The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2016 to Question 37807, on Thameslink railway line: rolling stock, whether he expects the Class 700 Thameslink rolling stock to come into revenue-earning service in 2016.
Claire Perry
The new Class 700 Thameslink trains are expected to enter into revenue earning service shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33921, on Thameslink railway line: rolling stock, what measures have been put in place relating to evacuation safety risk; and whether his Department has received any other representations on safety relating to Class 700 trains.
Claire Perry
Comprehensive emergency plans are in place between Govia Thameslink Railway, the Thameslink train operator, and Network Rail to ensure the safe evacuation from the tunnelled section of the Thameslink core route between St Pancras International and Blackfriars stations, should an evacuation of a train be required. These plans have been prepared in consultation with the Office of Road and Rail, the rail safety regulator, and the emergency services. My department has not received any other safety representations relating to the operation of the new Class 700 trains.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time is for a driving test appointment (a) in England, (b) at the Halifax test centre and (c) at the Huddersfield test centre.
Andrew Jones
The average waits for a practical car driving test appointment in (a) England and (b) at Halifax test centre and (c) at Huddersfield test centre are as follows:
England – 12 weeks
Halifax driving test centre – 18 weeks
Huddersfield driving test centre – 17 weeks
The main cause of current high practical driving test waiting times across the country is a significant and sustained surge in demand for driving tests. The last time there was demand at such high levels was in 2005/6.
To help address the demand, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) 2015/16 recruitment campaigns resulted in 193 new examiners starting work at test centres across Britain. A further 48 examiners have started testing since April 2016, and DVSA has made employment offers to an additional 110 people, who are currently either attending the new entrant training course, or waiting to attend one.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) also deploys driving examiners between test centres accordingly to help balance variations in demand for tests. Resources have been pooled between Huddersfield, Halifax, Steeton and Skipton, and the DVSA is currently using resource from Huddersfield and Halifax to help service demand at Steeton and Skipton.. There are five new entrant examiners currently attending training who, if successful, will be deployed into Steeton and Skipton. This will have the knock on effect of helping to reduce waiting times at both the Halifax and Huddersfield test centres.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s policy is on maintaining an intercity standard train service between (a) Norwich and London, (b) Ipswich and London, (c) Colchester and London and (d) Chelmsford and London.
Claire Perry
In our invitation to tender for the East Anglia franchise we have asked bidders to:
I look forward to saying more in the coming weeks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether train operators are required in selecting new rolling stock to make an assessment of the effect of such selection on UK industry and the wider UK economy.
Claire Perry
Procurement and evaluation of rolling stock is a matter for the private operators, as it has been since privatisation. However, I note that there are now two rolling stock assembly plants in the UK, operated by Bombardier and Hitachi, and the Government welcomes the jobs and economic benefits that these plants bring.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s policy is on taking account of the benefits of contracts to the UK economy in determining future rolling stock orders.
Claire Perry
Procurement of rolling stock is usually carried out by the private operators through franchising. If the Department was to procure rolling stock it would take account of the latest competition and procurement guidelines relating to social and economic impacts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much revenue Govia Thameslink Railway has paid to the Government since taking up its franchise in 2014.
Claire Perry
Passenger Income by Train Operating Company is published annually in August by the Office of Road and Rail. It is available online at: http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/21039/gb-rail-industry-financial-information-2014-15.pdf (Table 5.1).
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the provision of overtime payments to train staff employed by Govia Thameslink Railway.
Claire Perry
We do not receive information regarding staff costs to this level of granularity.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that drivers are aware of the need to take care when driving past or near horses and their riders.
Andrew Jones
The Department takes every opportunity to remind motorists of their responsibilities towards vulnerable road users – including horse riders – through publications such as the Highway Code and THINK! Road Safety campaigns. THINK! officials are currently working with the British Horse Society following their recently launched ‘Dead Slow’ campaign. Plans for the summer include publicity on TV, radio, online and social media advising motorists on how to pass horses safely.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much profit Govia Thameslink Railway was expected to make over the lifetime of its franchise according to the original business case; and how much profit that company has made since the start of that franchise.
Claire Perry
The profit Govia Thameslink Railway expected to make over the lifetime of its franchise is a commercially sensitive figure. With regard to their actual profits, Govia will publish their audited annual accounts as required through Companies House.