Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch will publish its interim report in relation to its investigation on the fatal injury to a crew member on a Malta-registered RoRo cargo vessel while loading freight vehicles in Purfleet on 13 July 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The accident on the Laureline happened on 13/07/2024. The Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is required to make every effort to publish a full report as soon as possible and in any case within 12 months of the accident. If this is not possible then an interim report is issued at the 12 month point. MAIB does not generally issue interim reports outside of this timeframe.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will hold discussions with the Port of London Authority on its compliance with section three of the Ports Good Governance Guidance, published in March 2018, in the context of its practice of charging for river works licenses for balconies that overhang the River Thames.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department regularly engages with the Port of London Authority on a number of topics, including the PLAs approach to overhanging balconies on the river.
As there is going to be a public inquiry around the PLA Harbour Revision Order, where the topic of River Work licenses is likely to be raised it would be premature to take any substantive action, should that be appropriate, until the inquiry has concluded.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has been of the potential impact of closing train station ticket offices in Poplar and Limehouse constituency on the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of passenger rail travel in London region.
Answered by Richard Holden - Opposition Whip (Commons)
Under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, when proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours (including closures) operators are required, amongst other things, to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of passengers. We would also expect operators to consider equality related needs of passengers and make this clear in the notice sent to other operators and passenger groups.
Together with industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes. Train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the c2c contactless ticketing trial on (a) the number and (b) opening hours of ticket offices.
Answered by Huw Merriman
When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of all passengers. This includes ensuring that passengers can easily buy the right ticket for the journey they want to make, with consideration of the product range available at the station and what support is available to help with purchase.
Contactless payment is an additional way for passengers to pay for their travel. The Government has announced that an additional 53 stations across the south east will have contactless ticketing by the end of the year, including 15 c2c stations.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 9 March 2022 to Question 134387 on Southeastern Trains: Directors, how many (a) managers and (b) members of the board of OLR DfT Holding Ltd are entitled to (i) free rail travel and (ii) access rail staff travel facilities.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The renumeration packages between the organisation and Board members or Directors are a matter for the individual companies. They are all independent third parties.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 9 March 2022 to Question 134387 on Southeastern Trains: Directors, how many (a) managers and (b) members of the board of Transpennine Express are entitled to (i) free rail travel and (ii) access rail staff travel facilities.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The renumeration packages between the organisation and Board members or Directors are a matter for the individual companies. They are all independent third parties.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 9 March 2022 to Question 134387 on Southeastern Trains: Directors, how many (a) managers and (b) members of the board of Northern Trains Ltd are entitled to (i) free rail travel and (ii) access rail staff travel facilities.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The renumeration packages between the organisation and Board members or Directors are a matter for the individual companies. They are all independent third parties.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 9 March 2022 to Question 134387 on Southeastern Trains: Directors, how many (a) managers and (b) members of the board of LNER are entitled to (i) free rail travel and (ii) access rail staff travel facilities.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The renumeration packages between the organisation and Board members or Directors are a matter for the individual companies. They are all independent third parties.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any (a) products, (b) fares and (c) services available at c2c stations will not be available as a result of the contactless ticketing trial.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Contactless Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) allows passengers ‘tap in’ and ‘tap out’ using a contactless bank card and smart media device, removing the need to queue for a ticket or top-up a smart card before travelling. PAYG will be an additional way for passengers to pay for their travel, with smart card and paper tickets remaining available. We are making changes to simplify fares to ensure PAYG works for passengers and will announce further details in due course.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the trial of contactless ticketing at c2c to begin; and what the planned duration of that trial is.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Secretary of State confirmed in February 2023 that we would extend contactless Pay-As-You-Go ticketing to 53 additional stations by the end of the year. This includes Chiltern, London Northwestern, and C2C services.