Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains scheduled to stop at (a) Garswood station, (b) Newton-le-Willows station and (c) Earlestown station have been cancelled as part of Northern’s recently imposed emergency timetable; and which of those cancelled services were replaced with a rail replacement bus service.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Services at Earlestown and Newton-le-Willows are currently running an amended timetable due to planned engineering works. There are no cancellations directly attributed to the 4th June emergency timetable.
Garswood still has a twice per hour service in each direction but there is a rail replacement bus service from Huyton currently, due to planned engineering works into Liverpool.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains scheduled to stop at Rainford station have been cancelled as part of Northern’s recently imposed emergency timetable; which of those cancelled services were replaced with a rail replacement bus service; and whether it is his Department’s policy that a rail replacement bus service should charge the same fare as the service it is replacing.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The 4th June emergency timetable has reduced Rainford’s Mon-Sat train numbers from 18 in each direction to 15.
How many cancelled services have been replaced by a bus is an operational matter for Northern.
It is established practice in the rail industry that the same fares are charged when rail replacement bus services are in use.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) employment and (b) economic benefits of transport infrastructure improvements to Junction 23 of the M6 Motorway.
Answered by Jesse Norman
£4.1m was invested to improve this junction in 2015, and the M6 through it will be upgraded at this point to smart motorway standard under the current road investment strategy. Highways England’s London to Scotland West route strategy identified this junction as a “potential future pinch point where congestion could inhibit future economic growth” and Highways England will revisit this assessment when it next reviews its route strategies.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the proportion of trains from (a) Earlestown, (bi) Newton-le-willows and (c) Garswood which were (i) delayed and (ii) cancelled in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Northern franchise is due for renewal on 1st April 2025.
The Wales & Borders franchise is due for renewal on 14th October 2018. The procurement of a new operator for the franchise is being led by the Welsh Government.
The department does not hold this information, as it is not the custodian of detailed performance data for the industry, and we do not require that level of detail on a day-to-day basis to manage the franchise performance regimes.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the (a) Welsh Government and (b) Mayor of Liverpool City Region on the Arriva Trains Wales service from Holyhead and Llandudno to Manchester stations.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
There have been no specific recent discussions with either the Welsh Government or the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region regarding the Arriva Train Wales service from Holyhead and Llandudno to Manchester stations. Discussions did take place last year between the Department and the Welsh Government on the specification of the future services on these routes in the next franchise in respect of their operation within England.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the franchises of those train companies which operate services through (a) Earlestown, (b) Newton-le-willows and (c) Garswood are due for renewal.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Northern franchise is due for renewal on 1st April 2025.
The Wales & Borders franchise is due for renewal on 14th October 2018. The procurement of a new operator for the franchise is being led by the Welsh Government.
The department does not hold this information, as it is not the custodian of detailed performance data for the industry, and we do not require that level of detail on a day-to-day basis to manage the franchise performance regimes.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average amount paid for (a) advance single and (b) advance return journeys between (i) London and Liverpool (ii) London and Manchester (iii) London and Warrington was in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
This information is held by Train Operating Companies who offer Advance fares between these stations: Virgin Trains West Coast between London and Liverpool, Manchester and Warrington; West Midlands Trains between London and Liverpool; and East Midlands Trains between London and Manchester.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the Pothole Action Fund will be allocated to St Helens Council.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is providing local highway authorities in England outside London with £296 million between 2016 and 2021 from the Pothole Action Fund. This includes an extra £46 million announced in the Autumn Budget 2017.
St Helens Council is a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Highway Maintenance funding, including the Pothole Action Fund, is now paid directly to the Combined Authority, which is responsible for allocating funding to its constituent members.
Funding from the Pothole Action Fund for 2016/17 was paid directly to St Helens Council, and totalled £143,000. In 2017/18 the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority received £1,335,000.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many private hire vehicles operate in a different local authority area from their area of registration in (a) the North West and (b) England and Wales; and what his policy is on such cross-border activity.
Answered by John Hayes
The Department does not hold the information requested.
At a Westminster Hall Debate on 5 July I announced the formation of a working group to consider any regulatory issues in the taxi and private hire vehicle sector and potential remedies. The group has been formed with a cross-section of interested parties, including representatives of licensing authorities, the trade, and drivers, among others. The group had its first meeting in September, and I have asked that it reports to me by early 2018.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.22 of Spring Budget 2017, how much of the £690 million fund to erase road congestion will be allocated to (a) St Helens and (b) the North West.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) will allocate £690 million to local authorities in England for local transport networks through a competition which is due to be launched shortly. Local authorities and Combined Authorities (such as Liverpool City Region which includes St Helens) will have the opportunity to bid for funding for schemes to improve congestion on local roads.