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Written Question
Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions
Thursday 18th December 2025

Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the identified in the Government’s October 2023 cost-benefit analysis of the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate represents costs to the public purse; and if she will publish a breakdown of those Government costs.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate is the largest single carbon saving measure across Government and fundamental to the UK’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050. The cost-benefit analysis for the ZEV Mandate and CO2 regulations estimated the net value to society of the regulations. This was estimated at a benefit of £39 billion (2022 prices) over the full appraisal period, between 2021 and 2071.

There are three main sources of Government costs:

  1. Taxation impacts, which are a transfer from vehicle owners to government, were also assessed (Vehicle Excise Duty, fuel duty and VAT), but these reflected policy at the time. At the time, fuel duty and VAT losses from reduced fuel consumption were estimated at £20 billion (2022 prices) over the period from 2024–2035. This does not reflect subsequent taxation decisions since publication.
  2. The administrative costs of the regulation were estimated at £24 million (2022 prices). Wider indirect effects on public expenditure such as any costs from changes in traffic volumes and the weight of vehicles, and savings to the NHS from improved air quality were not quantified.
  3. Some of the costs attributed to business (notably vehicle/infrastructure, and electricity network reinforcement capital costs) could fall to government, particularly where purchases or installations are subsidised, and through public-sector procurement (e.g., the Government fleet). The proportion of costs falling to government were not separately quantified and, for Government vehicles, should be considered alongside the operating cost savings from switching to electric vehicles. The proportion of expenditure that purchase grants cover implies that the vast majority of these costs will be borne by the private sector.

Written Question
A120: Repairs and Maintenance
Thursday 18th December 2025

Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has asked National Highways to update its business case for the A120 dualling scheme.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

During the second Road Period (2020-2025) National Highways has been considering improvements to the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey as a possible future major enhancement to the network as part of the Road Investment Strategy pipeline.

The last formal iteration of the business case for these proposals was developed in 2022/23. Affordability and deliverability assessments have been further tested since then to inform decision making and investment planning for RIS3 and beyond. The third Road Investment Strategy is due to be published in March 2026 and will include an updated pipeline of future enhancement schemes.

Written Question
Passenger Ships: Territorial Waters
Thursday 18th December 2025

Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the regulatory framework governing the operation of foreign-flagged passenger vessels within UK territorial waters.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

No recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of limiting access for foreign-flagged passenger vessels to UK territorial waters. Vessels in UK territorial waters are subject to a number of controls, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and inspection at UK ports to ensure compliance with their obligations under international maritime regulations. The UK relies on both foreign-flagged and UK-registered vessels for key imports and passenger services.

Written Question
Passenger Ships: Territorial Waters
Thursday 18th December 2025

Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of limiting access for foreign-flagged passenger vessels to designated areas of UK territorial waters.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

No recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of limiting access for foreign-flagged passenger vessels to UK territorial waters. Vessels in UK territorial waters are subject to a number of controls, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and inspection at UK ports to ensure compliance with their obligations under international maritime regulations. The UK relies on both foreign-flagged and UK-registered vessels for key imports and passenger services.

Written Question
Euston Station: Standards
Thursday 18th December 2025

Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve platform advance notice, customer experience and waiting hall overcrowding at London Euston station.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Euston station was designed for a different era and we acknowledge that it needs major investment and modernisation. For the majority of the time the station works, however during times of major disruption, there simply isn’t enough room for passengers and we know this can make for an uncomfortable and unpleasant environment.

Network Rail is developing plans for a major upgrade to London Euston station. Making the best use of tax-payer money, we will deliver a brand-new station concourse that’s fit for the future, and offers much better facilities to passengers. Network Rail continue to work with partners to ensure the upgraded station integrates with the new HS2 station, provides enhancements to wider local transport facilities and offers new homes, community, office and retail spaces.

Ahead of this, the Journey to a Better Euston programme is helping to improve passenger experience, reduce congestion, and enhance the provision of travel information in the short term. Building on improvements delivered over the last 12 months, which included displaying train and customer information on the station's large screen and upgrading the toilets, further plans include:

  • Establishing a Customer Information Hub to provide clearer and more timely updates to passengers.
  • Upgrading the Assisted Travel Lounge and refurbishing mezzanine seating to improve comfort and accessibility.
  • Implementing an enhanced retail strategy and introducing a new multi-faith room to create a more inclusive environment.
  • Improving visibility and clarity of travel information screens, alongside concourse adjustments to maximise space for passengers.
  • Launching the Team Euston Service Academy to strengthen staff capability and collaboration across industry partners.

These measures are designed to improve advance notice of services, alleviate overcrowding, and deliver a better overall experience for all users of London Euston station.

Written Question
Railways: Standards
Thursday 18th December 2025

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in respect of train operating companies for which the Department is the operator, how many services were (a) cancelled and (b) delayed by (i) 30 minutes or more and (ii) 60 minutes or more in each month since July 2024 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publish statistics on punctuality and reliability of trains operating on the mainline network on a periodic basis on their data portal: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/.

Cancellations

Information on train cancellations in Great Britain by operator is available in Table 3128: Pre-cancellations and adjusted cancellations score by operator, Great Britain (periodic data): https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/p-coded-cancellations/

The table shows

  • Number of trains planned – confirmed between the operator and Network Rail at 22:00 on the previous evening.
  • Number of part-cancelled trains – trains that ran at least half, but not all, of its planned journeys length or if it completed its whole journey length but failed to stop at one or more of its planned stations.
  • Number of fully cancelled trains – trains that failed to run at least half of their planned journey length (including those that did not run at all).

Delays

Information on train punctuality in Great Britain by operator is available in Table 3138: Train punctuality at recorded station stops by operator (periodic): https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/table-3138-train-punctuality-at-recorded-station-stops-by-operator-periodic/

A recorded station stop refers to any location that has both a scheduled date and time in the Great Britain timetable and an actual recorded arrival date and time.

The table shows:

  • The proportion of trains arriving at recorded station stops within 59 seconds of their scheduled arrival time.
  • Trains arriving within 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 minutes of schedule.
  • The proportion of services arriving more than 15, 20, and 30 minutes late.

Written Question
Railways Bill: Public Consultation
Thursday 18th December 2025

Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the letter of 26 November 2025 from We Own It to the Transport Committee, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the reported 6120 missing responses from the Railways Bill consultation.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

An assessment can be found in the Secretary of State’s letter to the Transport Select Committee of 11 November 2025. Her letter is available here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50296/documents/271772/default/.

Written Question
Railways: West Midlands
Thursday 18th December 2025

Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rail freight capacity through the West Midlands corridor.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The West Midlands Combined Authority have commissioned economists to conduct an independent prioritisation exercise called the ‘Rosewell Review’ which will produce a portfolio-level prospectus setting out major investment opportunities that will support delivery of the West Midlands Growth Plan, Local Transport Plan and wider strategic priorities. The outputs of this are expected in January 2026.

Written Question
Bus Services: Fylde
Thursday 18th December 2025

Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of increasing the bus travel fare cap from £2 in July 2024 to £3 on the accessibility of services in Fylde constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is currently undertaking an evaluation of the £3 bus fare cap and its impacts. This will include analysis of bus usage. The evaluation will focus on understanding the national impacts of the scheme. The final monitoring and evaluation report into the impact of the £2 bus fare cap, including analysis on bus usage, was published on 12 February.

Trends in bus usage will continue to be monitored and reported through the Department’s national statistics which are published annually. The Department also publishes statistics on daily bus passenger journeys across local authorities in England outside London. This can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/developing-faster-indicators-of-transport-activity.

Written Question
Railways: Devon
Thursday 18th December 2025

Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to expand rail electrification to Devon.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport is developing a Rolling Stock and Infrastructure strategy which will inform future electrification decisions across the country. We are working closely with Network Rail colleagues to identify the right decarbonisation approach for each line and to determine where infrastructure will be needed to support this decarbonisation.