsible for clearing litter on all other A roads and All Purpose Trunk Roads.

District councils in England (outside London) have powers to issue civil penalties to the keepers of vehicles from which litter is thrown onto their roads. All local authorities can also prosecute or issue fixed penalties in lieu of prosecution for littering offences on any road within their area, including motorways. Highways England do not have any enforcement powers in respect of littering offences on the roads from which they are responsible for clearing litter.

The Department does not hold information on what kind of animal is involved in road accidents.

The closest data we hold on this is the number of reported road accidents where ‘animal in carriageway’ is recorded as a carriageway hazard. This covers all animals (except ridden horses). This data is available by accident severity in Great Britain in 2015 to 2017 and is shown in the following table.

Please note that the number of serious accidents provided is as reported by the police. Since 2016, changes in severity reporting systems for a large number of police forces mean that serious injury figures, and to a lesser extent slight injuries, are not comparable with earlier years.

The Government recognises the public’s interest in, and the potential environmental value of, e-scooters. But it is also under an obligation to ensure that they are built and can be operated safely, both for their riders and for other road users. Whilst e-scooters can be used on private property (with the landowner’s permission), in general it is illegal to ride them on the road. This includes in cycle lanes, or tracks, or on the pavement.

The Department for Transport ran a Call for Evidence in 2018 as part of the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge, which closed on 10 September 2018. It is now considering next steps on this issue, and is working to define the scope of a Regulatory Review looking at how the UK can take full advantage of this and other changes in technology. The scope of the review will be set out later this year.