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  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that automotive manufacturers have not falsified emissions data in the same manner as Volkswagen has done.

    Andrew Jones

    In the UK, the Vehicle Certification Agency conducts tests on vehicles and components to ensure they meet the minimum standards required by European and UN-ECE legislation.

    Emissions tests are carried out to determine that the level of pollutants emitted from a vehicle is below the required limits. The test is a laboratory based test under controlled conditions in order to achieve repeatable results.

    The Department for Transport recognises the current test cycle for emissions is outdated and no longer represents normal driving patterns. Discussions have taken place over recent years to replace this with an updated more relevant laboratory test. The Department anticipates this will be implemented from 2017. In addition, a new real world driving emissions test is being implemented to ensure emissions in normal driving comply with the legal obligation. These new tests will remove the ability of car manufacturers to falsify test results.

    All new vehicles are tested in accordance with EU law to ensure that they meet the legislated requirements for emissions. There is no evidence that these emissions tests have been falsified in the UK.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much it cost to reconstruct the railway at Dawlish; and from which budget that cost was met.

    Claire Perry

    £35m was spent repairing the most damaged section of the track and sea wall and associated works during the initial 56-day work period at Dawlish. Work to raise the walkway is additional and has an anticipated final cost of £15.3m. Funding came in two phases: Phase 1 emergency work was funded primarily from insurance with the Network Rail structures renewals budget paying the excess of £2m. Phase 2 (raising the walkway) will be funded through Network Rail’s Control Period 5 (2019-24) structure renewals budget.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings he has had with airlines in which the administration charges for customers claiming back Air Passenger Duty were discussed; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    I regularly meet with airlines to discuss a range of issues. The administration charges related to the refund of Air Passenger Duty has been raised previously. Many airlines do offer a refund of flight taxes including Air Passenger Duty, although some charge an administration fee for processing the refund.

  • Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings he has planned over the next six months with maritime trades unions on the recommendations of his Department’s Maritime Growth Study published in September 2015.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government regularly meets with unions on maritime matters. They were fully engaged in the Maritime Growth Study, contributing through interview, workshops and written submissions to the evidence gathering process that informed the Study. Representatives of the unions also attended the publication event for the Study report on 7 September. We will continue to engage with unions and keep them fully informed and involved as we take forward any recommendations.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many lawyers are employed by Network Rail to work on delay attribution issues with the staff of train operating companies.

    Claire Perry

    Network Rail have no lawyers employed to deal with this topic, they may become involved in larger and more contentious delay attribution disputes but time commitment will vary significantly.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff are employed by Network Rail to deal with delay attribution issues with train operating staff.

    Claire Perry

    167 staff at Network Rail have responsibilities in train delay attribution, representing around 0.5% of Network Rail’s total staff. This number of staff dealing with train delay attribution has remained fairly constant over recent years. Network Rail is a company of c. 35,000 staff operating a network that transports 1.66bn passengers a year, and being able to accurately measure how its work impacts on train performance is essential to maintaining and improving a high standard of service.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many lawyers are employed by Network Rail to deal with contractual interface issues.

    Claire Perry

    Network Rail has 26 lawyers in the company. None are employed full time to deal specifically with these types of contractual interface issues. Those in the Routes Legal Team (c 12 lawyers) will spend a percentage of their time on these issues and to a lesser extent those in the Corporate Legal Team (c 3 lawyers).Input from the team will vary considerably depending on the nature and size of the issue that has arisen.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultants have been used to advise the Government on the future structure of Network Rail; and what the cost to the public purse has been of engaging such consultants.

    Claire Perry

    Since Network Rail’s reclassification to the public sector in 2014, the Department has engaged EY (previously known as Ernst & Young) to support the development of policy on the future of rail infrastructure management. The final cost of this work was £750k.

  • Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost was of his Department’s Maritime Growth Study, published in September 2015; how many hours staff in his Department worked on that study; and when he plans to respond to its recommendations.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Maritime Growth Study was commissioned by Government, but led on an entirely voluntary basis by an industry chair, Lord Mountevans, who was supported by a secretariat of five full-time officials from my Department. The Study was officially launched in November 2014 and published in September 2015. The total cost of the Study was approximately £390K, the majority of these costs being internal staffing costs for the secretariat. Other officials and analysts contributed their expertise as and when required on a business as usual basis.

    The Government will respond formally to the report by the end of 2015, but is taking immediate action in response to specific recommendations. This includes the establishment of a Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth and taking steps to support the improved operation of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) such as appointing a commercial director to lead the UK Ship Register separately from the Agency’s regulatory functions and a business case exploring the costs and benefits of options for more significant reform of the MCA.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the gender pay gap.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The gender pay gap has fallen to its lowest ever level, but any gap is unacceptable. The Prime Minister has pledged to eliminate this gap in a generation. Our recent consultation will inform new regulations that will deliver our manifesto commitment to require large companies to publish details of their gender pay gap. We will also tackle the causes by encouraging girls to consider a wide range of careers and ensuring that workplaces are fit for the 21st century.