Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department monitors changes in the availability of the lowest-priced Advance rail fares on commuter routes operated by Great Western Railway.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not routinely monitor the availability of individual Advance fare price points on specific GWR routes. Advance fares are not regulated by the Government and are managed on a commercial basis by train operators. They are priced according to demand for a particular service, and their price and availability can vary depending on the route, date and time of travel, and when the ticket is purchased.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of potential merits of introducing (a) additional oversight and (b) inspection of local authority SEND services where there is evidence of systemic delays or repeated findings against authorities at the SEND Tribunal.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department holds local authorities to account in delivering their responsibilities on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Where failure is persistent, the department may intervene directly, using statutory powers and improvement partners to support service improvement.
Area SEND inspections also help make sure local services are meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND. There will be a full consultation on proposed changes to the Area SEND inspection framework too, looking at changes to inspection as a result of changes to roles, responsibilities and statutory duties of local area partners and wider SEND reforms.
In our ‘SEND Reform: Putting children and young people first’ consultation, we proposed measures to improve local authorities’ future decision-making and transparency around Tribunal outcomes. This included proposals to publish an annual SEND Tribunal outcomes dashboard and introduce new requirements on local authorities following Tribunal judgments, for example to publish regular summaries of judgments made against them. We are currently considering all consultation feedback and will publish final proposals in due course.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about the number of SEND Tribunal cases, including the number of cases conceded, in the SEND Tribunal Tables.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve transparency and accountability in local authority SEND decision-making where concerns have been raised regarding delays in providing statutory support.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department holds local authorities to account in delivering their responsibilities on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Where failure is persistent, the department may intervene directly, using statutory powers and improvement partners to support service improvement.
Area SEND inspections also help make sure local services are meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND. There will be a full consultation on proposed changes to the Area SEND inspection framework too, looking at changes to inspection as a result of changes to roles, responsibilities and statutory duties of local area partners and wider SEND reforms.
In our ‘SEND Reform: Putting children and young people first’ consultation, we proposed measures to improve local authorities’ future decision-making and transparency around Tribunal outcomes. This included proposals to publish an annual SEND Tribunal outcomes dashboard and introduce new requirements on local authorities following Tribunal judgments, for example to publish regular summaries of judgments made against them. We are currently considering all consultation feedback and will publish final proposals in due course.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about the number of SEND Tribunal cases, including the number of cases conceded, in the SEND Tribunal Tables.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an estimate of the proportion of Education, Health and Care Plan appeals conceded immediately prior to SEND Tribunal hearings; and if she will publish data on the number of such cases and the average length of time children waited for provision before concessions were made.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department holds local authorities to account in delivering their responsibilities on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Where failure is persistent, the department may intervene directly, using statutory powers and improvement partners to support service improvement.
Area SEND inspections also help make sure local services are meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND. There will be a full consultation on proposed changes to the Area SEND inspection framework too, looking at changes to inspection as a result of changes to roles, responsibilities and statutory duties of local area partners and wider SEND reforms.
In our ‘SEND Reform: Putting children and young people first’ consultation, we proposed measures to improve local authorities’ future decision-making and transparency around Tribunal outcomes. This included proposals to publish an annual SEND Tribunal outcomes dashboard and introduce new requirements on local authorities following Tribunal judgments, for example to publish regular summaries of judgments made against them. We are currently considering all consultation feedback and will publish final proposals in due course.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about the number of SEND Tribunal cases, including the number of cases conceded, in the SEND Tribunal Tables.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of rail journeys between Kemble and London Paddington are made using Advance tickets rather than regulated fare products.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not centrally hold information on how many, or what proportion of, rail journeys between Kemble and London Paddington were made on Advance tickets rather than regulated products. While detailed fares data exist within industry systems, the Department does not routinely compile journey‑by‑journey comparisons and producing this information would require bespoke analysis.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of rail fare on commuters who rely on unregulated advance fares.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Advance fares are not regulated by the Government and are managed on a commercial basis by train operators. They are priced according to demand for a particular service and can provide savings for passengers who are able to commit to a specific train, although their price and availability vary by route, service and time of booking.
The Government recognises that affordability is vital. The Railways Bill sets out a new framework which includes a role for the Transport Secretary to ensure that fares are set to balance passenger affordability with taxpayer value. Through Great British Railways, the Government is taking steps to simplify fares and ticketing and deliver a more consistent offer across the network.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to review regulated rail ticket products to reflect hybrid working patterns.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises that travel patterns have changed in recent years and is committed to ensuring fares and ticketing systems adapt so that passengers can travel affordably and flexibly. Flexible Season Tickets were introduced to support flexible commuting patterns and provide eight days’ travel within a 28-day period.
Through Great British Railways, passengers will benefit from a more consistent offer across the network, with reforms to simplify fares, expand Pay As You Go ticketing and make rail travel better suited to modern travel patterns, while balancing affordability for passengers with value for taxpayers.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of existing Flexi Season ticket products for passengers travelling to work three days per week.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Flexible Season Tickets were introduced to support passengers who travel two or three days a week and provide eight days’ travel within a 28-day period. The discount offered varies by route, reflecting existing fare structures, but provides a minimum 20 per cent discount against the equivalent monthly season ticket.
Passengers travelling three days a week can purchase more than one Flexible Season Ticket, although on some routes a traditional monthly or annual season ticket may provide better value. The most suitable ticket for any passenger will depend on their travel patterns and the fares available on their route. The Government aims to review the overall cost-effectiveness of Flexible Season Tickets as part of its wider work to ensure that fares and ticketing continue to reflect changing travel patterns and passenger needs.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department collects data on the average price paid by passengers travelling between Kemble and London Paddington using Advance tickets.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not centrally hold information on the average price paid by passengers using Advance tickets between Kemble and London Paddington. While detailed fares data exist within industry systems, the Department does not routinely compile journey‑by‑journey comparisons and producing this information would require bespoke analysis.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the changes in the cost of Advance rail fares for commuters travelling between Kemble and London Paddington over the last two years.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of changes in the cost of Advance fares for travel between Kemble and London Paddington over the last two years.
Advance fares are not regulated by the Government and are managed on a commercial basis by train operators. Advance fares are intended to provide discounted travel options for passengers who book ahead and travel on specified services. They are priced according to demand for a particular service, and their price and availability can vary depending on the route, date and time of travel, and when the ticket is purchased. The Department continues to monitor fare levels and passenger demand across the network through regular engagement with train operators, including Great Western Railway (GWR).