Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of recipients of the single person discount on council tax are (a) women, (b) over 66 and (c) in households with dependents under 18.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has not historically collected data on the individual characteristics of residents of households receiving a single person council tax discount.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help West Yorkshire Combined Authority reopen Bradford Interchange’s bus station.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local authorities, rather than central government, are responsible for the bus stops and shelters in their area. Any decisions regarding the reopening of Bradford Interchange bus station are for West Yorkshire Combined Authority to make.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to help protect bus (a) stock, (b) drivers and (c) passengers following the arson attack on a bus in Harehills on 18 July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport works closely with the bus and coach sector to advise them on protective security issues, and in 2018 published best practice guidance to advise the sector on security measures to protect against acts of violence. The guidance is available to view on GOV.UK at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/875547/bus-and-coach-security-recommended-best-practice.pdf. The Department is currently in the process of updating this guidance, working in partnership with industry, and expects to publish an enhanced document later this year.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of parked cars causing blockages outside bus stations on levels of delays to regional bus networks.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
98% of local authorities have civil enforcement powers in relation to parking and are responsible for enforcement on the roads within their authority. Local authorities have powers to implement a range of parking restrictions on their networks and are responsible for deciding what restrictions may be necessary.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Better Buses Bill will regulate the prices paid by (a) mayoral, (b) combined and (c) local authorities to purchase bus (i) fleets and (ii) depots from private operators.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce a Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England. The Bill aims to ensure networks can meet the needs of the communities who rely on them and encourage passengers back onto buses. The Department is currently working at pace to consider and determine the exact scope of the Buses Bill.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans for the Pay As You Go train ticketing pilots for (a) Greater Manchester and (b) the West Midlands to begin in 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government remains committed to making ticketing simpler and more flexible for passengers and to working with local authorities to support integrated transport plans in their areas. Following the announcement in February that Pay As You Go (PAYG) pilots would be launched in 2025, we have been working closely with Transport for the West Midlands, the West Midlands Rail Executive, Transport for Greater Manchester and train operators to finalise delivery plans for the PAYG pilots including launch dates.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to fund the rebuild of Wetherby High School.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has confirmed that Wetherby High School is in the school rebuilding programme. Feasibility is expected to be complete by the end of the year, with procurement, planning and design to start from January 2025. All future decisions remain subject to the Spending Review.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with train operators on disruption to (a) services and (b) timetables following the worldwide IT outage on 19 July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My officials were in touch with ToCs at the time. As the Minister (Ellie Reeves, Minister without Portfolio) said in her statement to the House of Commons on Monday 22 July, the transport sector will review its response and implement any learnings.
The Cabinet Office has led a review of the incident, identifying lessons. The Department has engaged with this process and will implement recommendations with the transport sector, including the rail industry and train operating companies, as appropriate.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information she holds on the number of train journeys that were cancelled across the rail network as a direct result of crew shortage on 14 July.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold the requested data concerning journey cancellations on 14 July 2024 directly due to crew shortages.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Office for Rail and Road’s annual UK rail industry assessment, published on 19 July, what steps her Department is taking to ensure Network Rail delivers its performance improvement plan for Wales and the Western region by 31 August.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Improving performance on the railway is a key priority, and the Rail Minister is expecting to meet Network Rail and Great Western Railway this month to discuss performance on these routes. Following the launch of Network Rail’s £140m performance improvement plan, we are starting to see improvements in performance, and we expect more in the coming months. We understand Network Rail delivered a final plan to the Office for Rail & Road by 31 August.