Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of electric vehicle charging points in Stockport constituency.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of 1st April 2024, there were 34 total public electric vehicle charging devices in the Stockport constituency, 18 of which were rated 50kW or above, according to the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap.
The £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund will support local authorities such as Stockport Council in England to work with industry and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Avanti West Coast’s management of Euston railway station.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
No assessment has been made. Euston railway station is managed by Network Rail, not Avanti West Coast.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average time taken by his Department to respond to a freedom of information request was in each of the last five years; how many and what proportion of such requests his Department did not answer within the target time in each of those years; and how many such requests to his Department had not been answered within the target time as of 1 May 2024.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The department does not record the time spent in answering individual Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and is therefore unable to calculate an average time for answering such requests in any of the last five years.
Statistical information on the Department’s performance in answering FOI requests over the last five years is published by the Cabinet Office at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.
These statistics, which cover all Government departments, include the number that were not answered within the target time. They are published by calendar year, with the latest year being 2023. The annual statistics for 2024 will be published in April 2025 but quarterly statistics may be available sooner.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with Avanti West Coast on the closure of the ticket office at Euston railway station.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is aware of the current temporary closure of the ticket office at Euston station arising from a bird infestation. Network Rail is responsible for managing Euston and is working on a remedy for staff and passengers.
The Government has been clear to the industry that no ticket offices should close.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on (a) expected future rail passenger demand and (b) the potential factors affecting future rail passenger demand.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In line with our published guidance, the Department has developed a range of rail demand forecasts in both the medium and long term. The Department considers a wide range of evidence for our project appraisals and policy decisions.
There are many economic and socio-demographic factors which potentially affect future rail passenger demand. These are detailed within the Department’s Transport Analysis Guidance, published online.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2024 to Question 14383 on Avanti West Coast: Catering, whether his Department holds information on the amount of cash taken by Avanti for its on-board catering services in the last two years.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold information on the amount of cash taken on-board Avanti services.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) compensation and (b) care and assistance expenses that passengers are entitled to claim for in cases of significant flight delays.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government remains committed to protecting the rights of passengers when travelling by air.
Regulation (EC) 261/2004 as retained in UK law establishes common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of long delays, cancellations or denied boarding. In June 2023, the Department published its response to the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation. This set out a commitment to further consultation on the compensation and payment framework across all forms of disruption including cancellations, delays and denied boarding. Furthermore, a Statutory Instrument came into force in the UK on 14 December 2023 to re-state certain EU case law principles in respect of Regulation (EC) 261/2004, to ensure passengers continued to be protected through additional clarity of their rights in the event of flight disruptions.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing funding for Stockport railway station on the local economy.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government believes that Stockport is best placed to decide on and take forward transport schemes that will most benefit their local areas. I would therefore encourage the local stakeholders in the area to work together to bring forward a bid(s) to be considered for development under the various sources of funding available.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to introduce step-free access at Heaton Chapel Station.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The platforms at Heaton Chapel are accessible by ramp. There is not currently a lift, but Rail North Partnership (RNP) works closely with Northern Trains, Network Rail, Transport for the North and its members, including Transport for Greater Manchester, to identify opportunities to improve access to stations for every passenger in the North as part of the operator’s Annual Business Planning process.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2024 to Question 14383 on Avanti West Coast: Catering, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Avanti West Coast's planned end to cash payments for onboard catering to revenue.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Catering services are a commercial matter for each train operating company. Train operators are responsible for considering the equality impacts of operational changes such as to catering payment methods, and are expected by the Department to take local needs into account.