Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to tackle the practice of stop-skipping on the Great Northern line at Arlesey.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Omitting scheduled station stops (‘skip-stopping’) is used in exceptional circumstances where there is disruption to restore the service to schedule for the peaks as quickly as possible.
We expect the operator to make the correct operational decisions which balance the needs of passengers who are inconvenienced by taking stops out of service against the wider advantage to passengers of getting services back on schedule as soon as possible. Operators are expected to communicate this to passengers in good time where possible, and to provide affected passengers with advice on the alternative options to complete their journey.
Officials meet regularly with GTR to discuss performance and the operator has confirmed that it tries to protect stations like Arlesey where there are no alternative modes of transport. Where trains do miss these stations GTR has a procedure to try and ensure that the next fast service does call there.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many refunds of vehicle excise duty have been awarded in each financial year since 2014.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The following table sets out the volume of refunds of vehicle excise duty issued in each financial year since 2014.
2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17* |
4,439,033 | 5,477,955 | 2,234,931 |
*Figures for 2016/17 are April to August
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many refunds of vehicle excise duty were awarded (a) less than four weeks,(b) between four and six weeks and (c) more than six weeks after the original claim being made.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not hold information in this way.
Since 1 October 2014, vehicle excise duty (VED) automatically ends when the DVLA receives notification that a vehicle has been sold to a new keeper or the motor trade. VED also ends when DVLA is notified that a Statutory Off Road Notification has been made or a vehicle has been stolen, exported or scrapped. When the DVLA record is updated with one of these qualifying events, a refund is usually generated automatically to the registered keeper. This can take longer in a small number of cases where further enquiries by the DVLA are necessary or the vehicle keeper is asked to provide additional information.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints have been made to the DVLA about vehicle excise duty refunds in each month since October 2014.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Between October 2014 and August 2016, the DVLA has issued over 10.7 million vehicle excise duty refunds. The following table sets out the number of complaints about refunds received each month by the DVLA since October 2014.
October 2014 | 31 |
November 2014 | 45 |
December 2014 | 51 |
January 2015 | 114 |
February 2015 | 102 |
March 2015 | 74 |
April 2015 | 58 |
May 2015 | 64 |
June 2015 | 79 |
July 2015 | 95 |
August 2015 | 107 |
September 2015 | 110 |
October 2015 | 88 |
November 2015 | 67 |
December 2015 | 43 |
January 2016 | 50 |
February 2016 | 59 |
March 2016 | 53 |
April 2016 | 60 |
May 2016 | 32 |
June 2016 | 39 |
July 2016 | 35 |
August 2016 | 34 |
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will visit the Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire to make an assessment of the extent of the improvement works being carried out and the effect of those works on neighbouring businesses.
Answered by John Hayes
I would be delighted to visit again the Black Cat roundabout.
Work on this important Pinch Point Scheme is now nearing completion and the impact that the work has had on neighbouring businesses will soon end.
I am keen to ensure that the impact of all construction work on local businesses is minimised wherever possible, as is the Highways Agency. I am aware that the close proximity of these particular works to neighbouring businesses has been the cause of some frustration, however, I am also aware of the efforts made by the Highways Agency to listen to local concerns and to address them during the construction phase where it has been possible to do so.
Once completed, the improvements made at the Black Cat Roundabout will benefit not only its near neighbours but the local and wider economies through safer and less congested journeys.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the expected (a) start date and (b) end date is of the recently announced improvement to the Black Cat roundabout.
Answered by John Hayes
The A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme is likely to enter construction towards the end of the first Road Period.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what route options have been considered for the new railway between Bedford and Cambridge.
Answered by Claire Perry
Twenty route corridors have been identified, each of which could potentially provide a route between the existing Oxford - Bedford railway and Cambridge. The East West Rail Consortium of local authorities and Network Rail have evaluated these against agreed criteria and reduced them to seven corridors for further evaluation.