Tag: Lilian Greenwood

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects Network Rail’s review of the delivery programme of the Great Western Main Line electrification to be completed.

Claire Perry

Network Rail’s review of the delivery programme of the Great Western Main Line electrification has been completed as part of the Hendy review and details will be included in the Enhancement Delivery Plan update to be published in early 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Highways England capital programme schemes are behind schedule.

Andrew Jones

Progress is being made on all the major schemes listed in Highways England’s Delivery Plan and it is on track by the end of March 2016 to have started construction on 5 schemes and opened 5 schemes – all scheduled to start or open in 2015/16. Naturally, within this significant £15 billion investment programme of 112 schemes within the current road period, a small minority of schemes may occasionally experience variations in timescale or in the precise form of the solution.

In particular there are two schemes where the schedule has been revised.

For A63 Castle Street progress of the main scheme has been delayed in order to investigate more fully the environmental impacts caused by the scheme and how these can be best mitigated. However, the construction of Princes Quay footbridge is on track to begin in April. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has also kept the Rt Hon Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle (Alan Johnson MP), in whose constituency this scheme is, regularly appraised of the relevant issues.

After considering responses to the recent public consultation for the M54 / M6 / M6 Toll, an announcement of the preferred route has been delayed in order to allow a reappraisal of the options.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 14462, what the benefit: cost ratio was of the Great Western Main Line electrification programme on the latest date for which figures are available.

Claire Perry

Network Rail is continuing to refine its work schedule for delivering the Great Western Route Modernisation programme and the Hendy Report is currently the subject of a consultation with stakeholders. A revised benefit-cost ratio for the programme will be produced after the conclusion of these important strands of work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s press release of 18 August 2015, entitled Earnings outstrip rail fare increases for the first time in a decade, what the statistical evidential basis is for the statement that increasing regulated rail fares by the retail price index between 2016 and 2020 will save season-ticket holders around £425 each.

Claire Perry

Data on all annual season ticket issues and the revenue associated with them was used to create an implied average annual season ticket fare. This was then uprated under both the RPI+0 policy, and the Department’s previous assumption about future policy (RPI+1), using the OBR’s assumptions of future RPI increases. The difference between the two was then summed to reach an average saving of £425 over the period.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost to Network Rail was of acquiring the ownership of freight sites under Project Mountfield; and what overall revenue received by Network Rail from those sites in 2014-15.

Claire Perry

This was a commercial matter for Network Rail. I understand that the total cost to Network Rail of acquiring the ownership of freight sites under Project Mountfield was £220 million.

The overall revenue figure for 2014/15 was £5.2 million which represents a 5 month period – November to March – given the transfer of sites occurred in October 2014.

Network Rail is forecasting this to grow to £16 million per annum by 2017 alongside realising significant operational efficiencies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what bonus payments Highways England (a) staff and (b) Board members are entitled to receive.

Andrew Jones

Highways England renumeration scheme allows for performance related pay, as was the case with the Highways Agency. There is no automatic entitlement. Entitlement to a payment under this plan for staff (including Board members) is subject to corporate performance against pre-determined targets, aligned to the delivery of the Roads Investment Strategy, and individual performance. Performance related pay could be up to 20% of base salary, but this would only be in the case of outstanding performance by both the individual and Highways England.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has issued guidance to public bodies on the sale of land containing disused rail lines.

Claire Perry

No such guidance has been issued.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13923, what recent progress his Department has made on issuing a public consultation on reforming the law on level crossings.

Claire Perry

The Department is continuing to develop its response to the Law Commission’s recommendations on the reform of level crossing legislation in conjunction with stakeholders.

We expect to finalise our deliberations shortly with a view to consultation on preferred options later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2016 to Question 30100, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of preparing and publishing the Shaw Report: Final Report and Recommendations, published on 16 March 2016.

Claire Perry

The Department’s estimated incremental cost of preparing and publishing the Shaw Report is £875,919.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many apprentices were employed by (a) Network Rail, (b) Highways England or the Highways Agency and (c) HS2 Ltd on 15 March in each year from 2010 to 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The numbers of apprentices employed directly by Network Rail, Highways England or the Highways Agency, and HS2 Ltd. over the requested time period are set out below.

Year	Network Rail	HS2 Ltd.*	Highways England / Highways Agency
2010	655	0
2011	650	0
2012	607	0
2013	610	0	24
2014	592	4	43
2015	606	1	71
2016	398**	0	52

* For HS2 Ltd, the majority of employment and apprenticeship opportunities will be provided through the supply chain. Construction is due to begin in 2017, following Royal Assent.

**plus a further 150 to start in September 2016 at level 3, and upwards of 100+ across other levels 2 to 7

Looking forward over this Parliament to 2020, the Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy (January 2016) sets out our ambition to create 30,000 apprenticeships in the roads and rail sectors by 2020, in support of this government’s unprecedented investment in transport infrastructure.

This target includes the Department for Transport, its Agencies and infrastructure client bodies – Crossrail, Transport for London, Highways England Network Rail and HS2 Ltd, as well as each of their supply chains. Depending on the contract, suppliers will either create one apprenticeship for every £3 to £5m of taxpayers’ money spent, or increase the number of apprentices employed each year through the lifetime of the contract. In these cases the aim is that the number of apprenticeships created each year will equal 2.5% of the workforce.