Tag: Lord Mawson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when litter was last removed from the southern end of the M11 in East London, how often such litter is removed, and by whom.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The last time that litter was removed from the southern end of the M11 in East London was 17 March 2016.

Highways England clears litter from the M11 on a daily basis, on the sections where it safe to do so, without using traffic lanes, such as the verges with hard shoulders. The M11 slip roads and verges with no hard shoulder are litter picked on a six weekly cycle with lanes closed to protect the work force.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the building developments in Stratford, the Olympic Park, and the Lower Lea Valley, what practical steps they are taking to ensure that Eurostar stops at Stratford International in future.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

I recognise the international importance of the HS1 network in allowing high-speed rail services from London to reach Europe, whilst noting that no international services currently serve Stratford International station.

Eurostar, in which the government recently sold its 40% stake, accesses the HS1 network on an open access basis and is not subject to the terms of a franchise agreement or a contract let by government. Government has no power to direct or specify that Eurostar stops at Stratford International station. A decision made by Eurostar not to serve Stratford International would be as a result of commercial imperatives and priorities, for example, the potential revenue derived from customers using the station or the increased journey time which a further stop would involve. It would not be appropriate for government to interfere with that decision-making process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what practical role they have played in the Clean for the Queen initiative.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Clean for the Queen campaign, organised by Country Life and Keep Britain Tidy, was the biggest community-led clean-up the country has ever seen. Keep Britain Tidy distributed 200,000 bags to collect litter; more than 1,500 Costa, McDonald’s, Greggs and KFC stores took part; events were held as far north as Isle of Lewis and as far south as Jersey and Guernsey; and more than 100,000 volunteers took part. We hope the campaign will help lead to a lasting legacy of a cleaner, tidier Britain.

Defra supported the initiative with a grant of £9,500 towards providing resource packs to help support and encourage schools to participate in the campaign, and to support monitoring and evaluation of the impacts and effectiveness of the campaign. The Department for Communities and Local Government also spent £5,000 on promoting the initiative through Facebook. Having ownership of social media ensured the Department was able to engage with the public effectively, and be proactive and responsive when necessary in its social communications.

In the lead-up to the initiative, Ministers from Defra and the Department for Communities and Local Government wrote to every Member of Parliament with an English constituency and every English unitary and district local authority, to encourage their participation and leadership in this worthwhile campaign.

Ministers from both Departments took part in litter pick events in London and Nuneaton. Staff from both Departments also took part in a joint litter pick in Westminster.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what practical actions they are taking to promote and encourage inward investment into the Lower Lea Valley.

Lord Maude of Horsham

UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has overall responsibility for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) into the UK. For investors with an interest in London it shares leads with London & Partners (London’s promotional organisation) to land those investors here in what is a very competitive international market for FDI.

The Mayor of London is also responsible for attracting FDI into London and as such London & Partners also generates its own leads.

As part of its ‘UK First’ approach to attracting inward investment, UKTI actively supports these efforts and those of London Councils, including those that cover the Lower Lea Valley.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-09-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to remove graffiti from the rail network.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Graffiti removal on the rail network is an operational matter for Network Rail, but the company has advised me that it currently spends around £3.5 million a year for this purpose.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to connect the building developments in East London Tech City with the developments in the Lower Lea Valley.

Lord Maude of Horsham

The Mayor of London is responsible for economic development in London, as well as housing policy and delivery and strategic planning. These responsibilities come together through the statutory London Plan. Thus it is for the Mayor and the Greater London Authority, working with the relevant London boroughs, to make the most of the important opportunities provided by the developments in East London Tech City and the Lower Lea Valley.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-09-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the health and safety implications of discarded pieces of rail and equipment alongside tracks across the rail network.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), is responsible for monitoring and enforcing health and safety matters in respect of Britain’s railway. It has confirmed that Network Rail has standards in place regarding the removal of material and equipment following the completion of works and that Network Rail provides adequate guidance to its staff on this issue in order to minimise health and safety risks. However, the ORR has noted some inconsistent application of these standards; its inspectors are therefore actively engaging with Network Rail to address this issue.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of the rail network in England and Wales that has a reliable wireless internet signal.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Our current assessment forecasts that between 68% and 85% of the UK rail network will have mobile network coverage by the end of 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-09-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the upkeep and tidiness of the rail network in Japan; and if so, what lessons they have learnt that could be adopted within the UK.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Her Majesty’s Government has not made any such assessment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the wireless internet signal on the train network, in particular between London and Sheffield.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Availability of mobile broadband services on trains can be an issue, partly due to physical barriers to radio signals reaching the railway track, include railway cuttings and tunnels and due to signal weakening, called attenuation, caused by train carriage walls and windows.

In June 2015, the Government launched a Call for Evidence to support delivery of improved coverage, with the intention to build on the work that has already happened across industry. On-train Wi-Fi addresses some of the issues, however we recognise that there is more to do that will require enhancements to trackside infrastructure. That’s why we are working with the rail and telecommunications industries to reach a shared understanding of the technical and commercial challenges, and seek out potential solutions for the rail network, including the London to Sheffield line.