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  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the (a) ethnicity and (b) gender is of each staff member employed by hon. Members.

    Mr Charles Walker

    As at 9 March 2016, 3,161 individuals were employed by MPs and paid through IPSA’s payroll. Of these, 1795 were female and 1366 were male.

    IPSA does not collect or hold data on the ethnicity of MPs’ staff.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has issued guidance to public bodies on the sale of land containing disused rail lines.

    Claire Perry

    No such guidance has been issued.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29383, how many (a) miles and (b) lane miles on which sections of the network Highways England plans to convert to Managed Motorways – All Lane Running (MM-ALR) status by the end of the current Road Investment Period; and how many (a) miles and (b) additional lane miles Highways England intends to convert to MM-ALR status in the next Round Investment Period.

    Andrew Jones

    The information requested is in the table below:

    All Lane Running Schemes – To be started but not finished by the end of the current Road Investment Period (2015 – 2020)

    Scheme Name

    Scheme Length (miles)

    Additional
    lane miles

    Open For Traffic Commitment

    M4 J3-12

    31.8

    63.6

    2021/22

    M1 J13-19

    36.9

    73.8

    2021/22

    M6 J13-15

    17.4

    34.8

    2021/22

    M27 J4-11

    15.2

    30.3

    2020/21

    M56 J6-8

    4.1

    8.2

    2021/22

    M3 J9-14

    9.3

    18.6

    2021/22

    M62 J10-12

    8.5

    16.9

    2022/23

    A1(M) Jct 6 – 8

    7.5

    15.0

    TBC *

    M1 Junctions 23A-24

    1.5

    3.0

    TBC *

    M25 Junctions 10-16

    19.3

    38.5

    TBC *

    M40/M42 Interchange Smart Motorways

    7.7

    10.4

    TBC *

    M53 Junctions 5-11

    6.0

    12.1

    TBC *

    M62 Junctions 20-25

    11.9

    23.7

    TBC *

    Further All Lane Running Schemes Announced for Development in next Road Investment Period (2020 – 2025)

    Scheme Name

    Scheme Length (miles)

    Additional
    lane miles

    Open For Traffic Commitment

    M1 Junctions 19-23A

    30.9

    61.8

    TBC *

    M1 Junctions 35A-39

    13.7

    27.4

    TBC *

    M42 Birmingham Box Phase 4

    6.7

    13.4

    TBC *

    TBC * = no Open For Traffic commitment currently exists.

    “

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultation he plans to undertake before any rail freight sites owned by Network Rail are sold.

    Claire Perry

    The Department for Transport and Network Rail have undertaken early discussions with key stakeholders in the rail freight industry, including a meeting with the Rail Freight Group, regarding options for the sale of rail freight sites owned by Network Rail.

    The on-going process of identifying options for the sale of rail freight sites is at a very early stage. Key stakeholders will be engaged throughout the process.

    Network Rail is required to consult should it wish to dispose of land in which it has an interest and which may be important to the continuing operation and future development of the network. A full consultation process will be undertaken before any final decision is taken about the sale of freight sites owned by Network Rail.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Network Rail paid to buy back land from rail freight owners in October 2014.

    Claire Perry

    This was a commercial matter for Network Rail. The total cost to Network Rail of acquiring the lease interests of the Freight Operators under Project Mountfield was £220 million.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons Network Rail bought back rail lands in October 2014; and if he will make a statement.

    Claire Perry

    This decision was made by Network Rail, and I have sought clarification from the company as to the reasons. I am informed that the purchase was made to increase competition and efficiency across the freight industry, opening up the market to operators.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money accrued to the public purse at the time of rail privatisation from land sold by British Rail to private freight companies.

    Claire Perry

    British Rail did not sell land directly to private freight companies but transferred land to the different freight entities within its own operations in advance of the sale of the freight business. It would no longer be possible at this point to extrapolate the land value from the company value.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what land Network Rail is considering selling which can be utilised for rail freight .

    Claire Perry

    No decision has been taken about which sites owned by Network Rail should be sold. Network Rail is reviewing the complete freight land holdings and the options for the portfolio for the future to identify those sites which are surplus. This will include an assessment of which sites are required, or are likely to be required in the future, for freight use.

    A robust process of identifying options for the sale of rail freight sites is on-going but at a very early stage, and a full consultation process will be undertaken before any final decision is taken about the sale of freight sites owned by Network Rail.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28183, using what evidence base his departmental economists (a) normally assume operators pass subsidy received on to passengers at a rate of 50 per cent through lower fares and at a rate of 50 per cent through increased service levels and (b) estimate that the Bus Service Operators’ Grant has the effect of keeping fares 3 per cent lower in England outside London.

    Andrew Jones

    The department assumed that the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) was passed on to passengers 50% through lower fares and 50% through increased service levels as a working assumption made in the absence of better relevant evidence. The estimate of the effect of keeping fares lower as a result of BSOG was derived by using the National Bus Model, which combined assumptions based on the evidence available with actual data on passenger numbers, fares and service levels.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28284, how much the Business Rate Retention Scheme has raised for the Greater London Authority in each year since the scheme’s introduction.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The income available to the Greater London Authority through the Business Rates Retention Scheme was £863.2 million in 2013/2014 and £936.2 million in 2014/2015. The income is forecast to be £1.0396 billion in 2015/2016.