Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of building the Western Rail Link to Heathrow.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This Government remains committed to improving rail access to Heathrow Airport and recognises the importance of the improved rail connectivity that a Western rail link could provide. However, we need to ensure that the projects we take forward reflect the changed shape of rail demand and are affordable. I understand that the promoters of a Western rail link continue to update their proposals.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Secretary of State is responsible for the long-term strategy of the Department, while Ministers consider and assess the long-term challenges within their own portfolios and the Minister of State for Decarbonisation and Technology addresses those cross-cutting priorities.
Staff across the Department are engaged in work which supports the Government’s long-term priorities. The number of officials that undertake horizon scanning and work on long-term priorities changes over time and is difficult to define, so it is not possible to provide a precise figure.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Within the Department for Transport, national security risks are identified, assessed, and managed by subject matter experts working with science and analytical functions and reported up to the National Security Board, the Risk Committee and the Executive Committee.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers to Questions 193235 and 194771 on Railways: Ticket Offices, what protocols his Department follows to record meetings attended by Ministers.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
All ministerial meetings with external organisations are published in the quarterly transparency returns.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps they are taking to help ensure that their Department (a) gives sufficient attention to long term strategic challenges, (b) does not allow current events to slow down work on long term strategic issues and (c) consistently undertakes horizon scanning.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department monitors and prepares for long-term strategic challenges as part of its regular work. Strategy teams exist for a range of transport modes and well-established structures and processes allow the Department to manage short-term operational issues while minimising the effect on long term work. In 2022, the Department established the Decarbonisation, Technology and Strategy Group, reporting directly to the Second Permanent Secretary, which brings together cross-modal teams to work on long-term strategic issues and undertake horizon scanning.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking planned maintenance of the rail network( a) midweek, (b) in solid blocks of time which do not require start stop overnight repairs and (c) not on bank holiday weekends.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The rail industry is committed to delivering its investment and maintenance programmes with the minimum disruption to passenger services, however it is necessary at times to close the railway to enable these essential works to take place.
The industry takes into account a number of factors when making decisions about access. The number of passengers disrupted is a key factor considered when making decisions about access, however it is not the only factor. For example, the cost and the ability of the industry to deliver are also taken into account. There are times when access is taken midweek, in long solid blocks of time. The Milton Keynes to Rugby via Northampton week-long blockade is a recent example of this.
Network Rail has carried out a trial of different blockades to take account of changed passenger demand patterns. NR will want to understand the outcome of the trial this year before looking at future years.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage the transition to greener forms of public transport.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Transport Decarbonisation Plan sets out how the UK plans to decarbonise public transport by 2050. The Government is accelerating the rollout of zero-emission buses and trains in order to deliver this. Twelve hundred miles of railway have been electrified in England and Wales since 2010, and 4000 zero-emission buses have been funded across the UK. The Government is continuing this progress: it is electrifying the Midland Mainline and Transpennine railway routes and has just announced a further £129 million to support the transition to an entirely zero-emission bus fleet.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce instances of signalling equipment failures.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network Rail, in their capacity as the infrastructure manager for Britain’s railways, are undertaking a number of actions to reduce instances of signalling equipment failures on the network. This includes replacing old and obsolete equipment as part of their renewals work, undertaking reliability analysis to identify assets that are failing prematurely to enable targeted remedial action, applying predictive technology to identify the risk of failures, monitoring trends to identify underperforming assets so these can be replaced, and reviewing staff training to ensure staff are in the best position to manage and mitigate signalling failures. Moving to digital signalling, such as on the East Coast Digital Programme, will also lead to increased infrastructure reliability.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of compliance by train operating companies to the occupational psychological fitness and medical requirements in the Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), as the independent safety regulator and enforcement body for the Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010, ensures train operating companies comply with the regime and can enforce against any non-compliance. Under the regulations, train operators are required to ensure train drivers employed by them comply with the occupational psychological fitness and medical requirements, which are conditions for obtaining a licence, and through a system of monitoring maintain the validity of train driving licences and certificates.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce overcrowding on rail services.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As the pandemic has changed travel habits, train operators are using this opportunity to reassess their services to provide rail timetables that respond to new passenger travel patterns, are fit for the future, and carefully balance cost, capacity and performance.
We are working with train operators to ensure their service offer provides capacity where it is most needed, whilst maintaining performance and protecting the public purse.