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  • Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with external stakeholders on the staffing and training levels required for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Maritime Operations Centre at Fareham to be fully operational.

    Stephen Hammond

    The proposals for the modernisation of Her Majesty’s Coastguard, including plans for staffing the new National Maritime Operations Centre and the roles and skills of its officers, were the subject of two rounds of extensive public consultation from December 2010 to May 2011 and then again from July to September 2011. More detailed work by experienced coastguards to develop and implement training plans has taken account of those earlier consultations and has involved representatives of the PCS Union.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what average number of hours of training staff employed at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Maritime Operations Centre at Fareham are expected to undertake to reach that centre’s full operating capacity; and how many staff have already undertaken that amount of training.

    Stephen Hammond

    The hours of training needed for coastguards at the new National Maritime Operations Centre to be fully operational will vary depending on the nature of the role, whether they are existing staff, their levels of experience, or external recruits brand new to HM Coastguard. HM Coastguard has tailored its training programmes on an individual basis. Training is underway for all new recruits and they will receive at least 488 hours of training.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the franchise specifications for rail passenger services on the (a) TransPennine and (b) Northern lines contained in his Department’s consultation document published on 9 June 2014 will lead to a reduction in services for passengers in the North East.

    Stephen Hammond

    The specifications for both the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises have not yet been decided. A public consultation exercise is being conducted, which will inform these specifications. The consultation can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-northern-and-transpennine-express-rail-franchises. No decisions on services will be made until the consultation process has finished.

    “

  • Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what minimum qualifications staff at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham will need in order to discharge the technical duties of that centre when it is fully operational; and what range of qualifications staff currently employed at that centre have.

    Stephen Hammond

    Existing Coastguard officers who are successful in getting a role at the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) will need to have successfully passed the following training programmes dependent on the role they are undertaking:

    · Maritime Search and Rescue – Foundation

    · Maritime Search and Rescue – Intermediate

    · Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator

    New Coastguard Officers recruited into roles at the NMOC will need to have successfully passed the following training programmes dependent on the role they are undertaking:

    · HM Coastguard Foundation Programme

    · Maritime Operations Officer Programme

    · Senior Maritime Operations Officer Programme

    Currently the Maritime Operations Officers externally recruited are undertaking the Maritime Operations Officer Programme and will be qualified prior to the NMOC taking on operational duties in September 2014. All existing Coastguard Officers who are currently employed at the NMOC have the requisite qualifications for the posts they hold.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people are employed at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham; and how many people will be employed at that centre when it is fully operational.

    Stephen Hammond

    The transition to the new HM Coastguard structure is progressive over 15 months, from September 2014 until December 2015, and is structured to incrementally deliver the right number of staff at the right point of the transition timetable.

    There are currently 27 Coastguards employed at the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC). In preparation for the start of operational duties in September 2014 this will increase further as successful internal candidates are released from their current operational duties elsewhere around the UK.

    Once the transition is complete, and the NMOC fully operational, this figure will rise to 96 Coastguard Officers.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the franchise specifications for rail passenger services on the (a) TransPennine and (b) Northern lines contained in his Department’s consultation document published on 9 June 2014 will increase the total number of daily (i) peak and (ii) off-peak services on these routes.

    Stephen Hammond

    The specifications for both the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises have not yet been decided. A public consultation exercise is being conducted, which will inform these specifications. The consultation can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-northern-and-transpennine-express-rail-franchises. No decisions on services will be made until the consultation process has finished.

    “

  • Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the new Maritime and Coastguard Agency Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham to be fully operational.

    Stephen Hammond

    The National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) will commence operational duties in September 2014 when it takes on the operational areas previously covered by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCC) at Solent and Portland. The capacity and coverage of the NMOC will geographically expand as the new national network is incrementally implemented around the UK. The NMOC will be fully operational once this is complete in December 2015 as planned.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role (a) his Department and (b) local authorities will have in (i) specifying and (ii) managing the new franchises for rail passenger services on the (A) TransPennine Express and (B) Northern Rail lines.

    Stephen Hammond

    The specification for each franchise is being developed collaboratively by the Department for Transport’s Rail Executive and Rail North. Rail North are representing all the local transport authorities in the North of England. This is line with the partnership agreement confirmed between the Secretary of State and leaders of the local transport authorities in the North of England in January 2014. An integrated partnership structure between Rail Executive and Rail North is being developed with a view to managing the franchise once it has been let.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of current levels of service on each section of the (a) TransPennine Express and (b) Northern Rail franchises.

    Stephen Hammond

    At a Direct Award or franchise Re-let we carry out value for money assessments (in order to calculate Benefit-Cost Ratios) of changes to service levels but we do not undertake this assessment of the existing base service levels where they carry forward into the new Agreement.

    However, for any large procurement exercise such as a Direct Award or Franchise Re-let, we use externally produced comparators that cover the whole of the franchise to allow us to evaluate the price of any bid that we receive.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the potential increase in passenger numbers on (a) the TransPennine Express and (b) Northern Rail lines during the life of the next franchises starting in February 2016.

    Stephen Hammond

    Between 2002 and 2012 rail demand in the North of England grew by a total of 66% and demand is expected to continue to grow. The Department for Transport is currently preparing its own forecasts of passenger demand for the next franchises to inform the specification.