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  • Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Holloway on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential arrangements for compensation required for people living in Thurrock and Dartford or Gravesend in the event of another river crossing being constructed at Dartford or to the east of Gravesend.

    Andrew Jones

    The route of the new Lower Thames crossing will be subject to public consultation early this year, and local people will be given their chance to express their views. Until the route is decided upon, it is too early to say what arrangements for compensation may be appropriate.

  • Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Holloway on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to build an additional bridge at Dartford.

    Andrew Jones

    Two locations are being considered for the new Lower Thames crossing: ‘Option A’ close to the existing Dartford Thurrock crossing, and ‘Option C’, to the east of Tilbury and Gravesend, which would connect the A2 and M2 to the M25 via the A13.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19589, what the budget for the BIS Automotive sector team has been in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    The administrative budget associated with the BIS Automotive sector team for the last five financial years is illustrated below.

    Financial Year

    Administrative Cost

    11/12

    £1,393,614*^

    12/13

    £1,187,636^

    13/14

    £1,207,986^

    14/15

    £1,256,570^

    15/16

    £1,219,550^

    *Includes funding for the Advanced Manufacturing Showcasing team who came under the same administrative budget for these years.

    ^ Includes one FTE on loan to the Office for Low Emission Vehicles

  • Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Holloway on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps are being taken to reduce congestion at the northbound entrance to the Dartford Tunnel caused by lorries carrying dangerous cargo being stopped and investigated.

    Andrew Jones

    Highways England is continuing to work to reduce times for dangerous goods vehicles which are prohibited from entering the tunnels and need to be removed, or to release vehicles in escorted convoys to ensure smooth traffic flow while ensuring safety of users. Since the road layout changes at the Crossing were completed in 2015, fewer but larger convoys are used to minimise disruption with the number of convoys reducing to 70 – 80 per day from around 110 per day, which equates to a reduction of around a third.

    Clear road signs already provide advance instruction for drivers of dangerous goods vehicles and are enforceable by regulations. Work is also underway with the freight industry to educate drivers of restricted vehicles what lane or route to take to avoid being stopped, which causes delays for other drivers.

  • Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Holloway on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will not make a decision on the choice of Thames Crossing options A and C until a decision is made on the proposed London Paramount theme park.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government is committed to a new Lower Thames crossing. There is a need for increased capacity across the River Thames due to growth in general traffic and a range of developments in the Thames Gateway, including housing planned around Ebbsfleet. The location and route needs to be decided following further public consultation, expected to begin early this year, to ensure that the new crossing can be in place as soon as possible.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on utilising existing airport capacity in the UK to 2030 in the last month.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    I have regular meetings with airports, their industry bodies and other aviation partners.

    The Government set out in the 2013 Aviation Policy Framework that we would be supportive of airports making best use of their existing capacity, provided economic and environmental impacts are taken into account.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding the Rail Delivery Group received from the public purse in (a) 2011, (b) 2012, (c) 2013, (d) 2014 and (v) 2015.

    Claire Perry

    The information requested is in the table below.

    Year

    Amount

    Source

    2011-12

    N/A

    2012-13

    N/A

    2013-14

    N/A

    2014-15

    £1,189,417 £151,987

    Network Rail[1] Directly Operated Railways[2]

    2015-16 (1 April 2015 to date)

    £1,832,625[3]

    Network Rail

    [1] Network Rail was reclassified as a public body by the Office for National Statistics on 1 September 2014. The figure shown is Network Rail’s contribution to the Rail Delivery Group from September 2014 – March 2015.

    [2] Rail Delivery Group charged Directly Operated Railways for the first time in 2014-15.

    [3] The figure shown is based on a full year contribution of £2,443,500.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on proposals for an independent body to regulate the car insurance industry.

    Andrew Jones

    There are no proposals for a new independent body to regulate the car insurance industry.

    Motor insurers are regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency plans his Department has for the funding of the new Northern and TransPennine franchises in the event that projected passenger number increases are not achieved.

    Andrew Jones

    Revenue risk for these two franchises lies with the franchisee, not the Department. This means the Department is not responsible for covering any shortfall in farebox revenue compared to the successful bidders’ expectations.

    The successful bids are backed by significant parent company support which can be called upon in life to ensure the liquidity ratios are met. Also both franchises were subjected to a financial robustness test as part of the bid evaluation process and considered low risk for the Department.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what winter weather resilience measures have been put in place for the West Coast mainline.

    Claire Perry

    The rail industry has well-established procedures to ensure that railway infrastructure and trains are prepared for winter conditions, including the operation of specialised trains to treat the track to help keep it clear of snow and ice, the use of points heaters to prevent those freezing up, and measures to keep snow and ice out of electrical equipment on trains. With appropriate variation for the specific needs of each part of the network, these arrangements apply on the West Coast Main Line as on the rest of the network. I note that recently the West Coast main line north of Carlisle was re-opened just three days after being submerged under eight feet of floodwater.