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  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to include duties on wheelchair accessibility from the platform to the train in the next franchise for the West Coast Mainline at (a) Lancaster and (b) Wigan North Western.

    Andrew Jones

    Both Lancaster and Wigan North Western stations have full step free access to and between‎ platforms, with staff operated boarding ramps provided for wheelchair users to board or alight from trains. These facilities will be retained under the next franchise.

  • Julie Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Julie Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with rail franchises in the North of England on improving the service to Sunderland rail station.

    Andrew Jones

    Given that the Northern and TPE franchises only started on 1st April 2016, no such discussions have yet taken place and would in any case be led by the devolved franchise management team based in Leeds.

    ‎Separately, Virgin Trains East Coast introduced a new daily service to Sunderland on 14 December 2015.

  • Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naz Shah on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the affordability of motor vehicle insurance in the UK.

    Andrew Jones

    The Autumn Statement 2015 announced the government will bring forward measures to reduce the excessive costs arising from unnecessary whiplash claims. As the industry is competitive we expect average savings of £40 to £50 per motor insurance policy to be passed onto customers. Some insurers have already committed to pass on all savings to consumers as a result of the proposed changes.

    The Department for Transport has also held a number of recent meetings with the motor insurance industry, for example to discuss young driver safety and technology measures which can reduce the cost of insurance

    The pricing of individual insurance products is a commercial matter for insurers.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Departments provide how much funding to the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.

    Andrew Jones

    The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles is funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

    The total amount of funding for 2016/17 is £0.4m from DfT and £6.3m from BIS. This includes admin and programme spend.

  • Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 32463, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his announcement of 23 April 2015 of a special scheme to help small businesses in Runcorn and Widnes using the new Mersey Gateway Bridge and the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge from 2017.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Secretary of State for Transport met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29th February 2016 and discussion included discount schemes on the Mersey Gateway Crossing.

    Officials in the Department for Transport and Her Majesty’s Treasury are continuing to work through the implications of any further extension of user discounts to the cost of the scheme and to the commercial structure of the contracts already signed for the scheme.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent changes there have been to Vehicle Certification Agency emissions testing; and what recent discussions he has had with Volkswagen on progress on fixing all defeat devices.

    Andrew Jones

    The Vehicle Certification Agency’s (VCA) emissions testing is conducted to the requirements set out in the relevant type approval legislation. The Government has been pressing for action at an EU-level to improve emissions tests and we have already secured a tough new Real Driving Emissions test. From next year, vehicles will have to meet emissions limits in real driving conditions across a wide range of typical operating conditions.

    The Secretary of State has met with the Chief Executive of Volkswagen UK to press that the technical fixes are completed as quickly as possible for UK consumers. The VCA is working closely with the VW group and other approval authorities to evaluate the proposed technical solutions. They are carrying out tests to ensure that after the fix is applied the vehicles meet all the legal requirements including emissions, and that other vehicle characteristics are unchanged, including fuel consumption and engine noise.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for testing of emissions data by the Vehicle Certification Agency of Mitsubishi Motors having falsified fuel economy data; what information his Department holds on the number of vehicles affected by their falsification in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government takes very seriously any misrepresentation of fuel consumption data to consumers. The Vehicle Certification Agency publishes data on new and used passenger cars and vans and is liaising urgently with Mitsubishi Motors to ensure that information provided in the UK is accurate.

    VCA has not issued approvals for any of the vehicles reported to be affected in the Japanese market. However the Department for Transport will continue to monitor for updates concerning whether other models are affected.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the projected cost savings are from the closure of the Marine Offices in (a) Brixham, (b) Leith and (c) Newlyn; and what the value is of (i) land and (ii) buildings on each site.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    (a) The Brixham Marine Office was co-located with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre that closed on 31 October 2014 when the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) stopped search and rescue coordination from there. The Brixham building was disposed of on 22 May 15, realising a value of £1.2M for the (i) land and (ii) building combined.

    (b) The lapse of the Leith Marine Office lease will realise a saving of £17K per annum.

    The only value to the MCA is the value of the lease. The value of the (i) land and (ii) building assets reside with landlord.

    (c) The Newlyn Office lease was surrendered on 30 April 2015, realising a saving of £1K per annum.

    The only value to the MCA is the value of the lease. The value of the (i) land and (ii) building assets reside with landlord.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the potential costs to the UK freight sector of the UK leaving the EU.

    Claire Perry

    At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

    The outcome of the EU Referendum for particular areas of regulation, including the UK freight sector, would depend on the relationship agreed between the EU and the UK if there is a vote to leave. This would have to be negotiated using the detailed processes set out in the EU Treaty.

    The Government has published several information documents, setting out the Government’s views on UK membership of the EU; the process for withdrawing from the EU; and alternatives to EU membership. The documents can be viewed at www.eureferendum.gov.uk.

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  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to UK ports of the UK leaving the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

    The outcome of the EU Referendum for particular sectors, including UK ports, would depend on the relationship agreed between the EU and the UK if there is a vote to leave. This would have to be negotiated using the detailed processes set out in the EU Treaty.

    The Government has published several information documents, setting out the Government’s views on UK membership of the EU; the process for withdrawing from the EU; and alternatives to EU membership. The documents can be viewed at www.eureferendum.gov.uk.

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