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  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department reserved in the HS2 budget for compensation to train operating companies in the form of (a) Schedule 4 payments, (b) Schedule 8 payments and (c) otherwise.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Compensation to train operating companies is included in the overall budget for HS2 of £55.7 billion (in 2015 prices) as established as part of SR15. Whilst the budget includes an allocation of costs for compensation to train operators‎, making these sums publicly available could affect our commercial position when negotiating with train operators.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2015 to Question 7660, whether his Department has made a decision on the proposed conversion of Class 801 Intercity Express Programme units to bi-mode diesel operation.

    Claire Perry

    We have received a formal submission from Agility Trains West, the train supplier, which my Department is now considering. I remain committed to ensuring that the IEP trains enter service in accordance with the delivery schedule from 2017/18.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33636, what assessment he has made of the capacity of Highways England to complete the repair and replacement of surfaces of 80 per cent of roads in the strategic road network by 2020.

    Andrew Jones

    Highways England is continuing to deliver the government’s £15 billion Road Investment Strategy and is on track to meet all of their targets.

    The Highways England Delivery Plan 2015-2020 states they will resurface 1,200 lane miles in 2015-16. As of the end of February 2016 they had surpassed that target, completing 1,296 lane miles of resurfacing. The final figure for 2015-16 will be reported in their annual report later this year.

    Highways England has to ensure that 95 per cent of the strategic road network is in good condition. When the latest survey was carried out in December 2015, this was achieved.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that bus operators educate their drivers on wheelchair use of the accessible space on buses.

    Andrew Jones

    Buses subject to the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) must incorporate a designated wheelchair space.

    Priorities for the use of this facility are currently the subject of proceedings at the Supreme Court.

    The assistance provided by drivers can be key to giving many disabled people the confidence to travel by bus however, and we have asked Mott MacDonald to review disability-awareness training from across the transport sector to inform the development of best practice guidance for bus operators. Our aim is to ensure that every bus driver has the skills and knowledge to provide disabled customers with a first class service.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33618, what the new contract arrangements are which he refers to; what assessment was made of the potential use of contract arrangements similar to those new contract arrangements with Pearson Professional Assessments Ltd referred to; and for what reasons the contract was not put out for full tender.

    Andrew Jones

    (a) The ‘new contract arrangements’ is a reference to the two-year contract extension granted in 2013 to Pearson Professional Assessments Ltd as part of an agreed settlement following its legal challenge to the theory test service procurement of that time.

    (b) Those new contract arrangements were bespoke to the settlement at that time.

    (c) As indicated in response 162377, Pearson Professional Assessments Ltd will continue to provide the driver theory test services. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency have now agreed a contract variation to extend the contract for a period of 4 years. Their contract would otherwise have ended on 4 September. The contract for them to continue to provide the services has not been put out to tender because there is insufficient time to conduct an open competition and have a new provider ready to start in time. This extension allows us time to conduct a thorough procurement exercise and explore options for alternative delivery models.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated cost is to Highways England for monitoring the performance of its contract with Amey for services in Area 7; and what the scope is of monitoring to be undertaken by Highways England to ensure Amey’s compliance.

    Andrew Jones

    The estimated annual cost to Highways England for monitoring the performance of its contract with Amey for services in Area 7 is £207,840.This equates to approximately 0.75% of the total value of the contract with Amey annually.

    Highways England has a robust bespoke performance management in place for the Area 7 Amey contract in the form of a Collaborative Management Toolkit. It is designed to drive continuous improvement in Amey’s performance and ensure compliance with the contract using a combination of quantitative metrics and performance indicators. Reporting is on a monthly basis.

    Highways England will manage and monitor Amey’s performance, with evidence from non-conformity reports, service quality reviews and Quality Management Points.

    Every three years, a full Service Review will be carried out to appraise the suitability of the service being delivered. It will include but is not limited to measuring their performance against the Health, Safety and Environment criteria, the scope of service being delivered and the extent to which Amey has delivered and is committed to delivering continual improvement to ensure value for money.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that broken accessibility equipment on buses is considered as a priority for repair.

    Andrew Jones

    From 1 January 2016 all single-deck buses designed to carry over twenty-two passengers on local and scheduled routes must comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR), which require them to incorporate a wheelchair space and boarding facility, priority seating and other features to make journeys easier for a range of disabled people. Double deckers must comply by January 2017, and coaches by 2020.

    Currently 89% of buses are compliant, and last year just 47 of the 7,343 public service vehicles subject to routine checks were found to have PSVAR related defects. Operators of vehicles found to be non-compliant are required to rectify faults promptly or risk enforcement action.

    We expect all operators to comply with the law and are working with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to ensure it continues to be enforced effectively.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on increasing the number of wheelchair accessible stations from street to platform level at National Rail and London Underground stations.

    Claire Perry

    We take improving station accessibility very seriously and the Access for All programme has delivered step free access at over 150 stations with a further 68 projects in construction or development. In addition, whenever infrastructure work is carried out at stations it must meet current accessibility standards. For example, when Crossrail fully opens in 2019, all 40 stations on the route will also have step free access.

    Step free access to London Underground is a matter for Transport for London, but I understand that 66 Tube stations and 57 London Overground stations currently have step-free access, and Docklands Light Railway stations are all step-free.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2016 to Question 33976, what assessment his Department has made of the potential change to (a) benefits and (b) risks to the status of the UK Ship Register within the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Work is in progress by the department to explore whether changing the status of the UK Ship Register would help ensure its future competitiveness. The work is in its early stages, but will assess both the benefits and risks of the available options.

  • Richard Fuller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Fuller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will create a register of ownership for motor vehicles for victims of theft to help prove ownership of their vehicles.

    Andrew Jones

    There are no plans to create a register of ownership for motor vehicles for victims of theft.

    The purpose of the vehicle register held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is to record vehicles and their keepers. The register is maintained to assist in revenue collection, road safety and law enforcement. It holds details of the keepers of vehicles and shows who is responsible for their day to day use. It is not a register of legal title or ownership of vehicles.