Asked by: Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the condition on the additional funding to TfL that Government officials will attend TfL board meetings, whether Government officials will attend the board meetings of each train operator with a franchise agreement with his Department and report back on the use of additional resources provided to them in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Secretary of State has not appointed an external advisor to train operator boards and has no immediate plans to do so. The Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) give the Department enhanced controls over financial decisions made by train operators. This includes a formal process of monthly budget reviews, allowing additional financial scrutiny of operators, with the ability for the Department to deem expenditure disallowable, in which case the train operator would have to bear the costs.
The funding and financing package for TfL amounts to £1.6 billion.
Asked by: Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to undertake a review of the future financial (a) position and (b) structure of each train operating company that holds a franchise agreement with his Department.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department is reviewing its approach to the contractual arrangements following the period in which the Emergency Measures Agreements apply. Work is underway to determine the most effective approach once this period ends. This work will take account of the impact of COVID-19 on demand for passenger rail travel in both the short and long term, and the associated economic and financial impacts on the railway.
The Department continues to monitor the financial position of all train operators to ensure to continuity of passenger services.
Asked by: Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on train companies that received additional Government funding during 2020-21 paying dividends to shareholders.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) place a number of new restrictions on operator’s financial transactions in recognition of the risk that the government bears while they are in place. This includes restrictions on the payment of dividends to shareholders during the EMA term.
Asked by: Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has required train operators with franchise agreements with his Department to provide (a) weekly and (b) periodic management accounts showing financial performance in light of the additional resources provided to train operators by the Government in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) continue existing Franchise Agreement obligations to require train operators to provide periodic management accounts to the Department. An equivalent obligation also applies to the two operators that are in direct public ownership. The management accounts include a periodic profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flow statement.
The EMAs have also introduced a formal process of periodic budget reviews to enable additional financial scrutiny of operators.
Asked by: Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether each train company with a franchise agreement has been asked by his Department to provide information on its (a) balance sheet and (b) financing structure and policy.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) continue existing Franchise Agreement obligations to require train operators to provide periodic management accounts to the Department. An equivalent obligation also applies to the two operators that are in direct public ownership. The management accounts include a periodic profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flow statement.
Asked by: Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what revenue funding the Government provided from the public purse to (a) Thameslink, (b) c2c, (c) Southern, (d) Chiltern, (e) South Western Railway, (f) Greater Anglia, (g) Southeastern, (h) Gatwick Express and (i) London Northwestern Railway for (i) March, (ii) April and (iii) May 2020.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government has approved £2.9billion of additional expenditure during the 2020/21 financial year to ensure that vital rail services continue to operate. This expenditure covers all train operators with franchise agreements with the Department for Transport. However, individual TOC payments have not yet been finalised for all of the above periods.
Asked by: Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the need for legislation to control pedicab traffic in central London.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department has received a number of representations from MPs, Councillors, members of the public and the business community in the West End of London about the need to control pedicabs in central London. We have concluded that there is a need to regulate pedicabs and are investigating a suitable legislative slot to do this.