Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding to help improve transport infrastructure between Leicester and (a) London and (b) other cities in the Midlands.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Yes.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the Rail Delivery Group on the potential closure of ticket offices.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Together with industry we want to modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to more visible and accessible roles around the station. Department officials regularly engage with industry including Rail Delivery Group to understand their plans.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the potential closure of rail ticket offices on the safety of (a) women, (b) children, (c) disabled, blind and partially sighted people, (d) other potentially vulnerable groups and (e) other rail travellers.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
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; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. We would also expect operators to consider all equality related needs and make this clear in their consultation.
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, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.
The Department recently hosted roundtable discussions with industry and accessibility and transport groups to discuss this matter and ensure their views are understood. We continue to engage with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee through the process.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of rail ticketing offices closing on (a) women, (b) children, (c) people with disabilities and (d) other vulnerable groups.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
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; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. We would also expect operators to consider all equality related needs and make this clear in their consultation.
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, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.
The Department recently hosted roundtable discussions with industry and accessibility and transport groups to discuss this matter and ensure their views are understood. We continue to engage with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee through the process.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the Government's timescale is for decarbonising the Midland Main Line service, including Leicester, as pledged in the Integrated Rail Plan.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As stated in the Integrated Rail Plan, decarbonisation of the Midland Main Line service; through electrification of the full line to Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield; is currently planned for around 2030.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the funding dedicated to Leicester within the Integrated Rail Plan is reallocated funding from prior commitments or other departments.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Leicester will benefit from the £12.8 billion investment in the HS2 East Core Network which includes a new high-speed line from West Midlands to the East Midlands, Midland Main Line electrification, and upgrades to the East Coast Main Line. This investment is all newly committed funding, and none of it is reallocated from other departments.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of the total amount of funding dedicated to Leicester within the Integrated Rail Plan is new funding.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Leicester will benefit from the £12.8 billion investment in the HS2 East Core Network which includes a new high-speed line from West Midlands to the East Midlands, Midland Main Line electrification, and upgrades to the East Coast Main Line. This investment is all newly committed funding, and none of it is reallocated from other departments.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding is committed to Leicester within the Integrated Rail Plan.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Leicester will benefit from the £12.8 billion investment in the HS2 East Core Network which includes a new high-speed line from West Midlands to the East Midlands, Midland Main Line electrification, and upgrades to the East Coast Main Line. This investment is all newly committed funding, and none of it is reallocated from other departments.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the £10 billion investment in the Midlands within the Integrated Rail Plan is reallocated funding from other departments.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Leicester will benefit from the £12.8 billion investment in the HS2 East Core Network which includes a new high-speed line from West Midlands to the East Midlands, Midland Main Line electrification, and upgrades to the East Coast Main Line. This investment is all newly committed funding, and none of it is reallocated from other departments.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the £10 billion investment in the Midlands within the Integrated Rail Plan is reallocated funding from prior commitments.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Leicester will benefit from the £12.8 billion investment in the HS2 East Core Network which includes a new high-speed line from West Midlands to the East Midlands, Midland Main Line electrification, and upgrades to the East Coast Main Line. This investment is all newly committed funding, and none of it is reallocated from other departments.