Richard Holden MP: written questions
2152 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Electric Vehicles: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127591More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120278 on Electric Vehicles: Costs, whether she will publish the analysis underpinning the estimated monthly cost savings under the proposed Government’s proposed
Answer: In answer to Question 120278 the Government set out that analysis suggests that the average EV driver will pay around £20 a month under the Government’s eVED proposals once the new policy starts in 2028, roughly half the equivalent rate for a petrol car. ...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordA14: TreesDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127587More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 121208 on A14: Trees, whether the work to remove redundant biodegradable and plastic tree guards along the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme has commenced; a
Answer: National Highways has commenced work to remove redundant biodegradable and plastic tree guards along the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme. To date, around 36,000 redundant tree guards have been removed, and the work is expected to be completed by May 2...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDfT Operator: TrainingDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127586More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120879 on DfT Operator: Training, whether her Department plans to provide funding through DfT Operator Limited to increase the number of rail training places.
Answer: There are no plans to provide funding to DfT Operator Limited specifically for rail training places as part of the Department’s funding of train services. It is up to the train operating companies to establish their own training requirements and fund thes...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127584More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121577 on Roads: Carbon Emissions, how much is the total additional cost to the public purse of the one-year extension to the Live Labs 2 programme; and if sh
Answer: The Department for Transport will provide up to £300,000 to support a one-year extension to the Live Labs 2 innovation programme. This will help councils access and adopt more innovative approaches to highways maintenance, including uptake of longer-lasti...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: PricesDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127583More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121469 on Electric Vehicles: Prices, whether her Department plans to update its projections for when zero emission vehicles will reach price parity with inter
Answer: DfT continues to monitor evidence on prices and projections.
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127582More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of new car registrations that will be zero emission vehicles in 2027 under (a) central, (b) low and (c) high uptake scenarios.
Answer: The Department regularly updates its projections of zero emission vehicle (ZEV) uptake. The latest published projections were included in the Cost Benefit Analysis accompanying the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2025, which o...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: VacanciesDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121903 on Driving Tests: Vacancies, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of holding centrally a snapshot of the total number
Answer: Monthly driving examiner vacancy figures have limited value because numbers change frequently due to demand, training, turnover and capacity. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency manages its workforce flexibly, matching examiner numbers to demand and u...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAirports: CyclingDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127548More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2026 to Question 123240, what contribution improved cycling facilities will make to balancing aviation sector growth.
Answer: Airports and their local stakeholders consider all transport options as part their surface access strategies, which cover staff as well as customers.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordBiodiversityDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127547More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a written assessment of the commercial impact on existing private sector BNG technology providers was completed before the Alpha phase of contract C24064 was approved.
Answer: The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Go...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: North of EnglandDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127546More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122316, whether the Government plans to resume the York Area Capacity and Performance Project.
Answer: Following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Department is working closely with Network Rail and key stakeholders to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for the East Coast Main Line, aligned with emerging plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail. T...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, on what basis her Department determined that the delayed appointment of Chiltern Railways as operator for East West Rail Services was caused by the Ge
Answer: The appointment of the operator for the first phase of EWR services was paused during the General Election campaign in July 2024. This Government then appointed Chiltern Railways as the operator in March 2025. The department has not commissioned an indepe...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127544More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, when she expects driver training to have been completed for passenger services to commence on trains for the first EWR services between Oxford and Mil
Answer: The Department is working closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to conclude the remaining staffing arrangements required for the first East West Rail passenger services between Oxford and Milton Keynes. This includes training the 44 recruited...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127543More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118920, if she will develop new Outline Business Cases for a) the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and b) Haughley Junction upgrades and c) whether she has plans
Answer: The Government’s commitment to a significant programme of railway investment was announced as part of Spending Review 2025. We will set out our plans for further investment in rail infrastructure in due course.
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordTrain Operating Companies: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127542More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) Notices to Improve and (b) written instructions her Department issued to train operating companies for which the Department is the operator in relation to (i) service performance and (ii) financial
Answer: The Department's priority objectives for train operators are to improve performance and reduce financial subsidy. It does not routinely publish specific instructions made to operators. We have asked train operators to reflect how they will deliver these p...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordNetwork Rail: Public RelationsDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127540More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what expenditure has Network Rail undertaken on public affairs companies, and for what purposes, since 4 July 2024.
Answer: From July 2024 to March 2026, Network Rail spent £372,914 on its Stakeholder Engagement Services contract. This contract supports Network Rail's duties as a public body to ensure that a wide range of statutory consultees, national and regional representat...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: EmailCabinet OfficeTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127539More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April 2025, to Question 41645, on Cabinet Office: Email, what are the automatic deletion policies for non-Ministerial inboxes for officials currently in post in the Cabinet Office, wh
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMembers: ExtraditionHouse of Commons CommissionTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127538More
Question: To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, where the extradition is sought by foreign governments of sitting Members of Parliament who are (a) UK nationals and (b) dual nationals, whether the Speake
Answer: This is not a question for the Commission.
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPoliceCabinet OfficeTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127537More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Downing Street press release of 9 April 2025, on policing, what definition the Prime Minister’s office uses of the term 'across the country' in official communications.
Answer: An official definition does not exist, but it is a term that will be widely recognised by the public.
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFood: PackagingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127536More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, further to the HMT policy paper, "New approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth, published on 17 March 2025, whether the Food Standard Agency’s commitment to meet EU regulatory re
Answer: The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) commitment to support United Kingdom businesses in meeting European Union regulatory requirements for food-grade recycled plastics is not a deregulatory policy. It reflects a facilitative and proportionate approach that s...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordKatharine BirbalsinghDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127535More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39574 on Katharine Birbalsingh, when the final note was shared.
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record9 Downing Street: MediaCabinet OfficeTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127534More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 30828 on 9 Downing Street: Media, which scheduled transparency return will publish the OCS invoice; and on which date.
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPolice: DefibrillatorsHome OfficeTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127251More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of equipping all police cars with defibrillators.
Answer: Provision of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in police vehicles is currently an operational matter for police forces to decide at local level. I have had several meetings on the value of equipping all police cars with defibrillators and I am care...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCumbrian Coast Line: TunnelsDepartment for TransportTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127250More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the delay to repairs at Bransty Tunnel on the Cumbrian Coast Line, including (a) the reasons why no works have commenced eight months after closure, (b) the status of environment
Answer: Network Rail is responsible for the delivery of works at Bransty Tunnel, and my officials are supporting Network Rail on this matter. The issue at Bransty Tunnel was identified when Network Rail, as part of routine planned maintenance and renewals, undert...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMarriage: RelativesMinistry of JusticeTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127249More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the number of marriages between uncle and niece legally contracted overseas by people now residing in England and Wales.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on overseas marriages.
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the East West Rail route, a) how many train movements have taken place on that route in the last 12 months; and b) how many of those movements were i) steam-hauled trains, ii) diesel passenger
Answer: Along the East West Rail route, from 5th April 2025 - 4th April 2026 there have been 2257 train movements. This includes 4 stream trains and 60 diesel passenger trains. 2193 other non-passenger or testing services have taken place, including freight train...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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