Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that train stations in (a) the North West, (b) Merseyside, (c) Wirral and (d) Wallasey are fully equipped with tactile paving along platform edges.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
I have asked Network Rail to develop a programme to aim to install platform edge tactile strips on every platform in Great Britain.
I will make a further announcement in due course.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that relief crews are able to take over from UK seafarers who have remained at sea as a result of the outbreak of covid-19 so that they can return to the UK.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
UK has not placed restrictions on the transit and transfer of seafarers and I personally wrote to the International Maritime Organisation, the International Labour Organisation and the World Health Organisation on 23 March 2020, confirming that the UK will continue to meet its international obligations related to the transit and transfer of seafarers and highlighted that the UK is fully committed to the welfare of all seafarers regardless of their nationality, asking other States to follow this example.
The Government has ensured quarantine requirements for those travelling into UK, announced on 22 May, do not apply to crew or marine pilots travelling in the operation of their duties.
The Government is continuing to monitor the welfare of all UK seafarers and is working to support employers in their repatriation efforts for all non-essential staff.
The Department is currently considering the framework, recently developed by the International Chamber of Shipping and other organisations, which has been supported and circulated by the International Maritime Organisation, in more detail to see what more can be done to further facilitate crew changes in UK.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to remove the off-peak travel limit on over-60 bus passes to allow elderly people who have been asked to self isolate due to covid-19 access supermarkets during the morning.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
We are acutely aware of the issues around the time restrictions of the current concessionary travel scheme and are considering next steps as a matter of urgency.
The Government is very pleased to see that some local authorities and operators have already agreed to provide free morning travel to concessionary pass holders due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
In addition, free or discounted travel before 9.30am is the most commonly offered discretionary concession, with 68 of the 89 Travel Concession Authorities in England outside London (predominantly local authorities) already offering free or discounted morning travel to older person’s and/or disabled person’s concessionary pass holders.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring that airline staff receive a salary when flights are grounded as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Since the Covid-19 outbreak the Department has been in frequent contact with aviation industry stakeholders to understand more about their position and the support they need. Last week Government announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment.
This will allow businesses to put workers on temporary leave and the Government will pay them cash grants of 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2500 per month, providing they keep the worker employed.
The Scheme will cover the cost of wages backdated to 1 March. It will be open initially for at least three months with the option to extend for longer if necessary.
There is no limit on the amount of funding available for the Scheme, and all UK-wide employers with a PAYE scheme will be eligible. Further guidance will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the titles of the reviews that his Department is undertaking.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department currently has two formal reviews on matters of public policy or delivery. These are the Williams Rail Review, chaired by Keith Williams, and the independent review into the High Speed 2 (HS2) project, chaired by Doug Oakervee.