Richard Holden MP: written questions
2152 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Transport: Industrial DisputesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119489More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to improve organisational capacity and capability within the transport sector to minimise the impact of industrial action.
Answer: The Government recognises the challenges that industrial action can cause to the public. Responsibility for managing its impact on rail services rests with train operating companies and Network Rail. As the sector moves towards Great British Railways, gre...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Fees and ChargesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119488More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will take steps (a) in this financial year and (b) in future financial years to help reduce the fee deficit of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency keeps its fees under continual review. Any changes to fee levels would be subject to public consultation and Parliamentary approval.
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPorts: NavigationDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119487More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers the Secretary of State has under the Pilotage Act 1987 to inspect, review or request information on the pilotage arrangements of competent harbour authorities; and whether those powers have been exe
Answer: There are powers outlined in Section 12 of the Pilotage Act 1987 which enable scrutiny of pilotage provision in circumstances where there are joint arrangements between Competent Harbour Authorities (CHAs), dockyard ports or other actors. These powers hav...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAirports: Immigration ControlsCabinet OfficeTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119486More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2026 to Question 113349, which Department is responsible for assessing the economic impact of passenger delays at UK border control points on tourism, aviation and wider bus
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 recordUK Emissions Trading Scheme: FerriesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118924More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2026 to Question 112225, whether he has made an estimate of the level of passthrough to consumers as a (a) cost increase per passenger ticket and (b) per
Answer: As set out in the Impact Assessment, any passthrough to consumers is expected to be modest. International evidence, including from the EU ETS, shows fare changes have generally been in the low single digit range. The Government has not undertaken route le...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAirports: National Policy StatementsDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118923More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 110887 on Heathrow: Expansion, when she plans to consult on proposed amendments to the Airports National Policy Statement.
Answer: As set out in my answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 110887, the Government expects to consult on any proposed amendments to the Airports National Policy Statement by the summer.
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFire and Rescue Services: DatabasesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118922More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111868 on Fire and Rescue Services: Databases, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring fire and
Answer: As part of the development of Version 2 of the Fire and Rescue Data Platform (FaRDaP), we will be adding new reference data to allow fire and rescue services to record and report on when an incident involves lithium‑ion batteries or electric vehicles. Thi...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: EqualityWomen and EqualitiesTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118921More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether any (a) policy documents, (b) staff guidance, (c) equality strategies or (d) training materials used by the Cabinet Office People Group or the Office for Equality and Opportunity reference the concept
Answer: We established the office for Equality and Opportunity to lead work to ensure that whoever you are, wherever you come from, Britain is a country that will respect your contribution and give you a fair chance to get on in life. The Government is committed ...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118920More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111447 on Railways: Repairs and Maintenance, what the benefit-cost ratio is for each rail infrastructure project under construction on the Network Rail net
Answer: Business case documents and the benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) for major schemes, including relevant schemes in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline, will be published on gov.uk when the full business case is approved. BCRs are not always published until the...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: AccidentsDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118919More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111459 on Motorways: Accidents, whether her Department plans to amend the STATS19 road traffic collision reporting system so that the type of central reser
Answer: There are no plans to amend the STATS19 collection in this way.The STATS19 collection is reviewed every 5 to 10 years. The last such review commenced in 2018, with the agreed recommendations being rolled out to police force collection systems from the sta...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCompetition and Markets Authority: StaffDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118918More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many full-time equivalent staff were assigned to the Competition and Markets Authority’s Sustainability Taskforce in (a) 2024–25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) 2026-27.
Answer: The number of full-time equivalent (“FTE”) staff assigned to the Competition and Markets Authority’s Sustainability Taskforce was 3.9 FTE in 2024-25 and 3.5 FTE in 2025-26. Data is not yet available for financial year 2026-27.
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBuses: ProcurementDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118917More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 111450, whether her Department holds information on the (a) grant funding awarded and (b) number of buses supported under each bus procurement and zero-emi
Answer: Within the last five years there has been two zero emission bus programmes funded by the Government, ZEBRA and ZEBRA 2. The following tables present information on the amount of grant funding awarded and the number of zero emission buses funded through th...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity: RoadsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110886 on Roads: Biodiversity, in what month the biodiversity net gain impact assessment for Nationally Significant Infrastructur
Answer: The Government intends to publish the biodiversity net gain impact assessment for nationally significant infrastructure projects soon.
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Greenhouse Gas EmissionsCabinet OfficeTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118915More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which body is responsible for measuring, collecting, reporting and validating greenhouse gas emissions across the Government estate.
Answer: Individual Government departments are responsible for measuring and collecting greenhouse gas emissions data from their own estates. This data is reported to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) which coordinates the Greening Gov...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118914More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110885 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will make an estimate of the average amount of public funding provided per chargepoint under schemes a
Answer: Most public charge points have not received any public subsidy. The average amount of public funding per charge point under the closed On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), is currently approximately £3,500 for completed projects. This is subje...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElection OffencesSpeaker's Committee on the Electoral CommissionTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118913More
Question: To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116224, whether the Electoral Commission plans to undertake research on the relat
Answer: The Electoral Commission does not plan to research the relationship between biradari networks, first cousin marriage and electoral fraud.Despite very low levels of proven electoral fraud in the UK, it is a matter the Commission takes seriously. It publish...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLondon North Eastern Railway: FaresDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118912More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of tickets sold on services operated by London North Eastern Railway in July 2024 excluding railcard discounts were at a) the fully flexible fare price, b) between 90 per cent and 100 per cent o
Answer: The Department does not hold information on the proportion of tickets sold at these price points.
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Instruction: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training on the (a) quality assurance of registered driving instructor trainers and (b) ability
Answer: The Official Register of Driving Instructor Training (ORDIT) scheme was suspended by the previous Government in November 2023. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency recognises the importance of ORBIT and will engage with the industry and discuss how and...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118910More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what methodology she uses to assess the effectiveness of pothole funding.
Answer: The Department for Transport published local road maintenance ratings on 11 January, measuring how well each local highway authority is maintaining its local roads and making use of its increased government funding. The methodology used to calculate the r...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118909More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116553 on the Highway Code, whether she plans to undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of Rule H1.
Answer: As I set out in response to Question 116553, when the previous government introduced Highway Code rule H1 in 2022, they did not initiate or plan for any assessment of their introduction of the rule. Like the previous government, this government does not s...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAirports: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118908More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116218, what comparative assessment she has made of the economic circumstances of UK civil airports between 1 April 2021 and 1 April 2024.
Answer: The Valuation Office Agency assessed changes to the economic circumstances of airports as part of the 2026 Revaluation exercise, where average Rateable Values for civil airports have increased at the valuation date of 1 April 2024. The VOA announced updat...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordM1: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118274More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she expects the roadworks on the M1 (Northbound) between junctions 12 and 13 to be completed.
Answer: National Highways currently anticipate completion of works on the M1 (Northbound) between junctions 12 and 13 by the end of March 2026, subject to the findings of National Highways' own investigation into whether the drainage issues identified extend beyo...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Government AssistanceDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118273More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 115453 on Railways: Government Assistance, what the decrease in support is expected to be in each year of the spending review period.
Answer: The Department for Transport's support for the 14 contracted operators and Network Rail was £8.47 per journey in 2024/25. It is currently estimated that this will steadily decrease to just over £7 per journey in 2028/29. This means an average year on year...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: WalesDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117910More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been allocated to railways in Wales for Welsh Rail Enhancements for (a) UK Government Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) - or equivalent and (b) Core Valley Lines enhancement funding
Answer: Rail enhancement investment in Wales is detailed below. UKG Enhancements comprise funding from the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline and the Levelling Up Fund. YearUKG EnhancementsCVL Enhancement Funding paid to Welsh Goverment2020/21£16 million£141 mill...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: VacanciesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117909More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many referrals to DVSA Driving Examiner roles have been made via Jobcentre Plus under the pilot scheme in each of the six priority locations; how many of those referrals have resulted in (i) attenda
Answer: We are currently in the process of making referrals for these roles. Each location has the capacity to have 16 customers referred. Assessments will take place on 16 March (Slough & Southampton), 17 March (Tottenham & Bletchley) and 19 March (Bedfo...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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