Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Great British Railways transition team has spent with recruitment agencies.
Answered by Huw Merriman
No money has been spent by the Great British Railways Transition Team with recruitment agencies.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to increase capacity at St Pancras International following the introduction of the EU’s Entry Exit System.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Government recognises the importance of smooth passenger flows at St Pancras International and it is the Government’s priority to support, where possible, pragmatic solutions to address the potential impact of the EU’s Entry-Exit System (EES) at locations in the UK with juxtaposed controls, including St Pancras.
My Department will continue to engage closely with St Pancras partners on preparations ahead of EES implementation later this year.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that St Pancras International is prepared for the introduction of the EU’s Entry Exit System.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Government recognises the importance of smooth passenger flows at St Pancras International and it is the Government’s priority to support, where possible, pragmatic solutions to address the potential impact of the EU’s Entry-Exit System (EES) at locations in the UK with juxtaposed controls, including St Pancras.
My Department will continue to engage closely with St Pancras partners on preparations ahead of EES implementation later this year.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to improve the performance of train services between London and Ashford.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Department monitors train operators’ operational performance closely to ensure they provide the best possible experience for those using our railways and hold them to account through regular review of their delivery of contractual service level commitments.
I am aware that in recent weeks Southeastern have faced several challenges affecting services across their network including the route between London and Ashford, including sustained heavy rainfall leading to the wettest February in Kent on record. Southeastern are working closely with Network Rail to mitigate these risks.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the performance of trains between Ashford and Rye.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Over the past three full railway periods (December 2023 to the start of March 2024) 76.5% of services on this route arrived within 1 minute of their planned arrival time and 4.1% of services were cancelled. This is an improvement from the same period last year where 59% of services arrived within 1 minute of their planned arrival time and 5.8% of services were cancelled.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the recruitment process for a new head of Great British Railways is transparent.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Once legislation is in place we will appoint the head of Great British Railways, using an open and fair recruitment process as we do for other Arms- Length Bodies
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many miles of previously closed train lines have been reopened since the publication of the Williams Review.
Answered by Huw Merriman
As part of the Restoring Your Railway programme, more than 30 miles of train lines in England and Wales will have been reopened to regular passenger services by the end of this year, comprising the Exeter to Okehampton (Dartmoor) line and the Newcastle to Ashington (Northumberland) line.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on Civil Service pay structures for the appointment of the head of Great British Railways.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Once legislation is in place we will appoint the head of Great British Railways, using an open and fair recruitment process as we do for other Arms- Length Bodies
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Great British Railways transition team has spent on (a) branding, (b) marketing, (c) advertising, (d) public relations and (e) social media.
Answered by Huw Merriman
A core part of Great British Railways Transition Team's remit since its creation has been to engage with the industry to prepare for a new industry guiding mind. To date it has spent £21k on branding, £255k on advertising, public relations, and social media and £0 on marketing. GBRTT have led on cross-industry initiatives such as the two Great British Rail Sales.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish recorded incidents of Network Rail failing to meet maintenance standards set by the Office of Rail and Road in each of the last five years.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Secretary of State does not hold data related to recorded incidents of Network Rail (NR) failing to meet maintenance standards set by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). NR sets its own maintenance standards with the ORR seeking assurance that NR’s standards are in line with best practice and monitoring its compliance with health and safety law, including relevant maintenance standards. Given the volume of maintenance work NR is responsible for, it would be impractical for the ORR to monitor every activity, rather, the ORR reviews NR’s maintenance processes on a frequent basis using route-level safety data and 'deep dives' into specific technical issues.