Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of encouraging rail companies to enable all-day travel on senior rail cards and freedom passes to reduce the cost of travel for older people who have childcare or caring responsibilities.
Answered by Andrew Jones
We already require train operating companies to participate in certain approved discount card schemes for young and student travellers, disabled passengers and those over 60. The Senior Railcard offers anyone 60 years or over discounts on many fares on the network and the Disabled persons railcard also entitles a carer 1/3 off their rail fares when travelling with a person holding the railcard.
We are currently undertaking work with the Rail Delivery Group and Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee to review the eligibility criteria of the Disabled Persons Railcard. As part of this we will be examining how we can improve provisions for carers/support workers or companions. The review is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to review the adequacy of legislation on the use of battery-assisted micro-scooters on public highways.
Answered by Michael Ellis
We recognise that people want to take advantage of the opportunities electric scooters can offer. We are committed to encouraging innovation in transport as well as improving road safety, but new modes of transport must be safe and secure by design. Whilst e-scooters can be used on private property (with the landowner’s permission), in general it is currently illegal to ride them on the road. This includes on cycle lanes, or tracks, or on the pavement.
The Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy, published on 19 March 2019 includes a Regulatory Review to address the challenges of ensuring our transport infrastructure and regulation are fit for the future. One strand of this will look at options for enabling micromobility devices, and a consultation will be issued in due course.
The Strategy can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-mobility-urban-strategy
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of proposals to award five state-run Chinese companies a wholesale package to build High Speed Two on the financial sustainability of UK (a) civil engineering contractors, (b) supplier chains and (c) steel-making companies.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The main civil engineering works contracts for Phase One of HS2 were awarded in July 2017 to 4 joint ventures comprising European and British construction firms. The Department has not assessed any proposal to award a wholesale package to build High Speed Two.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2019 to Question 205992, what steps he has taken to encourage local authorities to require bus operators (a) Arriva, (b) Comfort DelGro and (c) RATP franchise to report their bus safety performance data on an annual basis.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
London bus services are the responsibility of Transport for London and the London Mayor who is responsible for all aspects of services including bus safety.
Bus services outside London are deregulated and provided on a commercial basis by private operators. It is for individual local transport authorities in those areas to determine what powers in the Bus Services Act 2017 are used to address bus safety issues. For example, under a franchising scheme, bus operators could be required, by the franchising authority, to provide bus safety data at specified intervals.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the total budget for High Speed 2 will be uprated from 2015 to 2019 prices; and whether the revised benefit cost ratio calculation for that project will include benefits that arise from expenditure on (a) local regeneration strategies and (b) other wider economic impacts in the cities along the High Speed 2 route.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The decision whether to uprate the total HS2 budget from the current 2015 price base will be taken alongside the Spending Review.
The Spending Review will also consider the latest benefits associated with High Speed 2. This will include Wider Economic Impacts in line with the department’s Transport Appraisal Guidance.
The department is working with local authorities across the UK to develop growth strategies to ensure the benefits of HS2 are fully realised in local areas.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Statement entitled, Access for All: 73 stations set to benefit from additional funding HCWS1484, when upgrades at Queen's Park Station are planned to commence; and what those upgrades will be.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Network Rail will work with stakeholders at individual stations to establish how an accessible route into the station and between each platform can be delivered, before ascertaining when work can commence. All projects are due to be completed by 2024.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to provide an updated business case for High Speed Two ahead of the introduction of the Hybrid Bill for Phase 2a later this year.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Department for Transport will periodically update business cases in line with the Government’s protocol for developing major projects. The HS2 Phase 2a Outline Business Case was published alongside the deposit of the Phase 2a hybrid Bill in July 2017. The Department intends to update the Phase 2a Business Case to form the Full Business Case after the Phase 2a hybrid Bill achieves Royal Assent.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he will provide updated estimates of the forecast passenger numbers for High Speed One ahead of the Hybrid Bill for Phase 2a later this year.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The HS2 Phase One full business case, intended for publication later in 2019, will be informed with an updated assessments of future passenger numbers for all phases of HS2, the conventional railway and HS1. These forecasts will be updated to support development of the Phase 2a Full Business Case.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of the current Crossrail engineers and construction teams were under contract to transfer to work on HS2 after the planned opening of Crossrail in December 2018; and how many of those contracts resulted in penalty, retainer or other payments or fees to be made to either those individuals or the companies they work for since December 2018.
Answered by Andrew Jones
This is a matter for Crossrail Limited and the individual contractors working for Crossrail Limited.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of departmental guidance accompanying the Bus Services Act 2017 in increasing (a) the implementation of independent, confidential reporting systems and (b) the release of bus safety incident data.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Department encourages local authorities to think about how they can use the tools in the Act to improve bus safety in their area. In particular, we would encourage local authorities to consider the benefits of an independent confidential reporting system (ICRS), and release of bus safety incident data, when they are forming a partnership or franchising scheme. It is up to local authorities to determine what measures, if required, to improve bus safety in a particular area.