Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) contactless and (b) pay‑as‑you‑go ticketing on (i) fare concessions and (ii) passenger costs.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Following delivery of Pay As You Go (PAYG) ticketing with contactless to further stations in the South East, we will conduct a post-delivery evaluation. This will support our understanding of the impact of these changes on various aspects of the passengers’ experiences of and satisfaction with PAYG and fare reforms following implementation.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department will set out the budget to local authorities so they can distribute funding for local Healthwatch services in the 2026/27 financial year.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the Model Neighbourhood Framework to be published.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are developing a Neighbourhood Health Partnership Framework and Model Neighbourhood Guidance to provide greater clarity and consistency for systems in developing and scaling neighbourhood health. We expect this guidance to be available in the new year.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of Tap-In/Tap out on rail users at Surrey stations.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We want to expand ticketing innovations such as Pay As You Go (PAYG) to more passengers. The Department considered several factors to determine which stations would have PAYG with contactless rollout for this phase of delivery. These included travel patterns, passenger benefits, operator views and the necessary changes to fares to ensure as many passengers as possible benefit from an improved experience. On 14th December we launched PAYG with contactless at a further 30 stations in the Southeast, and we will continue to ensure operators monitor these changes post implementation.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of issuing guidance to local authorities to ensure mobile network operators are notified in advance of large-scale residential developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to supporting investment in high-quality, reliable digital connectivity so that communities can benefit from faster economic growth and greater social inclusion.
On 16 December, we launched a consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework including proposals relating to telecommunications. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of mandating the maximum allowed period of time between a Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment by a local authority.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local planning authorities should use a robust evidence base to establish the accommodation needs of travellers and plan to meet this need through their local plan. Local plans must be reviewed to assess whether they need updating at least once every five years, and should then be updated as necessary.
In the new plan-making system that will come into force early next year, local plans will be expected to be prepared and adopted within a 30-month timeframe and be more frequently prepared so that plans are kept up-to-date.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Planning Policy Framework to include guidance on the importance of telecommunications infrastructure in any new developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 99031 on 05 January 2026.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered making planning enforcement a statutory obligation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Questions UIN 91162 on 21 November 2025.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered increasing funding for planning enforcement.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Questions UIN 91162 on 21 November 2025.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to speed up the planning and appeals process in local authorities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Planning and Infrastructure Act will streamline planning processes, improve certainty for applicants, and unlock and accelerate more housing and infrastructure delivery.
Its provisions include powers that allow the Secretary of State to delegate planning fee-setting to local planning authorities, enabling them to recover costs and reinvest to provide a more efficient and responsive planning service, including in respect of making timelier decisions.
At the Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-2026.
At the Budget on 26 November 2025, the Chancellor announced a further £48 million of investment over three years to support local planning authorities to attract, retain and develop skilled planners over a sustained period.
Of this, £28.8 million has been allocated to MHCLG’s Planning Capacity and Capability Programme, equating to £9.6 million additional per year for the next three years. This allocation will supplement existing budgets.
In total, the Programme now aims to deliver around 1,325 planners by the end of this Parliament, significantly exceeding our original manifesto commitment to deliver 300 new planning officers. Wider cross-government recruitment and investment in planning capacity and capability will increase this figure further to approximately 1,400 planners.
The new funding will support both graduate and mid-career entry routes into planning, including by means of expanding the Pathways to Planning Graduate Scheme and establishing a Planning Careers Hub.
In respect of planning appeals, the Planning Inspectorate's Strategic Plan commits to removing all casework backlogs and meeting all Ministerial targets, including those relating to planning appeals, by 2027.