Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the first East West Rail services are expected to operate from Bicester to Winslow.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first East-West Rail services between Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Winslow. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been modified and fully tested, and driver training will need to have been completed. Winslow Station also needs to be fully handed over, and future staffing arrangements also remain to be agreed. Appointment of Chiltern Railways as operator was delayed by the sudden General Election in July 2024, and consequently they were not appointed until March 2025.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the long-term climate resilience strategy being developed by Network Rail is expected to be published.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail have already undertaken significant adaptation planning and action. They have produced Weather and Resilience Climate Change Adaptation (WRCCA) plans for each of the five regions for CP7 (2024-29); they have reported on their activity under the Adaptation Reporting Powers, with the most recent response submitted in late 2024; and in 2025, they published their Greener Railway Strategy which included adaptation objectives.
Network Rail (NR) is planning to publish its long-term climate change adaptation pathways strategy in March / April 2029. This will take strategy commitments a step further and provide a route-by-route plan of how to respond to current and projected risks.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026 to question 120645, whether an estimate has been made of the overall expected resource requirements of the Competition and Markets Authority’s Sustainability Taskforce over the Spending Review period.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) has not made an estimate of the overall expected resource requirements of its Sustainability Taskforce over the Spending Review period.
In reference to the previous answer to question 120645, the CMA does not allocate specific multi-year funding to individual workstreams such as the Sustainability Taskforce, which remain subject to wider prioritisation decisions.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, how many applicants were appointed to driving examiner roles in each of the last three years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government Recruitment Service does not hold information on whether an applicant was successful as a result of a referral, as such the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has had no discussions regarding this.
The table below shows the number of applicants who successfully passed training, to become a driving examiner conducting tests, in each of the last three years:
Successfully passed training | |
2023 | 180 |
2024 | 121 |
2025 | 327 |
The above is the total number for the calendar year, and does not necessarily represent when applicants entered the recruitment process. For example, an applicant might have been recruited onto a training course in 2022 but did not pass the training course until 2023.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, whether she has had discussions with the Government Recruitment Service on enabling the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to access applicant referral source data.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government Recruitment Service does not hold information on whether an applicant was successful as a result of a referral, as such the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has had no discussions regarding this.
The table below shows the number of applicants who successfully passed training, to become a driving examiner conducting tests, in each of the last three years:
Successfully passed training | |
2023 | 180 |
2024 | 121 |
2025 | 327 |
The above is the total number for the calendar year, and does not necessarily represent when applicants entered the recruitment process. For example, an applicant might have been recruited onto a training course in 2022 but did not pass the training course until 2023.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role her Department has in overseeing the safety and adequacy of compulsory pilotage arrangements in UK waters; and whether her Department holds or reviews records relating to pilotage incidents involving vessels operating under compulsory pilotage.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The assessment and provision of pilotage services are matters for Competent Harbour Authorities (CHAs). Given the local knowledge and experience necessary, as well as wide variations between ports, they remain best placed to assess what arrangements are necessary.
The Department has responsibility for the effective and efficient functioning of the legislative framework and is content that current arrangements under the Pilotage Act 1987 remain fit for purpose. The Department does not hold any records relating to pilotage. However, these may be reviewed should there be an incident requiring investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and/or the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 120007, how much of the average annual real-terms reduction in HS2 capital spending between FY2025-26 and FY2029-30 is expected to be achieved through (a) efficiency savings, (b) reprofiling of expenditure, (c) changes to project scope and (d) changes to the delivery timetable.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The HS2 Spending Review settlement reflects the scope of work that the HS2 programme plans to deliver over the period 2026/27 to 2029/30. The average annual real-terms growth rate of -7.9% detailed in the Spending Review report reflects changes in annual spend over this period, based on the expenditure profiles HS2 Ltd agreed with the Department for Transport to deliver Phase 1 scope. It reflects the stages of the programme and supports the reset of the programme Mark Wild is conducting.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government Fleet Commitment is achieving its intended objectives across all categories of departmental vehicle use.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Through the Government Fleet Commitment (GFC), departments have been encouraged to develop and deliver their own fleet transition plans, recognising the range of use cases departmental fleets serve. An exemptions process is in place for categories of vehicle use which may not be suitable for transitioning to zero emission vehicles during the GFC target period, for example for practical or operational reasons. Further details are available at: Government fleet commitment - GOV.UK
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to review the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund annually to consider its budget in line with inflation.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund, a new capital fund announced on 22 January 2026, will have an annual budget of £23m starting in 2026/27. This is providing certainty for the remaining years of the Spending Review until 2029/30, providing £92m over the period.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support her Department will give to listed churches in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland once the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme has ended.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Heritage funding is a devolved matter. However, listed places of worship in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have benefitted from VAT rebate grants from the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which ran from 2001 to 2026.
At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. In last year’s Spending Review, Barnett consequentials were confirmed for Devolved Governments in the usual way, taking into account the overall DCMS allocation, which includes capital funding for the England only Places of Worship Renewal Fund. Decisions on how this funding is spent are for the Devolved Governments to take.
We are working closely with other funders in the sector to ensure that opportunities for funding places of worship throughout the UK are maximised. The NLHF already offers grants for places of worship across all the UK and is currently investing £100m over 3 years through National Lottery Heritage Grants and a strategic initiative designed to provide targeted support to build capacity.