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  • Nadine Dorries – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nadine Dorries – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of Govia Thameslink’s ability to safely transport disabled passengers; and if he will make a statement.

    Claire Perry

    We expect Govia Thameslink Railway to demonstrate its ability to carry all passengers safely through its safety management system. The Office of Rail and Road issues safety certificates for passenger operators in its capacity as safety regulator and carries out any enforcement necessary for safety issues.

  • Nadine Dorries – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nadine Dorries – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to make travel on the Thameslink line more accessible for disabled passengers.

    Claire Perry

    On the Thameslink route, the new Thameslink trains currently being manufactured will enter service later this year. The full fleet will be in service by the end of 2018. The train specification was developed to meet the latest standards and is fully compliant with accessibility standards for heavy rail (the Persons of Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability – PRM-TSI).

    To aid boarding and alighting, the Thameslink Programme is providing dedicated ramps at stations and on board the trains, in addition to raised platform areas at busy central London stations that will step free from street level to the new trains. The boarding positions will be clearly indicated for disabled users.

  • Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information (a) his Department and (b) the Vehicle Certification Agency holds on Vehicle Certification Agency staff who have left to join vehicle manufacturers in the last 10 years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Any staff who left the Vehicle Certification Agency to join vehicle manufacturers in the last 10 years should have done so in accordance with the Business Appointment Rules. There is no requirement under those rules, for the Central Department and the Vehicle Certificate Agency to keep record of Vehicle Certification Agency Staff leaving to join vehicle manufacturers within that time frame.

    The Business Appointment Rules outline that for staff at Senior Civil Service Pay Band 1 and below, a Business Appointment Rules application is required only if one or more of the criteria at paragraph 13 applies.

  • Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions has he had with Volkswagen on the timeframe that has been agreed to complete software and technical fixes for all its UK consumers.

    Andrew Jones

    The Secretary of State has met with the Chief Executive of Volkswagen UK to press him to ensure that the technical fixes are completed as quickly as possible for UK consumers.

    The UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency issued the type approval for some Volkswagen Group vehicles. For these the agency is working with the manufacturer to review and approve the proposed fixes. They are carrying out tests to ensure that after the fix is applied the vehicles do not have an illegal defeat device, that they meet all the legal requirements including emissions, and that other vehicles characteristics are unchanged, including fuel consumption and engine noise.

  • Nadine Dorries – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nadine Dorries – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the travel experiences of blind and partially sighted people; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government plans to publish an accessibility action plan (AAP) to improve the travel experience of disabled people, including blind and partially sighted people. We are working with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) to assess what information should go in this publication and how to update any other Departmental guidance to make it used and useful to visually impaired people and a wide audience. We plan for the AAP to be ready for wider consultation in the summer.

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the potholes on the northbound carriageway of the M1 motorway between junctions 10 and 11 to be repaired and the carriageway resurfaced; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    Highways England completed temporary surface repairs and filled nine potholes overnight on 30-31 March. They plan to carry out permanent surface repairs between junctions 10 and 11 in mid-May 2016. These will be hot patch repairs, which are just as effective as permanent resurfacing and are durable enough to last until the next resurfacing scheme.

    Highways England inspects the M1 between junctions 10 and 11 twice weekly, with the latest safety inspection completed on Wednesday 13 April.

    Highways England will continue to ensure that the M1 between junctions 10 and 11 remains safe and serviceable. This section is not due for resurfacing in the current Delivery Plan, due to the general condition being satisfactory.

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to widen the M42; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    The current Road Investment Strategy includes two major schemes on the M42: improvements to Junction 6, and the M40/M42 interchange smart motorway scheme. In addition, further improvements are being prepared for the next roads period through the Birmingham Box Phase 4 scheme which will upgrade the remainder of the Birmingham box to smart motorway, providing an additional lane of capacity.

    The Department for Transport and Highways England recently launched the process to determine the content of the second Roads Investment Strategy, which will detail further planned investment on the Strategic Road Network from 2020 to 2025. As part of these preparations, the entire network, including the M42, will be reviewed through Highways England’s route strategy process. Details on this can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-england-route-strategies

    “

  • Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which technical service tested the Skoda vehicles for the purposes of type approval; and which testing facilities were used.

    Andrew Jones

    The Vehicle Certification Agency has type approved a selection of Skoda vehicles. The Vehicle Certification Agency appointed TuV Sud as a technical service in accordance with the European type approval rules. TuV Sud have undertaken the range of required tests at a number of locations, including Volkswagen Group laboratories and the TuV Sud facility in the Czech Republic.

  • Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the policy is of (a) his Department and (b) the Vehicle Certification Agency on vehicle type approval engineers leaving the Vehicle Certification Agency to join vehicle manufacturers.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Central Department and the Vehicle Certificate Agency do not have a specific policy relating to staff leaving to join vehicle manufacturers. The conduct expected of a Civil Servant is written in the Business Appointment Rules, which are available online.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the West Coast Mainline through Eddisbury has been realigned due to subsidence or other geographical movement in the last five years; and what the cost of such realignment has been.

    Claire Perry

    No realignment work has been carried out as a result of subsidence or geographical movement on the West Coast Main line through Eddisbury in the last 5 years.