The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the new Northern franchisee will take to establish a North East Business Unit for rail services.
Andrew Jones
In accordance with the requirements of the draft Northern Franchise Agreement published on 27th February 2015, the new Northern franchisee will establish a North East Business Unit for rail services by the end of June 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the full costs of repairing the Lamington Viaduct will be met by Network Rail’s insurance cover.
Claire Perry
Network Rail advises that it has not yet finalised the estimated full repair costs and the associated Schedule 4 network possessions compensation payments. The company’s estimates remain subject to potential variation to the method of repair and to compensation claims from the train operators.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 21012, what repairs there have been to Tadcaster Bridge to date; and whether finance for any repairs will be found from (a) the Road Investment Strategy and (b) a contingency fund.
Andrew Jones
North Yorkshire County Council are continuing their assessment of the damage to Tadcaster Bridge as the water levels reduce, and they are also removing debris. We have not asked the Council for an estimate of repairs to date at Tadcaster Bridge as they work on a County wide assessment of damage to road and bridge infrastructure.
The Government recently announced funding of £3.3m to repair Tadcaster Bridge and for a temporary footbridge to reconnect the community, none of which has come from the Road Investment Strategy as that is funding for the Strategic Road Network managed by Highways England.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether a further review of the tunnel boring machine advance rates for the High Speed 2 Chiltern tunnel has yet taken place.
Mr Robert Goodwill
HS2 Ltd have carried out an extensive reviews of tunnel boring rates for comparable forms of tunnel (looking at the size of tunnel and type of tunnel boring machine used) as part of the work for the hybrid Bill development, including tunnels both in this country and overseas. Particular attention has been made to ascertaining the ‘hard average rate’ achieved on these tunnels, which is much more appropriate in calculating the overall time to complete a particular tunnel drive for its entire length from "machine in to machine out". HS2 Ltd have provided evidence from these applicable tunnel projects in front of the Select Committee and explained on several occasions how the tunnel drive rates from these other projects support the current assumed drive rate for the HS2 Chiltern Tunnel. No further review is considered to be required as there is no further appropriate evidence available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to take account of lower fuel costs in its reform of the Bus Service Operators Grant.
Andrew Jones
The Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) is paid to operators based in England on a fixed rate of £0.3457 per litre and is no longer directly linked to fuel duty. As a result, changes in fuel costs should not have any direct impact on the uptake of BSOG. We will be publishing more details of our plans to reform BSOG later this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide the Mayor of London with the powers to place a cap on private hire vehicles in London.
Andrew Jones
This Government does not intend to amend primary legislation to allow the number of private hire vehicles licensed in London or elsewhere to be restricted.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has conducted a comparative assessment of the loss of life as a result of an aircraft crashing on approach or arrival at Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
Mr Robert Goodwill
I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of 11th January 2016 (UIN 20996) http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=QuestionsWithAnswersOnly&house=commons%2clords&uin=20996.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has received representations from the Mayor of London on his concerns about the number of private hire vehicles being licensed each month in London.
Andrew Jones
We receive representations on a number of issues from the Mayor of London, and this has included the impact of the increasing number of private hire vehicles in London on congestion, air quality and parking issues on London’s road network.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated cost to his Department has been of evaluating the Airports Commission’s Final Report since 1 July 2015.
Mr Robert Goodwill
We do not hold estimates of the cost of reviewing the findings and conclusions of the Airport Commission’s report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applicants there were to the Advanced Biofuel Demonstration Competition; how many such applicants were successful; and what funding under what structure each successful applicant received.
Andrew Jones
There were 17 expressions of interest applications in phase 1 of the Advanced Biofuels Demonstration Competition, of which six projects were shortlisted and invited to submit a phase 2 application.
Three winning projects were offered the following grants alongside significant private sector investment. Grant instalments will be paid subject to various conditions and the achievement of specified milestones: