Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Wales about (1) the adequacy of the two existing bridges over the Menai Strait to meet potential increased traffic arising from the construction of nuclear electricity generating facilities at Wylfa, and (2) whether the construction of those facilities will require a third bridge.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Responsibility for roads and highways matters in Wales is devolved and therefore this a matter for the Welsh Government to consider.
My department continues to engage positively with the Welsh Government on a range of cross-UK transport matters and remains willing to explore ways in which we can collaborate, support and share best practice.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what lessons learned from the financing of the Dartford River Crossing they have applied to their plans for the Lower Thames Crossing.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
A robust assessment of private investment options has been undertaken for the Lower Thames Crossing, with the short list outlined in the updated Funding Statement in February 2025. The RAB model has been chosen because it enables the private sector to deliver the scheme efficiently, reduces financial burden on taxpayers, harnesses the benefits of private investment, and ensures strong regulatory oversight to promote the interests of users. In developing the preferred financial model for the Lower Thames Crossing, the Government has drawn on lessons from the financing of previous road projects in the UK and abroad, including the Dartford River Crossing (Queen Elizabeth II Bridge). The RAB model shares a number of features with the Public–Private Partnership (PPP) structure used to fund that bridge infrastructure, but also includes a regulator to ensure that it is operated in a way that promotes user interests and is able to attract the level of investment required.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether National Highways have made an assessment of the infilling work at Ridge Road Bridge near Shepton Mallet (reference ESB/10m4ch).
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
National Highways (NH) last intrusive investigation of the infilling work undertaken at the Ridge Road Bridge was the trial hole work adjacent to the South span in May 2023 and the coring of the North and Centre spans in December 2023.
Since this work NH have been engaging with an Active Travel Group about investigating the re-opening of the south span of the bridge.
NH is currently still working through options, safety justifications, and ecological impact. Given the uncertainty over what the next phase of work is, it is not possible to place a timeline on it.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many National Highways bridge infill schemes have been carried out by the contractor Hammond (ECS) Ltd.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The contractor Hammond (ECS) Ltd has completed 12 bridge infill schemes on National Highways bridges.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps National Highways has taken to ensure that infilled bridges do not have voids beneath their spans.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
National Highways use assurance and inspection processes to confirm that voids are not present beneath bridge spans. The process is NH check 12 months after completion of the infilling. NH checks that a void has not formed between the infilling and the underside of the bridge by drilling small holes through the deck and inspecting with an endoscope. If there is a void, it is pressure grouted to fill it. The infilled bridge is then visually examined every 12 months, the frequency for all Historical Railways Estate structures examinations.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Royal Train will be treated as a Great British Railways service for the purposes of network access, charging and operational control once Great British Railways is established.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The 2024-2025 Sovereign Grant and Sovereign Grant Reserve Annual Reports and Accounts, published by the Royal Household, confirmed that the Royal Train will be decommissioned ahead of the current contract expiring in 2027, following a thorough review into its use and value for money. As such it will not become part of Great British Railways (GBR).
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an estimate of the proportion of automotive technicians qualified to work on electric vehicles.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to ensuring the UK has the right vehicle maintenance and repair skills to remain at the forefront of the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). According to the Institute of the Motor Industry there are 71,942 qualified EV technicians. This means 26% of all technicians in the country are qualified to work on EVs, which make up about 13% of all licensed vehicles in the UK.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to ensure that Metro Mayors retain roles in heavy rail governance under the provisions of the Railways Bill.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Great British Railways (GBR) will work in partnership with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, underpinned by statutory roles outlined in the Railways Bill. The Railways Bill enables cooperation between GBR and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, allowing for information sharing and the ability to enter into arrangements regarding railway functions.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2026 to Question 98657 on Railways: Nationalisation, if he will list the performance benchmarks that operators have (a) failed and (b) passed since April 2025 by (i) private and (ii) public operator.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Performance across the rail network is improving, with cancellations now at 3.6%, down from a peak of 4.1% last January. We set stretching but achievable contractual targets for operators to drive continuous improvement in performance. Since April 2025, all publicly owned operators have fallen below the expected level for at least one of the following measures in a four-weekly period: Time to 3 (T3) punctuality and All stations cancellations. Over the same period, all privately operated train companies have also fallen below the expected level for at least one of their contractual benchmarks, including TOC-on-self cancellations, Delay Minutes, Short Formations, Time to 3, Time to 15 and All cancellations.
Overall, operators currently in public ownership remain more reliable on average than those in private ownership.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the Railways Bill will ensure that access rights to the network are fair, transparent and enforceable, particularly where Great British Rail will both manage infrastructure and operate services.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The new access framework within the Railways Bill will ensure that GBR will determine the best use of the network capacity for all operators in accordance with its statutory duties. New legislation will include key safeguards for third party operators, ensuring that GBR’s decisions on network access are fair and transparent with a strong route of appeal to the ORR. GBR will be required to design and consult with industry on its access and use policy which will set out the processes and criteria on how it will take access and capacity allocation decisions, and on which the ORR will be a statutory consultee.