Tag: James Cartlidge

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy and guidance of the 13 day closure of the Sudbury to Marks Tey railway line in November 2015 as a result of leaf damage to diesel rolling stock; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry

Together with Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA) and Network Rail, the Department is very disappointed with the train service that has been provided to passengers on a number of rural routes in Anglia this autumn. In particular, the level of cancellations on branch lines operated by diesel trains has been unacceptable.

Network Rail and AGA have secured the services of John Curley, a respected railway industry professional, to hold an independent review of the factors and circumstances that conspired to affect services so badly. We expect this review to identify the root cause of failures and highlight lessons that need to be learned for the future. We expect corrective action to be taken wherever practicable to avoid recurrence in the future.

I can confirm that the results of the review will be made available to the winning bidder of the current East Anglia franchise competition.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 23225, what progress his Department has made on bringing forward changes to secondary legislation that are necessary to implement the relevant provisions of the Pensions Act 2014.

Justin Tomlinson

Work on the changes needed to secondary legislation in relation to the Pension Protection Fund long service cap has begun. I am not, at this stage, able to say when these changes will be brought forward.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2015-12-15.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Financial Conduct Authority will conclude its investigation into issues relating to the Connaught fund and allow those affected to submit claims to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Harriett Baldwin

This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government.

This question has been passed on to the FCA. They will reply directly to the Honourable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much revenue was raised from fines levied on heavy goods vehicles for exceeding weight restrictions on weight restricted roads in the last year for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones

Penalties related to heavy goods vehicles exceeding weight restrictions on weight restricted roads in England outside London are applied under the criminal justice system. I have been advised by the Ministry of Justice that this specific information is not held. Collating this information would incur a disproportionate cost, because individual cases would need to be looked at. My Department does not hold figures for the civil enforcement fines for this infringement applied by local authorities in London.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department takes into account cancellation of services when considering the Office of Road and Rail estimated usage of stations.

Claire Perry

The Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR’s) Estimates of Station Usage statistics provide an estimate of the number of people entering, exiting and interchanging at the station. Entries and exits are estimated using ticket sales data, using the origin and destination of the ticket.

As Great Britain does not have a fully gated rail network, a complete recording of passenger flows is not possible and as a result, it is not possible to tell whether a passenger has used their purchased ticket or not. Therefore, in the case of cancelled trains, ORR assume that the passenger has still used their ticket, potentially on a later service or via a different route.

More information about how these statistics are compiled is available in the Estimates of Station Usage 2014-15 Methodological Report on the Office of Rail and Road website at http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government has made on Food Enterprise Zones.

George Eustice

All 17 of the pilot areas are making steady progress towards establishing their Food Enterprise Zones (FEZ). Some have secured their Local Development Orders (LDO) which are the planning bases for establishing FEZ. As soon as an LDO is established, FEZ can then take forward plans to encourage businesses to make investment decisions to benefit local communities.

In Suffolk, there will be three LDOs within two FEZ to reflect the different needs of local food related businesses. These include the FEZ in South Suffolk at Orwell where LDOs will support the growth of existing businesses as well as attracting new inward investment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received on the ease with which the Student Loans Company can be contacted.

Joseph Johnson

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) regularly receives representations about the Student Loans Company covering a wide range of issues.

BIS closely monitors the Student Loans Company’s performance against targets for handling calls and correspondence from customers.

Information on contacting the Student Loans Company is available via the following web page: https://www.gov.uk/contact-student-finance-england

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on creating a £10 million fund for small schools to secure expert support and advice on converting to academy status.

Edward Timpson

This Government recognises the particular challenges facing small and rural schools and is committed to supporting them. We have announced a package of measures to guarantee the continued success of these schools, including £10 million to secure expert support and advice. Details on how this will be administered, and further information, will be available in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will undertake an analysis of the benefits of owner-occupied retirement housing to residents of that housing; and if his Department will bring forward proposals to increase delivery of that housing.

Brandon Lewis

The Government believes that meeting the housing needs of our older population is key to helping people to live well and remain healthier longer. That is why we are providing £400 million over the Spending Review period to deliver 8,000 affordable specialist homes for the vulnerable, elderly or those with disabilities. A commitment to funding from the Department of Health could deliver up to a further 7,500 units over the next five years.

The National Planning Policy Framework directs local authorities to plan for a mix of housing based on current and future demographic trends, and the needs of different groups in the area, including older people and disabled people. In March 2015 we strengthened planning guidance to encourage local authorities to recognise the importance for planning for older people’s housing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-06-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answers of 29 January 2016 to Question 23225 and of 28 April 2016 to Question 35312, what progress his Department has made on bringing forward changes to secondary legislation provisions of the Pensions Act 2014 relating to Pension Protection Fund capping.

Justin Tomlinson

Before the long service cap can be implemented a number of changes need to be made to secondary legislation, so that it will operate as intended in all cases. While progress is being made in deveoping this legislation, we cannot at this time commit to a particular implementation date which, in any case, would be subject to the wishes of Parliament.