The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Prime Minister, what meetings he plans to have with representatives of the Sikh community on events surrounding the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984 and subsequent massacres.
Mr David Cameron
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds North East (Mr Hamilton) on 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 240W.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.
David Mundell
In recent years, as e-communication has increased, the expenditure on stationery items has decreased. This coupled with rigorous control measures, has enabled the Scotland Office to maintain a low level of stock of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the performance of London Midland commuter trains.
Stephen Hammond
We do not monitor train operator performances by service type (i.e. commuter trains only) under the Franchise Agreement; we monitor each operator’s performance across their whole network against benchmarks under the Franchise Agreement.
The Department monitors each train operator’s overall performance against these benchmarks and there are clear actions set out in the Franchise Agreement should performance drop below what is expected. This regular monitoring includes monthly meetings with their senior management where performance figures are scrutinised and challenged.
At present London Midland are assessed as being within their contracted performance benchmarks as set out in the Franchise Agreement.
In 2002 when Network Rail took control of Britain’s Rail infrastructure, train performance was languishing at record low levels (78.6% of trains arriving on time nationally). Since then, it has risen to averaging around 90%. Network Rail has been tasked with ensuring that 92.5% of trains arrive on time nationally by 2019.
We are determined that improvements in infrastructure across the network, as evidenced by the £38 billion investment agreed with Network Rail for the next 5 years, will further improve the performance of all train operators.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Swales on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency meets the deadline of 1 November 2014 for enabling payment for vehicle tax discs by direct debit.
Stephen Hammond
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has in place a dedicated project team which is working on the systems and other changes needed to deliver direct debits for vehicle excise duty. Progress is being monitored in line with departmental governance procedures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Swales on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will include small and medium-sized enterprises in the procurement process for its contract to manage direct debit payments for vehicle tax discs.
Stephen Hammond
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will deliver direct debits for vehicle excise duty in two phases. Initially, the DVLA will partly use its existing contract for IT service provision with elements being subcontracted via an open competition which will include small/medium enterprise interest.
The full strategic solution will be pursued in an open competition which will start in 2015. This open competition will also invite interest from Government frameworks which support small/medium enterprise involvement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require landowners and service suppliers to install manhole covers that have resistance abrasion values to prevent slipping and injury.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The majority of manhole covers on the highway network fall under the responsibility of utility companies, with a small percentage in the ownership of local highway authorities.
The Department for Transport currently has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals for landowners and service suppliers to install high-friction manhole covers to prevent slipping and injury. That said, we are aware of a number of authorities who are taking steps to replace manhole covers with ones having enhanced anti-skid properties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Ainsworth on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the level of funding per head of the population for transport in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.
Stephen Hammond
The most recent data available for regional expenditure is the Country and regional analysis for 2013, published by HM Treasury.
Table A.15 shows UK identifiable expenditure on services by function, country and region, per head, 2008-09 to 2012-13, of which: Transport
The extract below gives identifiable expenditure per head for the West Midlands and England. Committed spend is not analysed at a lower level.
|
2008-09 |
2009-10 |
2010-11 |
2011-12 |
2012-13 |
|
|
West Midlands |
283 |
258 |
218 |
206 |
202 |
|
England |
317 |
348 |
317 |
288 |
267 |
The Department for Transport is not the only public body responsible for transport and a large proportion of expenditure is covered by local government bodies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.
Stephen Hammond
The Department does not hold this information centrally and commissioning a stock take of stationery stock levels would represent a disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will open discussions with his French counterpart to ensure crews on ferries operating between the UK and France are paid under British or French minimum wage regulations.
Stephen Hammond
The issue was discussed at length at the recent maritime roundtable, at which industry including the maritime unions were present. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, working with this Department and HMRC, will review the application, guidance and enforcement of the national minimum wage towards seafarers, to ensure that employers are aware of their responsibilities and employees are aware of their rights. As part of this, we will consider a targeted enforcement programme for this sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the prevalence of the practice of logbook lending.
Stephen Hammond
No assessment has been made by the Department for Transport. The regulation of consumer credit, including the practice of logbook loans, is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority.