The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many citizens of other EU countries work in (a) his Department and (b) agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible.
Mr John Hayes
The Department does not hold information on the citizenship status of all its staff. Staff are invited to self-declare their nationality on the staff system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of accessible taxis.
Andrew Jones
Government is committed to giving disabled people the same access to transport services as other members of society. It also recognises the particularly significant role played by taxis and private hire vehicle (PHV) operators for many disabled people, in helping them to remain active and independent.
It is for local authorities to specify a number of accessible vehicles to be within their licensed taxi and private hire vehicle fleet, and to take account of their public sector equality duties when doing so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve access to public transport for disabled people.
Andrew Jones
The Government recognises how important improving access to public transport is for disabled people and is committed to making transport more inclusive.
Since its launch in 2006, the £390m Access for All rail programme (which was further extended with £160m in 2014) has delivered accessible routes at over 150 stations. There are also 68 further projects at various stages of construction or development.
We also recognise that positive interactions with bus drivers can make a big difference to disabled people’s experience of taking the bus. We are working with the bus industry and disabled people to design best practice guidance in delivering disability awareness training which, we hope, will help to give bus drivers the skills and knowledge to assist every disabled passenger.
In addition, the Bus Services Bill will specifically allow enhanced partnership schemes to require all buses within a local area to provide audible and visual next stop information. Authorities using the new franchising powers will be able to place similar requirements on affected operators. The Government has also agreed to consider amendments on this issue which were tabled during the Bill’s committee stage in the House of Lords.
The Government intends to publish an Accessibility Action Plan for consultation by the end of the year which will present its ambition for further progress on this important agenda.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress is being made on designing and planning the new junction 10A on the A14 near Kettering; and when that junction is expected to be built.
Mr John Hayes
The scheme is currently in the options stage and the next stage is to hold a public consultation on those options. Any developments of local roads would be the responsibility of either the local authority or any developer that is involved in the development of the area.
The current timescales for construction of the scheme are in line with the Governments Roads Investment Strategy 2015 -2020 statement with start of works proposed by March 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has issued guidance to the Aviation Authority on fire risks related to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
Mr John Hayes
The Civil Aviation Authority issued guidance on 9 September advising air travel passengers to ensure their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mobile phones remain switched off for the duration of their flight.
The guidance has also been drawn to the attention of aircraft operators.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that public transport is adequately equipped for people with sensory loss.
Andrew Jones
The Government recognises how important improving access to public transport is for people with visual impairments and is committed to making transport more inclusive.
Buses and coaches subject to the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) must incorporate a range of features to make bus travel more accessible for visually impaired people, including priority seating, colour-contrasting hand-holds and step edges, and destination blinds using clear typefaces. PSVAR applies to single-deck buses already, and double-deck buses must comply from 1st January 2017.
The Bus Services Bill will specifically allow enhanced partnership schemes to require all buses within a local area to provide audible and visual next stop information. Authorities using the new franchising powers will be able to place similar requirements on affected operators. The Government has also agreed to consider amendments on this issue which were tabled during the Bill’s committee stage in the House of Lords.
We are also aware that positive interactions with bus drivers can make a big difference to the experience of visually impaired people taking the bus. We are working with the bus industry and disabled people to design best practice guidance in delivering disability awareness training which, we hope, will help to give bus drivers the skills and knowledge to assist every disabled passenger.
The Government also intends to publish an Accessibility Action Plan for consultation by the end of the year which will present its ambition for further progress on this agenda.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of talking buses in the UK.
Andrew Jones
Clear, accessible information can be very useful to a range of passengers when travelling by bus. Tourists, people new to a given route and those who are disabled may all feel more confident in the knowledge that they will know when to alight when the time comes.
The Bus Services Bill will specifically allow enhanced partnership schemes to require all buses within a local area to provide such information. Authorities using the new franchising powers will be able to place similar requirements on affected operators. The Government has also agreed to consider amendments on this issue which were tabled during the Bill’s committee stage in the House of Lords.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was paid in compensation for train delays by Network Rail to Govia Thameslink Railway related to Southern railway in each of the last four years.
Paul Maynard
The latest information is published on Network Rail’s website – http://www.networkrail.co.uk/transparency/datasets/ – covering the years 2012-13 to 2014-15.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many citizens of other EU countries work in (a) his Department and (b) agencies and other bodies for which his Department is responsible.
Guto Bebb
No citizens of EU countries other than the UK work in the Wales Office, and the department is not responsible for any other agencies or bodies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44840, on honours: males, if he will take steps to ensure that all future press releases on honours nominations include men when appealing for nominations of people who deserve an honour.
Ben Gummer
Anyone can nominate anyone for an honour. The Cabinet Office outreach includes this message in all public communications, including press releases.