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Written Question
Department for Transport: Brexit
Wednesday 8th March 2017

Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2017 to Question 64552, what discussions his Department had with the Department for Exiting the European Union on the drafting of the White Paper entitled The United Kingdom's exit from and new partnership with the European Union, Cm 9417, published in February 2017.

Answered by Andrew Jones

I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 28 February 2017, to Question UIN 64552.


Written Question
Department for Transport: Brexit
Tuesday 28th February 2017

Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Department for Exiting the European Union on the contents of the White Paper entitled The United Kingdom's exit from and new partnership with the European Union, Cm 9417, published in February 2017.

Answered by Andrew Jones

We, and other Departments, are working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union on all aspects of exiting the European Union.


Written Question
Taxis: Rossendale
Monday 31st October 2016

Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2016 to Question 46806 on taxis: licensing, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in licence applications from Rossendale Borough Council between 2013 and 2015.

Answered by Andrew Jones

The legislation that provides for licensing of taxi and private hire vehicle services is enabling in its nature, giving local licensing authorities the discretion to set standards that they deem to be appropriate for their area. Rossendale Council has already made changes to the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle application process to address the rapid rise in the number of drivers they license. Wherever a driver has been licensed, the licensing authority that issue that licence must have confirmed that the driver is a “fit and proper” person.

To help licensing authorities set standards the Department for Transport issues Best Practice Guidance. In addition to this, the Government has also introduced an amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill that will make statutory all aspects of the guidance that are related to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. Both parts of the guidance will be consulted on publicly once the Bill has received Royal Assent.


Written Question
Taxis: Licensing
Wednesday 12th October 2016

Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many taxi licences have been issued in each local authority area in each of the past three years.

Answered by Andrew Jones

The Department for Transport does not hold statistics related to taxi licences in the format requested. The Department does produce statistics every 2 years on the number of taxi licences issued. The latest statistics show the position as at 31 March 2105 in England and Wales and can be found in table TAXI0104 at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/taxi-and-private-hire-vehicles-statistics-england-2015

The total number of licensed taxis increased by 4.2% to 81,200 since 2013.

There was a slight drop in the number of taxi only driver licences from 63,200 in 2013 to 62,700 in 2015.


Written Question
Motorway Service Areas
Tuesday 20th September 2016

Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will implement the proposal set out on page 326 of the OECD Policy Roundtable on Competition in Road Fuel to introduce road signs displaying the price of petrol and diesel at motorway service stations in order to improve transparency and consumer choice.

Answered by John Hayes

This Government knows the public is concerned about the price of petrol and diesel at Motorway Service Areas. Highways England is, on behalf of the Government, delivering an 18 month trial of four fuel comparison price signs on the M5 between Bristol and Exeter.

The trial consists of four new electronic signs displaying real-time price information of petrol and diesel for the next three service areas along the route and commenced in Spring 2016. Monitoring and evaluation of the trial will determine the effectiveness of the new fuel comparison price signs in providing useful information to road users and in understanding the impact of improving fuel price transparency on driver behaviour and fuel prices at Motorway Service Areas.


Written Question
High Speed 2 Railway Line: Sheffield
Thursday 25th February 2016

Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the estimated difference in cost between locating the Sheffield High Speed 2 station in the city centre and locating it in Meadowhall.

Answered by Robert Goodwill

Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre.

The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost.

When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including;

  1. engineering and construction feasibility;
  2. sustainability;
  3. demand considerations, including journey times;
  4. cost; and
  5. wider impacts

Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website.

Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units.

Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region's study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.


Written Question
High Speed 2 Railway Line: Sheffield
Thursday 25th February 2016

Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the estimated difference between the current and original cost estimates of (a) locating the Sheffield High Speed 2 station in the city centre and (b) locating it in Meadowhall.

Answered by Robert Goodwill

Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre.

The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost.

When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including;

  1. engineering and construction feasibility;
  2. sustainability;
  3. demand considerations, including journey times;
  4. cost; and
  5. wider impacts

Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website.

Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units.

Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region's study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.


Written Question
High Speed 2 Railway Line: Sheffield
Thursday 25th February 2016

Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received a copy of Sheffield City Region's study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria in which Network Rail was involved.

Answered by Robert Goodwill

Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre.

The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost.

When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including;

  1. engineering and construction feasibility;
  2. sustainability;
  3. demand considerations, including journey times;
  4. cost; and
  5. wider impacts

Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website.

Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units.

Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region's study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.


Written Question
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Thursday 25th February 2016

Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on ensuring that High Speed 2 stations should be located where they can deliver maximum impact on public investment.

Answered by Robert Goodwill

Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre.

The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost.

When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including;

  1. engineering and construction feasibility;
  2. sustainability;
  3. demand considerations, including journey times;
  4. cost; and
  5. wider impacts

Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website.

Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units.

Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region's study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.


Written Question
High Speed 2 Railway Line: Sheffield
Thursday 25th February 2016

Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of additional jobs and (b) amount of additional housing resulting from a Meadowhall High Speed 2 station location.

Answered by Robert Goodwill

Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre.

The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost.

When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including;

  1. engineering and construction feasibility;
  2. sustainability;
  3. demand considerations, including journey times;
  4. cost; and
  5. wider impacts

Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website.

Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units.

Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region's study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.