The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The cost of Employment Tribunals can be found within the HMCTS annual accounts published at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The hourly rate of pay for cleaners directly employed by the Department for Transport is £8.94.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if it will make it his policy to require bus operators to install audio-visual announcements of bus stops on all public buses.
Andrew Jones
Accessible on-board information helps a wide range of passengers, including those who are visually impaired, to feel comfortable and confident when taking the bus.
Traditionally however, systems providing automatic next stop announcements have proven expensive to fit and maintain, meaning that mandating their use would place a disproportionate financial burden on the bus industry.
My Department has supported initiatives to develop innovative and low-cost approaches to providing such information, as well as providing Better Bus Area funding for local authority schemes to equip vehicles with audio/visual equipment.
Many operators are already recognising the benefits of on-board information for all their customers, and I would encourage others to do the same.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The tables below contain information on the overtime spend by the Department for Transport, including the following agencies, for February 2014 – January 2016:
|
Month |
Feb-14 |
Mar-14 |
Apr-14 |
May-14 |
Jun-14 |
Jul-14 |
|
Overtime spend |
£1,239,198 |
£1,599,619 |
£927,703 |
£1,280,082 |
£1,268,173 |
£1,261,126 |
|
Month |
Aug-14 |
Sep-14 |
Oct-14 |
Nov-14 |
Dec-14 |
Jan-15 |
|
Overtime spend |
£1,249,497 |
£1,341,766 |
£1,413,538 |
£1,160,553 |
£1,158,340 |
£1,122,994 |
|
Month |
Feb-15 |
Mar-15 |
Apr-15 |
May-15 |
Jun-15 |
Jul-15 |
|
Overtime spend |
£1,247,224 |
£1,664,032 |
£1,395,002 |
£1,339,767 |
£1,290,854 |
£1,403,393 |
|
Month |
Aug-15 |
Sep-15 |
Oct-15 |
Nov-15 |
Dec-15 |
Jan-16 |
|
Overtime spend |
£888,400 |
£911,069 |
£1,051,989 |
£775,587 |
£357,148 |
£446,784 |
Both the twelve month periods shown above – February 2014 to January 2015 and February 2015 to January 2016 – show a reduction in overtime spend compared to the first twelve-month period of the Coalition government in 2010/11.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his future policies of the Sharm el Sheikh air crash in October 2015; and what recent reports he has received on the reasons for that crash.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The formal accident investigation into the loss of the Metrojet flight over Sinai on 31 October 2015 has not formally reached any conclusions as to the cause of the crash. But the Russian authorities announced, in November 2015, their conclusion that the aircraft was brought down by an explosive device, and the Government have been proceeding on that basis.
The incident highlights the importance for airports, airlines and countries to increase vigilance and make sure that sound security measures are in place. The Government is working to ensure this happens, but does not discuss the details of security arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil law suits have been brought against his Department based either wholly or partially on grounds provided by the Human Rights Act 1998; how many such suits were settled out of court before a court judgment was delivered; and how much such settlements have cost the public purse since 2010.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The information requested is not available without disproportionate cost, as separate records for cases based wholly or partially on the Human Rights Act 1998 are not maintained.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safeguards are in place to protect information held by the DVLA on those who use its services.
Andrew Jones
The safeguards that are in place to protect information held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) vary depending on the channel used and sensitivity of the data processed through the service.
All the DVLA’s information systems and electronic services are subject to a formal assessment before they are made available to the public. This ensures that there are adequate policies, procedural and technical controls in place to protect the data.
Privacy Impact Assessments are also completed to identify and address any privacy risks associated with the service and ensure that personal data is processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-02-25.
To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recent assessment the Commission has made of the level of electoral fraud in Tower Hamlets.
Mr Gary Streeter
The Electoral Commission works with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to collate data from police forces about cases of alleged electoral fraud reported each year. This data is published on the Commission’s website.
The data show that 49 cases of alleged electoral fraud offences were reported in Tower Hamlets in 2014. Of these cases, no further action was taken following investigation by the police in 39 cases. This was either because the activity involved was not in fact an offence; there was no evidence that an offence had been committed; or there was insufficient evidence to identify a perpetrator. It also included cases which, following investigation, were found not to have involved electoral fraud offences.
Five cases were locally resolved with advice from the police or the Returning Officer, and one case resulted in a caution being given. Of the remaining four cases, one resulted in court proceedings being initiated, one awaits prosecution advice and two remain under investigation.
A total of 28 cases of alleged electoral fraud offences were reported in Tower Hamlets in 2015. No further action was taken following investigation by the police in 23 cases, and one case was locally resolved. One case awaits prosecution advice and three remain under investigation. The Commission will monitor the outcome of any investigations relating to electoral fraud offences.
In advance of the May 2016 elections, the Commission is working closely with the police and electoral administrators in each of the 18 areas it has identified as being at higher risk of allegations of electoral fraud, including Tower Hamlets, to ensure that robust plans are in place to detect and prevent fraud.
The Commission also encourages anyone who has evidence that an electoral offence may have been committed to report this to the police, either directly or anonymously through Crimestoppers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.
David Mundell
For cleaning services the Scotland Office uses contracts through frameworks held by the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. The Scotland Office does not set the wages paid by the contractors to its workers. Both contractors pay the national minimum wage, £6.70 per hour. From April, both contractors will increase their rate of pay to £7.20 in line with the new national minimum wage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Prime Minister will make an assessment of the potential merits of each proposal on noise mitigation from aviation in the letter to him of 18 February 2016 from the Aviation Environment Federation.
Mr Robert Goodwill
As part of the Government’s ongoing review of noise and airspace policies it will consider the proposals set out the Aviation Environment Federation’s letter to the Prime Minister of 18 February.