Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Thameslink trains were cancelled due to driver illness in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Huw Merriman
In the most recent full period available, 17 September 2023 to 14 October 2023, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operated 25,973 Thameslink services. GTR report that 4.4 per cent of services were cancelled due to traincrew issues, within which 0.9 per cent of services were cancelled due to traincrew sickness. 1 per cent of services were cancelled as a result of line infrastructure issues and one service was cancelled due to adverse weather. Services in this period were affected by industrial action, which led to a higher than normal number of cancellations.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Thameslink trains were cancelled due to problems involving line infrastructure in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Huw Merriman
In the most recent full period available, 17 September 2023 to 14 October 2023, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operated 25,973 Thameslink services. GTR report that 4.4 per cent of services were cancelled due to traincrew issues, within which 0.9 per cent of services were cancelled due to traincrew sickness. 1 per cent of services were cancelled as a result of line infrastructure issues and one service was cancelled due to adverse weather. Services in this period were affected by industrial action, which led to a higher than normal number of cancellations.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Thameslink trains were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Huw Merriman
In the most recent full period available, 17 September 2023 to 14 October 2023, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operated 25,973 Thameslink services. GTR report that 4.4 per cent of services were cancelled due to traincrew issues, within which 0.9 per cent of services were cancelled due to traincrew sickness. 1 per cent of services were cancelled as a result of line infrastructure issues and one service was cancelled due to adverse weather. Services in this period were affected by industrial action, which led to a higher than normal number of cancellations.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase accessibility for disabled passengers on the Thameslink line.
Answered by Huw Merriman
All train operators have Accessible Travel Policies and are required to undertake diversity impact assessment on all projects or initiatives that may impact disabled passengers. In terms of rolling stock, the Class 700 trains that operate on Thameslink are compliant with modern accessibility standards. Finally, Network Rail are currently undertaking a programme to install platform edge safety tactile paving at all stations in Great Britain. This includes all Thameslink stations and work is planned to be completed in 2025.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch's report into the engine room fire and fatality onboard the Moritz Schulte published August 2023.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Department evaluates the findings of all Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) investigations to ensure any significant safety failings are brought to the attention of the appropriate sector. It reviews policy and incorporates any lessons learned to drive continuous improvement.
In this tragic case, which occurred on an Isle of Man-registered vessel, MAIB did not make any recommendations since the owners of the vessel had acted quickly to put the necessary provisions in place to prevent any recurrence.
MAIB’s publicly available report provides a repository of learning on the causes of the accident and the response.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department are taking to increase the number of women working in the maritime industry.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Department is committed to increasing the number of women working in the maritime sector.
We support the Diversity in Maritime Taskforce’s Women’s Network focus on increasing the number of women in maritime and providing practical skills and advice through a range of initiatives, including a Menopause Hub; a Working Parent support group and increasing the representation of women through speaker and interview banks.
Furthermore, Maritime UK’s Careers Taskforce runs school-based initiatives such as the DfT-Merchant Navy Welfare Board funded Maritime Roadshow for Girls which promotes STEM and maritime careers to 11-14 year olds.
DfT also promotes women in maritime though participation in the International Day for Women in Maritime, celebrated annually in May.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Just Transition Task Force report entitled Mapping a Maritime Just Transition, published 9 Nov 2022, what assessment he has made of the implication for his policies of that report's recommendations on the number of seafarers requiring additional training to handle alternative fuels and technologies by 2050.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has not been involved with Just Transition Task Force report entitled Mapping a Maritime Just Transition, published 9 Nov 2022 therefore no assessments to this report have been made.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has held recent discussions with the Mayor of London on the financial sustainability of Transport for London.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
I met with the Deputy Mayor of London for Transport on 12 July 2023 to discuss Transport for London’s progress to financial sustainability, which they expect to reach by the end of the current financial year.
The Department has regular engagement with Transport for London to monitor the terms of the current funding settlement.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of maintenance per mile on (a) motorways, (b) the strategic road network and (c) the local road network in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The plans for maintaining and renewing the Strategic Road Network (SRN) are set as part of a five-year Road Investment Strategy and are aimed at sustaining the availability, safety, performance, operation, reliability, and longevity of the SRN’s physical assets to deliver value to road users.
National Highways are responsible for the management of the Strategic Road Network which includes motorways and some major A roads, and their expenditure on Maintenance and Renewals is published online in its annual report and accounts:
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/media/0k1mwvsp/nh_ar23_interactive.pdf.
This reflects that in the financial year 2022/23 National Highways spent £240 million on maintenance of the SRN and £908 million on renewals (replacement or refurbishment of assets as they reach the end of their service life).
The Annual Report and Accounts also outlines that NH oversees 4,541 miles of road across its network. On average more is spent on maintaining each mile of the SRN compared to each mile of the local road network, which reflects the considerably higher traffic volumes carried.
On the local road network, local authority expenditure data is collected by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). Total expenditure data is only available up until 2021/22, where total maintenance expenditure for local authority roads was £4.168 billion.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate his Department has made of the total carbon emissions produced by the railway system in the last 12 months.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The most recent data from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) shows that the total CO2 equivalent emissions from the railway (passenger and freight traction) from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 was 2,332 kilotonnes.