Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 3 April 2025 on Local Government Best Value, HCWS576, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of Tees Valley Combined Authority's (a) management of and (b) accounting for the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement funding allocation between 2022-23 and 2026-27.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) play a key role in improving local networks across the country. Alongside significant capital investment, CRSTS provides revenue funding to help places manage delivery effectively. Tees Valley’s programme business case was assessed by Government, and the Department works closely with Mayoral Combined Authorities to monitor delivery progress and expenditure through an agreed governance framework. Any relevant findings from the Best Value process will be duly considered as appropriate.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 3 April 2025 on Local Government Best Value, HCWS576, what assessment her Department has made of the capacity of the Tees Valley Combined Authority to (a) manage and (b) account for the use of the Transport for City Regions funding allocation between 2027-28 and 2031-32.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor announced the £15.6 billion Transport for City Regions settlements on 4 June 2025. The settlements provide long-term funding certainty, including revenue funding, ensuring city regions have the resources they need to effectively manage programmes. The Department will also work closely with Mayoral Strategic Authorities on a governance framework to monitor delivery progress and expenditure. Any relevant findings from the Best Value process will be duly considered as appropriate.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what she has had recent discussions with her French counterpart on the potential impact of legislation on seafarer working conditions on ferry routes between the UK and France since 28 June 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 9 April, the Transport Secretary met with Philippe Tabarot, the French Minister for Transport, where they discussed our shared commitment to seafarer protections and ongoing cooperation.
Officials at the Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have been working closely with the French authorities to discuss opportunities for joint working and cooperation.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which ferry operators have signed up to the voluntary Seafarers Charter published by her Department on 18 July 2023; and what steps she is taking to improve (a) seafarer working conditions and (b) maritime safety.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A number of ferry operators have made commitments to comply with the voluntary Seafarers’ Charter and have provided evidence to the Department for Transport to support their compliance. Officials are assessing the evidence and working with operators to ensure that they meet the required standards.
Improving seafarer working conditions is a priority for the department. We have also introduced measures in the Employment Rights Bill to further strengthen workers’ rights at sea. We are delivering on our commitment to a mandatory Seafarers’ Charter by making compliance with regulations on pay, tours of duty, fatigue management and safety training, conditions of port entry. We are also ensuring that we have the necessary powers to uphold our international obligations by implementing amendments to international maritime conventions to which we have signed up, and we are closing the loophole which allowed P&O Ferries to avoid notifying the UK government of collective redundancies on foreign flagged vessels without prosecution.
Safety underpins all aspects of maritime activity and is a key Government priority. A Maritime Safety Action Plan was published in 2019 explaining what DfT, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), our General Lighthouse Authorities and others are doing to support the sector to deliver continuous improvement in performance.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether P&O Ferries has responded to the request for an equivalence declaration from the harbour authority in (a) Larne, (b) Cairnryan, (c) Teesport, (d) Hull, (e) Tilbury and (f) Dover under section 5 of the Seafarers’ Wages Regulations 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 and Seafarers’ Wages Regulations 2024 do not require harbour authorities to inform the Secretary of State of requests for declarations, or of responses to requests of declarations from operators.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Dover Harbour Board has requested an equivalence declaration from P&O Ferries under Section 5 of the Seafarers’ Wages Regulations 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 and Seafarers’ Wages Regulations 2024 do not require harbour authorities to inform the Secretary of State of requests for declarations, or of responses to requests of declarations from operators.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the names of the ferry service operators that have been required to make a declaration under the Seafarers’ Wages Regulations 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Seafarers' Wages Act and Regulations do not make provision for the publication of requests for declarations under the Act.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish which UK harbour authorities have requested declarations from ferry operators under the Seafarers’ Wages Regulations 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Seafarers' Wages Act and Regulations do not make provision for the publication of requests for declarations under the Act.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any harbour authority in the UK has issued a surcharge notification to a ferry operator under the Seafarers’ Wages Regulations 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We have not received any notifications from harbour authorities of surcharge notifications being issued. Given that operators have 3 months from the date of the request of an equivalence declaration to provide a declaration before a surcharge is imposed and the Act came into force on 1 December 2024, it is too early to expect any surcharge notifications to have been made.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) stations and (b) rolling stock units in service were mobility-scooter friendly on the rail network in each year since 2010.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This government is committed to making the railway more accessible. Since 2006, the Access for All Programme has upgraded more than 250 stations to deliver step free access across Great Britain. Details on the accessibility and facilities for each station can be found on the National Rail Enquires or individual train operating company websites.
All trains in service meet the relevant accessibility requirements and are built around accommodating wheelchair dimensions of 1200mm by 700mm but not mobility scooters.
Operators may offer a scooter card scheme which allows passengers to apply for a permit for the carriage of their scooter based on its dimensions and other relevant information reasonably requested by the operator. This flexibility is allowed by the ORR given the variety of mobility scooters, different types rolling stock that may call at an operator’s station (often for different operators’ services), as well as the potential infrastructure restrictions at stations. ORR require operators to publish clear information about what mobility scooters they do / don’t accept, and where and this information is available on operators’ websites.
Since 2010, over 8,800 new vehicles out of a fleet of over 15,200 vehicles have been ordered by train operators to replace vehicles that did not meet modern accessibility requirements.