Every parliamentary written question tabled by Martin Vickers this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 41–52 of 52 · this parliament
What discussions she has had with Network Rail on the (a) under-utilisation of some London North Eastern Railway services on the East Coast Main Line and (b) comparative potential merits of awarding those rails
The Department regularly monitors levels of passenger demand on LNER services which help inform timetable planning decisions on the East Coast Mainline. Network capacity is a matter for Network Rail to assess according to their criteria. The Secretary of ...
What is the percentage seat utilisation per mile on London and North Eastern Railway services to (a) York, (b) Leeds and (c) Newcastle.
LNER services have a high rate of seat utilisation which is comparable to or better than other inter-city long distance franchised operators. However, seat utilisation varies throughout the day as LNER make effective use of track capacity by running longe...
If she will make (a) an estimate of the proportion of London and North Eastern Railway services with limited stops that operate with under 65% seat occupancy and (b) a comparative assessment of the potential me
The Department continues to work with the rail industry to ensure the design of timetable meets stakeholders needs and makes effective use of infrastructure. If an Open Access operator wishes to compete with a contracted operator, such as LNER, it is free...
If she will ensure that seat utilisation of London and North Eastern Railway services on key routes are taken into account before permitting Network Rail to issue a restricted capacity notice for the East Coast
The Department regularly monitors levels of passenger demand on LNER services which help inform timetable planning decisions on the East Coast Mainline. Network capacity is a matter for Network Rail to assess according to their criteria.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to visit Cyprus.
Cyprus is a key partner of the UK and our relationship has never been stronger. Our shared history, close people-to-people links and common values, including as members of the Commonwealth, lead us to co-operate across a broad range of priority areas. I s...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Cypriot authorities on both sides to reveal the locations of buried missing people.
We share the concerns of both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities over the missing persons following the events of 1974. We support the crucial work being undertaken by the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) by enabling them to wor...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking as Guarantor of Cyprus’s independence and territorial integrity to help reunite the island.
The UK remains committed to supporting the UN efforts to reach a Cyprus Settlement and we are actively engaging all parties to encourage the flexibility needed to return to talks. In addition, we support a range of confidence building measures in Cyprus t...
What assessment she has made of the potential role of newly approved open access services in supporting British train (a) manufacturing, (b) assembly and (c) supply chains.
Privately owned and run open access operators can play a significant role in supporting UK train manufacturers, assemblers and their UK supply chains and are an important source of potential orders, both for new and cascaded rolling stock. It remains a m...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Turkish counterpart on negotiations on a peaceful, comprehensive, and long-lasting solution to reunite divisions over Cyprus.
The UK is committed to supporting UN efforts to reach a Cyprus Settlement within the existing parameters of a Bi-zonal, Bi-communal Federation with political equality. We engage all parties in support of this. I raised this with my Turkish counterpart on ...
What fiscal steps she is taking to help attract foreign direct investment into green industries in the (a) Humber and (b) UK.
The Treasury will continue to develop policy that supports investment in partnership with business. Investment is at the heart of this Government’s growth mission and essential to increasing the number of jobs and improving productivity across the country. The Department for Business and Trade has a dedicated investment function in the UK and overseas, including the Office for Investment. The Government is taking forward the reforms necessary to ensure foreign investors have the support needed to invest. This includes setting up new institutions such as Great British Energy, which will combine the power of the private sector and government to accelerate the UK’s clean energy transition, and the National Wealth Fund which will mobilise billions more in private investment in the UK’s green and growth sectors. The Chancellor will set out more detail on the National Wealth Fund ahead of the International Investment Summit in October.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing imports of renewable energy.
In 2023, imports via interconnectors provided 10.2% of gross UK electricity supply, highlighting the key role that they already play. Imports via interconnectors can provide access to lower-cost electricity for GB consumers, reduce the need to dispatch higher carbon domestic generation during peak times, and enhance our security of supply. We expect interconnectors to continue to be an important component of our future decarbonised electricity system. Ofgem are responsible for taking regulatory decisions for new interconnector projects. Their draft analysis for projects being assessed as part of the current regulatory window can be found at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-policy-and-regulation/policy-and-regulatory-programmes/interconnectors
If he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of meeting the 6GW green hydrogen production target by using local electrolysis; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using (a) green hydrogen production from ammonia and (b) other technologies to meet this target.
Government supports multiple hydrogen production pathways that meet our Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard and funding eligibility criteria. These are reviewed regularly. The Energy Act 2023 enables support for hydrogen production via Government funding or a levy. We will provide an update on the funding arrangements for the hydrogen programme in due course. Funding decisions will take into account affordability and value for money.