Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives from South Western Railway on the potential for future strikes following the 27-day period of industrial action by the RMT Union.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The RMT’s mandate for official industrial action expires on 23 January 2020 and it is currently balloting its members for a renewed mandate. I would not wish to speculate about potential for further strikes. I would like to see the union and SWR bring an end to this dispute with an agreement that puts the long-term interests of passengers first.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 7 January 2020 to Question 352 on South Western Railway, who was in attendance at those meetings.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
These meetings involve officials at all levels from within the Department.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department uses to determine rail operators compliance with their franchise obligations; and what recent assessment he has made of South Western Railway compliance with the obligations and provisions of its franchise.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department monitors rail operators’ compliance with Franchise Obligations on an on-going basis through comprehensive periodic reporting obligations placed on operators under the Franchise Agreement, and review of evidence of progress and satisfaction of committed obligations. Where non-compliance with Terms of the Franchise Agreement are identified, the Secretary of State makes use of his powers under the Railways Act 1993 to take any action he considers necessary or appropriate to secure compliance, including the exercise of his contractual rights to require remedial action to be taken.
South Western Railway have currently exceeded the Breach threshold for Cancellations and Minutes Delay, for which a Remedial Plan is currently under discussion with the operator. The Department has also identified two further non-compliances with the Franchise Agreement where contractual deadlines were not met, both of which have been remedied without the need for enforcement action to be taken to secure delivery.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to provide clarity to South Western Railway passengers on the future of that company's franchise.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
South Western Railway’s passengers can expect there to be no material impact on the railway’s day-to-day operations. The business will continue to operate as usual with no material impact on SWR services or staff.
Parliament will be kept informed as and when there are any developments to be reported.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the financial performance data on South Western Railway published on Companies House on 3 January 2019, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) terminating South Western Railway’s franchise contract and (b) revising the terms of that contract.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department monitors train operators closely to ensure delivery of services for passengers and value for money for taxpayers. As part of responsible contingency planning, we have measures in place on every franchise intended to protect the interests of passengers and taxpayers and ensure that services keep running. All commercial discussions about franchises are confidential but updates will be provided to Parliament at the appropriate time.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to require South Western Railway to compensate passengers for the services lost during strikes in December 2019 based on the original pre-strike timetable.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Passengers are entitled to compensation under the Delay Repay scheme for delays of 15 minutes or more against the published timetable on SWR. The Department are considering all options available to ensure passengers are compensated for this disruption.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 7 January 2020 to Question 353 on South Western Railway: Strikes, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure passengers are compensated for the disruption caused by the industrial action by South Western Railway staff in December 2019.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department are considering a variety of options to compensate passengers. These options are being considered in the context of both the length of the period of disruption and the service that South Western continued to operate throughout this period thanks to the hard work of contingency guards, who worked throughout the holiday period to keep passengers moving. A further update will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with South Western Railway; and how many of those discussions were with reference to the current industrial action.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Under the Franchise Agreement the Department holds meetings with South Western Railway every 4 weeks. These meetings cover several areas of the franchise including performance, safety, finances and current issues.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether South Western Railway has received compensation in the last 12 months for reimbursement for revenues lost as a result of industrial action.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department believes the industrial dispute to be counterproductive for all parties concerned and is well aware that this action by the RMT is disproportionate and deliberately designed to hit passengers at one of the busiest times of the year for the railway. We have been monitoring the dispute and the negotiations between SWR and the RMT closely.
South Western Railway has made an application to the Department with regards to industrial action. This matter is subject to commercial confidentiality.
Passengers are entitled to compensation under the Delay Repay scheme for delays of 15 minutes or more against the published timetable on SWR. The Department are considering all options available to ensure passengers are compensated for this disruption.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what provisions are in place to compensate passengers who have been affected by a reduced number of train services as a result of industrial action on South Western Railway.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department believes the industrial dispute to be counterproductive for all parties concerned and is well aware that this action by the RMT is disproportionate and deliberately designed to hit passengers at one of the busiest times of the year for the railway. We have been monitoring the dispute and the negotiations between SWR and the RMT closely.
South Western Railway has made an application to the Department with regards to industrial action. This matter is subject to commercial confidentiality.
Passengers are entitled to compensation under the Delay Repay scheme for delays of 15 minutes or more against the published timetable on SWR. The Department are considering all options available to ensure passengers are compensated for this disruption.