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  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11472, what (a) his Department’s expenditure per head and (b) total expenditure from the public purse on cycling in each English region was in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what expenditure per head on cycling (i) by his Department and (ii) from the public purse is projected to be in each English region in 2015-16.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    In the five years 2011/12 to 2015/16, the Department for Transport (DfT) has increased its spend on cycling in England from £1 per head to £3 per head. Local authorities also spend significant amounts on cycling and over the same period, total spend on cycling in England has increased from £2 per head to £6 per head. Spend is over £10 per head in the eight Cycle Ambition Cities and London.

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    2015/16

    DfT spend per head

    £1

    £2

    £2

    £2

    £3

    Total spend per head

    £2

    £4

    £5

    £5

    £6

    The DfT budgets are:

    DfT budgets:

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    Projected spend 2015-16

    Cycle-Rail

    £7.0

    £7.5

    £14.0

    Bikeability

    £11.7

    £11.7

    £11.7

    £11.7

    £11.7

    Junction safety

    £30.0

    £5.0

    Linking Communities

    £13.0

    £8.0

    £7.5

    Cycling Ambition – Cities/National Parks

    £46.6

    £46.6

    £15.0

    Highways Agency

    £4.8

    £16.7

    LSTF- Cycling

    £37.8

    £37.8

    £37.8

    £37.8

    £64.5

    LGF

    £20.2

    Total DfT

    £62.5

    £94.5

    £120.9

    £96.1

    £142.1

    In 2014-15, the Department’s dedicated cycling programmes were Bikeability, Cycle Ambition Cities, Cycling in National Parks and the Highways Agency’s cycling programme. The Department also funds cycling programmes through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, with 28% of the LSTF being spent on cycling. The Department secures a range of match funding contributions from local authorities for these programmes: the LSTF secured 99% match funding.

    Lists of projects and locations are available for the following programmes:

    Cycle-rail:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-rail-fund-schemes-2015-to-2016

    Linking Communities:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/linking-places-fund

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/linking-places-fund-tranche-2

    Local Sustainable Transport Fund:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-sustainable-transport-fund

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224172/project-summaries-consolidated.pdf

    Cycle Ambition Cities and Cycling in National Parks:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-city-ambition-grants

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-in-national-parks-grants

    Bikeability:

    http://bikeability.org.uk/publications/

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to deal with the problem of aircraft being targeted by laser pens.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as independent aviation safety regulator, is co-ordinating an industry-wide initiative to decide what further measures are needed to reduce the risk of an accident from laser pens. As part of this process, the CAA is working with a wide range of key stakeholders including relevant Government Departments, emergency services, air traffic control, airports, and airlines. The CAA has also published a Safety Notice providing guidance on the action that aircraft crew and air traffic controllers should take during and after an incident.

  • Alasdair McDonnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alasdair McDonnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alasdair McDonnell on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been received from fines generated from vehicle clamping or instant removal for non-payment of vehicle excise duty in Northern Ireland between (a) 1 August 2013 and 31 July 2014 and (b) 1 August 2014 and 31 July 2015; and what proportion of this income has been retained in or returned to Northern Ireland.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not record the revenue generated from vehicle excise duty enforcement action carried out in Northern Ireland separately to that from the rest of the UK. Therefore, the information requested is not available. The DVLA passes all revenue generated from such enforcement action to HM Treasury.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train trial will start.

    Claire Perry

    The current programme shows the start of passenger services between Rotherham Parkgate and Sheffield city centre in early 2017.

    The very nature of the trial means that we are pushing on the envelope of known standards and interfaces between heavy and light rail systems and some technological issues have been significant. However, a key objective of the project is to provide a template for future schemes in other cities that will then allow much quicker and cost effective implementation of a system where the lower cost of operating tram trains on heavy rail routes will deliver long term reductions in opex and capex along the lines of Sir Roy McNulty’s findings.

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department made of Sir Howard Davies’s potential business links to Heathrow Airport; and what other due diligence it conducted before appointing him as chair of the Airports Commission.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Sir Howard Davies was required to complete and sign a register of interest disclosure form stating any potential conflict with his work in leading the independent Airports Commission. Registers of all the Commissioners’ interests are available on the Airports Commission’s website at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/airports-commissioners-conflicts-of-interest-disclosure.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the case for and feasibility of an additional station on Crossrail at London City Airport.

    Claire Perry

    No formal assessment of the case for an additional Crossrail station at London City Airport has been undertaken by the Department.

    Any proposal to add a further station to Crossrail would require a strong business case, and remains unfunded.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what compensation the Government has made available to road and rail freight and passenger operators affected by the ongoing disruption at Calais.

    Andrew Jones

    We are clear that the disruption caused to passengers and operators by the disruption in Calais is unacceptable.

    That is why we are working hard to find a long-term solution to Operation Stack, and closely with the French Government to minimise the causes of disruption.

    There are no specific provisions for compensation by Her Majesty’s Government in the circumstances where disruption does occur.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on which dates (a) the full Cycling Shareholder Forum, (b) the safety sub-group of the Cycling Stakeholder Forum and (c) the High Level Cycling Group have held meetings in the last 12 months.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The last Cycling Stakeholder forum meeting was on 24th June 2014, and the last safety-sub group meeting was held on 13 July 2013.

    The High Level Cycling Group has met within the last 12 months. The most recent meeting was on 13 July 2015. Previous meetings were held on 8 September 2014 and 30 April 2014.

    We are in the process of reviewing our arrangements for stakeholder engagement, as part of the work we are doing to form the governance structure for the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason his Department’s guidance on accessible communication formats published on 14 August 2014 does not include email as an accessible format; and what consultation his Department had with disability groups before producing that guidance.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The guidance referred to was published before 2010 and moved from the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) website to GOV.UK last August. It was written for government communicators on how to make effective use of accessible communications formats. It was not about specific means of communication, e.g. email, letters etc. This document is due to be reviewed and updated.

    Stakeholders groups were involved when the document was originally produced, and will be invited to be part of the review process.

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many requests he has received for an inquiry into benefit sanctions.

    Priti Patel

    We have interpreted this question to mean how many requests the Secretary of State has received for an inquiry into benefit sanctions since taking post.

    The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.