Tag: Kelvin Hopkins

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of potential cost savings from an extension of driver-only operation on Govia Thameslink Railways services.

Claire Perry

The potential cost savings from an extension of driver-only operation were included in Govia Thameslink Railway’s formal bid for the franchise. The Department assessed all bids for the franchise against the evaluation criteria in the Invitation to Tender which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/245041/invitation-to-tender.pdf.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Supreme Court’s judgment in UBS AG & Anor v Revenue and Customs [2016] UKSC 13 (9 March 2016), what steps his Department has taken against Deloitte for designing and marketing the tax avoidance scheme rejected by the court.

Mr David Gauke

It is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to provide details of any action taken in connection with these organisations.

In the March 2015 Budget, the Government challenged the accountancy and tax professional bodies to improve how they deal with their members who promote tax avoidance schemes.

The professional bodies have responded positively to this challenge and are working with HMRC to agree a new standard to which their members will need to adhere.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-07-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce the award of the next franchise for passenger services on the Greater Anglia line.

Claire Perry

The successful bidder for the East Anglia franchise will help us realise our ambitious plans for East Anglia’s rail network. We have been clear that as a minimum they must provide a modern service with state of the art trains, and also introduce at least two 90-minute services each way between London and Norwich. In addition they must invest heavily in improving stations.

We continue to consider the bids and will announce the new operator in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the reasons are for the delay in transferring his Department’s Transactional Bulk Print Services contract to Williams Lea from the current provider, Hewlett Packard, originally scheduled for February 2015; what the revised timetable is for that transfer; what assessment he has made of potential risks to service delivery arising from loss of key staff as a result of that delay; and what contingency plans his Department has prepared to mitigate such risks.

Justin Tomlinson

The DWP Print service will transfer to Williams Lea on 31^st March 2016. All staff currently working on Print within Hewlett Packard (HP) will transfer over on this date via TUPE unless they have decided to opt out and accept alternative positions within HP prior to the date of transfer. All staff have been informed and consultation is actively underway in line with legislative requirements.

In terms of contractual obligations, Williams Lea are obligated to transfer the service over by 31^st March 2016. Williams Lea remain on track to meet their transfer date obligation and no service disruption is anticipated.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of the introduction of driver-only operation on rail services on (a) passenger safety, (b) passenger assurance, (c) women passengers, (d) disabled passengers, (e) revenue protection and (f) passenger assistance.

Claire Perry

The safety of passengers and rail users is paramount on the railway and the Department for Transport would never do anything to put passengers at risk.

This system has already been in safe use on almost a third of rail services in Great Britain for up to 30 years and can help to improve the service to passengers. Giving responsibility to the driver to operate the doors can improve operational performance and can enable other staff on board the train to provide a better face-to-face service for passengers. Staffing levels are generally a matter for railway operators, as we believe that they are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of all passengers. However, it is important that those who need assistance to travel can rely on railway staff to provide this. Each operator is required to participate in the Passenger Assist system which allows disabled passengers to book staff assistance when they require it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the judgment in Stagecoach Group PLC & Anor v Revenue and Customs [2016] UKFTT 120 (tc) (10 February 2016), what steps his Department has taken against KPMG for designing and marketing the tax avoidance scheme rejected by the court.

Mr David Gauke

It is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to provide details of any action taken in connection with these organisations.

In the March 2015 Budget, the Government challenged the accountancy and tax professional bodies to improve how they deal with their members who promote tax avoidance schemes.

The professional bodies have responded positively to this challenge and are working with HMRC to agree a new standard to which their members will need to adhere.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-07-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date the emergency timetable for Southern rail services to be introduced by Govia Thameslink Railway from 11 July 2016 was agreed by his Department; and what consultation his Department undertook on that timetable prior to its agreement.

Claire Perry

It is not for the Department to approve changes to the timetable. GTR has informed us of their intention to change the timetable in order to provide a more reliable timetable for passengers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department’s aid policy of the research on global income distribution published by Oxfam on 19 January 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Eradicating extreme poverty is central to DFID’s mission and the Sustainable Development Goals. Oxfam say inequality affects the politics around growth. Our economic development strategy takes account of this by supporting inclusive growth and tackling inequality by creating opportunities, widening access to them (including through education and health), economically empowering women and leaving no-one behind.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) his Department and (b) the Office of Rail Regulation have had with Govia Thameslink Railways Ltd on changes to criteria for driver-only operation.

Claire Perry

Neither the Department for Transport nor the Office of Rail and Road have held any specific discussions with Govia Thameslink Railway on changes to criteria for driver-only operation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of dwell times on the (a) punctuality of and (b) number of cancellations on automated rail services.

Claire Perry

There are no automated rail services on the UK national rail network.