Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the (a) transparency and (b) impartiality of its assessment of the force majeure claims made by Govia Thameslink Railway for industrial action.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The assessment of the force majeure claim has been undertaken by permanent members of staff within the Department.
All Civil Servants are bound by the Civil Service Code and the four core values of impartiality, integrity, honesty and objectivity. The same process has been applied to Govia Thameslink Railway’s claim as that applied to claims from other operators and the outcome of the assessment will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what evidence has been provided by Govia Thameslink Railway in its claim of force majeure to support the assertion that industrial action by staff is unofficial.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Govia Thameslink Railway have provided us with a range of confidential information in support of their force majeure claim. This is a complex claim to analyse and the process is ongoing.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Peter Wilkinson, when engaged in any capacity by his Department, has been involved in assessing franchise bids by Govia Thameslink Railway while (a) providing consultancy advice for Govia Thameslink Railway and (b) holding shares in any company providing consultancy advice for Govia Thameslink Railway.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department’s franchising system operates to the highest standards of public procurement and includes numerous checks and balances to ensure no impropriety. Decisions on the award of franchises are taken by the Department, not by any individual official, and follow a comprehensive process to ensure a fair and open competition. Each franchise award is subject to thorough and independent audit.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which vehicles operated on the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern Franchise are (a) compliant and (b) not compliant with the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non-Interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non-Interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010 standards apply to non-mainline operations (such as trams, light rail and metro systems). Accessibility standards for trains operated on the mainline are either the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998 or the Persons of Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability (PRM-TSI) (under the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011).
Thameslink is in the process of commissioning and operating 1140 brand new Class 700 vehicles, which are PRM-TSI compliant. The following units are built to the standards mandated in the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998:
Class 171 (6 x4 car units plus 10 x 2 car units), Class 377/1 (64 x 4 car units), Class 377/2 (15 x 4 car units), Class 377/3 (28 x 3 car units), 377/4 (75 x 4 car units), class 377/5 (23 x 4 car units).
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what exemptions have been given for vehicles operated on the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern Franchise since that franchise began; and when those exemptions were granted.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
No exemptions have been requested for these vehicles in the period 2014 to date.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Govia Thameslink Railway will be in default of its franchise agreement if its applications for force majeure are not agreed by his Department.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The scale of the industrial action on Southern has caused significant disruption to passengers, which is reflected in the force majeure claim by Govia Thameslink Railway. The Department analyses claims and must be satisfied that force majeure is appropriate. This is a complex claim to analyse and the process is ongoing.
Whether GTR meets performance benchmarks will be affected by the outcome of the force majeure claim. If the force majeure claim is not agreed, or agreed in part only, the Secretary of State will consider appropriate remedial action.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what remedies are available to him, in addition to removing the franchise from Govia Thameslink Railway, if that company is in default of its franchise agreement.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
My Department sets out how we will enforce measures in rail franchise agreements in its ‘enforcement policy: rail franchise agreements and closures’, published on the website.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/enforcement-policy-rail-franchise-agreements-and-closures
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2016 to Question 55011, for what reasons his Department provided the information requested in that Question to the Guardian newspaper in response to a Freedom of Information request but did not provide the information in that Answer.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has not provided the information requested in Question 55011 to the Guardian.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Peter Wilkinson notified the Department of any conflicts of interest while assessing the Govia Thameslink Railway bid.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has robust safeguards in place to guard against any conflicts of interest.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Peter Wilkinson has notified the Department of any conflicts of interest in the last three years.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has robust safeguards in place to guard against any conflicts of interest.