Contributions
2,622 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCovid-19: Public TransportI agree that the wearing of face coverings will be a very important element in restoring confidence in our public transport, not only for the passengers and the workforce but, in…02 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Public TransportThe current guidance says that face coverings are advised on public transport and elsewhere, particularly in cases where social distancing is not possible. We are keeping this…02 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Public TransportMy noble friend will probably agree with me that aviation is a core part of our transport system and a great provider of jobs in this country. It is going through an unprecedented…02 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Public TransportThat requirement is not buried in the detail as the noble Lord has said—it is on the face of the funding agreement reached between the Government and TfL. Both parties agreed to…02 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Public TransportI would like to put the concern of the noble Lord to rest in that air-conditioning systems exist in all sorts of circumstances; the Government are indeed looking to ensure that…02 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportThe noble Lord raises a very important point. The published guidance specifically refers to making sure that public transport remains accessible. It refers to those with protected…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportCommunication will be key when it comes to face coverings. It will be about getting across the message of “I will protect you and you will protect me”, through both people wearing…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportThe noble Lord is quite right. This is guidance; it is not a legally binding set of requirements and it is not designed to be. If we are to make our fight against Covid a success,…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportI speak to TfL every few days and our call tomorrow will be done together, because we felt that that would be the most appropriate way to get the message across. As I think my…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportIt is not within my remit to answer that last question. However, my noble friend is right that London is not the UK. That is why Sir Peter Hendy has been working with the TOCs to…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportThe noble Baroness is right, in that there have been some really unpleasant examples of people speeding—sometimes vastly over the speed limit—and it is entirely and utterly…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportThe reality at this time is that the Foreign Office is advising against travel overseas, but it does not have a crystal ball. Therefore, it would be impossible to say that up to a…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportThe noble Lord raises interesting issues to do with data and modelling. I reassure him that the Department for Transport has a vast amount of data and does a huge amount of…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportI thank my noble friend for raising this, as it is something I think we have forgotten. It goes back to the oldest of chestnuts on this issue. When talking about coronavirus, we…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportOn the first issue the noble Lord raised, on public transport, let us be absolutely clear what we are talking about here. Those who cannot work from home and have to travel to…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportMy Lords, I join the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, and the noble Baroness, Lady Randerson, in paying tribute to everybody in the transport sector who has worked so tirelessly over the…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportI thank my noble friend for his thoughts on this issue. He has clearly described the challenge that we face in matching demand with the supply of public transport, in this case…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportThe noble Lord has indeed raised this point before. I looked at that study. It is interesting, but obviously I am not a scientific expert. Therefore, I cannot comment on it in…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportThe noble Lord is right that staggering working hours is one of the ways that we can reduce demand on public transport. I have a call tomorrow with the main employer groups in…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: TransportThis is an incredibly important topic. The Rail Delivery Group—the organisation made up of the train operating companies—is finalising staff guidance, which includes suggested…14 May 2020