Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Government on the provision of cross-border rail services.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Since the General Election I have spoken to the Minister for Economy and Transport on this subject. Officials in the Department have regular meetings both with officials from Welsh Government and Transport for Wales on cross border rail services.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of (a) Network Rail and (b) Highways England on the potential support of those organisations for the UK Steel Charter.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I can confirm that discussions have taken place with representatives of a) Network Rail and b) Highways England and that both organisations have committed to supporting the Charter where this is relevant to their commercial activities and where consistent with the relevant public procurement regulations.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) devolution of powers over rail infrastructure and (b) increased rail infrastructure funding for Wales will be considered in the Williams Rail Review.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Williams Rail Review is considering where further devolution of powers could be in the interests of passengers. Further details will be set out in the forthcoming White Paper.
Decisions around levels of public investment in the railways are outside of the Review’s remit.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's timeframe is for the publication of the Williams Rail Review.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
A White Paper based on the Williams Rail Review’s recommendations will be published in due course.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of steel procured by his Department was produced in the UK, in each of the last five years.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Government’s guidance on the procurement of steel was published in November 2015 and subsequently updated in December 2016. In DfT, steel is only purchased directly by Network Rail. Both Highways England and High Speed Two Ltd procure steel through their respective supply chains. The guidance has been fully adopted by DfT for all in-scope projects and we have been required to report on its implementation (and the % of UK steel directly purchased) since January 2017. The percentage of UK steel we have reported is set out below.
Year | Proportion of UK Steel procured by DfT |
June 2018-19 | 93 % |
June 2017-18 | 93.5 % |
Jan-June 2017 | 95 % |
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to (a) become a signatory to the UK Steel charter and (b) maximise the use of UK steel in public infrastructure projects through procurement practises for national transport projects.
Answered by George Freeman
I can confirm that the Department has committed to supporting the Charter where this is relevant to our commercial activities and where consistent with the relevant public procurement regulations. This position has been communicated to UK Steel.
Government’s guidance on the procurement of steel was published in November 2015 and subsequently updated in December 2016. In DfT steel is only purchased directly by Network Rail, and they source approximately 93% percent of their steel from the UK. Both Highways England and High Speed Two Ltd procure steel through their respective supply chains. The guidance has been fully adopted by DfT for all in-scope projects and we are required to report on its implementation.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish its study on improvements to rail capacity and speeds on the South Wales Mainline.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Studies considering improvements to rail capacity and speeds on the South Wales Mainline are in an early stage of development. The Department does not routinely publish early drafts of such studies. Currently officials are actively engaged in working with local stakeholders to develop the proposals further and make a case for funding through the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons his Department will not allow additional Transport for Wales train services to serve Bristol Temple Meads station.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Capacity on the rail network in the Bristol area is currently restricted. The Agency Agreement signed by the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers sets out the limitations that needed to be considered by bidders for the current Wales & Borders franchise when they were developing their proposals in respect of English services. That restriction was put in place because capacity is limited in the Bristol area and, as well as additional services from Wales, local authorities in the Bristol area have been planning to upgrade Bristol local services for many years.
Upgrade works for the Bristol area network are currently being developed through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline process. Until these upgrade works are completed, it is not possible to allow bids for unplanned additional train services.
Given this background, bidders for the Wales & Borders franchise were advised not to propose English services on the route prior to completion of those works. That restriction continues in the new Wales & Borders franchise which started last October.
The new franchise operator (Transport for Wales Rail Services) will have the ability to bid for paths to Bristol during the life of the new 15-year franchise once any relevant infrastructure works are completed.