The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains were reported as delayed due to winter sunlight since 4 January 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Claire Perry
This Department for Transport does not routinely collect the information requested. However, we understand that on 12 January 2016 around 11 Southeastern trains were delayed by up to 10 minutes for this reason.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of UK railway stations have steps but no lift access.
Claire Perry
Information on the facilities available at individual stations is collected and held by the Association of Train Operating Companies, rather than the Department. However, we understand that around 460 stations in the UK have step free access to and between all platforms. I also note that both railway stations in the Hon Member’s constituency – Wakefield Westgate and Wakefield Kirkgate – are now step free.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.
Mr Robert Goodwill
There are 15 defibrillators provided in the buildings managed by the Department for Transport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to review the licensing arrangements for airside bars and restaurants in airports.
Karen Bradley
Under the Licensing Act 2003, airside bars and restaurants at airports designated by the secretary of state do not require a licence. There are no plans to review this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the use of sealed tamper-proof bags for duty-free purchases to discourage consumption of alcohol in airports or onboard aircraft in order to reduce disruptive behaviour on flights.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government welcomes industry’s commitment to tackling the issue of excessive alcohol consumption in airports and on-board aircraft. The use of tamper-proof bags for duty-free purchases is currently being trialled at a number of UK airports and as part of that trial industry will reach a view on the potential merits of this approach.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current waiting time is for a PCV driving examination at Watnall test centre; what steps his Department is taking to reduce that waiting time; and when he expects that waiting time to be reduced.
Andrew Jones
The current waiting time for a vocational, LGV or PCV test at Watnall test centre is 11 weeks.
The Driver and Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA) is working hard to reduce waiting times. It is recruiting for driving examiners across the UK and has specifically targeted high-wait areas. Watnall was targeted in a recent recruitment campaign DVSA launched. Once new examiners are in place in Watnall, DVSA is confident waiting times will reduce. In the meantime, DVSA is continuing to monitor waiting times closely, deploying examiners from low-wait centres and offering weekend testing wherever possible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications for the High Speed 2 (a) need to sell scheme and (b) exceptional hardship scheme have been received from constituents in Chesham and Amersham constituency; how many of those applications have been completed with the property now in the ownership of the Government or HS2 Ltd; how many of those properties in the ownership of the Government or HS2 Ltd have been (i) sold, (ii) rented and (iii) remain vacant; for how many of those applications that have been accepted the price has not been agreed; how many of those applications are awaiting a decision on whether they will be accepted; how many of those applications have been rejected; and of those rejected how many times each such application has been rejected and for what reasons.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The information requested is in the table below:
|
Chesham and Amersham constituency |
||
|
(a) Need to Sell (NTS) scheme |
(b) Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS) |
|
|
Applications received |
34 |
49 |
|
Applications accepted |
17 |
12 |
|
Applications rejected |
8 |
31 |
|
Applications withdrawn |
1 |
6 |
|
Applications pending a final decision |
8 |
0 |
|
offers made |
12 |
12 |
|
offers accepted |
10 |
9 |
|
offers declined/no longer active |
0 |
3 |
|
Properties acquired |
6 |
9 |
|
How many of those properties in the ownership of the Government or HS2 Ltd have been: |
||
|
(i) sold |
0 |
|
|
(ii) rented |
10 (with 2 under offer) |
|
|
(iii) remain vacant |
3 |
|
|
(a) Need to Sell (NTS) scheme |
(b) Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS) |
|
|
Total number of unsuccessful applications (of which were reapplications) |
8 (1) |
31 (5)* |
|
Unsuccessful for reasons including criterion 1 (Property Type) |
1 |
1 |
|
Unsuccesful for reasons including criterion 2 (Location of property) |
2 |
18 |
|
Unsuccesful for reasons including criterion 3 (Effort to Sell and impact of blight) |
3 |
23 |
|
Unsuccesful for reasons including criterion 4 (No prior knowledge) |
0 |
0 |
|
Unsuccesful for reasons including criterion 5 (NTS-Compelling reason to sell/EHS- Exceptional Hardship) |
6 |
25 |
*of the five rejected reapplications none are from the same applicant.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the maximum number is of (a) trains and (b) international trains which are able to stop at Stratford International station in each hour.
Claire Perry
The Department for Transport does not hold detailed information on the network capability and capacity of the stations on the HS1 network. HS1 Ltd, as the infrastructure manager, is responsible for producing the timetable for the line of route, within the technical and operational capability of the network. HS1 Ltd can be contacted at:
HS1 Ltd
12th Floor, One Euston Square
40 Melton Street
London
NW1 2FD
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work his Department has undertaken on helping develop a common reporting standard and collection method for incidents of disruptive passengers on flights departing from or arriving in the UK.
Mr Robert Goodwill
I and my officials have met with industry representatives to discuss the issue of disruptive passengers on a number of occasions in recent months. In these meetings we have encouraged the industry to work towards improved data collection on incident occurrence. This will help to ensure that both industry and government have a full picture of both the scale and nature of this issue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether railway verges are surveyed to identify locations where there is a danger that landslides may occur; and if he will make a statement.
Claire Perry
This is an operational matter for Network Rail. Network Rail advises that its railway earthwork assets are inspected by suitably qualified engineers at intervals of 1, 3, 5 and 10 years. The frequency of inspection is driven by the hazard rating of the asset, which is calculated from data that is recorded during visual observations across the slope.
The likelihood of an earthwork asset failing increases during periods of rainfall, in particular during extreme rainfall events. During times where there is an increased likelihood of failure, additional inspections are undertaken. These are focussed with available resources on locations of highest safety risk, where the consequence of a failure is greatest.