Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has held with (a) industry and (b) other stakeholders on the potential merits of increasing the amount of freight transported around the UK on the rail network.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to growing rail freight and I meet regularly with industry to discuss the work we are doing to achieve this. I host bi-monthly roundtable meetings with the rail freight sector and Network Rail, I have visited freight operators on site and attended numerous industry events. I have also met with representative bodies of rail freight customers and also of Ports with key interests in rail freight.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that rail travel is fully accessible.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Following a commitment made in the 2021 Plan for Rail White Paper, the Department commissioned the Great British Railways Transition Team to design and develop a National Rail Accessibility Strategy. This work is ongoing. We are continuing to support the Access for All programme which has delivered over 230 accessible stations so far with another 70 currently in construction or development and we have committed funding to ensure that all GB railway platforms will have platform edge tactiles installed by 2025. The Department for Transport has also recently completed an accessibility audit of all 2,577 stations.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Network Rail on the award of staff bonuses to employees who took part in industrial action.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Network Rail on this matter. Decisions on Network Rail Performance Related Pay are made by Network Rail’s Nominations and Remuneration committee.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) projected end date is, (b) forecast spend in the financial year 2023-24 is, (c) initial planned whole life costs were and (d) delivery confidence assessment is of HS2 Phase 2b; and when each of those figures were last reviewed.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government set out schedule and cost updates for the HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg in its 6-monthly report on HS2 to Parliament in June. HS2 services between Crewe and Manchester are expected to begin between 2035 and 2041. The current cost estimate range for the Phase 2b Western Leg is £13bn-£19bn (2019 prices).
HS2 Ltd plans to spend £172m (current prices) in 2023/24 on the Phase 2b Western Leg. The project’s latest Delivery Confidence Assessment in Q4 2022/23 was Amber. This is reviewed quarterly in line with requirements for the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether train operating companies are required to have a policy on dealing with sexual assault and harassment as a condition of securing a passenger service contract.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The safety and security of rail passengers is and will continue to be of paramount importance for the Government and Train Operators. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) ‘Zero Tolerance’ campaign was launched in August 2021 in collaboration with Crime Stoppers and British Transport Police (BTP) to tackle sexual harassment on the railway, with all Train operating Companies participating in the scheme. All Train Operators are also required to set out how they are tackling violence against women and girls, and to develop, maintain and implement a Safeguarding on Rail Scheme, accredited by the British Transport Police.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average level of overcrowding is on each rail service.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department collects and publishes crowding related data for selected midweek services arriving or departing from major English and Welsh cities during a 12 week period in autumn. Full details of the cities and stations for which there were crowded services are presented in the most recent publication and in the associated 2022 Data Tables, here:
Rail passenger numbers and crowding on weekdays in major cities in England and Wales: 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The service-level passenger load information collected by the Department is considered commercially sensitive by the operators who own the data and therefore the information is held by the Department under a duty of confidentiality.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help (a) reduce the number of cancellations and (b) improve the punctuality of train services.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department has been clear that the current, sustained poor performance on the railway is unacceptable, and the industry needs to make significant improvements to deliver the punctual, reliable services that passengers and taxpayers deserve. Through the Department’s National Rail Contracts, there is a direct link between punctuality and reliability and the fee operators receive to incentivise improved performance and minimise cancellations. The Department continues to monitor the situation and hold the industry to account through regular high-level meetings with both Network Rail and representatives from the train operators.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) frequency and (b) scope of psychological fitness examinations of train drivers.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The department recently published a statutory post implementation review of the Train Driver Licensing and Certificates Regulations 2010 (TDLCR) on 19th May 2023, which contains the requirements for becoming a train driver in Great Britain. The purpose of the review was to assess whether the regime was meeting its original objectives and whether it remains fit for purpose.
Since publication, my officials have started the process of exploring options for potential reform to address the findings of the review, and will engage industry to develop and consult on these proposals in due course. This will include reviewing the frequency and scope of psychological fitness examinations of train drivers, among other areas, to ensure they are adequate.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public appointments are sponsored by his Department.
Answered by Jesse Norman
There are 188 public appointments.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish the annual update of the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline before the end of this session of Parliament.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Following recent fiscal events, we are in the process of reviewing the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) and will look to make the outcome public once that work is complete.