The performance of the Department for Transport - Fleet News

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Processed: 26-02-2010 19:10:26 Page Layout: COENEW [E] PPSysB Job: 442441 Unit: PAG2Ev 22Transport Committee: EvidenceWe should also note that there is no universally accepted definition of “accessible”; however, theDepartment does publish a Code of Practice which sets the standards that rail station infrastructure shouldmeet when facilities are renewed or upgraded. The Association of Train Operating Company (ATOC)’s KeyPerformance Indicator measure for level access of “access from the street to platform”, which drives theclassification in the National Rail Enquiry Service (NRES) as well as the table above, is widely seen to beout-of-step with current customer expectations. Visibility of station facilities in the National Rail Enquiriesdatabase overall also needs improvement. ATOC has just completed carrying out a programme of accessaudits to address this, and is in the process of creating a new “station journey planner” which should beavailable on the NRES website by the end of the year.8. The Resource Accounts include (Note 32.1, p 379) reference to indemnities relating to Crossrail enteredinto during 2008–09 (£730 million). Some of this relates to “voluntary” funding from businesses and from BAA.At what point are the contributions expected and where they are voluntary is there anything the Departmentcan do if they are not forthcoming?The City of London Corporation has committed to make a contribution towards the Crossrail project of£200 million. The payment shall become payable on or after 31 March 2016 when a number or relevantmilestones relating to completion of civil construction at the Crossrail Farringdon and Liverpool Streetstations and the Stockley Viaduct works have been met.The City of London Corporation has also agreed to seek voluntary contributions towards the Crossrailconstruction costs from very large businesses across Greater London with the aim of raising £150 million.The Government has agreed to support the City in its eVorts to raise these voluntary contributions, andthe City has agreed to guarantee the first £50 million of this amount. The detailed arrangements for raisingvoluntary contributions, including timescales, have not yet been finalised.The contribution from BAA towards Crossrail is subject to a letter agreement entered into by HeathrowAirport Ltd (HAL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BAA which owns and operates Heathrow, and theDepartment for Transport on 10 November 2008. Under the terms of the agreement HAL agrees to pay acontribution of £180 million (£230 million in outturn prices) to DfT in two instalments linked to progresson construction of the Stockley Viaduct works, which will deliver greater capacity and reliability for railservices into Heathrow. The first instalment will be paid on or after 1 April 2013 at the point that 50 per centof the value of the Stockley Viaduct works has been carried out. The second instalment will be paid whenthe Stockley Viaduct works have been completed to allow trial running of trains, and is expected to be madein 2016.Buses/Local Transport9. Previous SR periods included objectives to increase bus and light rail patronage. While this has been achievedoverall, largely as a result of increased usage in London and the impact of the national concessionary farescheme (para 3.68, p 37), the suggestion is that, otherwise, increases are patchy. The Report suggests that“eVective partnerships between bus operators and local authorities are the key to successful bus operations.There are many such examples, but not enough” (para 3.58, p 35) and para 3.62 talks about the new qualitycontract schemes under last year’s Local Transport Act. Are any of these quality contracts now up and running,and if so what impact are they having on services and levels of usage? How else can bus patronage be increased?The Government continues to believe that eVective partnerships have been key to providing successfulbus services. In parts of the country where bus patronage is rising and passengers are experiencing a higherquality of service, it is because local authorities and bus operators have worked together to deliver packagesof improvements designed around the needs of local passengers. Generally the operator will oVer a goodvalue service with attractive ticket options, that is reliable and punctual, with modern vehicles and backedup with eVective marketing. For their part, the local authorities will support the operation of the bus servicesby providing bus priority infrastructure, better transport information and a supportive parking policy. It isthis package approach which enables buses to meet their full potential and attractive additional patronage.This is why the Local Transport Act 2008 included provisions to help enable successful partnerships toflourish in more of our communities.The Department has been greatly encouraged by the progress that is being made as a result of the Act. Itis clear that the Act has been a catalyst for many local authorities to review what improvement their localcommunities most want from their bus services, and how the new statutory arrangements can help them todeliver those improvements. The Department has been working with a number of local authorities and busoperators who are considering implementing partnership arrangements that make use of the new statutorypowers, and we expect new partnerships to come to fruition in a number of towns and cities in themonths ahead.This is an embargoed advance copy.Not to be published in any form until00:01 on Thursday 4 MarchThe Government has also recognised that, because partnerships depend on both local authorities and busoperators being willing partners, they cannot always be relied upon to deliver the necessary improvements.The Act therefore also included provisions to make Quality Contracts Schemes (QCSs) a much more realisticoption where they are in the public interest. The Department has recently consulted on the draft regulationsand guidance that are needed to support the provisions in the Act. Subject to the outcome of the
Processed: 26-02-2010 19:10:26 Page Layout: COENEW [O] PPSysB Job: 442441 Unit: PAG2Transport Committee: Evidence Ev 23consultation, the package of legislative reforms for QCSs should be finalised by the end of the year.Accordingly, no QCSs have yet been put in place by local authorities, but the Government would urge localauthorities to consider seriously the full range of options that are open to them following the Act.10. Special funding for the concessionary fare scheme is costing £217 million per annum in 2009–10 (andoverall funding more than a £1 billion a year) (para 3.70, p 37), but despite this, and the scheme’s undoubtedsuccess, there are indications that some local authorities appear still to be unhappy about the level of fundingand the distribution of the funding. What is the Department doing to address these concerns, and will it makemore money available if it can be shown that the losses to local authorities (impacting on other services as aresult) exceed the funding provided?There is no evidence that the special grant funding is insuYcient in total and the Department remainsconfident that the £217 million allocated in 2009–10 more than adequately covers the aggregate extra costsimposed by the new concession. We are, however, aware of around 30 authorities (out of a total of around260) who are concerned that their individual allocations may be insuYcient to meet the extra costs imposedupon them. Ministers are therefore considering whether to reopen the special grant distribution for its finalyear (2010–11) in order to address these concerns.Such a reopening would be consulted on in detail and any new grant distribution would require theapproval of Parliament. For clarity, any revised new distribution would not be based on additional fundsbut on changes to how the current funding is distributed between authorities. There would thereforeinevitably be winners and losers under any new distribution. A decision on whether to reopen the grant isexpected in October.In the longer term, the Department recently consulted on possible changes to who administersconcessionary travel. Any such changes would be introduced from April 2011 and would be an opportunityto look at the distribution of concessionary travel funding in total (ie including Formula Grant, rather thanjust the special grant element).October 2009Supplementary memorandum from the Department for Transport (POD 01a)Thank you for sending over the transcript of the Transport Select Committee held on 2 December 2009.There are few factual inaccuracies in the transcript which I would like to correct. I understand that thecorrections will either be appended to the evidence as a foot note or as a free standing memorandum.Q3 (Contingent Liabilities)—Chairman and Mr DevereuxLondon and Continental Railways is the company that built the UK’s first high-speed railway, not thefirst high-speed train.Q4 and Q5 (Contingent Liabilities)—Chairman and Mr DevereuxYou asked about the increase in the contingent liabilities which the Department reported in its ResourceAccounts. The increase is the net of the changes shown in Note 32 (page 377) to the Resource Accounts, andincludes an increase in the amounts covered by the Network Rail Debt Issuance Programme guarantee of£7.5 billion and new Crossrail guarantees of £0.73 billion, oVset by a reduction in the Network Rail MediumTerm Notes programme guarantee of £3.9 billion. These cause the Note 32 total to rise from £22.86 billion(1 April 2008) to £27.19 billion (31 March 2009).This is an embargoed advance copy.Not to be published in any form until00:01 on Thursday 4 MarchQ102 (Oyster pay-as-you-go)—Mr Smith and Lord AdonisThe roll out of Oyster pay-as-you-go across rail services in London was announced in 2006 (not 2007).Q104 to Q110 (A1 north of Newcastle)—Mr Clelland and Lord AdonisThe A1 north of Newcastle is an All Purpose Trunk Road maintained by the Highways Agency on behalfof the Secretary of State for Transport. The Department for Transport operates, maintains and improvesthe A1 north of Newcastle in exactly the same way as all other trunk roads. Where there is a diVerence isthat the A1 north of Newcastle is regarded as a regional route for the purposes of prioritising majorinvestment. Any major improvement north of Newcastle would be funded from the Regional FundingAllocation rather then as part of the national roads programme.Q119 (TraYc Commissioners)—Chairman and Mr DevereuxThe TraYc Commissioners have the power to investigate any operator that fails to run punctual busservices. Whilst the Local Transport Act 2008 strengthened the powers TraYc Commissioners have wheninvestigating an operator’s poor performance, the Secretary of State already had powers to make regulations
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