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Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the estimated difference between the current and original cost estimates of (a) locating the Sheffield High Speed 2 station in the city centre and (b) locating it in Meadowhall.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre.

The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost.

When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including;
1. engineering and construction feasibility;
2. sustainability;
3. demand considerations, including journey times;
4. cost; and
5. wider impacts
Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website.

Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units.

Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region’s study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.
01/01/2023
Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of agricultural land lost to UK farm production as a result of the construction of High Speed 2.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Approximately 2,750 hectares of agricultural land is permanently required for Phase One of HS2. 4,800 hectares will be taken during the construction period, but much of this will be returned to the existing agricultural condition following construction.

A detailed assessment of the amount of agricultural land required for future Phases of HS2 will be undertaken alongside the deposit of the relevant hybrid Bills for these phases.

01/01/2023
Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the estimated difference in cost between locating the Sheffield High Speed 2 station in the city centre and locating it in Meadowhall.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre.

The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost.

When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including;
1. engineering and construction feasibility;
2. sustainability;
3. demand considerations, including journey times;
4. cost; and
5. wider impacts
Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website.

Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units.

Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region’s study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.
01/01/2023
Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of increased waiting times for driving tests for young drivers on (a) failure rates and (b) increased travel time and cost to examination centres.

Andrew Jones

Any comparison between waiting times and failure rates would be highly subjective as the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has no way of excluding other factors. DVSA also cannot identify the motivation of candidates choosing test centres for their practical test; therefore, DVSA is unable to assess what the costs would be.

01/01/2023
Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2016 to Question 23856, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of pedal cyclist-killed or seriously injured casualties attributable to poorly-maintained local roads since 2010.

Andrew Jones

The Department assesses all statistics which relate to pedal cyclist KSIs (killed or seriously injured casualties). The Conservative Manifesto 2015 had a commitment to reduce the number of cyclists and other road users killed or injured on our roads every year. We are working closely with road safety groups to consider what more can be done in the UK and we believe that every death is a tragedy and is one too many.

We have committed £6.1 billion to tackle the condition of our local road network and, as part of our Road Investment Strategy – the largest upgrade to England’s strategic roads for a generation – we are spending around £100million on cycling safety. We are also working with local councils to provide new guidelines designed to ensure their highways are as safe as possible and free of defects.

The change in the number of accidents is likely to result from a combination of a number of factors. These factors will include the natural variation in the figures and the subjective nature of contributory factors.

01/01/2023
Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Autumn Statement and Spending Review 2015, which cycling programmes his Department plans to fund from the £300 million fund for cycling for 2015-16 to 2020-21; and what other funding for cycling to which cycling programmes his Department plans to fund over that period.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, to be published in summer 2016, will set out the Government’s plans for investing in cycling and walking.

Otherwise, at the Spending Review the Government reaffirmed its commitment to cycling and walking by committing to investing over £300 million over the life of this Parliament. This includes delivering the Cycle City Ambition scheme in full, a new ‘access’ fund for sustainable travel and our Road Investment Strategy for 2015-20 which includes plans to improve 200 sections of the road network in England for cyclists. We will also provide 1.3 million children with cycling proficiency training through the Bikeability scheme.

Over this period, other Government funding streams will contribute to cycling. Through the Local Growth Fund, an investment of at least £270m is planned by local enterprise partnerships for cycling infrastructure. Local authorities could also use sums from the £1.3bn Integrated Transport Block to 2019/20 for cycling schemes.

It should also be noted that spending on road maintenance can benefit not just motorists but can also lead to improved conditions for cyclists, and a record £6.1billion is allocated to local highway authorities between 2015 and 2021 for road maintenance.

01/01/2023
David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on the effect of changes in the timetable of C2C services.

Claire Perry

In addition to the representations made by my Honourable Friend, the Department has received 30 representations on the effect of changes in the timetable of C2C services.

01/01/2023
David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with C2C on the effect of changes to its timetable on consumer satisfaction.

Claire Perry

I met with c2c on the 10th February. I have asked them to make proposals to adjust their plans to deliver a more attractive balance between service levels and overcrowding, and the Department will work with c2c to deliver these at the earliest opportunity.

01/01/2023

David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of his Department were in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The table below shows the average hourly earnings for (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of the Department for Transport which includes:

Department for Transport (c)
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Vehicle Certification Agency
Government Car Service
Highways Agency

Year	FY 2010/11	FY 2011/12	FY 2012/13	FY 013/14	FY 2014/15
[a] Female	£13.58	£13.85	£14.28	£14.75	£15.21
[b] Male	£15.25	£15.43	£15.77	£16.22	£16.50
[c] Full Time	£14.85	£15.05	£15.43	£15.91	£16.23
[d] Part time	£14.00	£14.24	£14.52	£14.78	£15.17

Please note: the Government Car Services (GCS) does not hold information on FY 2010/2011 and FY 2011/2012 and is therefore not included in the Department return for these years.

01/01/2023

David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of his Department were in each of the last five years.

David Mundell

The Scotland Office is not an employer in its own right and is subject to other Government departments policies for pay purposes.

01/01/2023