Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants in his Department have a criminal conviction.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All employees of the Department are subject to appropriate levels of pre-employment checks and/or security clearance. As you will be aware, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 allows certain eligible convictions or cautions to become “spent” after a specified period of time.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Access For All works at Menston railway station will be completed.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We are committed to delivering the Menston Access for All programme in full. Network Rail currently expect work to start on site in late March 2024 and completion is planned for late February 2025.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with Bradford Council on a commencement date for construction of the Shipley eastern relief road.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Following the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement, my officials have been in contact with Council officers to resume the review of the Strategic Outline Case (SOC) for the scheme, the first stage of business case development, in order that a decision can be made on whether the scheme can progress to the next stage.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the development process for the Shipley Eastern Relief Road.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (the Council) submitted a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) for the Shipley Eastern Congestion Relief Scheme in October 2022.
The Department has informed the Council that this scheme can be considered for possible government investment under the current Major Road Network/ Large Local Majors programme, subject to a commitment being made by the Council that it can provide a funding contribution of a minimum of 15% of scheme costs. This commitment is needed in order for the Department now to progress its consideration of whether to approve the SOC, but no such commitment from the Council has yet been received.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional direct trains per day between Shipley/Bradford and London Kings Cross will be in place by 2025.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Bradford is currently served by two London North Eastern Railway services per day from London. The aspiration to increase this service to seven trains per day remains.
Investment in the infrastructure at Bradford Forster Square and a resolution to timetabling and operational factors are required before these services can be introduced. The Government has recently confirmed funding for ‘Design’ stage work on infrastructure upgrades at Bradford Forster Square and Shipley stations.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the works on the accessible footbridge at Menston railway station will be completed.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Works to make Menston station accessible with funding from our Access for All programme is underway and due to be completed by April 2024.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the civil service headcount for their Department was on (a) 15 November 2022 and (b) 1 February 2020.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
DfT’s workforce data is regularly published in transparency releases and consolidated in end year accounts. The 2019/20 figure for permanently employed staff in the civil service employers of DfTc and Agencies was 13,902. The latest transparency release in August 2022 shows that the number of the workforce on payroll in these organisations was 15,436.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many employees in his Department work on matters related to covid-19.
Answered by Jesse Norman
As of the 15th November 2022 there are 19 members of staff undertaking work on matters directly relating to Covid-19 where this work constitutes the majority of their working time. These staff members are primarily in DfT’s Covid-19 Inquiry Response Division. Their work will include input and support from relevant functions and modal teams as necessary.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will detail the losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for his departmental group as defined by section A4.10.7 in HM Treasury's Managing Public Money for (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department comprises the Core Department together with its 19 agencies and arm’s length bodies, many of which are large organisations who conduct a significant level of transactional activity and may incur a relatively high volume of low value losses. Detailed registers of all Losses and Special Payments are held locally by each agency and arm’s length body, in accordance with MPM paragraph A4.10.7. In order to meet MPM reporting requirements, the central department holds summary level information on the total number and value of Losses and Special Payments across the departmental group and specific details of items above £300,000, as disclosed in the Annual Report & Accounts. Due to the high volume of low value cases, it would not be practicable for the Department to provide a detailed analysis of all Losses & Special Payments below £300,000.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department and its agencies remove all internal covid-19 related policies, restrictions and mask mandates.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I can confirm that following the publication of the COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19 plan on 21 February the Department for Transport and its Agencies has taken steps to ensure our internal Covid-19 policies and principles align with the latest Government guidance.
This includes the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance published on 24 February. This continues to require organisations to carry out a risk assessment which includes the risk from COVID-19. It also sets out additional actions organisations can take to protect employees and customers in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning, asking people to wash their hands frequently and asking people with COVID-19 to stay away. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high.
These principles align with the current advice provided by the Department and will support and reassure our employees that they can continue to return to the workplace in a safe and controlled way. Our policies will be updated to reflect any further changes in Government advice. This includes where there may be differences in approach in the devolved administrations.