Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on meeting its target of installing 300,000 electric vehicle charging points by 2030.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The number of public charging devices is rapidly increasing. 16,622 chargepoints were installed in 2023, bringing the total number of public chargepoints to 53,677 on 1 January 2024 – an increase of 45% since 1 January 2023. This puts us on a growth rate consistent with over 300,000 public charging devices in the UK by 2030.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 8 February 2023 to Question 139277 on Public Transport: Tickets, whether he plans to reintroduce the PlusBus (a) day and (b) season ticket on (i) the Key Card and (ii) other forms of electronic ticketing.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
PlusBus is a multimodal ticket offer provided by the Rail Delivery Group, and train operating companies, in conjunction with Traveline Information Ltd and bus operators. I would certainly encourage all parties involved to look at ways they might further develop, and enhance, the offer to passengers, coupled with more options for how and where such PlusBus tickets are retailed.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Home Department on the (a) maritime registration, (b) crewing levels and (c) maritime safety standards on the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport has not had any recent discussions with the Home Office on this matter, as DfT is not responsible for oversight of the Bibby Stockholm.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to introduce a minimum age limit for jet ski use.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport (DfT) does not have any current plans to introduce a minimum age limit for jet skis or other personal watercraft (PWC).
However, in January 2023, the Government introduced statutory controls to the use of PWCs with the Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023, so that any individual using a PWC in a dangerous manner is essentially held to the same laws as ships and fishing vessels.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of rail tickets sold through ticket offices in the last 12 months.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In 2022/23, around 1 in 10 transactions occurred at a ticket office; this is down from around 1 in 3 a decade earlier and equates to 13 per cent of total current revenue.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of representations received by his Department (a) for and (b) against its policy on ticket office closures.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Train operators proposing any changes to the opening hours, or the closure of ticket offices, must follow the process set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, which is available to view on the Rail Delivery Group’s website. This is an industry process and consultations are led by each train operator.
Train operators are required to put notices at stations advising passengers of any proposals and what changes could mean for them. If passengers have any objections these can be raised via the passenger bodies (Transport Focus and London TravelWatch) for consideration within 21 days of the notice being posted.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of public consultation on his Department's policy on ticket office closures.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Train operators proposing any changes to the opening hours, or the closure of ticket offices, must follow the process set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, which is available to view on the Rail Delivery Group’s website. This is an industry process and consultations are led by each train operator.
Train operators are required to put notices at stations advising passengers of any proposals and what changes could mean for them. If passengers have any objections these can be raised via the passenger bodies (Transport Focus and London TravelWatch) for consideration within 21 days of the notice being posted.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of potential job losses resulting from ticket office closures.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This is an industry-led process. The outcomes of the consultations will not be known until the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement process has been concluded.
Train operating companies will discuss employment matters with the trade unions as part of their own collective bargaining processes.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is his Department taking to ensure that the current level of passenger assistance for disabled people will be maintained following the closure of railway ticket offices.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of passengers who are disabled, and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. We would also expect operators to consider other equality related needs and make this clear in their consultation.
Together with the industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.
Station staff will still provide face-to-face services on the railways, which assists those who need additional support, and cannot or do not want to use contactless or mobile tickets. All staff in customer facing roles or with management responsibilities are already required to undertake enhanced disability awareness training.
The Department recently hosted roundtable discussions with industry and accessibility and transport groups to discuss this matter and ensure their views are understood. We have been engaging with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee throughout the process.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of closures of railway ticket offices on levels of passenger numbers on trains.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Industry is getting on with modernising our railway and bringing it more in tune with modern consumer expectations. Together with industry, we want to improve and modernise the experience for passengers by moving staff out from behind the ticket office screens to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles and additional support to those who need it. We have been clear that no currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of this reform.
When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of all passengers; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups.