Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the money refunded to privately franchised train operators or open access operators within the last two months under Schedule 4 or Schedule 8 arrangements in Track Access Agreements come from public funds.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Schedule 4 and 8 payments are made by Network Rail and therefore always come from public funds.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether their franchise agreement with Great Western Railway allows for the running of suburban multiple units on their inter-city services.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Great Western Railway is expected to best match available capacity to available demand. Whilst nearly all inter-city services are operated using Intercity Express Trains, several services between London and Cardiff are operated using alternative 110mph capable rolling stock to retain traincrew route and traction knowledge. This retains the ability to use said alternative rolling stock during special events in Cardiff when passenger demand necessitates increased capacity which cannot be accommodated using only Intercity Express Trains.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the money that has been refunded to passengers under the Delay Repay scheme during the last two months has come from services under public ownership.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government does not currently hold data on the compensation that has been paid to passengers in the last two months, as data on the compensation paid by train operating companies is collected annually, at the end of each financial year.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to announce their policy on buses to ensure that the Traffic Commissioners have sufficient notice before timetable changes need to be made.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this session. This will put the power over bus services in the hands of local leaders across England, ensuring networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill will increase powers available to local leaders to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, high-quality partnerships with private operators or local authority ownership. The government will ensure that stakeholders, including the Traffic Commissioners, are properly engaged on the proposals during the Bill's development.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many police officers responsible for roads or traffic actively monitor driving standards on the roads, and how this compares to 10 years ago.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not collect information on the number of police officers actively monitoring road and traffic driving standards.

The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the primary function of police officers, as at 31 March each year, in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.

Data on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in road policing functions, which includes “traffic units”, “traffic wardens”, “vehicle recovery”, “casualty reduction partnership” and “road policing command team and support overheads” have been collected since March 2015, and can be found in Table F1 of the data tables accompanying each publication. The Home Office do not hold directly comparable data on the number of police officers employed in road policing roles for years prior to 2015.

Table 1 shows the number of FTE police officers employed in road policing roles in England and Wales between 31 March 2015 and 31 March 2024. As at 31 March 2024, there were 4,215 FTE police officers employed in road policing roles, a decrease of 19.5% (1,022 FTE) compared to March 2015 when there were 5,237 FTE police officers employed in road policing roles. The proportion of police officers in road policing roles has also been declining since 2015.

Table 1: Number and proportion of FTE police officers employed in road policing roles, as at 31 March 2015 to 2024, England and Wales

The proportions have been calculated excluding police officers recorded under the ‘Other’ function category, ‘National Policing’ functions or where the function was not known. The ‘Other’ category includes police officers on maternity/paternity leave, career break, full-time education or on suspension; and those on long-term leave (sickness, compassionate special or unpaid).

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have given permission to Thames Water to commence work on the proposed reservoir near Abingdon.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Secretary of State has allowed Thames Water to finalise its Water Resources Management Plan, which includes the Abingdon Reservoir (South East Strategic Reservoir Option) proposal. The South East Strategic Reservoir Option meets the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project criteria and would need development consent, under the Planning Act 2008, as well as relevant environmental permits before it can be constructed.

Development consent decisions are subject to public examination undertaken by an independent Planning Inspector and require approval by the Secretary of State. An Environmental Impact Assessment will be required, showing the potential impacts and how they will be mitigated to inform the decisions.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they assess that Thames Water is making the necessary investments in sewage treatment facilities to clean up the River Thames.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

At Draft Determination, Ofwat propose to allow Thames Water to undertake a significant investment programme to improve the environment over the 2025-30 period worth £1.9 billion. This includes £1.1 billion to reduce nutrient pollution and £517 million to reduce the use of storm overflows, including around the Thames and its tributaries. Ofwat is considering Thames Water’s response to DDs and will make Final Determinations later this year.

Sewage infrastructure upgrades are the responsibility of the water company. As part of the Environment Act 2021, a new duty has been created for water companies in England to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs).

These plans will help sewerage companies to fully assess the capacity of the drainage and wastewater network and develop collaborative solutions to current problems and future issues. The plans will bring together various stakeholders including local authorities and industry regulators.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether Hitachi is delivering its contracted number of trains to (1) Great Western Railway, and (2) London North Eastern Railway.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Hitachi works closely with the train operators to deliver the required number of trains for service to Great Western Railway and London North-eastern Railway. Where Hitachi is responsible for any shortfall, contractual mechanisms are in place so that the operator only pays for the trains it receives each morning.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the reduction in passenger journeys on Southeastern trains between 2019 and 2024,  whether action is being taken to match resources to demand and reduce the subsidy required from the taxpayer.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department requires its operators, including Southeastern, to match resources to passenger demand and carefully balance cost, capacity and performance in order to maximise value for money for the taxpayer.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are aware of any legal challenges or academic research regarding the Office of Road and Rail’s use of the 'not primarily abstractive' test when considering open access applications.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department is not aware of any legal challenges or academic research regarding the Office of Road and Rail’s use of the 'not primarily abstractive' test when considering open access applications.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with East Midlands Railway regarding the restoration of regular train services between Lincoln and Newark Northgate following their withdrawal in the emergency timetable introduced in June 2021, resulting in gaps in services between Lincoln and London via Newark Northgate.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Officials and East Midlands Railway are having conversations regarding the restoration of train services between Lincoln and Newark Northgate. Reinstatement is dependent upon the implementation of the East Coast Main Line timetable recast and successful conclusion of the relevant industry and departmental processes.

Found: Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill 10 BARONESS RANDERSON LORD BRADSHAW 38_ Clause