Tag: Baroness Randerson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Govia Thameslink Railway about whether it still intends to activate the Oyster card reader installed at Epsom station, and if so, when it intends to do so.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

There has been numerous discussions between my officials and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) on the franchise obligation to extend Oyster pay as you go and Contactless payment to Epsom. GTR is currently working with TfL closely to deliver this as soon as is practical and we are applying lessons learned from extending Oyster to Gatwick to extending Oyster to Epsom.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-12-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why their representatives at the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles voted on 28 October to weaken and delay the introduction of real driving emissions tests for air pollution emissions by diesel light duty vehicles.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Government officials voted to secure the best possible outcome on the 28^th October. This meant ensuring that real driving emissions tests will be introduced as early as possible and so make a significant contribution towards lowering emissions of nitrogen oxides from light duty diesel vehicles.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-03-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 11 February (HL5795), what aspects of treatment provided by drugs and alcohol services are not funded by the NHS.

Lord Prior of Brampton

All public funding for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is provided by the National Health Service.

Depending on local arrangements, drug and alcohol services commissioned by local authorities in England and funded from the Public Health Grant, may provide service users with aspects of HCV treatment. These would usually include initial testing and counselling, referring and supporting patients who test positive to engage with and complete HCV treatment provided by the NHS. They might also cover providing premises for NHS diagnosis and treatment to take place in the community.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-06-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research or analysis they undertook prior to consulting on proposals to cut train services to intermediate stations on the InterCity West Coast service.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Rail services between London and the Midlands are currently provided by the West Midlands and InterCity West Coast franchises. These franchises are due be replaced when they expire in October 2017 and April 2018 respectively. The Department has completed a consultation in respect of the replacement West Midlands franchise, and commenced another in respect of InterCity West Coast in May. The outcomes of those consultations will be used to inform what we ask the operator of the new franchise to provide. This information, including the key challenges and opportunities that the Department has identified for those franchises, will be published in due course.

Neither consultation proposed cutting train services. We expect potential bidders to plan their train services to meet the needs of passengers at the stations they serve considering how best to serve and link markets and improve service reliability. To make sure their plans best reflect the needs of the franchise we are seeking views from the public and stakeholders on the ICWC franchise on:

• any direct journeys currently provided by ICWC that they would want to see protected at a minimum level; and
• priorities for potential changes to train services, such as speeding up service for long-distance passengers, for example by changing stops at low-use stations or adjusting the level of service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-09-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are Network Rail’s existing infrastructure investment commitments for the West Anglia Mainline over the duration of the new East Anglia rail franchise.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

During railway Control Period 5 (2014-2019) Network Rail is funded to operate and maintain the West Anglia Main Line. The Department for Transport has provided additional funding for a range of infrastructure enhancements including power upgrades; construction of the new Cambridge North station; provision of additional track capacity between Coppermill Junction and Angel Road at the south end of the line.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they encourage local authorities and other interested organisations to share best practice regarding the introduction and operation of shared space for vehicles and pedestrians.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

To help identify and disseminate good practice in implementing shared space, the Department for Transport is working with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, who are preparing updated guidance. This work aims to use the practical experience gained from recent shared space schemes to provide good practice advice to local authorities and other interested organisations. To help inform this work, as the Minister responsible for this issue, my Hon Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, the Hon Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones, has written to all local authorities asking them to provide information on relevant schemes to the Department by the end of November.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to begin consulting on the night noise regime for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports for the period beyond 2017.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government is currently assessing the evidence base required to review the current night flight restrictions and we will publish our proposals for the period after October 2017 later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-03-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to take to discourage the inappropriate use of lasers with potentially damaging consequences for pilots and air passengers.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government is exploring a number of options to address the threat from the misuse of laser pens. This is a matter we take very seriously, particularly in light of recent events that have been reported.

There is specific legislation prohibiting the use of laser pens against aircraft. Under the Air Navigation Order (2009), it is an offence to direct or shine any light at any aircraft in flight so as to dazzle or distract the pilot of the aircraft. Anyone found guilty of this offence could be liable to a fine, up to a maximum of £2,500.

It is also an offence to “recklessly or negligently act in a manner to endanger an aircraft, or any person in an aircraft”. Anyone found guilty of this offence could be liable to a fine, up to 5 years imprisonment, or both.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-06-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assessed proposals from the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority that more carriages should be added to trains on the InterCity West Coast service to reduce overcrowding.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Rail services between London and the Midlands are currently provided by the West Midlands and InterCity West Coast franchises. These franchises are due be replaced when they expire in October 2017 and April 2018 respectively. The Department has completed a consultation in respect of the replacement West Midlands franchise, and commenced another in respect of InterCity West Coast in May. The outcomes of those consultations will be used to inform what we ask the operator of the new franchise to provide. This information, including the key challenges and opportunities that the Department has identified for those franchises, will be published in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-09-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to support track upgrades on the West Anglia Main Line to enable that region fully to benefit from the recently announced plans for new rolling stock.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Department for Transport is working closely with Network Rail and the recently confirmed operator of the next East Anglia franchise, to fully understand any infrastructure enhancements required to release the full benefits of the new rolling stock. Once an agreed position has been established, we will work with all parties to consider how best to implement such enhancements.