Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with cruise ship operators on reducing the amount of food waste generated by cruise ships.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government is in favour of reducing waste at source and supports efforts in the cruise ship sector to reduce, reuse and recycle waste including food waste.
Such efforts are best led by the industry themselves in the first instance and officials are engaged with the cruise sector trade association over their work to improve the handling of wastes including food wastes.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce regulations to monitor the sale of drones for private and commercial use.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Civil Aviation Authority keeps a record of all the permissions they have issued to fly commercial drones in UK airspace. However this does not extend to leisure users of drones. To address this the Department for Transportis currently looking at a range of options including regulation, registration and licensing options and a database to increase transparency on the use of drones for the general public. We will be looking to address these issue without placing unnecessary bureaucratic burden on this emerging industry. We intend to consult on all of these issues and other possible solutions in 2016.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the safety and speed of evacuation from Virgin (a) Pendolino and (b) Voyager trains in the event of an emergency.
Answered by Claire Perry
The procedures for evacuation in an emergency are a matter for train operating companies. As the relevant safety duty holders they are best placed to identify any risks or hazards arising from the services they offer with oversight from the Office of Rail and Road as the independent railway safety regulator.
The UK already has one of the safest railways in Europe and the conditions which might necessitate a train evacuation are extremely rare. However, we must not be complacent and are working with the industry to further improve safety performance.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will publish a timetable for the refurbishment of Wolverhampton train station.
Answered by Claire Perry
The refurbishment of Wolverhampton train station is part of the Wolverhampton Interchange Scheme, which is being driven forward by a partnership of Wolverhampton City Council, Centro, Neptune, Network Rail, Virgin Trains and the Canal and River Trust. The Department is not leading on this project.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will discuss with Virgin Trains its replacing the ageing Voyager fleet rolling stock.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Voyager fleet was introduced in 2001/2 to provide high speed services on routes which could only be served by Diesel Trains and is primarily operated by Virgin on routes to Chester and Holyhead. We will consider train fleet options as part of the upcoming ICWC franchise competition.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make representations to airline operators on passing the reduction in air fuel costs on to passengers.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government has regular discussions with the industry on a range of issues, and will continue to press for a fair deal for the travelling public.
The airline industry is intensely competitive and there is no evidence of any market failure that would prevent cost savings being passed onto customers.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to amend the Blue Badge scheme to allow badges to be awarded to those with severe cognitive disabilities.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000 allow badges to be awarded to people with any permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking, which may include those with cognitive disabilities. The Government has no plans to amend the eligibility rules for Blue Badges.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it mandatory for all new franchise agreements to provide free wi-fi on all trains.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Department for Transport is committed to working with industry partners, such as Network Rail, in developing greater mobile connectivity for passengers. Our policy of awarding franchises on the basis of quality as well as price has seen franchises awarded on TSGN and Essex Thameside which included improvements in this area proposed by the winning bidders. In order to enable market led innovation and flexibility for bidders for franchises, the way in which greater mobile connectivity is delivered is not currently specified.
We are committed to improving access to mobile broadband for passengers. Monday's announcement that over £53m due to be repaid to Government by Network Rail will instead be invested in new WiFi equipment on trains is evidence of that commitment.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will discuss with London Midland Trains steps to improve (a) punctuality, (b) reliability, (c) greater notification of cancellations and (d) provision of sufficient drivers for off-peak and weekend services.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Department monitors each train operator's overall performance and there are clear actions set out in the franchise agreement should performance drop below what is expected. This regular monitoring includes monthly meetings with their senior management where performance figures are scrutinised and challenged. After the concerns in the Autumn of 2012, London Midland implemented a number of remedial measures which included a recruitment programme for new drivers, and this recruitment is ongoing.
The Office of Rail Regulation initiated a code of practice that was placed in the obligations in the licences of all train companies, station operators and Network Rail to ensure the whole rail network works together in compliance with an industry Code of Practice to deliver the best possible passenger information.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to educate the public about dangers arising from railway level crossings.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The best way to reduce risk at level crossings is to ensure they are used safely and that any instructions displayed are followed. The Department continues to support the railway industry to ensure that crossing users are aware of the dangers at level crossings, for example, by sponsoring research by RSSB (formerly the Rail Safety and Standards Board) in this area.
Given the limited success of physical mitigation measures, such research is vital to assist Network Rail and the wider rail industry to understand, and mitigate, “human factor” elements. The results have informed the development of Network Rail's long-running “Don't Run the Risk” and “See Track – Think Train” television and radio campaigns which are aimed at raising awareness of the dangers at level crossings and educating the public about the consequences of misuse.
Network Rail has also created a “Rail Life” campaign aimed specifically at primary and secondary school pupils. This is providing educational material to schools adjacent to level crossings and produced video material to explain the risks to children.
Part of the role of the Level Crossing Managers which Network Rail has recruited is to build relationships with all level crossing users as well as the wider community and the Government expects further safety benefits to accrue from these activities.