Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what requirements he places in franchise agreements with train-operating companies for minimum staffing levels.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Department does not generally specify staffing levels for rail franchises, as it is up to the relevant train operator to ensure it has sufficient staff in place to provide the services to which it is committed. However, the franchise agreement does contain provision limiting the amount of change in staffing levels, which can be made in the final year of the franchise without the consent of the Secretary of State.
We aim to work with the industry, and recognise that a growing railway needs more customer-facing staff.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s target is for efficiency savings by British Transport Police; and how he intends to allocate proceeds from that efficiency programme.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The British Transport Police Authority identified savings of over 8% to be made during the period of the Spending Review from the British Transport Police’s core budgets. Any efficiency savings can potentially be reinvested into counter terrorist activities, depending on the need identified by the Chief Constable, and subject to the approval of the British Transport Police Authority.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what capabilities are exempt from his Department’s target for efficiency savings by the British Transport Police.
Answered by Paul Maynard
In agreeing the British Transport Police Authority’s proposals for efficiency savings as part of the Spending Review, it was made clear that any savings should ensure that any material impact on the operational capability of the British Transport Police (BTP) is minimised; counter terrorist activity was exempt from the Spending Review process. The efficiency savings target includes the BTP’s core policing activities only; enhanced policing services, which are provided to operators on request on a commercial basis, are excluded from the target.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his policy for the British Transport Police to be merged with other police forces; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Government is considering a broad range of options to optimise the protection of critical infrastructure such as nuclear sites and railways, including the future roles of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the Ministry of Defence Police and the British Transport Police.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Airwave replacement programme for the British Transport Police; and what additional funding his Department will provide to the British Transport Police to complete that programme.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The current estimated total life cycle costs up to 2026/27 for the implementation and transition to the new Emergency Service Network, which will replace Airwave, is currently £78.6m. Many of the costs have been estimated on the basis of information supplied by the Home Office programme that is delivering the Emergency Services Network. The costs of implementing the Airwave replacement programme are a cost of policing the railway, to be met from the policing charges levied on rail operators for the provision of policing services.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to change the number of British Transport Police control centres.
Answered by Paul Maynard
This is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. We have been informed by the British Transport Police (BTP) that there are no current plans to change the number of BTP control centres.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what additional expenditure the British Transport Police has incurred on counter terrorism in (a) 2017-18 to date and (b) 2016-17; and what additional funding his Department provided to that organisation for counter-terror operations in those periods.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The British Transport Police’s counter terrorism capability, forms an integral part of its policing of the railways, and is therefore not readily distinguishable within the overall costs of policing. The funding required to deliver it is met by the rail industry, and is regularly reviewed to ensure that it continues to provide a safe rail network for its staff and the travelling public. The Department has not provided any direct funding to the BTP during the current or the last financial year.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the devolution of transport policing to Scotland.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Government is committed to implementing the recommendation of the Smith Commission that the functions of the British Transport Police in Scotland should be devolved. Legislative competence was devolved through the Scotland Act 2016, and a Scottish Government Bill which makes provision about the arrangements for the Police Service of Scotland to police railways and railway property has recently completed its passage through the Scottish Parliament.
In devolving the functions, we are committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless transition which ensures effective arrangements are in place for cross-border railway policing once responsibilities have been transferred, so that we continue to have a railway policing service which works for passengers, staff and the railway.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who the diversity champion is on his departmental board.
Answered by John Hayes
The Permanent Secretary, Philip Rutnam, is the Department for Transport’s (DfT’s) corporate Diversity Champion on the Departmental Board and is accountable for the delivery of the DfT Equality Objectives. He is supported by Directors General and Agency Chief Executives, who champion the specific Protected Characteristics of sex, race, age, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy & maternity, marriage & civil partnership, transgender, and religion & belief.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2016 to Question 55070, which funds are potentially available for redevelopment of Mirfield railway station.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Department for Transport and Network Rail are considering significant rail capacity and train performance improvement works coupled with speed improvements on the Transpennine Main Line in the Mirfield area. This may require the station platforms to be moved and any new works would need to meet modern accessibility standards.
As part of their franchise agreement obligations, Arriva Rail North has committed to invest £45m across its station estate through a Station Improvement Fund. There is a wide range of other funding sources that could also support any necessary investment, including from local authorities and local enterprise partnerships.