The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-05-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what sanctions his Department can apply on Govia Thameslink Railway for being in breach of its remedial plan.
Claire Perry
The “Enforcement Policy: Rail Franchise Agreements and Closures” sets out what actions can be taken; a copy of this is attached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what permissions have been sought by (a) NATO, (b) the US and (c) any other country to fly remotely piloted aircraft systems in UK airspace in the last two years.
Mr John Hayes
The Secretary of State for Transport has not received any requests for such permissions in the last two years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with train operating companies on the New Stations Fund launched on 26 August 2016.
Paul Maynard
Ministers have held no discussions with the Train Operating Companies since the launch of the fund and do not expect to do so before the closing date of 25 November 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2015-11-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what tests are used in UK microbiology laboratories that are deemed equivalent to the UK SMI B58.
Jane Ellison
UK microbiology laboratories that do not use Standards for Microbiological Investigations (SMIs) should be able to demonstrate at least equivalence in their testing methodologies to the relevant accreditation body. Public Health England is not an accrediting body in these circumstances therefore we do not hold information as to what tests are deemed to be equivalent to UK SMI B58.
UK SMIs are not mandatory and Public Health England does not have data as to how many laboratories, National Health Service or otherwise use UK SMI B58 or equivalent testing for detecting Group B Strep.
SMIs are intended as a general resource for practising professionals operating in the field of laboratory medicine and infection specialties in the United Kingdom.
SMIs help laboratories to meet accreditation requirements by promoting high quality practices which are auditable.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-05-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the most recent Public Performance Measure figures are which have been reported by Govia Thameslink Railway.
Claire Perry
The latest figures are published by the operator at:
http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/performance-results/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Amazon’s testing of parcel delivery by drone has begun; and what arrangements have been agreed for safety, insurance and data protection during this trial.
Mr John Hayes
Amazon is currently testing a developmental drone delivery system in the UK, within a defined and contained test site area on private land. Trials involving customers are not part of this testing. Prior to the current trials starting, an operational safety case was assessed and approved by the Civil Aviation Authority, which took into consideration the risk and mitigation of damage to other aircraft and infrastructure in the test area. The trial is designed in compliance with all regulatory and legal requirements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many platform train interface incidents that were reported on the national rail network in each year since 2010 involved driver-only operated passenger services.
Paul Maynard
Currently, the method of train dispatch for incidents at the platform train interface is not recorded so the data requested is not available. However, a new Safety Management Information System is being introduced in December 2016, which is designed to enable the industry to dig deeper into the trends behind incidents.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2015-11-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many UK microbiology laboratories use the UK SMI B58 or equivalent test for detecting group B strep carriage.
Jane Ellison
UK microbiology laboratories that do not use Standards for Microbiological Investigations (SMIs) should be able to demonstrate at least equivalence in their testing methodologies to the relevant accreditation body. Public Health England is not an accrediting body in these circumstances therefore we do not hold information as to what tests are deemed to be equivalent to UK SMI B58.
UK SMIs are not mandatory and Public Health England does not have data as to how many laboratories, National Health Service or otherwise use UK SMI B58 or equivalent testing for detecting Group B Strep.
SMIs are intended as a general resource for practising professionals operating in the field of laboratory medicine and infection specialties in the United Kingdom.
SMIs help laboratories to meet accreditation requirements by promoting high quality practices which are auditable.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-05-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of whether the most recent Public Performance Measure figures reported by Govia Thameslink Railway put Govia Thameslink Railway in breach of its Remedial Plan.
Claire Perry
The Public Performance Measure figure does not put Govia Thameslink Railway in breach of their Remedial Plan.
The Franchise Agreement does not include the Public Performance Measure as one of the benchmarks against which their performance is measured. The Department for Transport (DfT) performance benchmarks for Govia Thameslink Railway are for Delay minutes and Cancellations for which GTR are responsible, and Peak Short formation, as specified under Schedule 7.1 of the Franchise Agreement: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525766/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what trials his Department have (a) proposed and (b) undertaken on the use of drones to provide mobile data coverage in remote areas.
Mr John Hayes
The Government encourages and welcomes innovative proposals and solutions from industry which seek to safely unlock services and benefits delivered by drones. This could include improving mobile data coverage for difficult to reach and remote areas in the UK and other countries. However, there are no current discussions or proposals with industry to provide such a service.