Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timescale is for reaching a decision on the potential electrification of the railway line between Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington and Widnes.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Electrification will play a significant role in our programme to decarbonise the railway and will deliver other benefits for railway users and neighbours.
Network Rail’s ongoing work developing a Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy will inform decisions about whether electrification or alternative technologies are the most appropriate option for each part of the network where diesel trains currently run. This work will support the Department’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan, which will be published at the end of this year.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what procedures the DVLA has put in place for the assessment of applications by private parking companies for access to the personal details of vehicle owners.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) provides information manually and via an electronic process. Before releasing vehicle keeper data through the manual process, the DVLA requires private parking companies to provide their full company registration details. These include the company’s registered address, Companies House registration number, Data Protection registration and Accredited Trade Association membership details. Companies must declare why they need the data and how it will be used. Documentation must also be supplied for each request demonstrating reasonable cause for needing the information. This can include landowner authorisation and evidence of the contravention of car parking terms and conditions. The information provided by the private parking company is thoroughly checked. Any request that fails to include sufficient information is rejected.
Private parking companies who wish to request information through electronic links must complete a six month probationary period. As well as supplying the details for the process outlined above, companies are required to make a minimum of 300 manual applications over the period. The DVLA will also liaise with the relevant Accredited Trade Association throughout the process to ensure that the company continues to adhere to the code of practice.
Private parking companies who successfully complete the probation period must enter into a contract before being able to request vehicle keeper data electronically.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what monitoring procedures the DVLA has put in place to ensure that private parking companies comply with the conditions of a contract for a Keeper of a Vehicle at the Date of an Event.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) takes the protection of the data it holds very seriously and has robust measures in place to ensure it is not misused.
To help ensure motorists are treated fairly, private parking companies that request vehicle keeper data are required to be members of an appropriate accredited trade association and TO adhere to its Code of Practice. The DVLA is notified promptly of compliance issues as required
The DVLA carries out its own comprehensive auditing, involving both remote and on-site audits in conjunction with the Government Internal Audit Agency. This is designed to ensure that the data requested is used only in accordance with strict contractual terms. Failure to comply can result in suspension of the parking company's ability to request vehicle keeper data
Following its most recent audit of the DVLA’s procedures for releasing data to private parking companies, the Information Commissioner’s Office found that there was a high level of assurance that processes were in place to MANAGE non-compliance with data protection requirements. The audit was published on 1 June 2016, and can be found at https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/audits-advisory-visits-and-overview-reports/driver-and-vehicle-licensing-agency-dvla/
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of private parking companies were fined by the DVLA for non-compliance with Keeper of a Vehicle at the Date of an Event contracts in each of the last three years.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not impose fines for non-compliance with contracts applying to Keeper at Date of Event enquiries.
Private parking companies that do not comply with contractual terms can have their facility to request vehicle keeper data suspended.
The table below shows the number and proportion of private parking companies suspended in each of the last three financial years:
Financial Year | Total number of private parking companies with a Keeper at Date of Event contract | Number of private parking companies suspended for non-compliance | Proportion of private parking companies suspended |
2014/15 | 87 | 10 | 11.5% |
2015/16 | 94 | 9 | 9.6% |
2016/17 | 109 | 4 | 3.7% |
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the top three main causes of late-running trains on the rail network were in the last 12 months.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The top three delay categories for the period 15th November 2015 to 12th November 2016 were as shown below (all in delay minutes):
Network Management/Other 2,713,856
Points, Signalling & Other Non-Track Assets 2,461,412
Technical Fleet Delays 2,141,106
(Other Delays) 7,040,581
Total Delays 14,356,955
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the Halton Curve to open.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following its inclusion in the Liverpool City Region Growth Deal, Merseytravel is managing the development and delivery, via Network Rail of the devolved Halton Curve scheme on behalf of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Construction work on the scheme is expected to begin in June 2017 and be complete by Spring 2018. Merseytravel anticipate that services will commence between Liverpool and Chester at the December 2018 timetable change, following the finalisation of agreements with operators and staff training.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 32463, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his announcement of 23 April 2015 of a special scheme to help small businesses in Runcorn and Widnes using the new Mersey Gateway Bridge and the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge from 2017.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Secretary of State for Transport met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29th February 2016 and discussion included discount schemes on the Mersey Gateway Crossing.
Officials in the Department for Transport and Her Majesty’s Treasury are continuing to work through the implications of any further extension of user discounts to the cost of the scheme and to the commercial structure of the contracts already signed for the scheme.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department provided in bus subsidies to each local authority in England in each year since 2010.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The majority of public funding for local bus services is via block grant provided to local authorities in England from the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, since 2014, my Department has also provided around £40m of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) funding directly to English local authorities each year to help deliver bus services.
Details of BSOG grant allocations for previous years are published in tables on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/search?q=Bus+Service+Operators+Grant
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his visit to the Mersey Gateway on 23 April 2015, what progress has been made on ensuring support will be provided to small businesses in Runcorn and Widnes when that bridge opens in 2017 related to the cost of tolls crossing the Mersey Gateway.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Residents of Halton will already be able to use the bridges for free following previous Government decisions to fund an extension to the original, limited, resident’s discount scheme proposed by Halton Borough Council. Heavy goods vehicles and coaches will pay the same wherever they are geographically based which will ensure a level playing field for businesses across the North West.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles late licensing penalties have been issued in each year since 2010.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The table below shows the number of late licensing penalties that have been issued in each calendar year since 2010:
Year | Number of late licensing penalties issued |
2010 | 665,258 |
2011 | 514,106 |
2012 | 568,224 |
2013 | 575,032 |
2014 | 478,133 |
2015 | 480,790 |