Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove and Portslade)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason his Department has taken the decision to abolish the grant scheme for new plug-in hybrid cars.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Plug-in Car Grant was first introduced in 2011 to help to stimulate the early market for ultra-low emission vehicles. So far, it has supported the purchase of over 160,000 new cars. The market share of these vehicles is now 2-2.5% of new car sales and growing.
Increased uptake of the grant, whilst positive, brings higher costs to the taxpayer, and the changes to the grant reflect the Government’s commitment in the Road to Zero strategy to deliver a managed exit from grant funding over time. Their effect is to allow the grant to support the purchase of 35,000 more of the cleanest vehicles.
With plug-in hybrid models becoming popular among consumers the Government is focussing its attention on zero emission models. Plug-in hybrid vehicles are among the cleanest on the road, and can deliver significant savings compared to petrol/diesel cars. These vehicles will continue to receive support through lower car tax rates, grants for charging infrastructure and local incentives (such as free parking). The Government has also separately extended its support for electric vehicles with a new scheme to support e-cargo bikes.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove and Portslade)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 178358 on the London to Brighton Railway line, what the timetable is for a decision on the options his Department is considering to simplify the Brighton mainline fare structure.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department cannot set a timetable at this time. Our work must take into account both the options for the specification of the successor to the TSGN franchise and its broader fares policy, with the Rail Review charged with recommending the most appropriate organisational and commercial frameworks to be able to offer good value fares for passengers.
Simplification of fares on the Brighton Main Line, where historic competition has created a particularly complex fares structure, remains a key priority.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove and Portslade)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on simplifying the fare structure for rail services on the Brighton main line.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department is keen to ensure that passengers can access the fares that are most appropriate for their needs. The Department remains committed to developing and considering options to simplify the Brighton Main Line fares structure, and this work is ongoing.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove and Portslade)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the results of his Department's work on simplifying the fare structure for rail services on the Brighton main line.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department is keen to ensure that passengers can access the fares that are most appropriate for their needs. The Department remains committed to developing and considering options to simplify the Brighton Main Line fares structure, and this work is ongoing.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove and Portslade)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to assess whether (a) GTR and (b) Northern met their contractual obligations in the planning and implementation of the timetable change.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Work has commenced by officials to assess whether either franchise has been in breach of its contractual obligations as a result of the May 2018 timetable change.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove and Portslade)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2018 to Question 148967, when it became apparent that Govia Thameslink Railway was unable to deliver all planned services according to the May 2018 timetable changes.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Govia Thameslink Railway informed Ministers after they had implemented final roster changes that they were unable to deliver all their planned services.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove and Portslade)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take into account the Passenger Rail Usage statistics, published by the Office of Road and Rail on 14 June 2018 on season ticket usage, in the development of policy on part-time rail season tickets.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
We continue to look into ways to improve the offer for passengers who work part time. The Secretary of State now includes a requirement for bidders to develop flexible ticketing offers for those who work or commute part-time in all franchise competitions. In developing such offers train operators should make use of both official statistics and their own commercial data.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove and Portslade)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Passenger Rail Usage statistics, published by the Office for Road and Rail on 14 June 2018 that reports a 9.2 per cent fall in season ticket journeys; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department reviews the suitability of its policies on an ongoing basis and takes into account new evidence when available. Whilst there has been a fall in journeys made using season tickets, there has been a 4% increase in journeys made using other ticket types. The recent decline in journeys made using season tickets has been observed over a short period following a longer-term trend of sustained growth, and the Department will continue to keep this under review.
Passengers should have more choice in their ticket options and the Secretary of State includes a requirement for bidders to develop flexible ticketing offers for those who work or commute part-time in all franchise competitions. The Department is also undertaking new research to explore the number of journeys made per season ticket to understand further the impact of changing travel behaviour.