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Written Question
Transport: Young People
Friday 15th December 2023

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to invite representations from young people to help input their experiences into future transport policy.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is committed to ensuring that it meets the obligations set out in the Public Sector Equality Duty and give due consideration to the needs of groups with protected characteristics when developing policies and programmes. As part of this we are seeking to build our evidence base on the travel needs, behaviours and experiences of different groups, including those of different age cohorts.


Written Question
Transport: Young People
Monday 11th December 2023

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increases in the cost of transport on the levels of (a) unemployment and (b) productivity among 16-24 year olds.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

All children under 16 receive 50 per cent off all adult rail fares, and in 2019 we introduced the 16-17 Saver railcard, extending this to 16- and 17-year-olds, meaning that a 50 per cent discount is available to children throughout their period of compulsory education and training. For students aged 18 and above, including mature students over the age of 25 studying full-time, the 16-25 Railcard offers a third off most rail travel. We have also introduced the 26-30 Railcard, extending the 34 per cent discount to more young adults.

In England, the majority of bus services outside London operate on a commercial basis, and decisions about offering reduced or discounted fares for commercial bus services are predominantly for operators to take. Many bus operators currently offer discounted fares for younger people. Our most recent set of statistics shows by the end of March 2023, at least 20 travel concession authorities themselves and at least one commercial bus operator in 71 out of the 84 travel concession authority areas in England, outside London, offered some form of discounted travel for young people.

The Government introduced a £2 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January 2023 until the end of 2024 to help passengers save on their regular travel costs. The Government has provided almost £600 million to support the scheme.


Written Question
Transport: Young People
Monday 11th December 2023

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) economic and (b) social impact of increases in the cost of transport on young people.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

All children under 16 receive 50 per cent off all adult rail fares, and in 2019 we introduced the 16-17 Saver railcard, extending this to 16- and 17-year-olds, meaning that a 50 per cent discount is available to children throughout their period of compulsory education and training. For students aged 18 and above, including mature students over the age of 25 studying full-time, the 16-25 Railcard offers a third off most rail travel. We have also introduced the 26-30 Railcard, extending the 34 per cent discount to more young adults.

In England, the majority of bus services outside London operate on a commercial basis, and decisions about offering reduced or discounted fares for commercial bus services are predominantly for operators to take. Many bus operators currently offer discounted fares for younger people. Our most recent set of statistics shows by the end of March 2023, at least 20 travel concession authorities themselves and at least one commercial bus operator in 71 out of the 84 travel concession authority areas in England, outside London, offered some form of discounted travel for young people.

The Government introduced a £2 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January 2023 until the end of 2024 to help passengers save on their regular travel costs. The Government has provided almost £600 million to support the scheme.


Written Question
Parking: Gateshead
Tuesday 5th December 2023

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle pavement parking in Gateshead constituency.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is fully aware that pavement parking can pose problems for pedestrians, particularly for people with sight or mobility impairments. Local authorities already have powers to restrict pavement parking, but the Department has consulted on additional measures to help councils tackle this problem. The Department has not had recent discussions with Gateshead Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities.


Written Question
Parking: Pedestrian Areas
Tuesday 5th December 2023

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of pavement parking on levels of social isolation.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is fully aware that pavement parking can pose problems for pedestrians, particularly for people with sight or mobility impairments. Local authorities already have powers to restrict pavement parking, but the Department has consulted on additional measures to help councils tackle this problem. The Department has not had recent discussions with Gateshead Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities.


Written Question
Parking: Pedestrian Areas
Tuesday 5th December 2023

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of levels of support for a default pavement parking ban among the general public.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is fully aware that pavement parking can pose problems for pedestrians, particularly for people with sight or mobility impairments. Local authorities already have powers to restrict pavement parking, but the Department has consulted on additional measures to help councils tackle this problem. The Department has not had recent discussions with Gateshead Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities.


Written Question
Parking: Gateshead
Tuesday 5th December 2023

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Gateshead Council on the potential merits of prohibiting pavement parking in Gateshead.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is fully aware that pavement parking can pose problems for pedestrians, particularly for people with sight or mobility impairments. Local authorities already have powers to restrict pavement parking, but the Department has consulted on additional measures to help councils tackle this problem. The Department has not had recent discussions with Gateshead Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities.


Written Question
Railways: North East
Tuesday 18th July 2023

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of closing railway station ticket offices in Tyne and Wear on the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of passenger rail travel in the North East.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of all passengers; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. We would also expect operators to consider other equality related needs and make this clear in the notice sent to other operators and passenger groups.

Together with industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.


Written Question
Railways: Tickets
Tuesday 18th July 2023

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on the potential impact of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement on the rights of rail passengers.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Ticketing and Settlement Agreement is a contract between the Train Operating Companies and the Rail Delivery Group, and sets out the industry led process that train operators must follow when proposing changes to ticket offices. It is a long-standing and well-established process.

Under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, when proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours (including closures) operators are required, amongst other things, to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of passengers. We would also expect operators to consider equality related needs of passengers and make this clear in the notice sent to other operators and passenger groups.


Written Question
Department for Transport: Maritime UK
Wednesday 14th December 2022

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many hours officials from his Department have spent(a) attending and (b) helping to implement the policies of the National Council of Maritime UK in each year since 2019--20.

Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Maritime UK is a representative body for the UK maritime sector and is separate to government. Maritime UK are key delivery partners for our Maritime 2050 strategy. The Department for Transport provides no direct staffing support to Maritime UK and is unable to comment on Maritime UK’s overall accounts, including its sources of income.

Since 2018, the Department for Transport has provided funding to Maritime UK in order to support delivery of a range of Maritime 2050 recommendations across the wider sector. These include work to improve diversity and inclusion in the industry, promote the sector internationally and improve maritime skills.

Funding provided since 2018 (financial years April – April):

- 2018/19: £29,390.40

- 2019/20: £667,588

- 2020/21: £25,920

- 2021/22: £414,120

- 2022/2023 YTD: £3,000

In March 2021 the Department provided funding of £300,000 to Mersey Maritime to support the development of the Regional Maritime Cluster programme over a three-year period.

The Maritime UK National Council is the governing body for Maritime UK and provides a forum for the sector to discuss the delivery of the joint government and industry Maritime 2050 strategy. Maritime 2050 underpins the work delivered across the Department for Transport, as discussed at the Transport Select Committee inquiry into Maritime 2050 this summer. The National Council takes place quarterly and is scheduled to last for two hours. DfT officials attend alongside officials from BEIS and DIT, to provide a short update on departmental business relevant to Maritime UK and to understand issues affecting the sector.