Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fixed penalty notices have been issued to people crossing the Mersey Gateway bridge in each of the last five years.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Mersey Gateway Bridge and its tolling operation are the responsibility of Halton Borough Council and its operational company the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board. It is contracted to Merseyflow.
The Department of Transport does not hold the information requested.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many unpaid fixed penalty notices for crossing the Mersey Gateway bridge resulted in action from a bailiff in each of the last five years.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Mersey Gateway Bridge and its tolling operation are the responsibility of Halton Borough Council and its operational company the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board. It is contracted to Merseyflow.
The Department of Transport does not hold the information requested.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that taxi and private hire vehicle drivers are aware that it is illegal to refuse travel to a passenger with an assistance dog.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) provide vital services for disabled people, and it is unacceptable for drivers of these vehicles to refuse the carriage of passengers with assistance dogs.
In February, the Government published its response to the report of the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxis and PHV licensing, indicating its intention to introduce mandatory disability awareness training as part of National Minimum Standards.
In the meanwhile, I would urge licensing authorities to use their existing licensing powers to ensure that all taxi and PHV drivers have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide every passenger with the assistance they require.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings his officials had with executives of Seaborne Freight; and what the (a) length and (b) cost of those meetings was.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Several meetings involving executives of Seaborne Freight were held during contract negotiations and subsequently to discuss implementation. The full information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any expenses were claimed by civil servants undertaking their duties to establish contractual arrangements with Seaborne Freight.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Limited incidental travelling expenses were claimed by civil servants during the course of discussions. The precise total involved could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) FTE civil servants and (b) lawyers worked on the Seaborne Freight contract during the (i) due diligence, (ii) contract management and (iii) contract cancellation processes.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The contract awarded to Seaborne was part of a broader procurement exercise to secure additional freight capacity after Brexit, wherein nine companies were approached and contracts were awarded to three. The precise staff time involved could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost of legal advice was to his Department during the (a) due diligence, (b) contract management and (c) contract cancellation process for the Seaborne Freight contract.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Combined costs of external legal, financial and project assurance advice on all three freight contracts including legal advice up to the end of December 2018 were approximately £800,000. Subsequent costs up to termination cannot yet be derived as contracts are still live and invoices pending.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department (a) agreed and (b) made any payments to Seaborne Freight between 30 December 2018 and 29 March 2019.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
I refer the hon Member to my Rt Hon Friend's Written Statement of 7 January. Payments for services will not be made until the services are provided.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of his Department were in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The table below shows the average hourly earnings for (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of the Department for Transport which includes:
Year | FY 2010/11 | FY 2011/12 | FY 2012/13 | FY 013/14 | FY 2014/15 |
[a] Female | £13.58 | £13.85 | £14.28 | £14.75 | £15.21 |
[b] Male | £15.25 | £15.43 | £15.77 | £16.22 | £16.50 |
[c] Full Time | £14.85 | £15.05 | £15.43 | £15.91 | £16.23 |
[d] Part time | £14.00 | £14.24 | £14.52 | £14.78 | £15.17 |
Please note: the Government Car Services (GCS) does not hold information on FY 2010/2011 and FY 2011/2012 and is therefore not included in the Department return for these years.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what alternative arrangements have been made for residents of Flintshire to take driving tests during the temporary closure of the Chester driving test centre.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are committed to providing testing in the Chester area, from mid-February DVSA will offer both car and motorcycle practical tests from Cheshire County Sports Club as a temporary measure. In the meantime, DVSA is continuing to look for a new permanent site in the Chester area.