Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many officials in her Department are employed to oversee the work of (a) Shadow GBR (b) HS2 Ltd and (c) train operating companies.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Shadow GBR consists of the three leaders of Network Rail, DfT Operator Limited (DfTO), and the Department for Transport’s Rail Services Group working together with the Chair, Laura Shoaf CBE. At present seven officials in the Department are employed to mobilise these arrangements (with some working on SGBR alongside other priorities).
As at January 2025, there are approximately 175 officials in DfT's Major Rail Projects Group, which has responsibility for developing and sponsoring the delivery of HS2, the Euston programme, Northern Powerhouse Rail and future network planning. Within the Department’s markets teams there are 113 officials overseeing the rail franchise contracts.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of Network Rail’s increased in national insurance contributions.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Before the National Insurance increase announcement in the budget, Network Rail’s estimated National Insurance payment was £1.26bn for the remaining four years of Control Period 7 (2025/26 – 2028/29). Following the budget, it’s now anticipated to increase by £213m over this timeframe.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) debt levels and (b) regulated asset base gearing by UK airports.
Answered by Mike Kane
The UK aviation sector operates predominantly within the private market, and decisions regarding asset financing are at the discretion of individual airports and their owners.
Heathrow Airport is unique amongst UK airports in maintaining an active Regulatory Asset Base as part of its economic regulation by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Since this regulation is independent from Government, the Department does not conduct routine analysis of debt and gearing levels in relation to Heathrow.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on enforcement of the Seafarers Wages Act 2023.
Answered by Mike Kane
Officials from the Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have regular meetings to discuss enforcement of the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023. Department for Transport officials held a training session for Maritime and Coastguard Agency inspectors on the requirements of the legislation in November 2024.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s annual budget was in each year between 2018-19 and 2024-25.
Answered by Mike Kane
The MCA’s annual budget each year from 2018/19 – 2024/25 as follows:
| Source | Resource Budget | Capital Budget | Total Budget |
2024-2025 | Parliamentary Main Supply Estimate | 443,735 | 21,842 | 465,577 |
2023-2024 | Parliamentary Supply Estimate | 416,594 | 39,479 | 456,073 |
2022-2023 | Parliamentary Supply Estimate | 416,168 | 38,401 | 454,569 |
2021-2022 | Parliamentary Supply Estimate | 389,891 | 61,184 | 451,075 |
2020-2021 | Parliamentary Supply Estimate | 376,693 | 43,171 | 419,864 |
2019-2020 | Parliamentary Supply Estimate | 365,273 | 16,327 | 381,600 |
2018-2019 | Parliamentary Supply Estimate | 349,055 | 11,866 | 360,921 |
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she expects the Marine Accident Investigation Branch to publish its report into the loss of a crew member on the Liberian flagged drill rig jack up vessel Valaris 121 on 22 January 2023.
Answered by Mike Kane
The Liberian registered Valaris 121, a mobile drilling rig, was under tow outside United Kingdom territorial waters when the accident took place. In line with the International Maritime Organization’s Casualty Investigation Code (the Code), as the flag State of the vessel, the Liberian Registry’s Marine Investigations Department has commenced an investigation.
As this accident involved a UK national, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has declared itself a substantially interested state under the Code and has provided assistance to the Liberian investigation where required. Once their investigation is complete the Liberian authorities will publish a report into the accident.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question12278 on Rolling Stock, whether a rolling stock strategy will be published before the establishment of Great British Railways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is developing a Rolling Stock Strategy. This will align with the wider objectives of the industry in ending the current variability in production rates and ensuring a stable pipeline of work for the rolling stock supply chain.
Once established, Great British Railways will take the strategy forward providing a long-term approach to future rolling stock needs and helping to secure better value from the private rolling stock market.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to convene the next meeting of the Department for Transport’s Freight Council.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Our ambition is for the Freight Council to bring leaders from the freight and logistics sector together with government to agree priorities and actions, so that freight plays its full part in growing our economy. We have been considering the best Council format to achieve this and will confirm this in due course.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department issues on the powers available to (a) local authorities and (b) the police to (i) remove and (ii) seize a vehicle parked on a public highway that does not have valid insurance.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government takes uninsured driving very seriously and is determined to see a reduction in this offence. Since 2005, the police have had the power to seize vehicles that are being driven without insurance and as of 2020, two million vehicles had been seized in Great Britain. We do not currently issue guidance on vehicle seizure for vehicles without insurance.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department issues on the powers available to (a) local authorities and (b) the police to (i) remove and (ii) seize a vehicle parked on a public highway that does not have a valid MOT.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport does not issue such guidance. The police can check if a vehicle has a valid MOT by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and conducting random stops, and they are able to seize a vehicle without a valid MOT. Local authorities already have parking enforcement powers and can remove vehicles parked illegally, and many also enable the public to report vehicles without valid MOTs online.