Tag: Gareth Johnson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many penalty charge notices have been (a) issued to motorists and (b) subsequently withdrawn or successfully appealed since the inception of the Dart Charge scheme.

Andrew Jones

From the introduction of Dart Charge on 30 November 2014 to the end of March 2016 3,392,215 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) have been issued for non-payment of the road user charge.

Highways England has taken a balanced approach to enforcement of Dart Charge by being clear to drivers that they need to pay the charge and giving them every opportunity to do so. As part of this approach the first PCN issued for each vehicle includes a warning letter giving the registered keeper an extra 14 days to pay their original road user charge for use of the crossing (and any additional road user charges accrued by the end of the 14 days) without penalty. In total 1,490,319 PCNs have been cancelled due to drivers paying the outstanding road user charges following receipt of a warning letter.

In addition a further 86,195 PCNs have been cancelled following representation or appeal and 354,201 PCNs cancelled for other reasons including payment errors made by customers or early system issues which have since been addressed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals against fines to lorry drivers under section 32 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 there have been in each year since 2005.

James Brokenshire

The value of fines issued to lorry drivers under section 32 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in each year since 2005 is as follows:

01/04/2005-31/03/2006 £1,105,103
01/04/2006-31/03/2007 £1,898,866
01/04/2007-31/03/2008 £1,946,705
01/04/2008-31/03/2009 £2,552,490
01/04/2009-31/03/2010 £2,609,737
01/04/2010-31/03/2011 £1,083,390
01/04/2011-31/03/2012 £931,618
01/04/2012-31/03/2013 £890,544
01/04/2013-31/03/2014 £4,070,471
01/04/2014-31/03/2015 £6,490,232
01/04/2015-31/03/2016 £5,249,894

This information is from management information reports. The data held on the Civil Penalty data base does not allow the penalty amounts to be separated between driver’s and hauliers, hence the data provided is the total number of penalties imposed for the period.

The number of appeals against fines to lorry drivers under section 32 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in each year since 2005 is as follows:

01/04/2005-31/03/2006 7
01/04/2006-31/03/2007 8
01/04/2007-31/03/2008 12
01/04/2008-31/03/2009 13
01/04/2009-31/03/2010 9
01/04/2010-31/03/2011 10
01/04/2011-31/03/2012 11
01/04/2012-31/03/2013 0 *
01/04/2013-31/03/2014 24
01/04/2014-31/03/2015 64
01/04/2015-31/03/2016 36

*High Court appeal cases, all appeals were held behind at the time until resolved. Appeals then fell into subsequent years.

This information is from management information reports.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost per patient is of carrying out stem cell transplantation.

Nicola Blackwood

Costs associated with stem cell transplants can vary widely depending on the specific clinical circumstances.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the average journey time northbound between junction 3 and junction 30 on the M25, between the hours of (a) 6am to 9am, (b) 11am to 2pm and (c) 4pm to 7pm in each of the last six months.

Andrew Jones

Average journey time data between J3 and J30 travelling northbound and between J30 – J2 southbound on the M25 is not available. Highways England measures average journey times between J2 – J30 northbound and between J29 – J1B southbound on the M25. Average monthly journey times between July and December 2015 for the morning peak, inter-peak and evening peak periods are set out in the table below. All of these average monthly journey times are quicker than comparable data for journeys prior to the introduction of Dart Charge in November 2014.

Month	Time	Northbound J2 – J30	Southbound J29 – J1B
July*	6am – 9am	10:13	12:12
11am – 2pm	15:23	12:17
4pm – 7pm	16:52	12:51
August	6am – 9am	09:22	10:43
	11am – 2pm	18:27	12:01
	4pm – 7pm	18:34	10:55
September	6am – 9am	09:48	11:55
	11am – 2pm	11:11	10:49
	4pm – 7pm	15:26	11:32
October	6am – 9am	10:58	12:00
	11am – 2pm	13:25	11:27
	4pm – 7pm	15:33	13:17
November	6am – 9am	11:42	12:15
	11am – 2pm	10:40	11:55
	4pm – 7pm	18:23	13:14
December**	6am – 9am	10:53	12:40
	11am – 2pm	12:26	11:18
	4pm – 7pm	22:41	17:04

* Speed limit increase on 27th July.

** The technology used to monitor journey times at Junction 1B became faulty in the southbound direction on 5 December. This means southbound December data is for 01/12/15 to 05/12/15

All of these average monthly journey times are quicker than comparable data for journeys prior to the introduction of Dart Charge in November 2014.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic benefits of extending Crossrail to (a) Dartford and (b) Ebbsfleet stations.

Claire Perry

In 2014 the Department commissioned a value for money review of the benefits offered by an extension of Crossrail services to Ebbsfleet (via Dartford). This report recommended further analysis before an informed decision could be made. Subsequently Network Rail have launched a Kent Route Study which will assess the need for, and feasibility of, rail network enhancements across Kent. This will include any possible extension of Crossrail services which would need to be underpinned by further economic analysis conducted by Transport for London.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of efficiency savings made from use of video link technology in criminal cases.

Mr Shailesh Vara

Use of video in criminal cases provides efficiencies which benefit all criminal justice agencies, and support victims and witnesses. In particular video links allow police officers to give evidence to the court from a police station, rather than attending a courthouse, making significant savings in working hours for the police.

The use of video within Police Forces is well established for the giving of evidence. HMCTS is also working with Police Forces to extend the use of video to applications for search warrants and other warrants.

The Government is investing over £700m to modernise the courts and tribunals. This investment will not only mean an extension in the extent of video usage by police, but also an increase in benefits.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s policy is on the interruption of stem cell transplantation.

Nicola Blackwood

The decision to perform a stem cell transplant will be made by specialist clinicians in discussion with the patient based on the potential benefits and risks of this form of treatment. Treatments may be discontinued for clinical reasons or in accordance with the wishes of the patient.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of what the average journey time southbound between junction 30 and junction 2 on the M25, between the hours of (a) 6am to 9am, (b) 11am to 2pm and (c) 4pm to 7pm in each of the last six months.

Andrew Jones

Average journey time data between J3 and J30 travelling northbound and between J30 – J2 southbound on the M25 is not available. Highways England measures average journey times between J2 – J30 northbound and between J29 – J1B southbound on the M25. Average monthly journey times between July and December 2015 for the morning peak, inter-peak and evening peak periods are set out in the table below. All of these average monthly journey times are quicker than comparable data for journeys prior to the introduction of Dart Charge in November 2014.

Month	Time	Northbound J2 – J30	Southbound J29 – J1B
July*	6am – 9am	10:13	12:12
11am – 2pm	15:23	12:17
4pm – 7pm	16:52	12:51
August	6am – 9am	09:22	10:43
	11am – 2pm	18:27	12:01
	4pm – 7pm	18:34	10:55
September	6am – 9am	09:48	11:55
	11am – 2pm	11:11	10:49
	4pm – 7pm	15:26	11:32
October	6am – 9am	10:58	12:00
	11am – 2pm	13:25	11:27
	4pm – 7pm	15:33	13:17
November	6am – 9am	11:42	12:15
	11am – 2pm	10:40	11:55
	4pm – 7pm	18:23	13:14
December**	6am – 9am	10:53	12:40
	11am – 2pm	12:26	11:18
	4pm – 7pm	22:41	17:04

* Speed limit increase on 27th July.

** The technology used to monitor journey times at Junction 1B became faulty in the southbound direction on 5 December. This means southbound December data is for 01/12/15 to 05/12/15

All of these average monthly journey times are quicker than comparable data for journeys prior to the introduction of Dart Charge in November 2014.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of young people from Dartford who went to university in the last five years.

Joseph Johnson

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publishes data on the entry rates for full-time undergraduate courses by parliamentary constituency. UCAS does not publish data on the number of entrants by parliamentary constituency, only entry rates.

Latest statistics from the 2015 UCAS End of Cycle Report for the Dartford constituency are provided in the table. The entry rate is given as the proportion of 18 year olds that accepted a place during a UCAS application cycle.

Table: Higher Education entry rates for 18 year olds from the Dartford Constituency
2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
28.6%	23.2%	29.9%	27.3%	32.5%

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what further plans he has to extend the scope for police officers to give evidence via video link during trials.

Mr Shailesh Vara

Use of video in criminal cases provides efficiencies which benefit all criminal justice agencies, and support victims and witnesses. In particular video links allow police officers to give evidence to the court from a police station, rather than attending a courthouse, making significant savings in working hours for the police.

The use of video within Police Forces is well established for the giving of evidence. HMCTS is also working with Police Forces to extend the use of video to applications for search warrants and other warrants.

The Government is investing over £700m to modernise the courts and tribunals. This investment will not only mean an extension in the extent of video usage by police, but also an increase in benefits.