Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria her Department uses when deciding whether a major transport project should be added to the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), including which projects and programmes are included, is managed by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA). The criteria for GMPP projects are typically those where approval is required from HM Treasury (HMT), either because the budget exceeds the department’s delegated authority level and/or because the project is novel, complex, contentious, or requires primary legislation. The department engages with NISTA on a monthly basis to ensure that the correct projects and programmes are added to the GMPP.
NISTA is currently undergoing a review of the Government Major Projects Portfolio, which currently comprises over 200 projects, programmes and portfolios. It is expected that it will significantly reduce the number of major projects that the centre of government actively supports.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the cost to the public purse of delaying the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government fully supports the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s ambition to deliver Mass Transit in the region, boosting connectivity and unlocking growth and opportunity for the people of West Yorkshire. That is why we have allocated funding for the project as part of West Yorkshire’s £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding between 2027 and 2032. I am pleased to confirm that Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, will be working alongside the Mayor to support her in delivering the programme.
WYCA plan to submit their first business case for approval to the Government in 2026
As the body responsible for developing and delivering the project, it is for West Yorkshire Combined Authority to undertake any assessment of impacts on communities as the plans for mass transit develop.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the recent government review of the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme on planned delivery timescales for the Bradford–Leeds line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government fully supports the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s ambition to deliver Mass Transit in the region, boosting connectivity and unlocking growth and opportunity for the people of West Yorkshire. That is why we have allocated funding for the project as part of West Yorkshire’s £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding between 2027 and 2032. I am pleased to confirm that Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, will be working alongside the Mayor to support her in delivering the programme.
WYCA plan to submit their first business case for approval to the Government in 2026
As the body responsible for developing and delivering the project, it is for West Yorkshire Combined Authority to undertake any assessment of impacts on communities as the plans for mass transit develop.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has imposed new conditions on the release of funding for the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme following the government review.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government fully supports the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s ambition to deliver Mass Transit in the region, boosting connectivity and unlocking growth and opportunity for the people of West Yorkshire. That is why we have allocated funding for the project as part of West Yorkshire’s £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding between 2027 and 2032. I am pleased to confirm that Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, will be working alongside the Mayor to support her in delivering the programme.
WYCA plan to submit their first business case for approval to the Government in 2026
As the body responsible for developing and delivering the project, it is for West Yorkshire Combined Authority to undertake any assessment of impacts on communities as the plans for mass transit develop.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delaying the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme into the late 2030s on Bradford.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government fully supports the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s ambition to deliver Mass Transit in the region, boosting connectivity and unlocking growth and opportunity for the people of West Yorkshire. That is why we have allocated funding for the project as part of West Yorkshire’s £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding between 2027 and 2032. I am pleased to confirm that Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, will be working alongside the Mayor to support her in delivering the programme.
WYCA plan to submit their first business case for approval to the Government in 2026
As the body responsible for developing and delivering the project, it is for West Yorkshire Combined Authority to undertake any assessment of impacts on communities as the plans for mass transit develop.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme is delivered by the late 2030s.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government fully supports the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s ambition to deliver Mass Transit in the region, boosting connectivity and unlocking growth and opportunity for the people of West Yorkshire. That is why we have allocated funding for the project as part of West Yorkshire’s £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding between 2027 and 2032. I am pleased to confirm that Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, will be working alongside the Mayor to support her in delivering the programme.
WYCA plan to submit their first business case for approval to the Government in 2026
As the body responsible for developing and delivering the project, it is for West Yorkshire Combined Authority to undertake any assessment of impacts on communities as the plans for mass transit develop.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the impact of inflation on the projected costs of the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme following its delay.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government fully supports the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s ambition to deliver Mass Transit in the region, boosting connectivity and unlocking growth and opportunity for the people of West Yorkshire. That is why we have allocated funding for the project as part of West Yorkshire’s £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding between 2027 and 2032. I am pleased to confirm that Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, will be working alongside the Mayor to support her in delivering the programme.
WYCA plan to submit their first business case for approval to the Government in 2026
As the body responsible for developing and delivering the project, it is for West Yorkshire Combined Authority to undertake any assessment of impacts on communities as the plans for mass transit develop.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what lessons her Department has learned from the cancellation of previous mass transit proposals in West Yorkshire when overseeing the current scheme.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government fully supports the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s ambition to deliver Mass Transit in the region, boosting connectivity and unlocking growth and opportunity for the people of West Yorkshire. That is why we have allocated funding for the project as part of West Yorkshire’s £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding between 2027 and 2032. I am pleased to confirm that Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, will be working alongside the Mayor to support her in delivering the programme.
WYCA plan to submit their first business case for approval to the Government in 2026
As the body responsible for developing and delivering the project, it is for West Yorkshire Combined Authority to undertake any assessment of impacts on communities as the plans for mass transit develop.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has conducted an equality impact assessment of the delay to the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government fully supports the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s ambition to deliver Mass Transit in the region, boosting connectivity and unlocking growth and opportunity for the people of West Yorkshire. That is why we have allocated funding for the project as part of West Yorkshire’s £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding between 2027 and 2032. I am pleased to confirm that Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, will be working alongside the Mayor to support her in delivering the programme.
WYCA plan to submit their first business case for approval to the Government in 2026
As the body responsible for developing and delivering the project, it is for West Yorkshire Combined Authority to undertake any assessment of impacts on communities as the plans for mass transit develop.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what specific risks were identified by her Department that led to requiring West Yorkshire Combined Authority to separate route planning from the business case for the mass transit system.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government fully supports the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s ambition to deliver Mass Transit in the region, boosting connectivity and unlocking growth and opportunity for the people of West Yorkshire. That is why we have allocated funding for the project as part of West Yorkshire’s £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding between 2027 and 2032. I am pleased to confirm that Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, will be working alongside the Mayor to support her in delivering the programme.
WYCA plan to submit their first business case for approval to the Government in 2026
As the body responsible for developing and delivering the project, it is for West Yorkshire Combined Authority to undertake any assessment of impacts on communities as the plans for mass transit develop.