Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money his Department has spent on bottled water in each year since 2010.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The central Department for Transport and the DVLA and VCA executive agencies have not incurred any expenditure on bottled water since 2010.
The DVSA and MCA executive agencies have incurred the following expenditure since 2010:-
2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 |
£809 | £3,150 | £2,819 | £3,616 | £1,268 | £2,675 | £3,910 | £4,496 |
The vast majority of the spend above has been incurred on the large water dispenser bottles which are used on watercoolers. The empties are returned to the supplier for reuse/refilling.
The spend for one of our Executive Agencies for 2010-11 is not available due to their catering supplier having changed in 2011.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money his Department owed to Carillion plc in outstanding payments before that company's liquidation.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
As far as can be determined, there is no outstanding money owed by the Department to Carillion plc since its liquidation.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that licensing authorities (a) introduce disability equality training and (b) publicise the 2010 Best Practice Guidance for taxi and private hire vehicle drivers.
Answered by John Hayes
Taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) services must be accessible to those who rely upon them, and disability awareness training can be effective in equipping drivers with the skills and knowledge to provide all passengers with the assistance they require. The Department is currently considering the responses to the consultation on the draft Accessibility Action Plan which will inform the updated Best Practice Guidance for taxi and PHV licensing authorities. It is the Department’s expectation that the guidance will include a recommendation that authorities should use their existing powers to require prospective drivers to complete disability awareness and equality training.
I announced in a Westminster Hall debate that I would be setting up a working group to consider current issues concerning taxi and PHV licensing, reporting its findings to me in the new year.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to invest in station upgrades on the lakes line from Oxenholme to Windermere in light of the cancellation of plans to electrify that line.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are investing over £40bn in our network in the current investment period (CP5: 2014-2019) as part of the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century to provide faster journeys and more comfortable trains. On 12th October the Transport Secretary announced continued record levels of investment in the railways, with around £48bn to be spent between 2019-2024 (the next investment period: CP6).
Through our investment in the railway, passengers in the Lake District will benefit from four direct services a day in each direction between Windermere and Manchester Airport from May 2018. From 2019, there will be brand new trains with more seats and better on-board facilities. In addition, Northern, the train operator, is looking at a number of technologies to improve journeys for passengers on this route and to protect the environment in this World Heritage Site.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the completion date for the electrification of the Lakes Line from Oxenholme to Windermere.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to seeing improved services on the Lakes Line. Passengers in the Lake District will benefit from four direct services a day in each direction between Windermere and Manchester Airport from May 2018. From 2019, there will be brand new trains with more seats and better on-board facilities including air conditioning, toilets, free wi-fi and plug sockets, subject to business case. Northern, the train operator, will also begin work to explore the possibility of deploying alternative-fuel trains on the route by 2021, improving comfort and on-board facilities for passengers whilst protecting the sensitive environment of this World Heritage Site. This replaces plans to electrify the line between Windermere and Oxenholme.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans for electrification of the Lakes Line from Oxenholme Lake District to Windermere to be completed.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Hendy Review made provision for the Oxenholme to Windermere electrification scheme to be developed, with a target of March 2017 for selection of a single priced option. Network Rail indicated that the estimated cost to deliver the scheme has risen. In the light of this, Network Rail has been asked to undertake a value management exercise to try to bring costs back in line with the original estimates. As a result of this investigation to bring down costs, the completion of the single option selection will be later than the published indicative date.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) official and (b) official sensitive documents have been recorded as lost by his Department since 8 May 2015.
Answered by John Hayes
The Department consists of a central Department and four executive agencies; Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA). This response relates to both the central Department and its agencies.
Of lost documents reported to the centre since 8 May 2015, 53 were at Official level and five were at Official-Sensitive.
All losses are assessed and responded to individually and on a case by case basis with all possible mitigating actions being taken and in full compliance of our legal and other responsibilities.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the amount of compensation that has been paid out to consumers in compensation for delayed and cancelled flights under EU regulations in each of the last five years.
Answered by John Hayes
The Department does not hold this information. Under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 regarding compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation and long delay of flights, passengers should make a claim to their airline if their flight has been disrupted.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many strike days have been undertaken by workers on the railways in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held by, or reported to, the Department.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the abolition of vehicle tax discs on the number of drivers avoiding paying road tax.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Every two years the Department for Transport conducts a roadside survey to evaluate the level of vehicle excise duty compliance. The last survey took place in June 2015, eight months after the paper tax disc was abolished and the results were announced in November 2015. The survey estimated that 98.6% of vehicles were licensed, a drop of 0.8% from the previous survey in 2013. The next survey is due to take place in June of this year.
The DVLA operates a comprehensive package of measures to tackle vehicle excise duty evasion. These measures range from reminder letters, penalties and court prosecutions through to the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, wheel-clamping and the removal of unlicensed vehicles. The DVLA aims to make vehicle excise duty easy to pay but hard to avoid, regularly reviewing and refining processes to encourage compliance and deliver a robust enforcement regime.
In the third quarter of 2014 before the tax disc was abolished, there were 36,922,049 licensed vehicles. In the third quarter of 2016 there were 38,440,125 licensed vehicles.