Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released in error from HMP Bure since July 2024.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address this issue.
Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK, and provide data up to March 2025.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the cost implications of transferring research and advisory functions from Network Rail to Great British Railways.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail and its functions will become a foundational part of Great British Railways (GBR) as it is stood up. It is therefore unlikely that there will be significant costs in transferring functions currently within Network Rail into GBR. However, detailed design and implementation work is currently underway and no assessment has yet been made of the specific cost implications of transferring research and advisory functions from Network Rail to GBR.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms will her Department establish to resolve disputes between Great British Railways and devolved administrations over service provision.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Railways Bill has been introduced to end the outdated model of franchising and structural fragmentation that inhibits how the railway is run. The vision for the future relationship between GBR and devolved operators is one of collaboration between public sector providers, delivering for passengers, freight and taxpayers.
The Bill requires the preparation and publication of two separate Memoranda of Understanding between the Secretary of State for Transport and Welsh Ministers and Scottish Ministers respectively. These will set out how UK and Devolved Ministers will cooperate with each other and how they expect GBR and devolved operators to work together.
The Bill requires GBR to consult Scottish and Welsh Ministers on its Access and Use Policy, which will set out the processes that GBR will follow when making decisions on access to its network and the criteria it intends to use to make those decisions. GBR will also be required to consult Scottish and Welsh Ministers on significant changes to GBR services to or from Scotland or Wales, respectively.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms will her Department put in place to ensure operational decisions taken by Great British Railways are accountable to passengers.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
GBR will be held to account for railway performance and customer experience.
There will be a powerful voice for passengers, the Passenger Watchdog, which will independently monitor passenger experience, advocate for passengers and monitor GBR and other operators. Minimum consumer standards will be set and monitored by the Passenger Watchdog and independently enforced by ORR. ORR will also have powers to independently monitor GBR's business performance and advise the Transport Secretary.
When developing its Integrated Business Plan, GBR will be required to consult with the Passenger Watchdog and will have a continuing general duty to consider the interests of passengers and the needs of passengers with disabilities.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms her Department will establish to safeguard commercially sensitive route proposals made by open access rail operators.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Railways Bill will reform the existing rules for access and use of the railway by enabling GBR to take decisions on best use of the network. GBR will make these decisions against duties clearly defined in the bill, public law principles including to act fair and transparently, its own policies (which legislation requires GBR must consult on and publish), and wider legal obligations, including competition law.
GBR's processes and behaviours will need to ensure that any third party commercial sensitive information provided to GBR as part of this assessment is appropriately handled, in manner that enables all parties to comply with their legal obligations.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of potential conflicts of interest arising from Great British Railways acting as both infrastructure manager and passenger service operator.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government is bringing track and train together in Great British Railways, which will be a directing mind able to take long-term strategic decisions to make the best use of the network and which will deliver benefits for passengers, freight users and taxpayers. Beyond the specific requirements of the Railways Bill, GBR will be subject to legal obligations such as public law requirements to act transparently and fairly, and competition and subsidy control legislation, all of which helps ensure that GBR will act fairly, transparently and in the public interest.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to set statutory response times for complaints made under the Great British Railways passenger complaints system.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We expect that the establishment of GBR will mean that there will be a single complaint process for passengers for the majority of rail services.
GBR will have to follow the minimum standards set by the passenger watchdog on complaint handling when setting up its complaint handling system. ORR currently sets this standard and guides licenced operators to provide a full response to at least 95% of all complaints within 20 working days. It will be up to the watchdog to determine if this guidance is updated once it takes over this function from ORR.
The passenger watchdog will also ensure all passengers have access to a fair and independent alternative dispute resolution service (the Rail Ombudsman) to resolve disputes with operators where passengers have been let down.
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 14 October 2025 to Question 77641 on Railways: Facilities Agreements, if she will publish (a) the terms of reference, (b) the memorandum of understanding and (c) associated documents which set out the role of DfT Operator Limited in operation of the railways, (i) prior to and (ii) subsequent to renationalisation.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Framework Document is being reviewed and updated following the change of role from the DfT Operator of Last Resort to the Operator of First Choice. The Framework Document will be published on the Government website in due course.
As the rail public sector owning group, the DFTO is a co-signatory to Services Agreements alongside the Department and public sector operators. Services Agreements set out the Secretary of State’s requirements and will also be made available on the Government’s website in due course.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Wealden District Council have raised legal objections to the use of Crowborough Training Camp to house asylum seekers.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We do not comment on legal matters, however all sites progressed for asylum accommodation will comply with safety, security, health and wellbeing standards. This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities across the country.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Great British Railways will be required to ensure interoperability between its ticketing systems and those operated by (a) devolved and (b) regional authorities.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Once GBR is established, it will deliver a high-quality website and app to customers, gradually replacing the 14 different DfT train operator websites that currently retail tickets. GBR will compete on a fair and open basis with independent retailers — as well as with open access operators and devolved operators, who will also be able to retail to passengers, just as they do today. The government looks forward to working with all stakeholders on the delivery of its reforms.