Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Gower on 27 November (HL339), why the steel sidebars on the disability buggies at Euston station were replaced in the last two weeks; what was the cost of installing the original ones and replacing them with the new ones; and who was responsible for making the decision on both sets of bars.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Following an incident involving a passenger on one of the buggies at Euston Station, Network Rail undertook a safety investigation. One of the outputs from the investigation was to ensure safety bars were present on all buggies. Network Rail found that the design of the bars caused issues for some passengers getting on and off the buggies. Therefore, Network Rail replaced them with the newly designed safety bars which allows more of the bar to be pushed back into its housing, resulting in more space for passengers to get on and off.
The cost of installing the original bars and then replacing them with the new bars was £2617.20 excluding VAT. The decision for the bars to be replaced was made by the Route’s Head of Stations.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 27 September (HL10350), what text is included in Avanti's National Rail Contract on the provision of catering in first class.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The provision of First-Class Catering is included in the Continuing Ancillary Services Document which sets out services that are required to be carried over from the previous Franchise Agreement. Clause 4.5 of the National Rail Contract states that the operator shall continue to provide any Continuing Ancillary Service and not vary the terms or stop providing without the Secretary of State’s prior approval.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Network Rail regarding the medical advice they take on accessibility aids for disabled passengers, in particular the risks of the new steel sidebars installed on accessibility buggies at Euston station.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail undertakes risk assessments for all passenger facing facilities to help ensure wellbeing and safety. This includes the introduction of safety bars, which are present on the rear of all Network Rail passenger assistance buggies at Euston station and are designed to reduce the risk of riding passengers falling from the buggy.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to Avanti Trains about the number of train cancellations they announced following the extension of their franchise for a further three years in September.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Planned timetable reductions were agreed in accordance with the requirements set out in Avanti West Coast’s (AWC’s) contract. Temporary reductions are required to minimise the impact of unplanned, short-notice cancellations on passengers. Officials continue to meet Avanti’s senior management weekly, and we will continue to hold AWC responsible for matters within its control.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to Avanti Trains concerning implementation of the “one click” automatic delay repay system as operated by LNER.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not made any representations to Avanti Trains concerning implementation of the ‘one click’ automatic delay repay system as operated by LNER. Avanti West Coast has its own Delay Repay portal where passengers who were delayed by more than 15 minutes on an Avanti service can self-serve their claims provided this is within 28 days of the affected journey. Delayed passengers who booked advance tickets directly with Avanti and who registered for Delay Repay beforehand will automatically receive an email with details on how to claim.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been (1) killed, and (2) injured, in London by pedicabs in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
There is limited data relating to injuries caused by pedicabs in London owing to the lack of a licensing regime and limited enforcement activity. Pedicabs are the only form of unregulated public transport on London’s roads – this has led to Government being made aware of common occurrences of anti-social, unsafe and nuisance behaviour from certain pedicab operators and drivers.
Government has introduced the Pedicabs (London) Bill so that passengers, pedestrians and other road users can go about their lives safe in the knowledge pedicabs, their drivers and operators are properly licensed and accountable.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will raise with Network Rail the provision made for disabled passengers at Euston station and, in particular (1) the distance between the holding facility for disabled passengers and parking place for the buggies for passengers who are unable to walk, (2) removing the steel bars recently installed on either side of the rear seats of these buggies, (3) the availability of assistants with wheelchairs at the passenger drop off point to take disabled passengers to the holding facility, (4) repair of the phone at the disabled passenger drop-off point, and (5) direct access to Platform 1 for the disabled buggy.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Passenger Assistance lounge at Euston station, which is usually staffed with at least three assistants, is equipped with six wheelchairs to help passengers from the drop-off point at the taxi-rank to the lounge. Passengers who have pre-booked their assistance can be met at the drop-off point by staff with a wheelchair. If a passenger hasn’t pre-booked, they can contact the passenger assistance lounge using the help point at the taxi rank and be collected. The help point at the taxi-rank is fully operational.
The distance from the Passenger Assistance lounge to the parked buggies at Euston Station is around 15 metres. To help passengers from the lounge to the buggies, Network Rail can provide passengers with wheelchairs, or take them by the arm for support, depending on their needs. In some cases, when the station is quiet, staff can drive the buggy to the entrance of the Passenger Assistance lounge to make this journey shorter.
The buggies have barriers by the rear seats for the safety of riding passengers, reducing the risk of passengers falling.
For the safety of passengers, buggy drivers are instructed to take passengers under the concourse to services on platforms 1 and 2. This is to reduce the amount of congestion on the concourse where passengers are waiting, departing or arriving.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what contractual commitments Avanti gave them for the supply of food in its first-class rail service.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Following a temporary waiver during 2020/2021 due to COVID, Avanti West Coast resumed its contractual obligation from June 2021 to provide a complimentary catering service for First Class passengers which is available 7 days a week. This provision of First Class catering will continue in the National Rail Contract set to commence on 15 October 2023.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they next plan to issue statistics regarding the number of pedestrians killed and injured by users of e-bikes and e-scooters.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The next release of statistics covering the number of pedestrians killed and injured in collisions involving e-scooters is planned for the end of September 2023, covering the publishing year 2022.
There is no specific definition of an e-bike within the STATS19 data collection system, and therefore no reliable way of identifying these types of vehicles.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to hold with the police regarding the enforcement of section 148(c) of the Highways Act 1980 (the offence of depositing anything whatsoever on a highway) with specific regard to e-bikes and e-scooters.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Law enforcement is an operational matter for the police, it is for them to enforce the law and investigate incidents using their professional judgement.
The Government will continue to support the police to ensure they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation, including in relation to offences involving e-cycles and e-scooters.