Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date his (a) Ministers and (b) officials were informed of the circumstances of the September 2017 M5 van crash in which five people died; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency staff attended the scene of the collision on 16th September 2017, and recognised that tyre damage had occurred. In November 2017, the Department for Transport became aware of a Police report relating to the collision that cited tyre age as an issue and immediately commissioned an independent examination of the tyre. This reported in December 2017 and a further forensic examination was commissioned. This reported in October 2018 and Ministers were informed of the findings in early November 2018.
In parallel with these investigations specialist research was contracted in January 2018 to examine the wider issue of tyre ageing. This is expected to report in spring 2019.
Given the emerging evidence on tyre safety, the Government announced on 26 February that it will consult on options to ban older tyres from use on buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles and minibuses to help keep road users safe.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's policy on serving advisory notices on tyres found to be in a dangerous condition but which are not illegal at MOT examinations; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government is committed to improving road safety, and ensuring the compliance of vehicles with safety regulations is important to reducing collisions and casualties.
The condition of tyres is checked at the annual roadworthiness inspection and if they do not meet the standards the vehicle will fail. Advisory notices are issued by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s assessors as part of a heavy vehicle annual test, and by MOT testers as to items the driver should monitor.
The Department for Transport will consult on requirements for a maximum age for tyres on heavy goods vehicles, buses, coaches and minibuses, and how to enforce these new requirements will be considered as part of this process.
In September 2017, a heavy goods vehicle travelling on the M5 suffered a tyre blow-out and crossed the central reservation and collided with oncoming traffic. At the recent Coroner’s inquest independent experts testified that the age of the tyre was a factor. Their analysis fits with the Department’s own emerging body of evidence.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people travelling between Liverpool and London on the West Coast Mainline in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18 have been eligible for delay repay refunds; and how many of those people have received such refunds.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department does not hold this information, however the Department does publish data on the total amount of compensation paid by train operating companies to passengers.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people travelling on the West Coast Mainline in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18 have been eligible for delay repay refunds from Virgin Trains; and how many of those people have received such refunds.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department does not hold this information, however the Department does publish data on the total amount of compensation paid by train operating companies to passengers.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money (a) Network Rail and (b) his Department paid Virgin Trains in (i)2016-17and (ii) 2017-18 as compensation for late running services on the West Coast Mainline.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Network Rail publishes data covering payments between Network Rail and Virgin Trains, which can be found here: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Payments-for-disruption-on-the-railway-made-under-schedule-8.xlsx
The Department does not make payment to Virgin Trains as compensation for late running services.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) Network Rail and (b) his Department paid Virgin Trains during (i) 2016-17 and (ii) 2017-18 as compensation for late running train services on the West Coast Mainline between Liverpool and London.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Network Rail publishes data covering payments between Network Rail and Virgin Trains, which can be found here: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Payments-for-disruption-on-the-railway-made-under-schedule-8.xlsx
The Department does not make payment to Virgin Trains as compensation for late running services.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the Christmas timetable for the West Coast Main Line.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department does not publish timetables as this is the responsibility of individual Train Operating Companies and Network Rail. Information on travel over the Christmas period, including plans for major engineering works, is already available via the National Rail enquiries website which notes that some routes may not be completely accurate until 6 weeks before travel.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2017 to Question 117278 on buses:tyres, how many tyres over the age of 10 years have been (a) identified and (b) collected by his Department for analysis as part of that research.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Research commissioned by the Department for Transport is proceeding to schedule and, as the House was advised in June this year, the report should be available early in 2019.
The current research does not include tyres over 10-years of age but work is underway to secure suitable samples that will be added to the programme. Additional funding is being made available to support this extended analysis and the Department is working with the contractor to ensure that any delays to the final report are kept to a minimum.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2017 to Question 117278 on buses: tyres, whether he still plans to publish the preliminary findings of that research by autumn 2018.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Research commissioned by the Department for Transport is proceeding to schedule and, as the House was advised in June this year, the report should be available early in 2019.
The current research does not include tyres over 10-years of age but work is underway to secure suitable samples that will be added to the programme. Additional funding is being made available to support this extended analysis and the Department is working with the contractor to ensure that any delays to the final report are kept to a minimum.