Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the risk to motorcyclists of inexperienced (a) HGV and (b) car drivers; and what plans he has to improve the driver education on motorcyclists.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In the forthcoming refreshed Road Safety Statement, motorcyclists are one of the priority groups that the Department will be addressing.
In 2017, there were 124 accidents involving a motorcyclist and a car in which the Contributory Factor ‘learner or inexperienced driver/rider’ was allocated by a police officer to the car driver; and 661 accidents in which it was allocated to the motorcycle rider. There were no accidents involving a motorcyclist and a HGV, in which the Contributory Factor ‘learner or inexperienced driver/rider’ was allocated to the HGV driver; and 17 accidents in which it was allocated to the motorcycle rider.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department has received on whether rail companies amend rail operating timetables to avoid paying delay repay claims.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Compensation for delays is provided by Train Operating Companies (TOCs) in accordance with their published Passenger’s Charter and is measured against the timetable in operation on the day of travel. Recently the SWR timetable has had to be amended to mitigate the impact of the RMT strikes, but SWR are required to publicise these changes in advance of the day in question.
If a train is cancelled or delayed and a passenger has an Off-Peak, Super Off-Peak, Advance, or anytime ticket and decides not to travel, they will be entitled to a full refund of their ticket. If delays occur on the day compared to the temporary timetable in place, then passengers will be entitled to claim Delay Repay compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more on SWR.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many delay repay claims have been made by rail passengers since that scheme was introduced.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department for Transport (DfT) does not hold records of how many delay repay claims have been made by rail passengers since that scheme was introduced. This information would be held by train operating companies (TOCs).
However, DfT recently published (1 October) the compensation amounts paid by TOCs to passengers for delayed journeys since 2009. It shows the total amount of compensation paid to passengers has risen 80% in the past two years, as the government has increased the requirements of train operators to publicise passengers’ rights. [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation]
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many refuelling stations in the UK sell gas to liquid fuel.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department does not hold information concerning the number of refuelling stations in the UK that sell gas to liquid fuel.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of Gas to Liquid fuels on levels of NOx emissions.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department is conducting independent tests on paraffinic diesel, a type of Gas to Liquid fuel (GTL), which industry claims has the potential to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions from diesel vehicles. The findings are currently being reviewed and will be published in due course. The results will be used to assess the potential environmental benefits of using paraffinic diesel in road transport. Initial findings show considerable variability depending on the vehicle and how it is used.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial incentives his Department provides to encourage (a) businesses and (b) individuals to use Gas to Liquid fuel.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport does not provide financial incentives for businesses and individuals to use Gas to Liquid fuel.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the number of electric-only propulsion cars in Southampton.
Answered by Jesse Norman
At the end of March 2018, there were 80 electric-only propulsion cars registered to an address in the unitary authority of Southampton.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average cost of a train ticket purchased in the (a) South East, (b) South West, (c) North East, (d) North West, (e) West Midlands, (f) East Midlands, (g) East Anglia, (h) Yorkshire and the Humber and (i) Greater London; and if he will make a comparative assessment of the average costs of those train tickets for each of those regions in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average cost of a train ticket per mile of track covered for the journey covered by that ticket in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what supply-side initiatives his Department supports to assist motorists to reduce vehicle emissions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
We have set out a clear mission to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. We will work with industry to achieve this ambition, and share the benefits this opportunity presents, building on the Automotive Sector Deal.
Our ambition is underpinned by one of the most comprehensive packages in the world to support the market for ultra low emission vehicles. We are investing nearly £1.5bn between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in vehicles, schemes to support charge point infrastructure in homes, workplaces and on-street and R&D into cleaner vehicle technologies.