Tag: Baroness Randerson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officials in the Department for Transport are expected to be working as part of the rail franchising team in 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The information is not held in the format requested. Staff working in franchising sit in Passenger Services, with other staff carrying out much wider roles.

The number of people (permanent and temporary) working in Passenger Services as at 31st March 2015 was 221.

The number as of 1st December 2015 is 235.

Our forecast requirements for future years are as follows:

2016/17 246.25 Full-Time Equivalents

2017/18 246.25 Full-Time Equivalents

2018/19 234.25 Full-Time Equivalents

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-02-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Bates on 28 January (HL Deb, col 1408), when Cardiff Council last inspected Lynx House; whether a written report was produced; and whether asylum seekers were required to wear red wristbands at the time of that inspection.

Lord Bates

Cardiff Council Environmental Health officers conducted a routine check of food hygiene matters on 26th January 2016.

Cardiff Council Housing Enforcement officers also inspected Lynx House premises on 2nd February 2016. We understand that a report will be produced and shared with both the accommodation provider and the Home Office in due course. Home Office can confirm that the requirement for asylum seekers accommodated in Lynx House to wear wristbands in order to access meals ended on 25 January.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-04-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will finance feasibility work on plans to redevelop Cardiff Central Station during the current Control Period 5, in order for work to start promptly in Control Period 6.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

I am pleased that we have already funded additional platform and station capacity at Cardiff Central station to facilitate forecast passenger growth. The Welsh route study has identified an opportunity to redevelop the station area as a stimulus to economic growth and we will work with the Welsh Government and the new Cardiff City Region Capital Transport Authority to understand the economic benefits of this, as set out in the Cardiff City Deal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-06-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they estimate the Cardiff Rail Operating Centre will be commissioned.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Cardiff Regional Operating Centre opened in 2010 and has been signaling trains since that date.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered upgrading the M20 or the A2/M2 as an alternative to the establishment of a permanent lorry area near Junction 11 of the M20.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Highways England carried out an assessment of alternative options for a solution to Operation Stack and this considered increasing the overall capacity and resilience of Kent’s motorway network. The alternatives were included in a public consultation held between December 2015 and January 2016.

Overall, a lorry area was the best performing option and this was stated in the report on the consultation which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/management-of-freight-vehicles-through-kent and is attached for ease of reference.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-12-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officials within the Department for Transport are currently working on the HS2 project.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The High Speed Rail headcount for permanent full time equivalents (FTEs) in post as of the end of November 2015 in the Department is 129.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-02-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report by NHS England Improving Value for Patients from Specialised Care: Commissioning Intentions 2016/2017 for Prescribed Specialist Services, what progress has been made to establish collaborative commissioning arrangements for hepatitis C services and how many Clinical Commissioning Groups have come forward with proposals for the collaborative commissioning of hepatitis C services.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The report by NHS England Improving Value for Patients from Specialised Care: Commissioning Intentions 2016/17 set out the probable areas for specialised services work planned for 2016/17. Hepatitis C is one pathway which was identified as providing an opportunity for collaborative commissioning.

Operational Delivery Networks now provide a local focus for discussions between providers and commissioners on the hepatitis C pathways. Local specialised commissioning teams will work with other local stakeholders where opportunities for a collaborative approach are agreed as a local priority.

No formal requests for proposals have been requested, nor have any proposals yet been received.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-04-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a specific allocation within Local Growth Deal funding for Local Enterprise Partnerships for spending on transport.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Department for Transport is contributing over £7 billion of the £12 billion Local Growth Fund. This includes £475m reserved for major transport schemes too large for regular Growth Deal allocations. We expect that transport schemes will continue to feature strongly in Local Enterprise Partnerships’ proposals for further funding, though LEPs have flexibility in what they bring forward and how they use the funding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-06-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many electric vehicles they estimate will be using British roads by 2030.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

There are currently over sixty thousand ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) on the road in the UK. The Government has the goal that by 2040 all new cars and vans will be zero emission vehicles. The uptake trajectory between now and then will depend on a range of factors including technological developments, consumer attitudes, international regulations and Government incentives, but by 2030 we would expect ULEVs to be firmly into the mass market. The Government will be spending more than £600 million by 2020 to support uptake and manufacturing of ULEVs in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-10-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Infrastructure Commission will examine the economic impact of (1) the deployment of Operation Stack in 2015, and (2) their plans for a lorry area to address problems caused by Operation Stack.

Lord Young of Cookham

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) will examine strategic transport infrastructure when it conducts its first National Infrastructure Assessment.

The Chancellor, together with the NIC, has launched a call for ideas to give stakeholders an opportunity to contribute their ideas for issues which could form the subject of future NIC studies. This process will help us ensure the NIC is focused on the country’s most critical infrastructure challenges.