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  • 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 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage the interoperability of smart tickets on local bus services outside London where more than one bus company runs the service; and if he will make a statement.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Government’s ambitions for smart and integrated ticketing on England’s buses are set out in chapter 4 of the Door to Door Strategy. Local Authorities already have the powers to introduce multi-operator ticketing schemes. In March 2013, the Department published guidance to help and encourage authorities to establish schemes in their areas.

    A significant number of smart ticketing schemes already operate across the UK and the Department has held a series of conversations with the Brighton & Hove transport authority and operators to see how their offer can be accelerated. All of the major urban areas, and a number of counties, have smart ticketing schemes, and all buses in London and over three quarters of buses elsewhere in England are smart-equipped.

    In addition we have set up the Smart Cities Partnership, through which we will work with the nine largest cities in England (excluding London) and operators to support them in delivering and enhancing smart, integrated ticketing schemes.

    The outcome of this partnership approach will be greater co-ordination of efforts, concentration on resolving long-standing problems, a framework for other transport authorities to adopt and an acceleration of delivery of smart ticketing products for passengers. I ensure accountability of the Partnership through its governance arrangements.

  • 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 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the modal shift from car to railway use as a result of eliminating the weekday minimum fare resulting from the use of the Network Rail card; and if he will make a statement.

    Stephen Hammond

    It is not proposed to make any estimate of the modal shift that might result from the removal of the minimum fare applying on weekdays to the Network Railcard. The Network Railcard is offered on a commercial basis and therefore it would be for the train operators to consider any changes to its terms and conditions.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many High Speed 2 consultation requests are EIA development as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011; and how many recommendations for refusal of the grant of planning permission are (a) EIA and (b) non-EIA development.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Safeguarding directions for the London to West Midlands section of HS2 were made in July 2013 and updated in October 2013. The number of High Speed 2 consultation requests which are EIA development as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011 is 5.

    The number of recommendations for refusal of the grant of planning permission are as follows:

    (a) EIA – 3

    (b) non-EIA development – 3

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many consultation requests from local planning authorities under the safeguarding directions for Phase One have been received by HS2 Ltd since 9 July 2013; and from which local planning authorities such consultation requests have been received.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Since 9 July 2013, HS2 Ltd received 60 consultation requests from local planning authorities under the safeguarding directions for the London to West Midlands section of HS2. The requests were received from the following local planning authorities:

    Birmingham City Council,

    Hertfordshire County Council,

    London Borough of Brent,

    London Borough of Ealing,

    London Borough of Hillingdon,

    Lichfield District Council,

    London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham,

    North Warwickshire Borough Council,

    Oxfordshire County Council,

    Stratford-upon-Avon District Council,

    Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council,

    South Northamptonshire Council,

    Warwickshire County Council,

    Westminster City Council,

    Aylesbury Vale District Council,

    London Borough of Camden.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the Competition Commission’s inquiry into the car insurance industry to report.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Competition Commission is required to publish its final report by 27 September 2014.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many referrals have been made to him where a local planning authority is minded to approve an application for planning permission against the advice of HS2 Ltd; and what his decision has been on each such referral.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    There have been no referrals made to the Secretary of State for Transport where a local planning authority is minded to approve an application for planning permission against the advice of HS2 Ltd.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Government invested in highway and infrastructure construction in the North West in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

    Stephen Hammond

    HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis November 2013 states that identifiable public capital expenditure on transport in the North West of England was: 2009/10 £1,229m, 2010/11 £1,268m, 2011/12 £1,261m, 2012/13 £1,257m.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much he estimates will have to be spent protecting the High Speed 2 track on phase 1 and phase 2 against the effects of mining subsidence; and whether that sum is included in the overall projected cost.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    On Phase One there are no specific allowances relating to mining subsidence in the cost estimate as there is no active mining below the route, nor any recorded abandoned mining shown in the publically available records that have been researched. Physical ground investigations and desktop studies of existing of records will be undertaken prior to construction of the railway, and allowances have been made in both the cost estimate and the project contingency for any ground treatments that are identified.

    On Phase Two there is an allowance within the cost estimate for the risks around crossing open cast quarries, mines and landfill sites and the current level of design reflects where appropriate the difficulty of crossing these type of areas.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the voter registration rate was for 18 year olds in each of the last 30 years.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not hold figures on the registration rates for 18 year olds in each of the last 30 years.

    However, it does hold estimates of registration rates for age groups from several studies conducted on the accuracy and completeness of the electoral registers in Great Britain.

    Register

    Age band

    Registration rate

    Study conducted by

    April 2011

    (Great Britain)

    17-18

    55%

    Electoral Commission (EC)

    19-24

    56%

    February 2001

    (England and Wales)

    18-24

    84%

    EC and Office for National Statistics

    February 1991

    (Great Britain)

    18-19

    88%

    Office of Population Census and Surveys – Social Survey Division

    February 1981

    (Great Britain)

    18-19

    87%

    “

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 193W, on electoral register, for what reasons the Electoral Commission does not collect data on the number of attainers registered as part of its monitoring of electoral registration officers.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that it reviews the data on registered attainers collected by the Office for National Statistics and, separately, carries out assessments of the accuracy and completeness of the registers periodically.

    The Commission also informs me that its current performance standards framework is designed to support Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in preparing for and delivering the transition to Individual Electoral Registration. The standards seek to ensure that EROs have appropriate plans in place to address the particular challenges in their registration area in order to maximise registration, and that they monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their activities.

    The Commission will continue to keep its performance standards framework under review and will consider whether specific information on the number of attainers registered should be included as part of the data it requests from EROs in the future.