Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to bring forward flexible ticketing for rail travel in (a) the South East, (b) Kent and (c) Medway.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Government recognises that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a fundamental change in working patterns and that this could have long-term effects on commuter behaviours.
In response, the Department for Transport has proactively worked with the rail industry, and is currently considering proposals received from train operators, including Southeastern who operate in the South East, Kent, and Medway, to try to ensure better value and convenience for part-time and flexible commuters.
These are unprecedented times and our immediate focus is on ensuring that we keep the railway available and safe for those who rely upon it.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the success of Train Operating Companies' flexible ticketing trials.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Some train companies have already introduced flexible products including c2c, Chiltern, East Midlands, Gatwick Express, Greater Anglia, Northern, South Western, Govia Thameslink Railway and West Midlands Railway. These differ in their terms and conditions, and are not available to all commuters. We are currently considering proposals received from train operators to try to deliver better value and convenience for part-time and all flexible commuters.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to permit train operating companies to offer temporary rent reductions to concessions in railway stations in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In accordance with Franchise Agreements, as varied by the Emergency Measures Agreements, Franchisees have responsibility to act at all times as Good and Efficient Operators. The Department has written to all train operating companies outlining that it is incumbent on them, as responsible commercial landlords, to actively consider any requests made for rent deferral or relief in accordance with the Good and Efficient Operator principle. We expect requests from tenants to be considered on a case-by-case basis taking into account whether the tenant has made all reasonable efforts to seek assistance from wider government support schemes before any rent relief is agreed.
Any rent relief arrangements should also be developed in line with the recently published Code of Practice for commercial property relationships during the Covid-19 pandemic which provides guidance as to how landlords should be considering requests from commercial tenants during the current period.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure concessions in railway stations operated by train operating companies are eligible for the same rent holidays and other forms of financial assistance available to concessions in stations operated by Network Rail.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In accordance with Franchise Agreements, as varied by the Emergency Measures Agreements, Franchisees have responsibility to act at all times as Good and Efficient Operators. The Department has written to all train operating companies outlining that it is incumbent on them, as responsible commercial landlords, to actively consider any requests made for rent deferral or relief in accordance with the Good and Efficient Operator principle. We expect requests from tenants to be considered on a case-by-case basis taking into account whether the tenant has made all reasonable efforts to seek assistance from wider government support schemes before any rent relief is agreed.
Any rent relief arrangements should also be developed in line with the recently published Code of Practice for commercial property relationships during the Covid-19 pandemic which provides guidance as to how landlords should be considering requests from commercial tenants during the current period.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve bus services in (a) Medway, (b) Kent and (c) the South East.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision are primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. However, the Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services and increase passenger numbers.
The annual Bus Service Operators Grant the Government provided for Kent County Council during 2018/19 was £1,087,788.
We have announced an additional £30 million of additional funding to improve current services and restoring lost services. Kent County Council has been allocated £1,007,624 which will be available from April 2020 if the funding requirements are met. This is from the £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package to transform bus services. The Government’s ambition is to secure a long term, sustained improvement in bus services underpinned by a National Bus Strategy for England which will be accompanied by a long-term funding settlement.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-better-deal-for-bus-users/a-better-deal-for-bus-users
On 11 February 2020, the Prime Minister announced there will be £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for every region outside London which may benefit bus services serving Medway, Kent and the wider South East.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on proposals for a Thames estuary airport.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the designation of the Airports National Policy?Statement?has?no legal effect unless, and until, this Government carries out a review.
It?is a complex judgment that the Government will need time to consider carefully.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to increase the number of train carriages from the Medway towns to London in (a) morning rush hour and (b) overall.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Since the introduction of Thameslink services in Kent in May 2018, Rainham has seen an increase in services and capacity to London during the morning peak and throughout the day. Gillingham has seen a small reduction in Southeastern services to Victoria and Cannon Street, however has gained Thameslink services.
The Class 700 trains used by Thameslink have more capacity compared to the previous Southeastern trains. They are modern, state of the art trains, with real time passenger information and air conditioning.
Both stations now have direct services to London Bridge and through the Thameslink core, to Blackfriars, City Thameslink and Farringdon. For many passengers, this removes the need to interchange onto the London Underground to complete their journey.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of public transport links in (a) Medway and (b) Kent.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department has worked to improve rail services in Kent, bringing new journey opportunities with the introduction of Thameslink services to London Bridge, Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St. Pancras.
The new South Eastern Franchise will deliver better and more reliable journeys, and more room for passengers, integrating seamlessly with future Thameslink and Elizabeth Line services to transform travel across London, Kent and parts of East Sussex.
The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. Decisions on subsidised bus services are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities. The Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) number and (b) quality of rail services in the South East.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
We constantly strive to improve the quality of rail services across all franchises. We expect the next South Eastern franchise to include a modern fleet of trains with more space for passengers, more reliable journeys, and improved customer service, including communication during disruption.
The Secretary of State wishes for the next franchise to signal a new approach to rail franchising, including through the formation of an alliance with Network Rail, building on the positive steps made by the current operator.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money from the public purse has been provided to (a) Medway, (b) Kent and (c) the South East for the repair of potholes and the prevention of potholes.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is providing Medway Local Highway Authority £10.577 million from 2015/16 to 2018/19 for local highways maintenance. This funding includes £0.619 million from the Pothole Action Fund to allow the repair of potholes or stop them forming in the first place.
The Government is providing Kent Local Highway Authority £113.334 million from 2015/16 to 2018/19 for local highways maintenance. This funding includes £6.764 million from the Pothole Action Fund to allow the repair of potholes or stop them forming in the first place.
The Government is providing the South East’s highway authorities £619.145 million from 2015/16 to 2018/19 for local highways maintenance. This funding includes £36.503 million from the Pothole Action Fund to allow the repair of potholes or stop them forming in the first place.
In addition, the Department for Transport announced in January 2017 that it is undertaking an innovative trial on the way potholes are identified and managed, working in partnership with Thurrock, York and Wiltshire councils and two private sector SMEs, Soenecs and Gaist. This trial allows high-definition cameras to be mounted to refuse collection vehicles and by deploying innovative intelligent software will identify road surface problems before they become potholes. The trial recently won an award for the best use of new technology in the highways sector.
The Government also announced, in March 2018, that it is investing more than £900,000 in innovations using connected vehicles to help councils manage and plan maintenance works more efficiently. These trials will ultimately help to provide councils with data to enable them to repair potholes before they occur as well as to maintain their other assets more effectively as part of their asset management plans.
Finally, the Department for Transport is providing funding to the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) to work on technological and innovative improvements to future-proof the local road network.