Richard Holden MP: written questions
2152 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Aviation: TrainingDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13941More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with airports on expanding airport-based training academies and colleges to increase the supply of skilled workers for the aviation sector.
Answer: The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) do not hold data on the recruitment, retirement or other departures of air traffic controllers. Air traffic control providers are responsible for maintaining sufficient operational capaci...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: EngineersDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13940More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people (a) applied for, (b) commenced and (c) successfully completed approved aircraft maintenance engineer training in each of the last five years; and how many approved aircraft maintenance engineers
Answer: The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) do not hold data on the recruitment, retirement or other departures of air traffic controllers. Air traffic control providers are responsible for maintaining sufficient operational capaci...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Public RelationsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13939More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2026 to Question 10561, which marketing campaigns her Department has hired external public relations consultants for.
Answer: Since 4 July 2024, the Department for Transport has spent money on public relations activity to support its THINK! drink and drug driving campaigns. This forms part of the Department’s wider, targeted communications approach to road safety and is in line ...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: BatteriesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13938More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with the European Commission on Rules of Origin requirements for electric vehicles and batteries under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Answer: New rules of origin requirements for electric vehicles under the TCA are scheduled to come into force on 1st January 2027. The UK Government recognises the growing concern from industry about the potential impact of the upcoming rule changes on the automo...
Answered 2 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAir Traffic Control: StaffDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13937More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many licensed air traffic controllers there were in the UK in each of the last five years; and how many (a) were recruited, (b) retired, (c) ceased being air traffic controllers for other reasons in each of
Answer: The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) do not hold data on the recruitment, retirement or other departures of air traffic controllers. Air traffic control providers are responsible for maintaining sufficient operational capaci...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: CrewDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13936More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of additional commercial pilots required by the aviation sector over the next (a) five and (b) ten years.
Answer: The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) do not hold data on the recruitment, retirement or other departures of air traffic controllers. Air traffic control providers are responsible for maintaining sufficient operational capaci...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: MotabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13935More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many 16-year-olds in receipt of the enhanced rate of the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment have received funding through the Motability Foundation Driving Lessons Grant in (a) 2024
Answer: Motability Foundation provides the Driving Lessons Grant to help disabled teenagers with severe mobility challenges learn to drive from age 16, as legislation allows them to hold a provisional licence. Driving can remove barriers to personal independence....
Answered 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMotability: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13934More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many 16-year-olds were in receipt of a vehicle through the Motability Scheme in (a) 2024–25 and (b) 2025–26 by vehicle model.
Answer: Motability Foundation provides the Driving Lessons Grant to help disabled teenagers with severe mobility challenges learn to drive from age 16, as legislation allows them to hold a provisional licence. Driving can remove barriers to personal independence....
Answered 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordTransport: InfrastructureDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13933More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish a list of road and rail infrastructure projects sponsored by her Department for which (i) strategic outline, (ii) outline full and (iii) full business cases have been completed, including (a
Answer: The department is responsible for a large number of road and rail projects. The most recent project lists have been published by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) in the March 2026 Infrastructure Pipeline. This inclu...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordPermitted Development Rights: RoadsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13932More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending permitted development rights for development of roads within road corridors akin to those already in
Answer: There are already permitted development rights – set out in Part 9 of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (England) 2015, as amended – which grant planning permission for development relating to roads. We cont...
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: FaresDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13931More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is her policy to expand the LNER fare pilot to other publicly owned train operating companies.
Answer: We are simplifying fares and ticketing so passengers can trust they are buying the right ticket, every time, with a more consistent offer across the network. The current London North Eastern Railway trial simplifies ticket choices and gives passengers mor...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordLondon Gateway Port: RailwaysDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13567More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of electrifying the unelectrified section of railway between London Gateway port and the electrified rail network; and whether her Department has held discussio
Answer: Based on previous electrification projects, Network Rail have produced a high-level estimate for electrifying the route into London Gateway of £17.5-30 million. However, as we anticipate more multi-mode locomotives (which can operate on electric and diese...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordTransport: Planning PermissionDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13566More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish a list of legislative and statutory requirements, including those relating to environmental protection, health and safety, planning, habitats, heritage, water, flood risk and other regulator
Answer: The Government does not maintain, and does not plan to publish, a single consolidated list of all applicable legislative and statutory requirements. Doing so would be disproportionate and would duplicate information already available through legislation.g...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Public ConsultationDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13565More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide a list of all public consultations launched by her Department since 6 May 2010; and for each consultation state whether it is (a) currently open and accepting responses, (b) closed with a Go
Answer: A full list of public consultations launched by the Department for Transport since 6 May 2010, including the status of each, can be found at the following link:Policy papers and consultations - GOV.UK
Answered 2 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAirports: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13564More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the calculated difference in business rates liability for each commercial airport in England between 4 July 2024 and the most recent date for which figures are available.
Answer: Due to legislation protecting taxpayer confidentiality, the Government is unable to disclose information about individual ratepayers. To respond to those who are seeing large increases, the Government has already acted to limit increases in bills, announc...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Services: FaresDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13563More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which (a) local authorities, (b) transport authorities and (c) mayoral combined authorities in England have a maximum single adult bus fare cap of £2 or below; and if she will list the parliamentary constituenc
Answer: Where local transport authorities (LTA) have taken the decision to introduce a local fare cap of £2 or less, the LTA will already have made those details public. The Government has committed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to 2028/29 to maintain and improve ...
Answered 1 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: AccidentsDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13562More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many reported personal injury road traffic collisions involved a driver who was driving on a foreign driving licence that was valid for use in the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will provide
Answer: This information is not held.
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRestoring Your Railway FundDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13561More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding was spent on each individual scheme supported through the Restoring Your Railway Fund (RYRF); and to what stage did each of those RYRF schemes get.
Answer: The Chancellor’s 29 July 2024 announcement confirmed that the Restoring Your Railway (RYR) programme would be brought to a close as part of the steps taken to address the pressures on the public finances created by unfunded policy announcements made by th...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Overseas WorkersForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13240More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 129518, which posts and locations are classified as qualifying hardship posts for the purpose of additional journeys for s
Answer: Allowances for 'hardship' locations have been a feature of civil service overseas postings for several decades, and New Delhi has been included in the list of those locations since it was first introduced. The list is reviewed on a regular basis to reflec...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMinisters: AviationMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13239More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 44594 on Ministers: Aviation, how many RAF Envoy flights for Ministers have been made since 1 April 2025.
Answer: It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of Ministers and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom. Information about official overseas Ministerial travel is pub...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordArms Length Bodies: LobbyingCabinet OfficeTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13238More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance on arm's length bodies using public funds to appoint public affairs and lobbying consultancies to engage with Ministers, government departments and hon. Members.
Answer: The Cabinet Office does not issue specific guidance on this matter. Section 4.1 of the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies states that ‘it will always be an improper use of public funds for public bodies to employ consultants or other compa...
Answered 30 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Public RelationsDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which arm's length bodies and other bodies sponsored by his Department currently hold contracts with public affairs, lobbying or government relations consultancies; and what the value and purpose of each such c
Answer: In line with transparency requirements, details of all contracts awarded by the Department and its arm’s length bodies above the relevant thresholds are published on the Government’s Contracts Finder service or Find a Tender Service. This includes informa...
Answered 30 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Royal FamilyDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110091 on Railways: Royal Family, what arrangements will be made for official rail travel by members of the Royal Family after the Royal Train is withdrawn
Answer: The Royal Household decided to decommission the Royal Train ahead of the current contract expiring in 2027. Travel arrangements for members of the Royal Family are a matter for the Royal Travel Office within the Royal Household.
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordTransport: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13235More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms are available to her Department to oversee, monitor and intervene in the use of transport funding provided to mayoral combined authorities through City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements a
Answer: The original CRSTS settlement letters, published in 2022, set out the programme framework, including the Department's monitoring arrangements and the ability to withhold funding where programme objectives were not being met. Under CRSTS and its successor ...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: TrespassDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13234More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of rail trespass were recorded in each of the last five years; what the five locations were with the highest number of recorded rail trespass incidents in each of those years; and how many of
Answer: The British Transport Police have provided the following information: Trespass incidents by year:2021/22 - 12,1012022/23 - 12,0332023/24 - 13,0462024/25 - 14,0672025/26 - 14,293The locations with the most trespass incidents recorded were:Location 2025/26 ...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →