Richard Holden MP: written questions
2152 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Department for Transport: Written QuestionsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9350More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to Question 4267 from the Rt hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.
Answer: Question 4267 was answered on 17 June.
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Written QuestionsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9349More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to Question 6002 from the Hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham.
Answer: Question 6002 was answered on 17 June.
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Written QuestionsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9348More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to Question 2375 from the Hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire.
Answer: The Hon Member received a response to Question 2375 on 17th June 2026.
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Written QuestionsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9347More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to Question 1255 from the Hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire.
Answer: Question 1255 was answered on 17 June.
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordFire and Rescue Services: Conditions of EmploymentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9345More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides on taking factors other than merit into consideration when it comes to fire service appointments and promotions.
Answer: The recruitment, appointment and promotion of fire and rescue service staff are matters for individual fire and rescue authorities, as employers. Decisions should be made fairly, transparently and in line with employment law.
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Public AppointmentsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8934More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department takes factors other than merit into consideration when it comes to (a) appointments and (b) promotions.
Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office seeks to maintain the highest standards of integrity, fairness and impartiality in such matters, in line with Civil Service Recruitment Principles, and I would be happy to compare these processes with the m...
Answered 18 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: RecruitmentCabinet OfficeTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8933More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department provides on taking factors other than merit into consideration when it comes to civil service (a) appointments and (b) promotions.
Answer: Appointments and promotions in the Cabinet Office are based on the principle of merit. This is required for all external appointments and substantive promotions in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. Internal recruitment and temporary prom...
Answered 18 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPolice: RecruitmentHome OfficeTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8932More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides on taking factors other than merit into consideration when it comes to police (a) appointments and (b) promotions.
Answer: Police recruitment and promotion processes are managed locally by individual police forces. All processes are based on merit and assess candidates’ eligibility, skills and competencies, in line with national guidance and standards set by the College of Po...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: RecruitmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8931More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department considers factors other than merit for military (a) appointments and (b) promotions.
Answer: In addition to appointing on merit, appointing teams across Defence take into account the key skills and experience of candidates, and their Service (Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force) for appointments and promotion. Where a position requires a special...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordJudiciary: Public AppointmentsMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8930More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference oral evidence to the Justice Committee on 10 June 2026 by Professor Lynne Berry, the Government's preferred candidate for Chair at Judicial Appointments Commission for England and Wales, HC 193, wh
Answer: The overriding principle, governed by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, is that appointment to judicial roles must be solely on merit, together with consideration of good character and the need to encourage diversity.In practice, merit is assessed throu...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMarriage: RelativesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8796More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2026 to Question 1717 on Marriage: Relatives, whether copies of the amended training materials are publicly available; and if he will place copies of those material
Answer: The amended training materials are available at the following link:https://learninghub.nhs.uk/Catalogue/close-relative-marriageThese materials are available to view; however, a log-in is required to access these, and anyone can register for an account.
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: Electric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8758More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of grid capacity required to support the electrification of the heavy goods vehicle fleet under a Zero Emission Vehicle mandate.
Answer: The availability of grid capacity is an important factor in supporting the electrification of the heavy goods vehicle fleet. The transition to zero emission HGVs is expected to take place over time, allowing both infrastructure and grid capacity to scale ...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: Electric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8748More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of heavier battery-electric heavy goods vehicles on (a) road wear and (b) deterioration and what estimate her Department has made of the resulting costs to
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer UIN 8642 of 16 June.
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: FuelsMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8729More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated yearly cost to the (a) Army and (b) Royal Navy is of using Sustainable Aviation Fuel in each year (i) since its introduction and (ii) for which forecasts are available (A) in total and (B) by l
Answer: It is taking time to collate the requested information. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8695More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what artificial intelligence systems, including generative artificial intelligence and AI agents, are being utilised by Network Rail; for what operational, maintenance, asset management, customer service and co
Answer: Network Rail is applying and exploring AI and advanced analytics across operations, maintenance and asset management to improve situational awareness, identify performance risks, understand knock-on effects of delays and support decision-making during dis...
Answered 25 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordGrowth and Skills LevyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8694More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of employers paying the Growth and Skills Levy recovered less than (a) 25%, (b) 50%, (c) 75% and (d) 100% of levy contributions through funded training in the latest year for which figur
Answer: The UK wide apprenticeship levy, which is paid at a rate of 0.5% by employers with an annual pay bill of over £3 million, is not legally hypothecated and, as such, revenues from the levy are paid into the Consolidated Fund and not directly allocated to ap...
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: DogsHome OfficeTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8693More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of the use of beagles bred at MBR Acres in UK laboratories for international research projects; how many such animals have been used in s
Answer: The Home Office does not hold information centrally on the number of animals supplied by particular establishments that are used in specific studies, including those supporting international research projects or regulatory submissions to overseas regulato...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: DogsHome OfficeTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8692More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of the use of beagles supplied by MBR Acres in the United Kingdom in GLP studies conducted at UK facilities that support regulatory submi
Answer: The Home Office does not hold information centrally on the number of animals supplied by particular establishments that are used in specific studies, including those supporting international research projects or regulatory submissions to overseas regulato...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: NationalisationDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8691More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the annual net cost to the public purse of operating passenger rail services under public ownership inclusive of inherited operational liabilities and the annual allocat
Answer: For 2026-27, for the 8 Train Operating Companies that were publicly owned at 31/3/26, the contracted annual net subsidy was for £1.5bn. This includes their collective contribution to the British Transport Police for 2026-27 of £71m. Since the start of the...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailway Stations: Greater ManchesterDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8189More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish any representations made to her Department by the Mayor of Greater Manchester to (a) upgrade and (b) improve (i) Orrell, (ii) Gardwood, (iii) Bryn, (iv) Pemberton, (v) Ince, (vi) Daisy Hill,
Answer: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Mayor of Greater Manchester about a range of issues, including plans to upgrade and improve rail stations across Greater Manchester, which includes proposals for a new station at Golborne.Since 2017,...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLight DuesDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8187More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2026 to Question 4261, what changes have been made to the level of light dues since 4 July 2024; and what (a) proposals and (b) projections her Department has made for future ch
Answer: There was no change to the level of light dues in 2024 or 2025. The Merchant Shipping (Light Dues) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, which came into force on 1 April 2026, increased the light dues rate from 45 pence to 46 pence per net registered tonne, and i...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordVehicle Number PlatesDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8103More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which vanity number plates are granted to each foreign government by her Department.
Answer: Vehicles registered in the UK to foreign governments are generally issued with a specific format of registration number: three numbers, a single letter, followed by a further three numbers. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency may issue a personalised ...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: FaresDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8102More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of rail journeys saw a fare increase in 2026 versus the same journey in 2025.
Answer: The Department does not centrally hold information on how many, or what proportion of, rail journeys saw a fare increase in 2026 versus the same journey in 2025. While detailed fares data exist within industry systems, the Department does not routinely co...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHM Coastguard: Voluntary WorkDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8101More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what alternative options the Maritime and Coastguard Agency considered following the Court of Appeal judgment in Maritime and Coastguard Agency v Groom [2026] EWCA Civ 6 before deciding to introduce a revised v
Answer: Changing the Coastguard Rescue Service operating model was not something which we wanted to do but is a mandated consequence of the Court of Appeal ruling. His Majesty’s Coastguard has 3000+ Coastguard Rescue Officers, all with unique personal circumstanc...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordOrrell Station: AccessDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8100More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to upgrade Orrell railway station to provide step-free access; and if she will consider allocating funding for that station under the next round of the Access for All programme.
Answer: In 2022 the previous Government received 310 nominations for step-free station upgrades as part of the Access for All programme. Future funding will be considered as part of the next Spending Review, which may provide an opportunity for stations such as O...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament record
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