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  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for the capacity of the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure safety at airshows of the findings of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report on the 2015 Shoreham Airshow crash relating to the recommendations of the AAIB’s report on the 2007 Shoreham Airshow crash which were not implemented.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has recently consulted the air display community on amendments to its charging scheme for air displays. The revised charges will fund an additional four people to implement actions the CAA has already identified as part of its ongoing review of airshow safety for the 2016 air display season.

    The majority of recommendations in the AAIB’s latest bulletin cover areas where the CAA has already taken action as part of its review, and these actions will further enhance the safety of UK civil air displays.

  • Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the level of the Government’s accumulated deficit at the end of the concession period for the Severn Bridges.

    Andrew Jones

    The accumulated deficit is estimated to be £63m at the end of the concession.

  • Stephen Metcalfe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Metcalfe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Metcalfe on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Dartford Crossing has closed in the last 12 months; and what the cause of each closure was.

    Andrew Jones

    The Dartford Crossing consists of two bored tunnels and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.

    There has been only one planned closure in the last 12 months where the crossing has been fully closed i.e. both the bridge and the tunnels. This was for overnight works on 15 August 2015 for the removal and installation of new gantries for the Dartcharge project.

    There have also been 81 occasions when either the bridge or one of the tunnel bores have been closed for planned construction or maintenance works. These works were carried out overnight when traffic flows are such that they can be accommodated by the remaining open elements of the crossing. The 81 occasions comprise 4 bridge closures, 42 west bore closures and 35 east bore closures.

    There have been 9 unplanned bridge closures; twice for high wind and 7 for broken down vehicles, collisions and police-led incidents.

    There have been 5 unplanned closures of the west tunnel; 4 traffic incidents and once to repair a road defect.

    There have been 12 unplanned closures of the east tunnel; 10 times for traffic incidents (4 broken down vehicles, 5 collisions and one diesel spill) and twice for road repairs.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what total amount has been received by (a) his Department and (b) HS2 Ltd under the Connecting Europe Facility 2015 Multi-Annual Work Programme; and what estimate he has made of the amount that will be received under that programme by each body in the next three years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department for Transport was awarded Connecting Europe Facility funding for the following projects in 2015:

    • South-Wales railway electrification study (Network Rail). €4.1 million
    • Arc Atlantique Corridor Phase II. A UK led ITS traffic management deployment project involving Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Netherlands. The UK partners (Highways England, Transport Scotland, Department for Regional Development Northern Ireland, and the Welsh Government share amounts to around €9 million).
    • European ITS Platform – Italian project coordinating standards for deployment of ITS traffic management systems across Europe. The UK partners (Highways England, Transport Scotland, Department for Regional Development Northern Ireland, and the Welsh Government) amounts to around €0.5 million)
    • High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) €39.2 million

    It is not possible to estimate how much additional funding may be available in the next three years. Funding for projects is awarded through a competitive bidding process with projects having to meet specific criteria set by the European Commission. The second call for funding closed in February 2016 and the results will be announced later this year.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment on projects which have received funding under the Connecting Europe Facility initiative.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Projects seeking funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) should show that they comply with EU Environmental Policy. The Department will undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment, where it is required to do so, in line with its legal obligations.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when an appropriate assessment, as defined in Article 6 of the EU Habitats Directive, was undertaken for the South-West London Waterbodies Special Protection Area.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    A habitats regulations screening assessment was prepared in June 2012 which concluded that the impact of construction and operation of HS2 would have a negligible impact on gadwall and shoveler ducks in the Colne Valley Lakes and therefore no likely significant effect on the Southwest London Waterbodies SPA/Ramsar site. The details were reported in the main Environmental Statement published in November 2013.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his most recent assessment is of the number and location of sites which will be affected by construction of phase one of High Speed 2 which are known habitats of species subject to the strict protection requirements in Annex IV of the EU Habitats Directive.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Phase one of High Speed 2 does not adversely affect any sites designated as a Special Protection Area or a Special Area of Conservation.

    HS2 Ltd have carried out habitats regulations screening assessments to determine if the railway might indirectly affect certain species associated with the Southwest London Waterbodies SPA/Ramsar site in the Colne Valley, and to consider potential effects of traffic pollution in the Chilterns Beechwood Special Area of Conservation. No significant effect was determined in either case.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral Answer of 16 March 2016, Official Report, what part of the text of the agreement on Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant provides that there will be no payment by the Government unless the power station goes ahead and is built efficiently by EDF.

    Andrea Leadsom

    My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make a final decision regarding Hinkley Point C once EDF have reached a Final Investment Decision. The terms of the contract will be published (with only the most commercially sensitive information removed) once it has been entered in to by the parties.

    In October 2015, the Government laid a minute before Parliament setting out at a high level the terms of the agreement reached with EDF in respect of the Hinkley Point C power plant:

    http://qna.files.parliament.uk/qna-attachments/425357%5Coriginal%5C20151021%20Minute%20to%20Parliament%20HPC%20contingent%20liabilities.docx.

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  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if the Prime Minister will take steps to secure exclusion of the NHS from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership by way of a blanket exemption within the main text of that agreement.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government has always been clear that protecting the NHS is of the utmost importance for the UK. We believe, as does the European Commission, that provisions in the current texts of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) achieve this protection.

    Over several decades the UK and EU have signed numerous trade agreements. These treaties have helped both UK and EU businesses grow and create high quality jobs. They have also ensured that it remains for the UK to decide how our public services are run.

    TTIP will be no different. Decisions on how to deliver public services for the best outcomes for UK citizens are and will be made by UK governments, not our trade partners. The Prime Minister, the European Commission and the US Government have all confirmed this. The NHS is not at risk from TTIP or any other trade and investment agreement.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she has made an assessment of the effect of the group calling itself the new IRA on the security situation in Northern Ireland.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The threat from Northern Ireland related terrorism in Northern Ireland is considered to be SEVERE. This means an attack is highly likely.

    The so-called new IRA is one of a small number of dissident republican groupings that aspire to undermine Northern Ireland’s democratic institutions through the use of violence. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and MI5 work tirelessly to limit the threat that these groupings pose.

    This Government will always give its fullest possible backing to the PSNI and other agencies who do such an effective job in keeping people in Northern Ireland safe and secure. Under this Government there will be no let-up in our efforts to ensure that terrorism does not succeed.

    I report regularly to the House on the threat from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism. The most recent is available at:

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2015-12-15/HCWS394/

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