Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many MP surgeries have Ministers in her Department had with MPs (a) in period July 2024 to January 2025 and (b) since January 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State does not hold MP surgeries, she has 1-2-1 meetings as required. The figures for Ministers in the Department are below:
Minister | July 24 to Jan 25 | Jan 25 to July 26 |
Lord Hendy | 34 | 59 |
Lilian Greenwood | 34 | 90 |
Simon Lightwood | 18 | 84 |
Keir Mather | 0 | 20 |
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to support motorists in West Sussex.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are helping drivers in Sussex and across England to benefit from safer and smoother roads, while also saving them money.
Nationally, over £35 billion is being invested in local and strategic roads; the fuel duty freeze has been extended; and the fuel price finder launched. Alongside this, a £2 billion grant will support motorists who want to go electric and the Road Safety Strategy seeks to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035.
In Sussex, the Department is working with the relevant local authorities to progress three road schemes through the Major Road Network programme towards construction:
In addition, the A284 Lyminster Bypass in West Sussex opened in May 2025 thanks to funding through the Major Road Network programme.
The Government has also confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This multi-year settlement gives authorities – including authorities such as East Sussex and West Sussex – the certainty they need to plan ahead and shift away from short-term fixes to proactive, preventative maintenance. As part of this investment, East Sussex is eligible to receive a total of £105,736,000 for the next four years and West Sussex £137,527,000.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to support motorists in East Grinstead and Uckfield Constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are helping drivers in Sussex and across England to benefit from safer and smoother roads, while also saving them money.
Nationally, over £35 billion is being invested in local and strategic roads; the fuel duty freeze has been extended; and the fuel price finder launched. Alongside this, a £2 billion grant will support motorists who want to go electric and the Road Safety Strategy seeks to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035.
In Sussex, the Department is working with the relevant local authorities to progress three road schemes through the Major Road Network programme towards construction:
In addition, the A284 Lyminster Bypass in West Sussex opened in May 2025 thanks to funding through the Major Road Network programme.
The Government has also confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This multi-year settlement gives authorities – including authorities such as East Sussex and West Sussex – the certainty they need to plan ahead and shift away from short-term fixes to proactive, preventative maintenance. As part of this investment, East Sussex is eligible to receive a total of £105,736,000 for the next four years and West Sussex £137,527,000.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to support motorists in East Sussex.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are helping drivers in Sussex and across England to benefit from safer and smoother roads, while also saving them money.
Nationally, over £35 billion is being invested in local and strategic roads; the fuel duty freeze has been extended; and the fuel price finder launched. Alongside this, a £2 billion grant will support motorists who want to go electric and the Road Safety Strategy seeks to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035.
In Sussex, the Department is working with the relevant local authorities to progress three road schemes through the Major Road Network programme towards construction:
In addition, the A284 Lyminster Bypass in West Sussex opened in May 2025 thanks to funding through the Major Road Network programme.
The Government has also confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This multi-year settlement gives authorities – including authorities such as East Sussex and West Sussex – the certainty they need to plan ahead and shift away from short-term fixes to proactive, preventative maintenance. As part of this investment, East Sussex is eligible to receive a total of £105,736,000 for the next four years and West Sussex £137,527,000.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of staff affected by the ending of the reciprocal staff rail pass for Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus staff on 31 May 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information on the number of Brighton & Hove and Metrobus staff affected by the ending of reciprocal rail passes will be held by those companies.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has considered alternatives to the staff travel pass for Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus staff for use on the GTR network.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Travel arrangements with bus operators are typically not in scope for the Department’s rail Public Ownership Programme. Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected by the removal of this reciprocal travel benefit arrangement. Current reciprocal travel arrangements between Brighton & Hove and Metrobus and GTR are internal travel benefits provided by Go-Ahead Group. GTR’s successor public sector organisation, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited, will not be part of Go-Ahead Group.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what grounds was the decision taken to terminate staff rail pass, the reciprocal travel arrangement between Govia Thameslink Railway and the local bus operators Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus, when the rail service is nationalised.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Travel arrangements with bus operators are typically not in scope for the Department’s rail Public Ownership Programme. Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected by the removal of this reciprocal travel benefit arrangement. Current reciprocal travel arrangements between Brighton & Hove and Metrobus and GTR are internal travel benefits provided by Go-Ahead Group. GTR’s successor public sector organisation, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited, will not be part of Go-Ahead Group.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultation was undertaken with staff of both Govia Thameslink Railway, Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus ahead of the decision to end the reciprocal staff rail discount.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected. Staff at Brighton & Hove and Metrobus are not within scope of such consultations.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has assessed the potential impact on staff retention and recruitment for local bus operators of the ending of the reciprocal GTR staff rail pass.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It has been a difficult decision to end the discretionary bus travel benefits arrangements that have been in place for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff and one that has not been taken lightly. Travel arrangements with bus operators are not typically in scope for the Department’s rail Public Ownership Programme. Current reciprocal travel arrangements between Brighton & Hove and Metrobus and GTR are internal travel benefits provided by Go-Ahead Group. GTR’s successor public sector organisation, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited, will not be part of Go-Ahead Group.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of staff affected by the ending of the reciprocal staff rail pass for Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus staff on 31 May 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold details on the total number of Brighton & Hove and Metrobus staff affected by the ending of such discretionary arrangements. Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected.