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  • Austin Mitchell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Austin Mitchell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Austin Mitchell on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which councillors represented on Rail North agreed to the consultation paper issued by his Department on the Transpennine and Northern Rail franchises; and what council each such councillor represented.

    Claire Perry

    Rail North’s decision making process is a matter for them. The Department worked with Rail North representatives on the development of the consultation paper. The consultation itself seeks the views of individual councillors, councils, passengers, and all other interested parties to inform the specifications for both the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises. The consultation can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-northern-and-transpennine-express-rail-franchises and concludes 18th August.

    “

  • Austin Mitchell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Austin Mitchell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Austin Mitchell on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, to whom and by what mechanism is Rail North accountable.

    Claire Perry

    The Rail North consortium has been formed by 30 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in the North of England to help deliver a vision for a strengthened role for rail in supporting economic growth in the region. The LTAs are currently formalising Rail North’s governance. This will comprise:

    • an Association of Local Transport Authorities formed under the Local Government Act 1972, governed by a Leaders’ Committee, which all 30 LTAs will be eligible to join;

    • a Special Purpose Vehicle (company limited by guarantee) called Rail North Ltd. All LTAs who are members of the Association would be entitled to be members of Rail North Ltd, with each of the geographical subgroups established by the Leaders Committee being able to appoint one elected member to the Board of Rail North Ltd. It is expected that the company will be formed in the next few weeks.

  • Austin Mitchell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Austin Mitchell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Austin Mitchell on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what modifications Rail North made to the proposals recently put to his Department for the Transpennine and Northern Rail franchises.

    Claire Perry

    The Department worked with Rail North in the development of the consultation document and their views were represented in the options set out and the consultation as a whole. The consultation can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-northern-and-transpennine-express-rail-franchises and concludes 18th August. No decisions have yet been taken.

    “

  • Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the punctuality of South West Trains’ passenger rail services in each month since that company formally entered into a deep alliance with Network Rail in April 2012.

    Claire Perry

    The Public Performance Measure is a measurement of train punctuality against the planned services for the day. The Department regularly monitors each operators performance. This includes regular meetings with their senior management where performance figures are scrutinised and challenged.

  • Austin Mitchell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Austin Mitchell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Austin Mitchell on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to replace the Class 170 units transferred to Chiltern Railways from the Transpennine Manchester to Cleethorpes service.

    Claire Perry

    The Department for Transport continue to work with industry partners to develop a solution that will see more electric trains going into the North of England, in addition to the 14 already planned. We envisage that these electric trains will release diesel trains to be used on parts of the network in the North of England that are not yet electrified. The exact detail of this is subject to commercial negotiations and I will update the House as soon as these are concluded.

  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the annual cost to his Department of (a) stationery and (b) postage incurred when sending a ministerial reply to hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

    Claire Perry

    The information is not held in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what (a) external organisations and (b) officials in the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland he has engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such consultation.

    David Mundell

    The Scotland analysis programme has been the most detailed examination ever undertaken of Scotland’s contribution to the UK and the benefits that Scotland gets from being part of the UK. The UK Government has engaged with a wide range of organisations in the development of and distribution of the analysis, including business organisations, academics and lawyers. The Office of the Advocate General for Scotland provides the UK Government with advice on Scots law and has been involved throughout the production of all of the Scotland analysis papers, along with officials from across Whitehall.

  • Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what meetings (a) he and (b) officials of the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting.

    Mr Alistair Carmichael

    As Secretary of State for Scotland, I have met the Rt hon Member for Edinburgh South West on two occasions where we discussed issues of importance to the people of Scotland. Officials in the Office of the Advocate General have not had any meetings with the Rt hon Member for Edinburgh South West.

  • Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many officials of the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of that work.

    David Mundell

    Work on the Scotland analysis programme has been undertaken in the course of normal business across Government by policy and legal experts in relevant areas. In the Office of the Advocate General, any work relating to the Scotland analysis programme and any associated costs have been absorbed by existing teams within the Office of the Advocate General in addition to their day-to-day responsibilities and from existing budgets. Therefore there have been no additional costs involved in work of the Office of the Advocate General on the programme.

  • Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what work the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and how much such consultancy has cost.

    David Mundell

    The Office of the Advocate General, jointly with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Cabinet Office, instructed independent legal experts, Professor James Crawford and Professor Alan Boyle, to provide the legal Opinion Referendum on the Independence of Scotland – International Law Aspects, which was published as an annex to the UK Government’s paper Devolution and the Implications of Scottish independence. This consultancy was paid from existing budgets.