Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing ports to refuse access to vessels that do not pay its crew the national minimum wage.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Legislation will be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows that intends to ensure that seafarers working on vessels that regularly use UK ports are paid at least an equivalent rate to National Minimum Wage, irrespective of the nationality of the seafarer or flag of the vessel.
We intend to do this by creating a condition of access to UK ports for such to demonstrate that they are paying their seafarers an equivalent rate to the National Minimum Wage.
We have published a public consultation on this which sets out full details of the proposals, seeking views on the scope of services this should apply to, the compliance process and have published this alongside a supporting impact assessment. We want to sure that potential impacts of the proposed Bill have been considered prior to introduction and have therefore published the impact assessment on which we welcome input from the public.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling ports to refuse access to ferries that do not pay their crew the National Minimum Wage.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Legislation will be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows that intends to ensure that seafarers working on vessels that regularly use UK ports are paid at least an equivalent rate to National Minimum Wage, irrespective of the nationality of the seafarer or flag of the vessel.
We intend to do this by creating a condition of access to UK ports for such to demonstrate that they are paying their seafarers an equivalent rate to the National Minimum Wage.
We have published a public consultation on this which sets out full details of the proposals, seeking views on the scope of services this should apply to, the compliance process and have published this alongside a supporting impact assessment. We want to sure that potential impacts of the proposed Bill have been considered prior to introduction and have therefore published the impact assessment on which we welcome input from the public.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Health and Safety Executive on the safety of employees aboard P&O Ferries vessels.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Health and Safety Executive do not have jurisdiction over the crew of ferries. This jurisdiction lies with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency have a memorandum of understanding with the Health and Safety Executive and Marine Accident Investigation Branch, published online in May 2021, which sets out the responsibilities of each respective agency in the matter of health and safety enforcement and accident investigation.
As the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has full jurisdiction for the safety of seafarers whilst working onboard vessels, the Department for Transport and Maritime and Coastguard Agency have not had discussions with the Health and Safety Executive regarding the safety of the crews onboard P&O Ferries vessels.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional trains will run from Bradford to Leeds each day under the Integrated Rail Plan.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Integrated Rail Plan set out how we will transform connectivity between Bradford and Leeds through electrification and upgrades to the existing Calder Valley Route. We expect this to allow at least two additional services each hour, and a non-stopping journey time as low as 12 minutes. These upgrades will also see improved journey times on local stopping services along the full Calder Valley Route due to the introduction of new and more efficient rolling stock. We will continue to work with Bradford Council on their ambition to drive regeneration and economic growth by improving rail links to Bradford.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional trains are planned to run from Bradford rail stations to Manchester rail stations each weekday under the Integrated Rail Plan.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Direct services between Manchester and Bradford will remain at typically 2 trains per hour as part of the Integrated Rail Plan. However, a similar journey time should be possible by instead changing at Leeds onto NPR services, making use of the electrification and upgrade of the Calder Valley Line from Bradford to Leeds which will reduce journey times to as low as 12 minutes. That would give up to quadrupling of typical frequency.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will review the decision not to go ahead with the Bradford stop of Northern Powerhouse Rail, in response to the commitments in the Levelling Up White Paper to raise local transport closer to London standards.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The IRP has committed £500 million to deliver electrification and upgrades of the line between Bradford and Leeds, bringing journey times as low as 12 minutes - a saving of almost half compared to today. In addition, the IRP has designated £100 million to assess how best to route high-speed trains from the East Midlands to West Yorkshire which includes starting development work on a West Yorkshire Mass Transit system. These schemes will provide better connections for residents and businesses of Bradford, not just to Leeds but to the rest of the country including London.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department plans to spend on introducing smart ticketing for public transport in the North.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In November 2015 the Government committed £150m for Transport for the North (TfN) to deliver multi-modal smart ticketing across the North of England.
TfN are preparing a business case for the programme, which will set out its scope and plan for rollout, costs and benefits and the necessary arrangements with passenger transport operators.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of smart ticketing on the number of journeys undertaken on public transport in the North.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In November 2015 the Government committed £150m for Transport for the North (TfN) to deliver multi-modal smart ticketing across the North of England.
TfN are preparing a business case for the programme, which will set out its scope and plan for rollout, costs and benefits and the necessary arrangements with passenger transport operators.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of rolling out smart ticketing for public transport in the North.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In November 2015 the Government committed £150m for Transport for the North (TfN) to deliver multi-modal smart ticketing across the North of England.
TfN are preparing a business case for the programme, which will set out its scope and plan for rollout, costs and benefits and the necessary arrangements with passenger transport operators.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which regions smart ticketing for public transport in the North will be introduced during (a) a trial period and (b) full roll-out.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In November 2015 the Government committed £150m for Transport for the North (TfN) to deliver multi-modal smart ticketing across the North of England.
TfN are preparing a business case for the programme, which will set out its scope and plan for rollout, costs and benefits and the necessary arrangements with passenger transport operators.