Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will ensure that seat utilisation of London and North Eastern Railway services on key routes are taken into account before permitting Network Rail to issue a restricted capacity notice for the East Coast Main Line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department regularly monitors levels of passenger demand on LNER services which help inform timetable planning decisions on the East Coast Mainline. Network capacity is a matter for Network Rail to assess according to their criteria.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Network Rail on the (a) under-utilisation of some London North Eastern Railway services on the East Coast Main Line and (b) comparative potential merits of awarding those rails slots to open access services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department regularly monitors levels of passenger demand on LNER services which help inform timetable planning decisions on the East Coast Mainline. Network capacity is a matter for Network Rail to assess according to their criteria.
The Secretary of State has not discussed awarding LNER services to Open Access operators with Network Rail, and has no plans to do so, but does continue to engage with Network Rail and the ORR on submitted Open Access applications in line with standard industry processes.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make (a) an estimate of the proportion of London and North Eastern Railway services with limited stops that operate with under 65% seat occupancy and (b) a comparative assessment of the potential merits of providing non-subsidised open access services with more calling points.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to work with the rail industry to ensure the design of timetable meets stakeholders needs and makes effective use of infrastructure. If an Open Access operator wishes to compete with a contracted operator, such as LNER, it is free to apply to the ORR to do so, and ORR will assess the benefits and wider impacts to passengers and to taxpayers and decide upon the application in its role as independent regulator for the rail industry.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is the percentage seat utilisation per mile on London and North Eastern Railway services to (a) York, (b) Leeds and (c) Newcastle.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
LNER services have a high rate of seat utilisation which is comparable to or better than other inter-city long distance franchised operators. However, seat utilisation varies throughout the day as LNER make effective use of track capacity by running longer trains which delivers more capacity during the peaks, which can lead to excess capacity on return legs where demand may be lower. Timetable obligations and fixed train sets means that there is sufficient capacity to meet demand, though is not possible to alter capacity in these quieter times to improve seat utilisation rates on these services.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress Network Rail has made on the cost reviews taking place to deliver power supply improvements on the (a) West and (b) East Coast Main Line.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is currently reviewing the position it has inherited on rail infrastructure and will consider how we address power supply issues. We will set out our plans in due course.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking as Guarantor of Cyprus’s independence and territorial integrity to help reunite the island.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to supporting the UN efforts to reach a Cyprus Settlement and we are actively engaging all parties to encourage the flexibility needed to return to talks. In addition, we support a range of confidence building measures in Cyprus to promote engagement between the communities. We also continue to contribute to peace and stability in Cyprus through our deployment of military personnel to the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential role of newly approved open access services in supporting British train (a) manufacturing, (b) assembly and (c) supply chains.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Privately owned and run open access operators can play a significant role in supporting UK train manufacturers, assemblers and their UK supply chains and are an important source of potential orders, both for new and cascaded rolling stock. It remains a matter for each operator to decide when and how to source its own rolling stock.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Turkish counterpart on negotiations on a peaceful, comprehensive, and long-lasting solution to reunite divisions over Cyprus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting UN efforts to reach a Cyprus Settlement within the existing parameters of a Bi-zonal, Bi-communal Federation with political equality. We engage all parties in support of this. I raised this with my Turkish counterpart on 12 July. His Majesty's Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey most recently discussed Cyprus with Turkish counterparts on 19 September. I also met with the Turkish Ambassador to the UK on 9 October when we also discussed the Cyprus Issue.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Turkish counterpart on reducing the number of Turkish troops stationed in Cyprus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK actively supports peace and stability in Cyprus as a leading troop contributor to United Nations Peacekeeping Force In Cyprus (UNFICYP) and through our support for the UN-led process to reach a comprehensive Cyprus Settlement. We believe this remains the best route to addressing the difficult issues of the status quo. In January, as penholder, we drafted United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2723 which strongly encouraged the parties to engage and consider new military confidence building measures. We do not routinely comment on the activities of non-UK personnel.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Turkish counterpart on the return of Famagusta to its former inhabitants on the 50th anniversary of its capture.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports the numerous United Nations Security Council Resolutions covering the issue of Varosha, Famagusta, alongside the related 2021 UNSC Statement. Property remains one of the most complex issues of the status quo in Cyprus. Ultimately, the most effective way to resolve these issues is through the UN-led process to reach a just and lasting Cyprus Settlement. The UK regularly engages all parties to support this.