Richard Holden MP: written questions
2152 published records · newest first.
Written questions
UK Emissions Trading Scheme: FerriesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121900More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of UK ETS compliance costs on ferry fares for passengers and businesses, particularly those in the hospitality sector using the Isle of Wig
Answer: The Impact Assessment does not identify significant consumer price impacts and finds that compliance costs for domestic maritime operators are modest relative to their overall operating costs, with fuel and carbon costs forming only one part of total runn...
Answered 27 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBuses: Electric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121835More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 117436 on Buses: Electric Vehicles, when she expects officials to complete their investigation into reports on Chinese-manufactured electric buses; which mont
Answer: The Transport Secretary remains committed to updating the Transport Select Committee on the reports on ‘Yutong’ electric buses.It would not be appropriate to disclose any information before first updating the Committee.
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBritish Business BankDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121834More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 120045 on British Business Bank, what the total monetary value is of support provided to funds, schemes and portfolio companies described as relating
Answer: The British Business Bank does not centrally classify funds, schemes or portfolio companies under the categories of net zero, decarbonisation, sustainability, climate transition or the green economy in the form requested.The Bank’s approach is to embed su...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNitrogen Dioxide: Pollution ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121833More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119491, if she will break down the £478 million whole-life cost of the NO2 Programme by (a) funding stream, including the Implementa
Answer: The Department for Transport provides all capital funding and a small amount of resource funding.
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: Colour Vision DeficiencyDepartment for TransportTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121828More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116584 on Aviation: Colour Vision Deficiency, what independent analysis reported that only the CAD test and anomaloscopes when used correctly have 100% sensiti
Answer: The analysis in question is a paper from a French research group that was published in a peer reviewed journal in 2018. The reference is: Marechal M, Delbarre M, Tesson J et al. Color vision tests in pilots’ medical assessments. Aerosp Med Hum Perform Aug...
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121827More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the number of potholes filled in (a) 2023–24, (b) 2024-25 (c) 2025-26.
Answer: As announced in March 2025, local highway authorities had to publish transparency reports about their highways maintenance activities to unlock their full share of the Government’s £500m uplift for local highways maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: International Parking CommunityDepartment for TransportTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121823More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what oversight the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency exercises over the International Parking Community (IPC) as an accredited trade association whose members access DVLA vehicle keeper data; whether the DVLA
Answer: The law permits the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to disclose the contact details of registered keepers of UK vehicles for a number of lawful purposes. Information needed to manage parking on private land is provided only to private parking o...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121421More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average cost per kWh is for ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging; and how this has changed since 2021.
Answer: This information is available from external industry sources such as Zapmap, who estimate that the current average cost of rapid/ultra rapid public charging is around 76p/kWh, as of February 2026. This price level has remained broadly constant over the pa...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121414More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the development and implementation timetable of PAS 2161, the proposed national data standard for road condition monitoring, and what assessment her Department has made of its pot
Answer: DfT worked with local authorities and the wider highways industry to develop the PAS 2161:2024 Road condition monitoring (RCM) data specification which was published in September 2024, and is available online, at: https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/r...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBridleways and Public Footpaths: Horse RidingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121413More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has considered amending section 30 of the Countryside Act 1968 to permit equestrians to use rights of way currently designated as footpaths; what assessment she
Answer: The Government has no plans to amend section 30 of the Countryside Act 1968 to permit equestrian use of footpaths and as such, has not assessed the potential im-pact of this change.Defra has not made a specific assessment of the administrative workload as...
Answered 20 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAbnormal LoadsHome OfficeTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121411More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to introduce nationally consistent guidance on the interpretation of regulations governing abnormal load movements and police escort requirements.
Answer: There are no current plans by government to introduce national guidance governing the movement of abnormal loads.
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Instruction: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121410More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 118861 on Approved Driving Instructors: Standards, whether (a) her Department and (b) the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency plans to introduce arrangements
Answer: Anyone wishing to become an ADI must pass the statutory ADI tests. More information on the steps to becoming an ADI can be found on GOV.UK. To maintain and monitor standards of instruction, each ADI can be called by the ADI Registrar for a standards check...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordParking: Private SectorDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121409More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, a) what assessment her Department has made of the £2.50 fee charged by the DVLA for the release of vehicle keeper data to private parking companies, b) what analysis has been conducted on the volume of keeper d
Answer: Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 permits the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to release vehicle keeper details from its vehicle record where the requester can demonstrate reasonable cause to recei...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCrown Prosecution Service: StaffAttorney GeneralTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121408More
Question: To ask the Solicitor General, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of a full-time employee of the Crown Prosecution Service serving in the role of Lead Adjudicator for the Independent Appeals Service; and whether t
Answer: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has established policies and procedures in place to identify, declare and manage actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest, including where members of staff hold external roles or appointments.The CPS Code of...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: VacanciesDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving examiners ceased to practice in each month from July 2024 to the latest month for which figures are available.
Answer: The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) who left the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in each month from July 2024 to February 2026. This data includes all DEs who have left including, for example, n...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMarriageMinistry of JusticeTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy not to recognise overseas marriages that would be illegal under UK law.
Answer: There are no plans to change the law that an overseas marriage is normally recognised in England and Wales if it complied with the requirements for the form of the ceremony where it took place (meaning by whom, where, when and how it was conducted) and if...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordProperty Development: Recreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121405More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has provided guidance to local planning authorities on whether recreational routes associated with major residential developments should accommodate all no
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that planning policies and decisions should protect and enhance public rights of way and access, including taking opportunities to provide better facilities for users, for example by adding links to e...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Services: CyclewaysDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121404More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what policy reason an Equality Impact Assessment was not undertaken in relation to the guidance entitled Floating Bus Stops: Provision and Design.
Answer: As set out in the guidance for public authorities on the Public Sector Equality Duty, the general duty involves consciously thinking about the equality aims while making decisions. There is no prescribed process for doing or recording this. Due regard for...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Under Influence: DrugsHome OfficeTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121403More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2026 to Question 116788, if she will make an assessment of the annual cost to police forces of (a) administering roadside drug-impairment tests and (b) drug-driving t
Answer: The Home Office has not made an assessment on the costs to police forces for administering roadside drug-impartment tests under section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and drug driving testing under section 5A of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSewageDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121402More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her long-term strategy is for reducing sewage discharges from storm overflows; and what targets, timelines and investment requirements have been set for water companies to deliver
Answer: To deliver on the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, we are expecting £60 billion of investment to be delivered across England by 2050. Water companies are investing over £11 billion in PR24, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 st...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordParking Offences: FinesDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121401More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 115449, in which month in Q3 2026 her Department will set out next steps.
Answer: As noted in my previous answer, a number of parking sector stakeholders conducted research into the issue of penalty charging levels, the findings of which we previously deposited in the House of Commons Library at the following link: https://depositedpap...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordTrain Operating Companies: Fees and ChargesDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121400More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the projected savings from the removal of management and performance fees payable to private sector train operating companies are estimated to be; and over what time period those savings will be realised.
Answer: Public ownership is estimated to save taxpayers up to £110-150 million every year on fees currently paid to privately-owned train operating companies, once all services currently delivered under contract with the Department have transferred.
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLogisticsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121399More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the UK Logistics Network report published by Logistics UK in 2024.
Answer: The Department for Transport is aware of Logistics UK's The UK Logistics Network report (2024) and its subsequent progress tracker report (2025). The department is grateful for Logistics UK’s work and the informative contribution it makes to our evidence ...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Government AssistanceDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121398More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118273 on Railways: Government Assistance, if she will provide the annual estimated level of support per rail passenger journey for each financial year betwee
Answer: The Department does not intend to publish further details on the estimates on level of support per rail passenger journey. Data on the previous levels of support per rail passenger kilometre are available here: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/ptafpcco...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRibble Valley Line: Rolling StockDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121397More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department provides to Northern Trains Ltd on the allocation of rolling stock between routes; whether the Clitheroe–Manchester line receives comparable peak-time capacity to commuter routes in
Answer: Rail North Partnership reviews Northern’s Train Formation Capacity Plans twice a year, in line with preparations for the May and December timetable change dates, with Northern required to prepare a plan that best matches available capacity to forecast pas...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →