Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many instances of number plate fraud have been recorded in England and Wales in each year since 2010.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport does not hold information about instances of number plate fraud as this is a matter for the police to investigate.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made towards an outcome for the Southeastern franchise.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The outcomes we are trying to achieve for the South Eastern franchise were stated in the public consultation document. We want more reliable services, longer trains and better customer service.
The consultation has now closed and we are reviewing the responses. We will ensure the next franchise delivers the services that passengers want.
On 22nd June my Department announced the four companies who expressed an interest in operating the service from December 2018.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of laser pen attacks were recorded on trains in the last five years.
Answered by Claire Perry
The following number of incidents of involving laser pens and trains has been recorded over the last 5 years:-
2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
81 | 76 | 46 | 64 | 59 |
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of laser pen attacks were recorded on road vehicles in the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Highways England do not keep specific records of laser pen attacks. However, their records currently show that one incident involved the use of a laser pen.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of pilots operating in the UK who have sought medical assistance after a laser pen attack which occurred in the course of their work.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department does not hold any information on the number of pilots who have sought medical assistance following a laser pen attack. The Civil Aviation Authority has published a Safety Notice which provides guidance on laser attacks, including the action that aircraft crew and controllers should take during and immediately after an attack. It also includes a self-assessment tool to help those exposed to lasers make an immediate assessment of their vision and determine whether or not they need to consult an eye specialist.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of laser pen attacks on air traffic control towers have been recorded in the last five years.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
In the last five years from the period 1 July 2009 to 31 July 2015, the Civil Aviation Authority recorded 17 reports of laser pen attacks affecting air traffic towers in the UK.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of UK pilots who have been stood down after a laser pen attack occurring in the course of their work.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Civil Aviation Authority does not have any evidence to confirm that any pilot has been removed from flying duties or suffered long term damage as a result of exposure from a laser attack whilst undertaking their duties.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Blue Badges were issued in Kent in each year since 2008-09.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The table below shows the total number of valid Blue Badges issued in Kent in each financial year between 2008/09 and 2012/13.
Valid Blue Badges issued: Kent, 2008/09 to 2012/13* | |||||
2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | |
Valid Blue Badges issued in Kent | 26,300 | 27,144 | 28,558 | 24,902 | 26,492 |
* Issued between 1 April and 31 March
These results are published in table DIS0108, available at:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/265895/dis0108.xls
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the outcomes of his Department's South East Flexible Ticketing Programme.
Answered by Claire Perry
The South East Flexible Ticketing (SEFT) programme underwent a thorough review in the first half of 2014 to ensure that its approach and scope were designed to deliver the best possible outcomes for passengers and taxpayers.
Since this review, good progress is being made but it is too early to judge the outcomes of the programme at this point in time. The Department is committed, however, to undertaking robust evaluations of its programmes. To this end, officials are already exploring options to ensure that, as SEFT is delivered, a rigorous assessment of its outcomes can be produced and lessons learned where necessary. The earliest emerging outcomes are expected from August 2015.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on provision of on-board refreshments on rail services.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Government believes that the provision (or not) of such services is generally best decided by the operator, rather than dictated by central Government, as we believe that the operators are far better placed than we are to understand and react to the demands of their customers.
For example the new Intercity Express trains have been designed to provide the flexibility for the operator to choose the most appropriate catering services - Inter City Railways included plans for introducing standard class buffet facilities on the new trains as part of their bid, and they are discussing this further with the rolling stock provider.