Asked by: Gordon Marsden (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will encourage bus operators to pass on savings from the low price of bus fuels in the form of greater investment in the bus network and lower fares.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The bus market outside London is deregulated, with the vast majority of services provided on a commercial basis by private sector bus operators. Decisions on the level of fares is a commercial one for individual bus operators.
The Department’s own analysis suggests that the 25% reduction in fuel price earlier this year could translate into around a 4.25% reduction overall in bus industry costs. However, most large bus operators, who between them provide the majority of services outside London, have fuel hedging arrangements in place, which mean that, in the short term, lower fuel prices do not translate into lower costs thus limiting their ability to reduce fares.
Asked by: Gordon Marsden (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the status is of his Department's review of the UK derogation from EU law on training in disability awareness for bus and coach drivers; and whether his Department plans to seek to extend that derogation or apply for a new derogation.
Answered by Andrew Jones
In March 2014, the Department for Transport reviewed the use of a derogation applied under EU Regulation 181/2011 (concerning bus/coach passenger rights) that exempts bus and coach drivers from undertaking mandatory disability awareness training until March 2018. A range of stakeholder views were sought and a summary of responses was published in January 2015.
In addition, departmental officials are currently in discussions with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) about undertaking a research project on the quality and impact of disability equality awareness training currently offered to bus and coach drivers.
We will consider all the evidence and, in the meantime, will continue to press the bus industry to ensure that bus and coach drivers are adequately trained to allow them to meet the needs of all passengers.
Asked by: Gordon Marsden (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to encourage the adoption by the bus industry of the winning submission to the Transport Catapult competition for the design of audio-visual systems on buses.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The winner of the ‘All Aboard’ technology competition, which challenged students around the country to come up with innovative and cost-effective ideas about how to provide passengers with accessible information during their bus journey, was announced on 13th March 2015.
The Transport Systems Catapult have committed to invest £50,000 to develop the winning design into a working prototype and are now working to procure a suitable technology company to undertake this work.
When a prototype design has been finalised, we will look to engage with bus industry representatives to determine the most appropriate way to trial the new technology.
Asked by: Gordon Marsden (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many shifts were staffed below risk-assessed levels at (a) Swansea and (b) Milford Haven Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in (i) July 2013, (ii) January 2014, (iii) July 2014 and (iv) January 2015.
Answered by John Hayes
The new flexible shift patterns and the ability for areas covered by the new HM Coastguard structure to be handled by any Coastguard within it mean workload is managed nationally rather than on a centre by centre basis. This enables HM Coastguard to proactively match available staff across the whole network to its busiest areas and times, both diurnally and seasonally.
It is therefore more relevant to consider the total number of Coastguards available on the growing national network.
As of 6 March 2015 this network, and the benefits it delivers, will stretch from Beachy Head to the Mull of Galloway. The transition of the national network around the United Kingdom will be complete by December 2015.
These historic risk assessed watch level assessments at the current individual centres err strongly on the side of caution. As each centre joins the evolving national network, the number of Coastguards at any of the individual centres becomes less significant.
Where there are specific issues at a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Her Majesty’s Coastguard uses the current long established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.
Work continues on the fresh appraisal I have asked for on the relationship between the available levels of resource and need in the light of the benefit of the new structure.
The following table outlines the number of shifts and how many hours of shift time were staffed below risk assessed levels at (a) Swansea and (b) Milford Haven Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres in (i) July 2013, (ii) January 2014, (iii) July 2014 and (iv) January 2015.
MRCC | Jul-13 | Jan-14 | Jul-14 | Jan-15 | ||||
Shifts | Hours | Shifts | Hours | Shifts | Hours | Shifts | Hours | |
Swansea | 23 | 276 | 10 | 120 | 41 | 492 | 32 | 384 |
Milford Haven | 5 | 60 | 5 | 60 | 26 | 312 | 20 | 240 |