Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the legal advice provided to his Department on the provision of subsidies for regional air connections from UK airports to Heathrow airport.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The current regulation is clear that subsidies can be provided under Public Service Obligations (PSOs). The Government already subsidises three PSO routes to London airports (Newquay to Gatwick; Dundee to Stansted; and Londonderry to Stansted).
The Department has taken further legal advice on the Government’s interpretation of existing PSO regulations as part of the development of policy to improve connections between Heathrow and the regions and nations of the UK should expansion go ahead. This will be central to achieving the Secretary of State’s ambition for up to 15% of slots from a new runway being used for domestic routes.
The Government’s position on domestic connectivity will be set out in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy this autumn and while Government does not publish legal advice, other relevant documents will be published alongside this consultation as appropriate.
Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains have been cancelled in each month of the last five years for services which come under the terms of the east coast main line franchise.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Network Rail publish all official industry cancellation data which is available on the ORR data portal. The published figures aggregate cancellations for all causes, based on the 13 period rail year. Please see the attached table for more detail.
Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of (a) restoring free off-peak bus travel to people aged 60 and over in England and (b) giving free bus travel to people aged 18 to 25 in England.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The current national concessionary scheme costs around £1 billion and, given the pressure on public finances, any further extensions to the scheme could jeopardise its sustainability.
Restoring the previous age of eligibility for concessionary bus travel to sixty would see a return to the anomalous position of non-disabled, working-age citizens receiving free bus passes. Re-establishing the link between concessionary bus pass eligibility and the state pension age has addressed that issue.
There are no plans to implement a national bus concession for young people. However, my Department continues to engage with the Department for Education on other concessions such as for apprenticeships. In addition, the new Enhanced Partnership powers in the Bus Services Act allows local transport authorities and bus operators to agree standard ticket rules, such as eligibility for reduced fares across operators. Local authorities already have the discretion to offer additional concessions, and are best placed to make decisions that match local needs and circumstances.
Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the proposals of Trans Pennine rail submitted to him on the provision of train services on Boxing Day 2018.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The report has been received from TPE and contains commercially confidential information and is therefore unsuitable for public publication. The proposals contained within the report have been considered by a technical working group, under confidentiality agreement, within Rail North / Transport for North and options will be considered that could see Boxing Day services introduced within the current franchise (running 2016 to 2023).
However, there are a number of issues relating to the introduction of Boxing Day services, most notably the infrastructure works required to deliver capacity improvements that are often undertaken during Christmas / Boxing Day closures. It should also be noted that Boxing Day services are not contracted through the existing TPE Franchise Agreement and additional funding is expected to be needed to deliver such services.
Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the terms of reference of the feasibility study into the restoration of the Skipton to Colne railway link.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The study is being progressed under the Government’s new approach to railway enhancements. We are creating a rolling programme of investment, focused on outcomes that deliver real benefits to passengers, freight users and the economy. This new approach was set out in the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) published in March 2018.
The study, on which we are working closely with Transport for the North, will evaluate the costs, value and funding options for reopening the line for passengers and freight, as part of a freight route across the Pennines. It will build on previous work commissioned by the local authorities and local campaign group. We expect to receive the results later this year in the form of a Strategic Outline Business Case prepared in line with the RNEP approach and other Government guidance on transport business cases. We will engage with wider stakeholders as the study progresses and on the conclusions before any decisions on next steps.
Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the proposals of Trans Pennine rail submitted to him on the provision of train services on Boxing Day 2018.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The report has been received from TPE and contains commercially confidential information and is therefore unsuitable for public publication. The proposals contained within the report have been considered by a technical working group, under confidentiality agreement, within Rail North / Transport for North and options will be considered that could see Boxing Day services introduced within the current franchise (running 2016 to 2023).
However, there are a number of issues relating to the introduction of Boxing Day services, most notably the infrastructure works required to deliver capacity improvements that are often undertaken during Christmas / Boxing Day closures. It should also be noted that Boxing Day services are not contracted through the existing TPE Franchise Agreement and additional funding is expected to be needed to deliver such services.
Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on the introduction of part-time season tickets on the railways.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Train Operators have been making progress on the delivery of more flexible tickets. c2c have a Flexi-Season on a smart card. Arriva Trains Wales have introduced a Mobile Multi-Flex product for customers in Cardiff and the surrounding areas. In addition both the recently announced South Western and West Midlands franchises include the announcement of a new flexible season ticket which will benefit people working fewer than 5 days a week. We continue to challenge the rail industry to develop proposals for pricing and delivering more flexible ticketing options for those who work or commute part-time.
Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on the introduction of part-time season tickets on the railways.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Train Operators have been making progress on the delivery of more flexible tickets. c2c have a Flexi-Season on a smart card. Arriva Trains Wales have introduced a Mobile Multi-Flex product for customers in Cardiff and the surrounding areas. In addition both the recently announced South Western and West Midlands franchises include the announcement of a new flexible season ticket which will benefit people working fewer than 5 days a week. We continue to challenge the rail industry to develop proposals for pricing and delivering more flexible ticketing options for those who work or commute part-time.
Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Virgin Trains East Coast on the franchise commitment to run direct trains every two hours to London from Bradford, Middlesbrough and Lincoln from 2020; and if that commitment will still hold in the light of the early ending of the franchise agreement.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
We are in discussions with Stagecoach to ensure the needs of passengers and taxpayers will be met in the short term whilst laying the foundations to bring forward the reforms in full under a long-term competitively procured contract.
We expect to provide additional services to Lincoln and Bradford from May 2019. It remains our intention to deliver additional services to Middlesbrough when capacity is available to do so. Virgin Trains East Coast has contingent rights to run services from London to Middlesbrough from May 2020 and firm rights from May 2021.
From 2020, we will introduce the East Coast Partnership - a regional partnership between the public and private sector, operated by a single management, under a single brand and under a single leader.
Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which railway franchise holders are contractually obliged to put forward proposals to provide a Boxing Day train service; and when such proposals should be made.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Of the published franchise agreements, two franchises are currently required to provide proposals for Boxing Day services.
Within 12 months of the start of their franchises, First Transpennine Express and Arriva Rail North are contractually obliged to prepare and submit a report to the Secretary of State which sets out proposals for operating Boxing Day services.
Both Arriva Rail North and First Transpennine Express have submitted the required reports to Rail North, who work in conjunction with the Secretary of State within the terms of the Rail North Partnership Agreement, to assess such proposals for Boxing Day services.