Richard Holden MP: written questions
2152 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Cabinet Office: Written QuestionsCabinet OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026Awaiting answerUIN 125097More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 107534 from the Hon. Member for Falkirk.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordRailways: Birmingham and ManchesterDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125095More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 122888 on High Speed 2 Line: Crewe, when her Department expects to complete the work required to develop plans for a North-South new line between Birmingham a
Answer: The Northern Growth Strategy set out the Government’s intention to ultimately deliver a full North-South new line between Birmingham and Manchester. We expect the delivery timelines for this line to follow the completion of HS2 and NPR.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Written QuestionsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125092More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to Question 123167 from the Hon. Member for Maidstone and Malling.
Answer: I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer given on 31 March 2026.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Written QuestionsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125091More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to Question 122529 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.
Answer: Question 122529 was answered on 2 April 2026.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Business and Trade: Sustainable DevelopmentDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125061More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2026 to Question 116229 on Department for Business and Trade: Carbon Emissions and Sustainable Development, on what date did his Department (a) allocate funding to Mot
Answer: In 2024, the UK signed a Government-to-Government Arrangement with the Dominican Republic to help deliver infrastructure projects that promote mutual economic growth. My department awarded Mott MacDonald a contract to review the Dominican Republic's state...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125037More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to complete the review of the Greening Government Commitments, including the Government fleet commitment.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 February to the hon. Member for Bristol Central to PQ UIN 114247.
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Annual ReportsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125029More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 21 of her Department's report entitled Department for Transport annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025, published on 22 July 2025, if she will provide a breakdown of the £644 million exp
Answer: Page 21 of the Annual Report & Accounts is the ‘Financial Overview’ report, which presents total departmental spending by Estimate Line. ‘Sustainable Travel’ is an Estimate Line descriptor shown in the Statement of Parliamentary Supply within the 202...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: PassengersDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125025More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the total number of passenger rail journeys in Great Britain in 2025–26; what figure for passenger journeys underpins its estimate of subsidy per passenger journey for t
Answer: Data relating to the total number of passenger rail journeys in Great Britain for 2025–26 is not yet available and is scheduled for publication in June. Historic data on journeys is published here: Passenger rail usage | ORR Data Portal. Using the most re...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Annual ReportsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125022More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's report entitled Department for Transport annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025, published on 22 July 2025, what expenditure is included under the category entitled Science,
Answer: ‘Science, Research and Support Functions’ is an Estimate Line descriptor shown in the Statement of Parliamentary Supply within the 2024-25 Annual Report & Accounts. All costs recorded on this Estimate line are incurred by the Core department. A break...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Annual ReportsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125019More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date her Department will publish its annual report and accounts for the financial year 2025 to 2026.
Answer: The Department plans to publish its 2025-26 Annual Report and Accounts ahead of the Parliamentary summer recess.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: BatteriesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125018More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 123517 on Electric Vehicles: Costs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of introducing requirements for standardised battery state
Answer: On 13 April 2026, the Department launched a public consultation on updating the minimum emission standards for new road vehicles to Euro 7. Assessment of the impact of introducing these requirements will be included within the regulatory impact assessment...
Answered 17 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDfT OperatorDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125016More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 122220 on DfT Operator, what was the cost to the public purse of establishing the new sponsorship model and team; how many staff are employed in that team; fr
Answer: There has been no additional cost to the public purse in establishing the new DFTO sponsorship model and team. The team was formed by redeploying existing staff. This approach ensured that existing expertise and institutional knowledge were retained. Day‑...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImmobilisation of VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125015More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 120168 on Immobilisation of Vehicles, how many immobilisation devices were unlawfully removed from a vehicle in (a) 2022, (b) 2023, (c) 2024 and (d) 2025.
Answer: The table below shows the number of immobilisation devices which were unlawfully removed from a vehicle in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. YearsTotal202221,135202320,855202428,059202528,642Total98,691
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUnadopted Roads: ResearchDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125014More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 122959 on Unadopted Roads: Research, what was the cost to the public purse of the research study her Department commissioned from Ipsos UK on the operation of
Answer: Ipsos UK has been commissioned by the Department for Transport to conduct research into the operation of sections 37 and 38 of the Highways Act 1980 and to assess whether the current road adoption system remains fit for purpose. The total cost to the publ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Licences: Medical RecordsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125013More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 122891 on Driving Licences: Medical Records, if she will set out (a) when the DVLA's new casework system will become operational, (b) when updates to its onli
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) new drivers’ medical casework system became fully operational on 27 February 2026. It is expected to deliver significant improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions. The new dri...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordNetwork Rail: AssetsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125012More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 121180 on Network Rail: Assets, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the decline in the Composite Sustainability Index for rail assets on l
Answer: The Government is clear that Network Rail must ensure that network resilience is either maintained or improved during the current Control Period to an extent that is reasonable.Network Rail assesses the resilience of the railway network on a continuing ba...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Special AdvisersDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125007More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people are currently engaged by her Department in roles providing political advice or support to Ministers; and how many such individuals are classified as (a) special advisers and (b) ministerial or o
Answer: The Department currently has (a) 5 special advisers, and (b) no ministerial or other political appointees.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: RecruitmentDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124885More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122445, what further proposals the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has developed to reduce the time taken to onboard driving examiner recruits; and if she
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to review its recruitment processes to improve the onboarding experience of new entrants. DVSA has streamlined its processes, which should see applicants move through the recruitment process more qu...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124884More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 121006, when the review of the highways maintenance funding formula will be completed; and if she will publish the outcomes of that review.
Answer: Any review would be conducted to align with the end of the period for which highways maintenance block allocations have already been made.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordSupply ChainsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124883More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the planned Supply Chain Centre will become operational; what its initial remit will be; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that centre on mitigating domestic supply chain
Answer: The government announced its intention to set up a Supply Chain Centre as part of the Trade and Industrial Strategies. The Centre is already operational, with its formal launch expected to take place later in the year. The Centre’s remit will be to lead w...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: Facilities and ParkingDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124882More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2026 to WPQ 121808, what proportion of the Customer and Communities Designated Fund within the Road Investment Strategy 3 is allocated to (a) HGV parking capacity and (b) driv
Answer: Further detail on RIS3 funding allocations will be set out by National Highways in its Delivery Plan.
Answered 17 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordSpeed Limits: CamerasDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124881More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department will publish updated guidance to local authorities on (a) setting local speed limits and (b) the deployment of speed and red-light cameras; and whether a timetable has been set for implement
Answer: As previously stated, the Department will begin work on updating the Setting Local Speed Limits and Red Light and Speed Camera guidance shortly.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: RecruitmentDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124880More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122319, what performance metrics the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency uses to assess the effectiveness of recruitment campaigns for driving examiners; and
Answer: On 31 March 2026, the Driver and Vehicle Service Agency (DVSA) had 1,604 full-time equivalent driving examiners (DE), the highest number since 2018 and 188 more DEs than on 30 April 2025. The table below shows the number of total completed applications DV...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Hire ServicesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124879More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122592 on Electric Vehicles: Hire Services, when the review of the Greening Government Commitments framework will be completed.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 February to the hon. Member for Bristol Central to PQ UIN 114247.
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124216More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, what her Department’s estimate is for the date by which trains for those services will be (i) modified and (ii) fully tested.
Answer: Chiltern subleases the trains that will be used on East West Rail from West Midlands Trains. The operators continue to work jointly with the train owner and the industry supply chain on the schedule for the final modifications which are expected to be del...
Answered 14 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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