Tag: Lord Bradshaw

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-10-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what powers are available to highway authorities to enforce traffic management law; how many highway authorities have decided to use any powers available to them, and which highway authorities have chosen not to do so.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Highway authorities have a wide range of powers that they can use to deal with particular traffic management issues. A number of enforcement authorities are involved as well and, depending on the issue, includes local authorities themselves, Transport for London, Highways England and the Police. The Government does not keep central records of which enforcement authorities operate which regimes and to collate that information would not be possible except at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect that the review of level crossing legislation will result in a legislative proposal being put before Parliament.

Baroness Kramer

We want to bring forward legislation as soon as possible.

However, whilst we have accepted the majority of the recommendations made by the Law Commission, our response to its report noted that there were a number of areas where we believed that further consideration with stakeholders, including the Scottish and Welsh Governments, was necessary before reaching a conclusion.

The Department for Transport has produced a Level Crossing Reform Action Plan which explains how this work will be taken forward including an indicative timetable for bringing forward legislative proposals during 2016. Initial discussions with stakeholders are already underway.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the infrastructure of the East Coast Main Line has sufficient capacity to enable the Virgin/Stagecoach consortium to deliver both faster and more frequent trains under the InterCity East Coast franchise.

Baroness Kramer

The enhanced infrastructure, provided by Government’s Rail Investment Strategy for Control Period 5 (2014-2019) and as part of the Intercity Express Programme (IEP), and new trains, provided by IEP, will allow Virgin Trains East Coast to deliver improvements to the East Coast train service. In addition to this any decision on the allocation of further capacity made available by these enhancements will be taken by the Office of Rail Regulation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the impact on the taxpayer of the payment of the lower variable track access charge for the 17 per cent of long-distance train paths into and out of King’s Cross allocated to open access operators; and how much additional income would be generated for Network Rail if those operators paid the same level of access charge as franchised operators.

Baroness Kramer

The purpose of the charging regime for Control Period 5 (2014- 2019) is to be as cost reflective as possible, recognising that access charges must be set at a level which the market segment in question can bear. The Office of Rail Regulation as the independent regulator set out their proposals for access charges in their Final Determination following extensive consultation with industry stakeholders. It is not for the Department to determine how Open Access Operators should be charged for access to the network.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, in the light of the demand for track access exceeding the availability of train paths on the East Coast Main Line, open access operators are paying discounted variable track access charges.

Baroness Kramer

Existing Open Access Operators are charged the same Variable Track Access charges as franchised operators with the exception of the Capacity Charge. This is because implementing the full Control Period 5 (CP5) rates would equate to a real term average increase of 450% in the Capacity Charge from which Open Access Operators have no protection. In light of the Office of Rail Regulation’s statutory duties to promote the use of the railway network, protect the interests of users of railway services and to promote competition in the provision of railway services, they deemed it appropriate to hold Capacity Charge at CP4 rates for both existing services and any new entrant Open Access Operator in line with European law and their statutory duties. Any additional services introduced by existing Open Access Operators will be charged at CP5 rates.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to define national standards for the creation of Low Emission Zones so that in future most vehicles are able to enter such zones.

Baroness Kramer

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) are one of a number of measures that can help improve air quality, particularly in urban areas. Introducing LEZs is a decision for local authorities. Government has already provided guidance to local authorities on the design of LEZs, such as which vehicles should be covered and what emissions standards they should meet. The Department for Environment and Rural Affairs is currently working with a small number of local authorities who are examining the value of introducing such schemes.

Government is revising its air quality plans in relation to compliance with EU air quality standards. As part of this we are reviewing all feasible measures including the role of a national framework for LEZs. We will be consulting on revised air quality plans later in the year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 9 February (HL4678), whether the rise in suicides on the railway has been analysed by area, age group, sex and ethnicity of those who died.

Baroness Kramer

Details of suicides by area (route), age group and sex are recorded by the rail industry but not ethnicity.

The relevant information is held by RSSB (formerly the Rail Safety & Standards Board) and is analysed to provide evidence to support the development and implementation of the industry’s suicide reduction programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 10 February (HL4677), in the light of the change in franchisee and the expectation of more changes, what steps they are taking to ensure that there are sufficient luggage space and catering facilities for the anticipated use of those trains.

Baroness Kramer

The interior of the Intercity Express Programme is designed flexibly so that it can be adapted to meet different traffic conditions in the future. Operators have been fully engaged in this process. We continue to work very closely with them on the train, including catering provision.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether road safety targets are at present set for local authorities; and, if not, whether they have considered reinstating them.

Baroness Kramer

The Government has not set road safety targets for local authorities, and is not considering reinstating them. However, local authorities are free to set their own targets if they find this useful.

The fact that the Government has not set a target does not mean that it does not consider road safety to be a high priority. The strategic framework includes forecasts of the casualty numbers that we might expect to see through to 2030 from the measures implemented by Government, and the actions of local authorities.

While we believe that previous road safety targets have been useful we do not consider that over-arching national targets are necessary for road safety in Great Britain. This is because we do not believe that further persuasion is needed on the importance of road safety. We expect central and local government to continue to prioritise road safety and continue to seek improvements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-02-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the voting protocol for their proposed stakeholder working group on off-road recreational motor vehicles; and what is the proposed timetable for the group to report its findings to ministers and for the ensuing public consultation.

Lord De Mauley

The proposed stakeholder working group on off-road recreational motor vehicles will not need to establish a voting protocol as it will deliver a report stating, if necessary, where there are differences of opinion, or where there is no consensus. It will then be for Ministers to decide what proposals in the report to take forward.

We will set a target timeframe of 18 months for the group to report to Ministers and a public consultation will follow afterwards.