argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Community Transport Operators — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani (Conservative, Centre-right): Community transport is incredibly important for both urban and rural communities, and in March the Department took steps to protect community transport operators so that they can carry on doing their valuable work. We have clarified, in guidance, the scope of two exemptions from the EU regulation on operator licensing, and we have enacted new legislation. We will revise the guidance on the non-commercial exemption once the High Court has reached a decision, and will carry out a review of the domestic permit regime later in 2019.
Community Transport Operators — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani (Conservative, Centre-right): I am more than happy to celebrate the work of Bristol Community Transport; Hartcliffe and Withywood Community Partnership, which is in or close to the hon. Lady’s constituency, also does incredibly good work. We have done everything we can in the Department to be as flexible as possible, so that those with community transport contracts in constituencies can carry on doing their work. We provide substantial financial support for all public transport, but of course I will always aim to secure even more funding, including in the next spending review.
Community Transport Operators — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): Community transport in Essex would benefit from investment in Essex’s roads, and particularly from the dualling of the A120 and the widening of A12. Will the Minister work with the Department to ensure that both those schemes feature in the road investment strategy 2?
Community Transport Operators — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani (Conservative, Centre-right): That is a fantastic question. My right hon. Friend has captured my imagination, and that of the roads Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton North (Michael Ellis). I believe that the schemes are in the pipeline, and if I cannot meet my right hon. Friend, no doubt the roads Minister will, to make sure that the schemes are carried forward.
Community Transport Operators — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani (Conservative, Centre-right): I am more than happy to meet the hon. Gentleman, because I am concerned about the cases that he has raised. I am also concerned that information is not filtering through, and that is creating panic among community transport operators that need not be felt. We have spent a lot of time working with community transport operators and local authorities; I have a list in front of me of everyone to whom we have spoken. Operators can also go on the community transport website, which has further clarification of what needs to be done. If they hold a licence at present, they are eligible to carry on doing their work.
Community Transport Operators — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman has mixed up two distinct types of services: community transport, and regular bus services. Over £1 billion is spent on concessionary travel, and over £250 million directly on bus service operators grant. If he wants to sit down with me and get further ideas on how his local authority can secure a partnership, I am more than happy to do that.
Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): Spending on cycling and walking in England has doubled from £3.50 per head to around £7 per head over the current spending review period. The Government estimate that around £2 billion will have been spent on measures to implement the strategy between 2016 to 2021 alone.
Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): I am always very happy to meet the hon. Gentleman. I would point out, however, that as well as the doubling of investment in cycling and walking and the £2 billion, we channel money from the Department for Transport and Government to local authorities such as his so that there is even more money for them to allocate to cycling and walking.
Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): I think the hon. Gentleman is referring to the Morecambe Bay cycle way. The Government recognise the benefits of such schemes, which may be able to provide opportunities to increase active travel and significant benefit to the local economy, as well as to health and the environment. We have recently provided more than £20 million of support to Sustrans, to improve stretches of the national cycle network. I would be very happy to meet the hon. Gentleman if he wishes, but the reality is that we are putting considerable investment into cycling across the country.
Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Robert Alexander Courts (Conservative, Centre-right): I have seen the benefits of active travel and have been using the A44 cycle path from Woodstock to Oxford, but I want to see the same in other areas of my constituency, not least Eynsham, to alleviate, among other things, the congestion on the A40. Will the Minister meet me to discuss how that strategy might help the B4044 community path?
Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that my hon. Friend is an avid cyclist and he sets an example of active travel that is beneficial both to the environment and to health. I would be very happy to meet him to discuss the route he has in mind.
Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are leading the way in promoting the use of cycling and walking. We have doubled investment and it absolutely dwarfs that of the Labour party when it was last in government. The fact is that we have put £2 billion into cycling and walking, which is a monumental increase on Labour’s investment. We recognise that it is good both for the environment and for health, including mental health and wellbeing. That is why the investment is going in. We also have to factor in safety—we are very focused on that. As we have reiterated time and again, this is a priority for the Department.
Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): There is £50 million for Bikeability training for schoolchildren; £101 million for cycling infrastructure for cycle ambition cities; £80 million for the local authority access fund; £85 million from Highways England for cycling and walking; £597 million from the local growth fund; £77 million for local road schemes; £194 million from the integrated transport block for micro-enhancement projects—I shall keep going until Mr Speaker stops me—£196 million from the highways maintenance refund; and some £500 million from a range of cross-Government infrastructure funds, so there are hundreds of millions of pounds of investment, and that is what the Department is doing.
Transport for Vulnerable Children: Driver Training — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Questions: What steps his Department is taking to support the provision of training on transporting vulnerable children and adults for people who drive (a) taxis and (b) private hire vehicles.
Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani (Conservative, Centre-right): We work across Government to ensure that safeguarding practice is as safe as it can be in the taxi and private hire sector. The issue has been discussed at an inter-ministerial group chaired by the Home Secretary. The Government have committed to legislate for national minimum standards, which will include making it a legal requirement that licensees undertake safeguarding awareness training. However, I encourage all licensing authorities to act now and use their existing powers to protect passengers.
Transport for Vulnerable Children: Driver Training — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Questions: What steps his Department is taking to support the provision of training on transporting vulnerable children and adults for people who drive (a) taxis and (b) private hire vehicles.
Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend touches on an important piece of work that is being carried out across a number of Departments, including the Home Office and the Department for Education, and in local government. In the Department for Transport, we are looking to obtain the powers to create a national minimum standard, which will be quite high, and a national database, and to increase enforcement powers for traffic commissioners. Put together, all those things will ensure that the quality of service and safety for people when they enter a private hire vehicle is the same up and down the country.
Strategic Road Network: Manchester to Sheffield — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely accept that we need to improve the route between Manchester and Sheffield, and, indeed, we need to provide additional crossing points across the Pennines generally. That is why, in relation to the hon. Lady’s area, we have announced a £170 million package of improvements to the existing road link, including projects such as the Mottram moor link, to reduce congestion and improve safety and journey times. Construction on that will start next year. We are also going to smart-motorway the M62, and you will be aware, Mr Speaker, that we have started work on the dualling of the A66 further north. We are looking into ways to improve the links between east Lancashire and west Yorkshire and working with Transport for the North on the proposed trans-Pennine tunnel.
Strategic Road Network: Manchester to Sheffield — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I am clear that we need to deliver a much upgraded strategic road between Manchester and Sheffield—there is no doubt about that at all—as we do further north between east Lancashire and west Yorkshire, and further north still between Cumbria and Teesside, so I absolutely accept the hon. Lady’s point. She might, though, like to have a gentle word with her Front-Bench colleagues, who, of course, have committed to scrap the road improvement schemes that we have in the pipeline.
Strategic Road Network: Manchester to Sheffield — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Macroeconomics
Lee Benjamin Rowley (Conservative, Centre-right): As someone whose constituency borders the city of Sheffield, I say to the Minister that we need to get economic productivity moving in our areas, as was outlined by the hon. Member for High Peak (Ruth George). Does he agree that, for communities such as Barrow Hill and Staveley, the Staveley bypass, which is 90 years in the asking, would be a great idea for Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire?
Strategic Road Network: Manchester to Sheffield — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that my hon. Friend is seeking funding from the housing infrastructure fund for that scheme. I have been to the area and seen what is needed. I think that it is a very good scheme, and I hope that his application is successful. The reality is that, if we are to drive economic growth in the northern part of the country, we need road improvements. Those who argue against road improvements are letting down the north.
Strategic Road Network: Manchester to Sheffield — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman: that route needs to improve; the M62 needs to improve; and the proposals for the trans-Pennine tunnel need to be taken forward. On rail, the Hope Valley line needs to be upgraded and then, of course, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the network that that will create, and the links that HS2 will bring, will be essential to unlocking the potential of Sheffield and the area around it.
Road Transport: Decarbonisation — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Environment
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): It is the Government’s mission for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. The Road to Zero strategy sets out the action that the Government are taking to support this mission, as well as the steps that they are taking to drive down emissions from conventional vehicles during the transition.
Road Transport: Decarbonisation — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Environment
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): The move to zero-emission vehicles is the biggest technology upheaval to hit UK roads since the invention of the combustion engine. The Road to Zero strategy, which we published in July last year, sets out comprehensive plans to support this change and, frankly, the work that the Government are doing today will mean that they are handing the next generation a better, cleaner and greener Britain. That is crucial not only to improve the lives and health of people across Britain—it will do that—but to be able to meet the UK’s statutory climate change targets, and, frankly, the Government expect the transition to zero-emission transport to be industry and consumer led. Therefore, we are leading the way in this area and we have considerable ambitions. We are beating most countries around the world in terms of cleaner air, a better environment, zero-emission vehicles and a strong, clean economy.
Road Transport: Decarbonisation — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Edward Vaizey (Conservative, Centre-right): Accidents on major roads cause terrible traffic jams, which increases pollution. As the Minister knows, I have written to him quite recently about the promised improvements to the A34 to improve safety. I would be very grateful if he updated us today, or wrote to me as soon as possible, about when these improvements will be made.
Road Transport: Decarbonisation — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Energy
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): The facts are clear: the United Kingdom is a global leader in zero-emission vehicles. In 2018, for example, the UK was the second largest market in new ULEVs in the EU. We were behind only Germany. One in five electric cars sold in Europe was made in the UK. We are leading the way on design and technology. We are in the top tier in this area, and we are doing everything that we can with a highly ambitious project towards 2040, which is only 20 years away.
Road Transport: Decarbonisation — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Maria Colette Caulfield (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the best ways to decarbonise roads is to improve rail services, so will the Minister join me in congratulating Cooksbridge Area Rail Action Group, which has managed to secure an hourly rail service mid-week and, for the first time in years, on a Saturday, which will move more passengers in Lewes off the roads and on to the railways?
Road Transport: Decarbonisation — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): That is quite wrong. The fact is that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has been in charge of a record investment in rail. That form of public transport has seen huge sums of investment. In fact, we have invested across the board. The hon. Gentleman talks about the climate. This Government are doing more on that issue than countries around the world, and certainly far more than Labour ever did when it was in power. We are taking a multifaceted approach, and automated vehicles, public transport, electric vehicles and rail are also important in this regard. Rail investment from this Government beats them all.
Road Transport: Decarbonisation — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): Every local authority already has the power. Andy Burnham and Labour in his area had that power for three years, and they did nowt about it. It was this Secretary of State who pushed through the Bus Services Act 2017.
Rail Services: Cheshire — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): Since May, Cheshire’s passengers have received a new direct hourly service between Chester and Leeds, linking the two cities for the first time in many years. Services also started on the Halton curve after a gap of 40 years. Customers in my right hon. Friend’s area will benefit from Northern’s £500 million investment in new trains, which started being rolled out on 1 July Turning to stations, I had the pleasure of visiting Handforth station recently with my right hon. Friend. I am happy to say that it is one of the 73 stations in the Access for All programme that will receive an accessible route to and between platforms. The new £20 million Warrington West station is also due to open this autumn.
Rail Services: Cheshire — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Esther Louise McVey (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for the Access for All programme at Handforth station, which is much appreciated by the local community and community groups. However, Northern won the franchise for the mid-Cheshire line in 2015, and the bid included a commitment to increase connectivity—from one to two trains an hour— between my constituency and Manchester. That was meant to happen in 2017. We are now in mid-2019 and it has not happened. I have heard the excuses from Northern and from Network Rail. What can the Minister do to ensure that there are no more excuses and that this line frequency occurs?
Rail Services: Cheshire — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is a great champion for the commuters in her area. There is a commitment within the franchise to deliver additional services on the mid-Cheshire line, but this has proved to be very challenging operationally because of capacity issues in the area, particularly around Manchester and through Stockport. I have been clear that although I want to see the additional capacity delivered as soon as possible, this cannot be done at the expense of performance. Delivering a railway that passengers can rely on is the absolute priority. All options are being looked at to deliver these additional services. I will keep the House fully apprised of progress and this matter will be a priority for me.
Rail Services: Cheshire — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): I had a meeting with the hon. Gentleman only a few days ago, although I am, of course, very happy to have further meetings with him. I understand why he is making the case for that line. It is important for his constituency, which requires improved transport connections to address the economic difficulties faced there. I am very happy to continue to support the process.
Fuel Catalysts — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Environment
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): As one of the ways in which we can reduce emissions of both carbon and other substances emitted from motor vehicles, the potential benefits of fuel additives and catalysts are certainly an area of great interest. Clearly, we need to be certain that there is scientific evidence about whether an individual additive makes a difference or not, but I have tasked my officials with looking clearly at the issue again to see what additions to our fuel can make a difference in the immediate future.
Fuel Catalysts — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Environment
Robert Henry Halfon (Conservative, Centre-right): May I briefly thank the Secretary of State for giving us junction 7A on the M11, for which we campaigned in Harlow for more than 30 years The all-party parliamentary group on fair fuel for UK motorists and UK hauliers is shortly to publish a report showing that fuel catalysts, produced here in the UK, are an immediate and highly effective way to reduce emissions in urban areas. The APPG estimates that the Exchequer would save about 10% in costs, with an overall reduction in Government vehicle NOx and particulate matter emissions of more than 50%. Will the Minister meet me and Howard Cox, of FairFuelUK, to discuss how we can work on that?
Fuel Catalysts — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Environment
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the things that has happened in the past two years, of course, is the sharp fall in the sales of diesel vehicles. We are now looking at ways to continue the transition to low-carbon vehicles, moving away from diesel, which, for many years, and particularly under the last Government, was the No. 1 strategy for dealing with carbon. Of course we need to continue to clean up air, but under this Government we are introducing clean air zones around the country.
Northern Rail: Pacer Trains — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): We have seen positive progress, with the introduction of the first brand new trains on routes across the north for a generation. There are currently nine in passenger service; the hon. Lady may be interested to know that they will be serving Rochdale from autumn this year. Alongside the roll-out of new trains and the introduction of the refurbished trains, Northern Rail is working to remove Pacers from the network. The first of them will be removed in August—only a few weeks away.
Northern Rail: Pacer Trains — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): That, of course, is exactly what is happening across the network of the north: the new trains have to come in before the old ones can come out. The hon. Lady will be aware of the engineering issue with the manufacture of the new trains, announced in April. That was all resolved, which is why the new trains are in service now. The fleet changeover has been delayed by a few weeks, but the majority of the fleet of old 142 Pacer class trains will be removed by the end of this year. A small number of the newer 144 class will be retained for a few weeks to maintain a smooth and reliable service But let us fast-forward a few months: there will be new train fleets from TPE, new and refurbished trains from Northern Rail and the roll-out of Azumas on the east coast main line. No Transport Minister in a generation has been able to say what I can say now: we will have new trains across the north. That has been delivered by the Conservatives, catching up on the no-growth franchise that Labour gave the north and that served from 2004 until 2016.
Northern Rail: Pacer Trains — House of Commons, 2019-07-18
Topic: Transportation
Martin John Vickers (Conservative, Centre-right): Thankfully, Cleethorpes does not rely on too many Pacer units, but the Saturday-only service from Sheffield to Cleethorpes is provided by Pacers, and as they approach Cleethorpes station, they cross over the now-famous Suggitts Lane level crossing. The Minister is well aware of the problems that the high-handed actions of Network Rail have caused disabled people and local businesses. It now proposes to spend hundreds of thousands to resolve that. Would that money not be better spent elsewhere on the network where there is more danger and on reopening Suggitts Lane?