Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what has been the average time delay for Avanti West Coast trains in each of the five years up to and including 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not routinely hold this data. It is the responsibility of train operating companies to collect this information. Wider performance data is however publicly available through The Office of Rail and Road's data portal. This can be found at: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/.
Whilst the question refers to calendar years, railway performance information is presented in four-weekly rail periods as standard.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Avanti West Coast trains have been delayed between Liverpool and London each of the five years up to and including 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not routinely hold this data. It is the responsibility of train operating companies to collect this information. Although not on a line of route basis, wider performance data is publicly available through the Office of Rail and Road's data portal. This can be found at: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/.
Whilst the question refers to calendar years, railway performance information is presented in four-weekly rail periods as standard.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the amount refunded by Avanti West Coast to passengers for train delays in each year since the commencement of that contract.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Department publishes data for all operators on the amount of compensation paid by them as a result of train delays. The total refunded to passengers for each financial year 2019/20 to 2022/23 can be found on the Government website at the following link:
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Avanti trains between Runcorn and London have been cancelled each month since November 2021.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Generally, Runcorn is served by one Avanti West Coast train per hour to and from London Euston.
Period | Number of Avanti West Coast services cancelled between Runcorn and London Euston (Avanti West Coast caused, both directions) | Number of Avanti West Coast services cancelled between Runcorn and London Euston (All causes, both directions) |
14 November – 11 December 2021 | 19.5 | 23.5 |
12 December – 8 January 2022 | 46 | 49 |
9 January – 5 February 2022 | 12 | 13.5 |
6 February – 5 March 2022 | 20 | 27.5 |
6 March – 31 March 2022 | 28.5 | 29 |
1 April – 30 April 2022 | 46 | 53 |
1 May – 28 May 2022 | 31 | 41 |
29 May – 25 June 2022 | 44.5 | 56 |
26 June – 23 July 2022 | 115 | 138 |
24 July – 20 August 2022 | 80.5 | 88 |
21 August – 17 September | 42.5 | 51 |
18 September – 15 October 2022 | 42.5 | 43 |
16 October – 12 November 2022 | 36.5 | 48.5 |
Cancellation data by rail period was provided by the operator.
1 = A train ran less than half its planned mileage
0.5 = A train was cancelled but ran more than half its planned mileage
‘All causes’ includes cancellations resulting from infrastructure failure as well as any other external cause such as trespass or other train/freight operator failure. In the same period there were seven instances of services failing to call at Runcorn on route, as these services ran more than half their booked mileage they are counted as part cancellations in the table. None were Avanti West Coast caused.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2022 to Question 92818, for what reason the DVLA is confident that it can trace 92.1 per cent of vehicles from its records; what records that Answer refers to; and how many vehicles comprise the 92.1 per cent of vehicles in that Answer.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) carries out quarterly scans of the vehicle register. The most recent scan shows that 92.1 per cent of vehicles on the database are traceable, equating to 46,284,393 vehicles that have been taxed or had a statutory off road notification made in the last five years. Traceable means that each of these vehicle records will have contact details (name and address) for the registered keeper of the vehicle to which the DVLA can send correspondence.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2021 to Question 89507 on Motor Vehicles: Registration, how many vehicles have not been able to be traced in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
While the DVLA is confident it can trace 92.1 per cent of vehicles from its records it does not hold specific information on how many vehicle keepers it has been unable to trace over a set period.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment the DVLA has made of the accuracy of the V5C database.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
All vehicle keepers are legally responsible for ensuring that the information on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s vehicle record is accurate. This is important to ensure that vehicle keepers receive important information, for example reminders when their vehicle excise duty is due for renewal.
The DVLA regularly assesses the traceability of vehicle keepers from the information held on its records. From the latest available information, the DVLA is confident it can trace a vehicle in 92.1 per cent of its records.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2021 to Question 80915 on Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Databases, how many drivers have been fined for not providing their correct address to the DVLA in each year since 2015.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The data requested is not available. The police are responsible for prosecuting this offence and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is not routinely notified of convictions as the offence does not attract penalty points on a driving licence.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of driver's address records held by the DVLA.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
All drivers have a legal responsibility to ensure that the address on their driving licence is correct. Not doing so is an offence which can be subject to a fine of up to £1000. It is important that drivers ensure that the address held on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s record is accurate so that they can receive important information, for example reminders when their licence is due for renewal. The DVLA relies on the public to provide accurate information and only becomes aware that an address on its records is inaccurate when it is notified of such.
To help ensure records are accurate, the DVLA maintains a database of suspect addresses which is updated regularly, and places markers on individual licence records where there is information to indicate that the address held is incorrect. No further licences are issued until any issues have been investigated.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the time taken by the DVLA to process new driving licence applications in the last three months.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services have been available throughout the pandemic and are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. There are no delays in online applications and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days.
However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application for a driving licence. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person. Fewer operational staff have been on site to allow for social distancing, in line with Welsh Government requirements. This, as well as ongoing industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has led to delays.
Currently, driving licence applications made on paper are likely to take six to ten weeks to process. More information on turnaround times is available online. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example, if medical investigations are needed.