Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with representatives of (i) Rail Delivery Group, (ii) Transport Focus and (iii) London Travel Watch on removing the right of passengers to be (A) consulted on and (B) able to object to ticket office closures.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
No such discussions have taken place. Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) sets out the process for making changes to ticket offices, which includes changing the hours they are open or proposing any closures. The TSA requires consultation with Transport Focus and London Travel Watch. This agreement is still in place and rail operators must follow this as it is a requirement of their Office of Rail and Road operating licence.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the results of the Managing Pavement Parking consultation, which closed on 22 November 2020.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Department received over 15,000 responses to the consultation. We are carefully considering the consultation findings and will be publishing a response when we have completed this work, which is a priority.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what dates his Department wrote to the Public Accounts Committee regarding the progress of franchise termination negotiations since 4 November 2020; and whether that correspondence will be published.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department wrote to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee on 17 February 2021. At the moment, this correspondence remains confidential as it contains commercially sensitive information.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, under the terms of the contracts between Hitachi, the Government and Train Operators, who is liable for the financial costs of the disruption resulting from the recent withdrawal of services after the discovery of cracks in electric and electro-diesel trains constructed by Hitachi Rail.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In total, 182 Hitachi trains have been impacted by this issue. 122 of these trains have been procured via the Department’s Intercity Express Programme contract with Agility Trains as the service provider, and the remaining 60 trains have been procured under conventional rolling stock leases. All 182 trains are maintained by Hitachi as the appointed manufacturer.
Under the Intercity Express Programme contract, if Agility Trains is unable to offer the train for service on a given day, they are not paid and must pay to resolve the issue to ensure trains are made available.
The agreements in place contain provisions that protect the taxpayer. I have been clear with the industry that I expect those who have the contractual performance and train availability obligations including Agility Trains, to fully compensate the taxpayer in this matter.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect Highways England's policy to infill bridges which spanned railway lines using permitted development powers on the Government's policy to (a) increase walking and cycle routes and (b) reinstate disused railway lines.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Highways England manages the Historical Railways Estate on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport and has been in touch with all the local authorities affected, to advise them of its plans, and to see if they have any use for the structures. Highways England are pausing works where local authorities have raised queries about the works, and where there is credible interest for possible re-purposing and transfer of ownership of the assets. The Department has also asked Highways England to consult with the relevant local authorities concerning the retention, where practicable, of access for pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, Highways England has arranged for seven structures to be transferred to local authorities which wish to use them for cycle routes.
Permitted Development Orders exist in order to prevent an emergency from occurring and Highways England would only use these powers for that purpose. Where the need for emergency works has been identified, letters are sent to the relevant planning authorities to check if there are any requirements or restrictions. Highways England uses permitted development rights (where appropriate) to undertake some of the infilling and demolition schemes where issues of overriding public safety are in play. Most of the works completed to date have been granted full planning permission
The Department and Highways England are working together to ensure opportunities for the reinstatement of disused railway lines are identified and considered wherever possible.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to amend the reasonable excuses for international travel from the 29 March 2021 to include visits to see family members and long term partners in the UK.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The intention behind this question is unclear. Government does not set out reasonable excuses for individuals entering England. There are no plans to amend reasonable excuses for international travel from England to include visits to see family members and long term partners overseas where there are not otherwise legally permitted reasons for travel.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the new covid-19 travel restrictions and requirements on people arriving in the UK announced by the Government in February 2021, what assessment he has made of the effect of those new restrictions and requirements on international seafarers arriving, on schedule, on a merchant ship in a UK port and requiring transit to their home country in line with their contract of employment.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The UK Government’s border health measures are part of our strategy to tackle Variants of Concern, and to protect both the progress we have made in bringing cases down and the effectiveness of our vaccination programme
Therefore, on top of the travel ban for all on non-residents coming from the 33 countries on the red list, all UK/Irish residents arriving from the 33 red-list countries must now quarantine in a government assigned hotel for 10 days from arrival, or longer if they test positive during their stay. There is currently not an exemption for seafarers who arrive in the UK having travelled through a ‘red list’ country in the 10 days before arrival.
Since the start of the pandemic, the UK has provided exemptions for seafarers from the need to self-isolate where it has been safe to do so. We have also taken a global lead in efforts to protect the welfare of all seafarers, regardless of their nationality or the flag of the vessel they serve on.
If non-UK or Irish resident seafarers have not been in a red list country in the 10 days before arrival in the UK, they will be exempt from the requirement to quarantine at a private address.
Full details on quarantining can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with officials of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the (a) conclusions and (b) recommendations of the World Maritime University’s report, A culture of adjustment, evaluating the implementation of the current maritime regulatory framework on rest and work hours (EVREST), published in November 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) welcomes the World Maritime University’s report which provides evidence for concerns the United Kingdom has raised about the risk of fatigue on board ships at the International Maritime Organization over the last ten years. The MCA is considering its response to the recommendations, including how they might be implemented (or where measures are already in place, implementation may be improved) within the United Kingdom, within the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control and internationally (at the International Maritime Organization and International Labour Organization).
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on trends in the levels of seafarers' hours of work and rest; and what steps he is taking at (a) domestic and (b) international level to help tackle seafarer fatigue in the shipping industry.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
There have been no formal assessments of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on trends in the levels of seafarers' hours of work and rest. The Department of Transport is aware of the pressures that many seafarers are under, as an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is evidence, including from the Seafarers’ Happiness Index, compiled by The Mission to Seafarers, that this is resulting in increased levels of stress and fatigue.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) requires shipowners to report significant extensions to seafarer employment agreements for seafarers on UK ships and assesses the mitigating measures put in place, including increased hours of rest. MCA surveyors and inspectors continue to carry out flag State surveys and port State control inspections where the risk of COVID-19 transmission permits, including checking for compliance with minimum hours of rest.
The UK led the way internationally in designating seafarers as key workers. This helped to facilitate repatriation and ensure access ashore for their wellbeing where compatible with local restrictions. The UK has also supported international initiatives such as the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on International cooperation to address challenges faced by seafarers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to support global supply chains which was adopted on 1 December 2020. The UK has also supported the International Maritime Organization’s adoption of the industry protocols for safe crew changes.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to review the adequacy of the enforcement of the Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Hours of Work) Regulations 2018 for seafarers working on internationally registered merchant ships in UK (a) waters and (b) ports; and if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of those regulations in preventing seafarer fatigue.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Hours of Work) Regulations 2018 implement minimum standards for hours of rest in accordance with the International Maritime Organization’s Convention on Standards for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, 1978 as amended and the International Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention, 2006. As such, they provide a framework for enforcement, but they are not sufficient on their own effectively to prevent fatigue which can be affected by a number of factors, including time spent as sea, the type of work, quality of sleep and even the comfort of the ship.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency therefore seeks to promote education about prevention, recognition and mitigation of fatigue through guidance on human factors and safe working practices.