Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the publication of the National Audit Office's report on electronic monitoring on 10 July, what steps they are taking to reduce the forecast shortfall of 1,500 full-time equivalent probation staff by September 2026; and what assessment they have made of the risk this shortfall poses to the safe delivery of the earned progression model from September 2026.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This financial year, we have committed ourselves to recruiting 1,300 additional probation officers, to add to over 2,300 we recruited in the last two years, to help monitor offenders and keep the public safe.
Under the progression model, prison leavers will face the toughest supervision ever available, with record levels of tagging, world-first restriction zones to confine offenders to specific areas, and bans on attending public events, public houses and clubs.
Progression model releases are happening in a controlled and orderly way to ensure public protection.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to preserve the duration and substantive operating rights of existing open-access agreements during the transition to Great British Railways; and in what circumstances they envisage departing from that approach.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government intends to preserve both the duration and the substantive Schedule 5 access rights contained in existing contracts through the transition to Great British Railways (GBR). The power at Clause 71 is not intended to revisit, reduce or extinguish those rights; rather, it is intended to ensure they continue to have practical effect within the new regime. That commitment was introduced in the Government's consultation on the Railways Bill, confirmed in the formal response, and reiterated throughout passage in both Houses. We do not envisage departing from that approach, recognising its importance for operators and for maintaining investor confidence in rolling stock and wider rail supply chains. Accordingly, no adverse impact on rolling stock investment or wider investor confidence is anticipated.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of uncertainty over future track access rights on rolling stock investment by open-access operators, including orders supporting employment at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe manufacturing facility and its supply chain.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government intends to preserve both the duration and the substantive Schedule 5 access rights contained in existing contracts through the transition to Great British Railways (GBR). The power at Clause 71 is not intended to revisit, reduce or extinguish those rights; rather, it is intended to ensure they continue to have practical effect within the new regime. That commitment was introduced in the Government's consultation on the Railways Bill, confirmed in the formal response, and reiterated throughout passage in both Houses. We do not envisage departing from that approach, recognising its importance for operators and for maintaining investor confidence in rolling stock and wider rail supply chains. Accordingly, no adverse impact on rolling stock investment or wider investor confidence is anticipated.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for investor confidence in the United Kingdom of the powers under clause 71 of the Railways Bill to amend or terminate existing access agreements.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government intends to preserve both the duration and the substantive Schedule 5 access rights contained in existing contracts through the transition to Great British Railways (GBR). The power at Clause 71 is not intended to revisit, reduce or extinguish those rights; rather, it is intended to ensure they continue to have practical effect within the new regime. That commitment was introduced in the Government's consultation on the Railways Bill, confirmed in the formal response, and reiterated throughout passage in both Houses. We do not envisage departing from that approach, recognising its importance for operators and for maintaining investor confidence in rolling stock and wider rail supply chains. Accordingly, no adverse impact on rolling stock investment or wider investor confidence is anticipated.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assurances they intend to provide to open-access operators that existing access rights will remain sufficiently secure to support long-term investment in the purchase or leasing of trains.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We understand how important it is for Open Access operators to have the certainty to enable longer-term investment in rolling stock and their wider businesses. That is why Government has already committed, both in Parliament and in public consultation, to honouring all Schedule 5 access rights as set out in existing access contracts. We remain committed to this and continue to see an important role for Open Access in the future of the railway.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the total combined cost of flexitime, compressed hours, overtime, Time Off in Lieu and paid volunteering leave across the civil service; and whether they have compared the prevalence of these schemes with equivalent arrangements in the private sector.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Decisions on pay and terms and conditions of employment are made by individual departments, depending on their specific business requirements. As such, the Cabinet Office does not collect this information centrally.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many days of paid volunteering leave were taken by civil servants in each of the last three years, broken down by department; and what the total cost of this type of leave has been in each of those years.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office does not collect or hold information across departments centrally.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average number of Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) days accrued and taken per civil servant in each of the last three years; and whether they monitor the operational cost of unworked TOIL hours across departments.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office does not collect or hold information across departments centrally.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants, broken down by department, are currently working under (1) flexitime, and (2) compressed hours arrangements; and what estimate they have made of the cost of administering these schemes.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This information is not held centrally.
Decisions on terms and conditions of employment, including flexible working, are made by the employing department, depending on their specific business requirements and the nature of the role.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) desks, and (2) civil servants, are assigned to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs office in 2 Marsham Street.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As of June 2026, Defra’s office at 2 Marsham Street provided 1,145 workstations and was the base location for 2,447 civil servants.