The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has been informed on any occasion by the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise that an event of default has occurred or that such an event was likely to occur.
Claire Perry
We have not been informed by the operator on any occasion that an event of default has occurred or that such an event was likely to occur.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals related to the recommendations of the Law Commission’s report on level crossings, published in September 2013.
Paul Maynard
We welcome the Law Commission’s recommendations on the reform of level crossing legislation, the majority of which we accepted. We are considering opportunities to take measures we accepted forward through primary legislation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has spent on (a) temporary agency staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising in real terms in each year since 2010-11.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Department’s spend on temporary agency staff, consultancy and administration for the financial years from 2010/11 to 2014/15 is published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts and is included in the tables below.
(a) Temporary Agency Staff
|
Temporary Agency Staff (£m) |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
|
Department for Transport (central) |
6.87 |
4.10 |
6.85 |
12.80 |
15.77 |
|
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency |
3.70 |
1.00 |
3.13 |
1.22 |
0.98 |
|
Driving Standards Agency |
0.34 |
0.00 |
0.01 |
0.13 |
0.80 |
|
Highways Agency |
3.76 |
2.45 |
1.01 |
5.83 |
9.82 |
|
Maritime and Coastguard Agency |
0.48 |
0.17 |
0.14 |
0.57 |
1.07 |
|
Vehicle Certification Agency |
0.15 |
0.12 |
0.17 |
0.36 |
0.14 |
|
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency |
1.00 |
1.59 |
2.28 |
3.02 |
5.39 |
|
Department Total |
16.30 |
9.43 |
13.59 |
23.93 |
33.97 |
(b) Consultancy
|
Consultancy (£m) |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
|
Department for Transport (central) |
5.54 |
5.57 |
10.30 |
8.12 |
19.25 |
|
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency |
0.76 |
0.48 |
0.56 |
0.70 |
0.12 |
|
Driving Standards Agency |
0.10 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.04 |
0.31 |
|
Highways Agency |
3.87 |
0.30 |
0.19 |
0.27 |
0.00 |
|
Maritime and Coastguard Agency |
0.13 |
0.05 |
0.10 |
0.13 |
0.00 |
|
Vehicle Certification Agency |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.05 |
0.00 |
|
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency |
0.39 |
0.01 |
0.07 |
0.97 |
0.09 |
|
Department Total |
10.79 |
6.41 |
11.22 |
10.28 |
19.77 |
The figures for temporary staff and consultancy have been produced based on Cabinet Office definitions for these categories of expenditure. Consultancy is defined as work of an advisory nature designed to inform policy or to assist with strategic decisions and complex legal issues. Temporary Staff category includes expenditure where it is clear that specific individuals are being engaged to work on projects and ‘business as usual’ functions.
Please see (d) Administration for further information
(c) Non-payroll Staff
Most non-payroll expenditure is included as either Temporary Staff or Consultancy answered in parts (a) and (b) above, with the exception of:-
|
Non-Payroll Staff (£M) |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
|
Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) |
1.68 |
1.76 |
2.05 |
2.18 |
3.04 |
VCA figures include overseas contractors and locally employed staff. There was a large increase 2013/14 to 2014/15 as they took over a Turkish contract.
(d) Administration
Administration costs reflect the costs of running the Department, including staff, accommodation, IT costs, and operating lease rentals. The administration budget figures below are substantially lower than the 2009-10 figure of £297m.
|
Department for Transport Spend Category (£m) |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
|
Total Administration Budget |
276.26 |
216.74 |
242.93 |
240.08 |
271.38 |
To ensure that the Department was resourced to deliver its agenda, particularly around letting and managing rail franchise contracts following the Laidlaw and Brown reviews, HM Treasury agreed to switch £25m from DfT’s Programme to Administration budgets, increasing the Department’s 2014-15 Administration budget to £275m, plus £13m for depreciation.
The increases in (a) temporary staff and (b) consultancy spend was covered in this switch.
Notes:
1. Government Car & Despatch Agency disbanded during 2012/13 following which the work has been undertaken within the Department. The Administration therefore falls under Central Administration section from
2013/14 onwards.
2. General Lighthouse Authorities consolidated into the Department’s accounts for 2013/14 and beyond.
(e) Marketing and Advertising
Spend on marketing, including marketing related advertising, by the Department and its Executive Agencies for the financial years 2012/13 to 2014/15 is set out in the table below.
Marketing spend in 2014/15 is 83% less than the £48.4 million recorded for 2009/10.
|
Marketing related expenditure (£m) |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
|
Department for Transport (central) |
3.47 |
4.79 |
5.96 |
|
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency |
0.56 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency1 |
– |
– |
0.23 |
|
Driving Standards Agency1 |
0.04 |
0.03 |
– |
|
Government Car and Despatch Agency2 |
Nil |
– |
– |
|
Highways Agency |
0.46 |
0.43 |
1.91 |
|
Maritime and Coastguard Agency |
0.18 |
0.16 |
0.21 |
|
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency1 |
0.06 |
0.06 |
– |
|
Vehicle Certification Agency |
0.04 |
N/A |
0.05 |
|
Department Total |
4.80 |
5.47 |
8.36 |
Notes:
1. The Driving Standards Agency and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency became the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in April 2014.
2. The Government Car and Despatch Agency ceased on 30 September 2012.
Most of the additional spend in 2014/15 compared to the previous year is attributable to the THINK! Drug Drive campaign in March 2015 supporting the implementation of new enforcement regulations and the Highways Agency public information campaign on the implementation of new traffic management and payment methods at the Dartford Crossing.
Figures for 2010/11 and 2011/12 were not prepared and could be compiled now only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20054, what funding was allocated to the Winter Weather Repair Fund in 2014-15.
Andrew Jones
In 2014/15, the Government provided £950 million to local highway authorities for highways maintenance, including £168 million to specifically tackle potholes across the country.
In March 2014, the Government provided an additional £183.5 million to help repair local highway infrastructure damaged by the winter floods of 2013/14. This funding was spent by local highway authorities in 2014/15.
Overall, between 2010 to 2015, local highways maintenance funding was 27% or £1billion higher than under the previous Labour administration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s statistical table BUS0840, on discretionary concessionary travel enhancements, which Travel Concessionary Authorities that reported that they funded enhancements in 2010-11 did not report funding those enhancements in 2015-16 in the category of (a) companions to disabled people, (b) young people, (c) extensions to travel times pre 0930, (d) extensions beyond 2300 during weekdays and (e) national rail services within geographic area.
Andrew Jones
The Department’s statistical table BUS0841 shows each Travel Concession Authority (TCA) and which discretionary enhancements they offer. The figures for 2015/16 are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/463748/bus0841.xls
The equivalent data for 2010/11 can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/concessionary-travel-statistics-england-2011-12-and-2012-13
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many camera sites that contain speed cameras there are on (a) the Strategic Roads Network, and (b) the trunk road network in England.
Andrew Jones
The number of permanent sites that contain speed cameras on the strategic road network is 206. Of these, 76 camera sites are on the motorway network and 130 camera sites are on all-purpose trunk roads.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to performance indicators for helping cyclists, walkers and other vulnerable users of the network in the Highways England operational metrics manual, whether any additional resource funding has been allocated under the Road Investment Strategy to reduce vulnerable user casualties.
Andrew Jones
Highways England has committed to provide a safer, integrated and more accessible strategic road network for cyclists, walkers and other vulnerable road users. Through the first Road Investment Strategy for Highways England, a ring-fenced allocation of £175 million has been made available between 2015 and 2020 to improve the safety of the Strategic Road Network and improve conditions for cyclists and other vulnerable road users.
The Highways England current delivery plan states that £78 million will be used to improve conditions for those cycling alongside and crossing the Strategic Road Network. The remaining £97 million will be used to enhance the safety of our network, with £20 million of this specifically targeted at improving facilities to provide a more accessible and integrated network.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress Highways England has made on introducing Regional Road Safety Co-ordinators; and whether Highways England’s Regional Incident and Casualty Reduction Plans will include targets for casualty reductions.
Andrew Jones
Regional Safety Coordinators have now been appointed by Highways England. The first appointment was made in January 2016 and the final appointment was made this month.
The killed and seriously injured reduction target, which is within the Roads Investment Strategy, is a 40% reduction by 2020 (against 2005 to 2009 average baseline). Highways England’s Regional Incident and Casualty Reduction Plans which will provide the disaggregated targets per region will be published in April 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department’s South East Flexible Ticketing programme’s Strategic Business Case was completed; and if he will place a copy of that document in the Library.
Claire Perry
The South East Flexible Ticketing Programme’s Strategic Business Case was approved by the Rail Investment Board on 24th June 2014 and subsequently confirmed by Her Majesty’s Treasury on 22nd July that same year. The release of this document into the public domain could prejudice current policy making so it will not be placed into the Library at this stage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 67 of Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd’s Regulatory Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2015, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of Network Rail’s reduction in insurance cover on that company’s finances.
Claire Perry
My Department has not made an assessment of the effect of this decision. It is for Network Rail to ensure the right approach to its insurance cover to provide value for money, in line with Managing Public Money guidance.