Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the rights of disabled travellers are being met by transport companies; and what penalties are in place for transport providers who do not meet their obligations to disabled travellers.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department works with representative organisations and regulators to ensure the rights of disabled people are understood and observed, with regulators generally responsible for enforcement, rather than the Department directly.
Transport providers which fail to meet legal standards face a range of sanctions. These vary from fines of up to £1,000 for taxi and private hire drivers convicted of refusing a disabled person carriage, to licence restrictions or revocations for bus and coach operators found to have breached accessibility requirements.
Maritime operators, and individuals with responsibility for the operation for the vessel, face a range of sanctions depending on the severity of the legislative breach. This includes cautions, improvement notices, and notifications of concern. For the most serious breaches, criminal proceedings may be enacted, which may result in unlimited fines. For airports and airlines, enforcement options may include improvement plans, formal undertakings and ultimately court action if they fail to meet satisfactory standards.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the affordability of Northern Trains rail fares of the operator’s decision to withdraw Advance Purchase on Departure rail fares from sale at ticket offices.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The removal of Advance Purchase Tickets on the Day from ticket offices is a decision for the operator.
Advance tickets are still available for purchase until the day before travel from ticket offices but are no longer available as Advance Purchase on the Day products. Advance Purchase on the Day products are still available through Ticket Vending Machines and digital channels.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if an impact assessment has been undertaken of the decision by Northern Trains to withdraw Advance Purchase on Departure rail fares from sale at ticket offices.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The removal of Advance Purchase Tickets on the Day from ticket offices is a decision for the operator.
Advance tickets are still available for purchase until the day before travel from ticket offices but are no longer available as Advance Purchase on the Day products. Advance Purchase on the Day products are still available through Ticket Vending Machines and digital channels.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department was required to authorise the decision by Northern Trains to withdraw Advance Purchase on Departure rail fares from sale at ticket offices.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The removal of Advance Purchase Tickets on the Day from ticket offices is a decision for the operator.
Advance tickets are still available for purchase until the day before travel from ticket offices but are no longer available as Advance Purchase on the Day products. Advance Purchase on the Day products are still available through Ticket Vending Machines and digital channels.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department spent on active travel in 2021-22.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department spent approximately £300m of dedicated active travel funding in 2021-22, with the bulk of this going to local authorities.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department plans to spend on active travel in the period between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The total projected spend on active travel from multiple cross-Government funding streams between 2021-22 and 2024-25 is outlined in the Second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2), published on 6 July 2022. This estimate is due to updated in the next CWIS Report to Parliament, expected to be published in 2024.
The period 2020-21 was part of the CWIS1 funding period which covered the period between 2016-17 and 2020-21. The total estimated investment in active travel during this period was over £3bn, as outlined in the Second CWIS Report to Parliament which was also published on 6 July 2022.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his Department's policy to reopen the railway to Fleetwood.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Development work is ongoing for the Fleetwood project and is currently being undertaken by Network Rail to explore potential service, mode and station options, in addition to assessing the strategic and economic viability of the scheme.
As with all proposed infrastructure projects, the scheme will undergo a series of investment decisions before full delivery. A decision on Fleetwood’s next funding approval point is expected next year.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in Avanti West Coast services on the economies of Lancaster and Fleetwood.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The Department recognises the importance of a high performing railway in contributing to growth and local economies. While Avanti West Coast has temporarily reduced services on some routes due to a shortage of drivers, the service pattern for Lancaster is unchanged. Ahead of December’s significant increase to the timetable on other routes, Avanti West Coast continues to train more drivers with nearly 100 entering service this year. This will improve resilience for services between Lancaster and London.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve rail services between Lancaster and London.
Answered by Kevin Foster
While Avanti West Coast has temporarily reduced services on some routes due to a shortage of drivers, the direct Lancaster to London service pattern is unchanged. Ahead of December’s significant increase to the timetable on other routes, Avanti West Coast continues to train more drivers with nearly 100 entering service this year. This will improve resilience for services between Lancaster and London.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on reconnecting Fleetwood to the railway network.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Lancashire County Council has completed a Feasibility Study for the Fleetwood to Poulton scheme. We are reviewing the recommendations of the Study and expect to confirm next steps for the scheme following the conclusion of the Spending Review.