Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the various criteria used to assess how operators of rail franchises are delivering (1) the level of quality of service, and (2) other commitments, provided for under the franchise agreement; and what assessment has been made of their effectiveness.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As part of the franchising programme and the Government’s commitment to managing contracts as effectively as possible, the Department for Transport has worked closely with industry to ensure that the terms of franchise agreements and the associated administrative processes ensure that operators:
The Department’s approach to franchise management seeks to strike the balance between giving operators the comparative freedom to focus on service delivery whilst providing sufficient oversight to protect the public purse and the interests of the passenger. In most existing Franchise Agreements, this takes the form of monthly reporting of financial, operational, management and compliance information.
Work is ongoing to develop the Department’s monitoring of benefits being realised through delivery of committed obligations within the contract. Lessons learned is embedded into franchise management and feeds into franchise specific competitions for specification design.
In addition, most franchise agreements include targets and financial incentives for customer satisfaction, measured through the National Rail Passenger Survey, and some also include other financial incentive regimes for service quality.
Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial and other penalties have been incurred under the terms of the franchise agreement by the train operator Govia for poor performance by Southern Rail over the last eighteen months; and what percentage of the money paid to Southern Rail to operate the service those financial and other penalties represent.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The money paid to Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to operate their services and their performance incentive regime cover the entire franchise, there are no separate accounts or performance regimes for Southern.
We have not settled GTR’s performance incentive regime for the first full year of Southern’s operation due to the ongoing Force Majeure claim. This is a complex claim to analyse and the process is still ongoing. We are currently discussing the claim with GTR and considering the points made by them before making our determination.
Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many regional devolution settlements that are (1) agreed already, and (2) currently being negotiated, include the devolution of transport powers; and what impact those settlements will have on local bus services.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(1) The Government has agreed devolution settlements with 10 English areas. Each of the settlements contained provisions for the devolution of transport powers and responsibilities, from bus franchising to the establishment and management of key route networks, based on the ambitions and needs of each individual area.
(2) The Government is in active discussions with many other areas, however, proposals are developed and led by local areas and the decision to release information regarding the content of these discussions is a matter for the local area to decide, not the Government. As individual negotiations conclude and devolution deals are agreed, local areas may decide to publish the final deal documents on the GOV.UK website.
The Bus Services Bill will enable the implementation of the commitments made in devolution settlements to provide authorities with a greater say over the bus services in their area. It will be up to authorities to determine whether and how they implement changes to the way in which local bus services are provided.
Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Bus Service Operators Grant in tackling isolation and loneliness in rural communities.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Under the Bus Subsidy Operators Grant (BSOG) system, the Government pays out some £250m a year to bus operators and local authorities to support bus services outside London. BSOG plays an especially important role in protecting services in rural areas as it supports an extra 25 million bus journeys a year in those areas, by helping extend the bus network and allowing operators to charge lower fares. Department for Transport analysis indicates that BSOG has helped extend the rural bus network by 13%, equivalent to an additional 38 million kilometres, providing residents with vital links to local services.
Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to local authorities to ensure that changes to funding for local bus services do not negatively affect (1) young people, (2) the elderly, (3) those suffering from mental ill health, and (4) those suffering from physical ill health.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The majority of public funding for local bus services in England is provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, the Department for Transport also provides around £40m of Grant funding directly to English local authorities for this purpose.
The Total Transport initiative has also provided around £8m funding for 37 pilot projects exploring how local authorities and other agencies can work together to commission transport services more effectively – including integrating NHS non-emergency patient transport.
Authorities should remain mindful of their statutory equality duties, including the Equality Act 2010’s Public Sector Equality Duty, and the effect of proposals on all people with protected characteristics, including those who are disabled.
Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the importance of rural transport services in tackling loneliness amongst (1) young people, (2) the elderly, (3) those suffering from mental ill health, and (4) those suffering from physical ill health.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government recognises the importance of public transport for both the sustainability and independence of communities. Inadequate transport provision is a very real concern and can be a barrier to the wellbeing of all, particularly those living in more isolated areas.
Ultimately, however, it is for local authorities, working in partnership with their communities, to identify the right transport solutions that meet the economic and environmental challenges faced in their areas and deliver the greatest benefits for their residents.