Tag: Lilian Greenwood

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans that the new platforms at London Bridge Station will become operational.

Paul Maynard

The redevelopment of London Bridge station by Network Rail is progressing to schedule. The new terminating platforms ten to fifteen have been in operation since January 2015 and platforms seven to nine, for services to Charing Cross, became operational on 29 August 2016. The remaining new platforms will be brought into use by January 2018.

Platform six, also for Charing Cross services, will become operational in August 2017. Platforms four and five (for Thameslink services) and one to three (for Cannon Street services) will become operational in January 2018.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s press release, Petrol price signs on motorways, dated December 2014, what progress he has made of the pilot introduction of motorway signs that show comparison petrol prices at different service stations; and how many such signs are in operation.

Andrew Jones

The Government has been finalising the detailed design for trialling new traffic signs. Highways England has provided a further announcement on fuel pricing traffic signs on 2 November 2015. Drivers using a section of the M5, between Bristol and Exeter, will soon benefit from new signs showing the price of fuel along the motorway.

The move is part of a trial by Highways England designed to give drivers more information to help their journeys and to boost competition on fuel prices. Five motorway service areas are involved in the trial which, depending on the results, could ultimately be rolled out nationally.

Electronic message signs will show the price of fuel at Gordano, Sedgemoor, Bridgwater, Taunton Deane and Exeter motorway service areas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the terms of reference of the additional air-quality analysis referred to in his Department’s press release, entitled Government confirms support for airport expansion in the South East, dated 10 December 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Airports Commission published a large amount of analysis on air quality for their three shortlisted schemes. It is my intention to test the Commission’s air quality analysis against the Government’s new Air Quality Plan. This was a recommendation of the Environmental Audit Committee alongside other recommendations that I will fully consider in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the new Northern franchisee will take to establish a North East Business Unit for rail services.

Andrew Jones

In accordance with the requirements of the draft Northern Franchise Agreement published on 27th February 2015, the new Northern franchisee will establish a North East Business Unit for rail services by the end of June 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many railway stations in Great Britain were equipped with ITSO-compliant smartcard readers on the most recent date for which figures are available; and how many ITSO-compliant smartcards had been issued by (a) South Eastern, (b) Govia Thameslink Railway, (c) c2c, (d) Greater Anglia, (e) London Midland, (f) East Midland Trains and (g) Great Western Railway on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Claire Perry

There are currently 718 railway stations in England that are equipped with at least one ITSO-compliant smartcard reader. The devolved administrations are responsible for Scotland and Wales respectively.

The Government does not hold figures for how many ITSO-compliant smartcards have been issued by train operating companies as this is a commercial matter for them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2016 to Question 25019, what efficiency savings he expects the British Transport Police to make in cash terms in each year up to 2020-21.

Claire Perry

During the recent spending review, the Department made clear to the British Transport Police Authority that it considered that appropriate efficiencies should be identified and made. However, it also emphasised that any efficiencies identified should not materially impact on the operational policing capability of the British Transport Police, including in relation to counter-terrorist activity. The British Transport Police Authority identified savings of over 8% that can be made between 2016/17 and 2019/20 from the British Transport Police’s (BTP) core policing budgets, focussed on those areas where reductions would not have a material operational impact on the rail network. The Department has set out its expectation that these savings should be achieved during the course of the spending review period. Any efficiency savings could, however, potentially be reinvested into counter-terrorist activities, depending on the need.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value of EU funding was for the Great Western Main Line electrification programme on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Claire Perry

I have been informed by Network Rail that as of 26 February 2016, the total value of EU funding that has been awarded for the Great Western Mainline Electrification is € 11,085,000.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to HS2 Ltd’s Information Paper, G3: Construction Commissioner, published on 16 December 2015, what annual salary he expects to pay to the HS2 Construction Commissioner; to what body the Construction Commissioner will report; what steps he will take to safeguard the Commissioner’s independence from his Department and HS2 Ltd; for what reasons the Commissioner will not be able to consider claims for losses of over £10,000; and what the exemption from the role of matters considered by Parliament in approving the project is planned cover.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The HS2 Construction Commissioner will report to a steering group that will be entirely independent of HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport. The independent steering group will be responsible for agreeing the Commissioner’s terms of reference. It is envisaged that the steering group will include members who represent community interests and the construction industry. The Construction Commissioner and independent steering group will be appointed in time for when HS2 construction begins.

The salary of the HS2 Construction Commissioner is expected to be £575 per day, based on working eight days per month, and is in line with other comparable roles. This will be subject to review by the independent steering group.

The Commissioner will be responsible for investigating complaints relating to the construction of HS2 Phase One that cannot be resolved through HS2 Ltd’s corporate complaints procedure. In addition, it is anticipated that one of the roles of the HS2 Construction Commissioner will be to act as an arbitrator for the HS2 Small Claims Scheme in the event that a dispute cannot be resolved through the normal process. The Small Claims Scheme is expected to have an initial maximum claim value of £10,000. This figure is provisional, based on other infrastructure projects, and will be subject to review by the steering group.

Further information regarding the HS2 Small Claims Scheme is available in HS2 Information Paper C10, which can be accessed via the following weblink:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/high-speed-rail-london-west-midlands-bill

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made any additional capital funding available to Highways England since the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Andrew Jones

My Department has not agreed any additional capital funding for Highways England for the spending review 2015, beyond that announced in the Autumn Statement 2015. The Autumn Statement confirmed the level of capital funding across the spending review period for Highways England as set out in the Road Investment Strategy, which triples investment in our strategic road network. SR15 also confirmed that Highways England will receive an additional £230m to deliver Operation Stack.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to protect alignments of disused rail lines on publicly-owned land from inappropriate development since May 2010; and whether his Department has established any successor arrangements to BRB (Residuary) Ltd’s former Property Review Group.

Claire Perry

There are various different ways of protecting land for future railway use but local authorities are usually best placed to identify such land. Guidance issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government, ‘Planning Policy Guidance 13: Transport’, states that when preparing development plans and considering planning applications, local authorities should “ … protect sites and routes which could be critical in developing infrastructure to widen transport choices for both passenger and freight movements.”

As part of the abolition of BRB Residuary Ltd in 2013, land identified for potential operational use was transferred to Network Rail.

Condition 7 of Network Rail’s operating licence requires the Office of Rail and Road (‘ORR’) to grant consent for any proposal to dispose of any land in Network Rail’s ownership. ORR has issued a general consent, allowing some forms of disposal to be implemented without prior notice. The process for seeking consent requires Network Rail to carry out a wide consultation covering the rail industry and other interested bodies, including the Department, local authorities, ports and airports etc. Further details of ORR’s land disposal policy may be found at http://orr.gov.uk/what-and-how-we-regulate/regulation-of-network-rail/network-licence/land-disposal-policy

The Department for Transport also has a role in protecting land for future rail use, for example through Safeguarding Directions for major schemes such as HS2 and Crossrail.