Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of South Western Railways since it entered public ownership on 25 May 2025.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is closely monitoring South Western Railway’s (SWR’s) performance following its transfer into public ownership on 25 May 2025 through a range of measures, including punctuality, cancellations, and passenger experience.
When SWR entered public ownership, eighty-four out of ninety of the new Arterio trains had not entered service. The new Arterio fleet is being rolled out and will support more reliable services over time, providing modern, higher capacity trains with improved performance and reduced maintenance requirements.
SWR also inherited a shortage of train drivers when it moved into public ownership, which contributed to high levels of driver-related cancellations.
South Western Railway is subject to bespoke and rigorous performance standards, and the Department continues to work with the operator to improve reliability, capacity, and service quality for passengers.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of individuals holding Russian passports currently working in the UK in the financial services sector.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on sponsored work visas issued, broken down by occupation, industry, and nationality, in table Occ_D02 of the Sponsored work visas by occupation and industry dataset of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release.
The published statistics refer to the number of visas granted, not the number of people in the country at a given point in time. They do not include the work status of all Russian passport holders – for example, dual nationals using their non-Russian passport, Russian nationals with indefinite leave, those on unsponsored visa routes, or dependents of other visa holders.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of South Western Railways' passenger carriages to meet the publicised numbers for services on the mainline between Salisbury and Exeter.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department monitors South Western Railway’s (SWR) performance and fleet availability through its regular contractual and operational oversight arrangements, including services on the Salisbury to Exeter route. SWR plans its West of England services on the basis that some Class 158 and 159 trains will be unavailable for maintenance, overhaul or faults, with availability also affected by unplanned repairs and the availability of replacement parts. SWR seeks to mitigate any resulting impact on passengers through train formation changes where possible and continues to work with suppliers and maintenance teams to improve fleet availability and reliability.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people awarded compensation under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme who died before receiving any money.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The delivery of compensation is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). IBCA has now opened its compensation service to all cohorts, including living infected people who have never been compensated, estates of deceased infected people, and affected people. While the Government and IBCA are aware that some people have sadly died before receiving their compensation under the scheme, IBCA are, in line with recommendations made by the Infected Blood Inquiry and feedback from community group sessions, prioritising claims starting with those who are sadly nearing end of life, those with advanced liver disease, and those who are over 75.
With each new cohort, IBCA are starting small, allowing them to learn what additions to the claim service are needed. This will allow them to open their service to more people as the service is built around specific needs. Whilst the roll out of the Scheme is an operational decision for IBCA as an independent body, the Government fully supports their commitment to moving forward as swiftly as possible.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are waiting to receive all or part of the compensation awarded under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The delivery of compensation is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). The Infected Blood Compensation Authority Framework Document, published in March 2025, sets out the timelines agreed between IBCA and Cabinet Office; namely for the bulk of infected people to be paid no later than the end of next year and the bulk of affected people to be paid no later than the end of 2029.
In evidence to the Public Accounts Committee, the Chief Executive Officer of IBCA set out a commitment to ensure that all registered claims of the infected cohorts are brought into the system and the vast majority are paid by the end of the 2026-27 financial year. IBCA's recently published business plan confirms this commitment for all infected claims registered as of 7 July 2026.
As of 30 June, 19,565 people have registered their intent with IBCA to make a compensation claim. A total of 3,335 people have had their compensation paid. It is important to note that not everyone who has registered their intent with IBCA will be eligible for compensation.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to electrify the mainline railway between Salisbury and Exeter; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government has not yet taken a decision on electrifying the railway between Salisbury and Exeter, and no timescale has been set for this.
We are developing a long-term rolling stock and infrastructure strategy, for the first time in over 30 years, which we expect to publish later this summer. As part of this strategy, we will set out our approach to rail decarbonisation. This will consider where electrification is the most appropriate solution, alongside alternatives such as battery and other emerging technologies, to reduce reliance on diesel across the network.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to upgrade the air conditioning on the diesel Class 158 trains between Waterloo and Exeter; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Class 158 and 159 fleet heavy maintenance overhaul and internal refurbishment programme started in December 2025. The refreshed units will start being rolled out progressively later this year.
The Class 158 and 159 fleet refurbishment programme includes air conditioning and heating fan overhauls, door overhauls, toilet overhauls, refreshed interior paintwork and updated seat finishes throughout.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of traffic on the mainline railway between Salisbury and Exeter is (1) passenger trains, and (2) freight trains.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There are no scheduled commercial freight services on the section of the West of England Main Line between Salisbury and Exeter. As such, the traffic on this route is almost entirely passenger services.
Non-passenger movements on the line are limited to occasional engineering, test and charter trains, as well as seasonal railhead treatment trains operated by Network Rail, and do not constitute regular freight services.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to replace the diesel Class 158 passenger trains used on the mainline railway from Waterloo to Exeter; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Class 158 and Class 159 diesel trains used on services between London Waterloo and Exeter are expected to be replaced as part of longer-term plans to modernise the rail fleet. South Western Railway, working with the Department for Transport, is developing proposals for their replacement; however, no specific timetable for replacement has yet been confirmed. In the meantime, these fleets are undergoing a phased refurbishment programme to improve reliability and passenger experience, including upgraded interiors, improved passenger information systems and the introduction of at-seat power. This ensures the trains remain fit for service while longer-term decisions are taken.
The Government is also developing a long-term rolling stock and infrastructure strategy, to be published later this year, which will set out Great British Railways’ future rolling stock requirements, including the approach to replacing older diesel trains.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the length of the mainline railway between Salisbury and Exeter is single track.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The West of England main line between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids is predominantly single track between Wilton (west of Salisbury) and Pinhoe (east of Exeter). There are short double track sections at either end of the route and in a 10-mile section between Templecombe and Yeovil Junction, as well as at a number of short passing places. Approximately 66 miles (106km) of the 88 miles (142km) between Salisbury and Exeter Central stations is single track.