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 are being taken to ensure adequate staffing levels on GTR services during peak commuting hours.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department works closely with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to make sure it has the right number of staff to run a reliable service. With the support of the Department, GTR is increasing the number of Thameslink and Great Northern train drivers by 75 this year, and by 40 for Southern & Gatwick Express. This programme has supported a 70 per cent reduction in the number of trains cancelled due to traincrew related reasons across the Thameslink & Great Northern network over the first eight months of this year compared to 2025, and 75 per cent for the peak time Thameslink service between East Grinstead and London.
The level of traincrew related cancellations across Southern services remains consistently low. For example, in the latest reporting period (ending on 22 August), only five of the 2,919 services on the East Grinstead and Uckfield lines were cancelled for traincrew-related reasons, representing fewer than 0.2 per cent of services.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for upgrading rail infrastructure on the Uckfield line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A Strategic Outline Business Case was completed by Network Rail in 2021 which considered the positive impact electrifying the Uckfield line would have on train performance and reliability. The scheme was paused by the previous Government in 2022; no further assessments have taken place, and the scheme is not currently funded.
We will continue to work with industry partners to identify affordable and deliverable opportunities to improve rail services across the South East.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential environmental impact of operating the Class 171 diesel fleet on the Uckfield Line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not made a specific assessment of the environmental impact of operating the Class 171 diesel fleet on the Uckfield Line. As the line is not electrified, it is for the operator to deploy appropriate rolling stock to deliver services while seeking to reduce environmental impacts wherever possible.
We are developing a long-term rolling stock and infrastructure strategy, for the first time in over 30 years, which we expect to publish this Autumn. As part of this strategy, we will set out our approach to rail decarbonisation.
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 will make an assessment of the potential impact of electrifying the Uckfield Line on the reliability and frequency of passenger services.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A Strategic Outline Business Case was completed by Network Rail in 2021 which considered the positive impact electrifying the Uckfield line would have on train performance and reliability. The scheme was paused by the previous Government in 2022; no further assessments have taken place, and the scheme is not currently funded.
We will continue to work with industry partners to identify affordable and deliverable opportunities to improve rail services across the South East.
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 made an assessment of the potential impact of electrifying the Uckfield rail line on train reliability.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A Strategic Outline Business Case was completed by Network Rail in 2021 which considered the positive impact electrifying the Uckfield line would have on train performance and reliability. The scheme was paused by the previous Government in 2022; no further assessments have taken place, and the scheme is not currently funded.
We will continue to work with industry partners to identify affordable and deliverable opportunities to improve rail services across the South East.
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 plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of electrifying the Uckfield rail line on train reliability.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A Strategic Outline Business Case was completed by Network Rail in 2021 which considered the positive impact electrifying the Uckfield line would have on train performance and reliability. The scheme was paused by the previous Government in 2022; no further assessments have taken place, and the scheme is not currently funded.
We will continue to work with industry partners to identify affordable and deliverable opportunities to improve rail services across the South East.
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 will make an assessment of the potential impact of electrifying the Uckfield Line on the level of economic growth in Sussex.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A Strategic Outline Business Case was completed by Network Rail in 2021 which considered the positive impact electrifying the Uckfield line would have on train performance and reliability. The scheme was paused by the previous Government in 2022; no further assessments have taken place, and the scheme is not currently funded.
We will continue to work with industry partners to identify affordable and deliverable opportunities to improve rail services across the South East.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to cease using the Copthorne Hotel in East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency to accommodate asylum seekers by the end of 2026.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
Exiting all asylum hotels as soon as possible is one of the Government’s top priorities and must be executed through a controlled, managed and orderly plan of work. This plan involves reducing inflow, speeding up caseworking, maximising utilisation of our estate, continuing to increase returns and exploring the use of large sites as suitable alternative accommodation.
Hotel closures will be prioritised based on a wide range of criteria which include but are not limited to cohort-based planning, operational desirability, costs, utilisation, geographical factors and mitigating provider-related risks. The hotel exit programme will be carefully managed to ensure that all supported asylum seekers are provided with suitable alternative accommodation, including large sites, elsewhere in the estate.
For safety, security, and operational reasons, the department does not comment on individual hotels or the timing of closures. Instead, scheduled closures are carefully managed and communicated directly to local authority Chief Executives and MPs when decisions are made.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Copthorne Hotel in East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency will be included in the next round of asylum hotel closures.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
Exiting all asylum hotels as soon as possible is one of the Government’s top priorities and must be executed through a controlled, managed and orderly plan of work. This plan involves reducing inflow, speeding up caseworking, maximising utilisation of our estate, continuing to increase returns and exploring the use of large sites as suitable alternative accommodation.
Hotel closures will be prioritised based on a wide range of criteria which include but are not limited to cohort-based planning, operational desirability, costs, utilisation, geographical factors and mitigating provider-related risks. The hotel exit programme will be carefully managed to ensure that all supported asylum seekers are provided with suitable alternative accommodation, including large sites, elsewhere in the estate.
For safety, security, and operational reasons, the department does not comment on individual hotels or the timing of closures. Instead, scheduled closures are carefully managed and communicated directly to local authority Chief Executives and MPs when decisions are made.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her Department uses to determine which hotels accommodating asylum seekers will be closed and (ii) the order in which those hotels will be closed.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
Exiting all asylum hotels as soon as possible is one of the Government’s top priorities and must be executed through a controlled, managed and orderly plan of work. This plan involves reducing inflow, speeding up caseworking, maximising utilisation of our estate, continuing to increase returns and exploring the use of large sites as suitable alternative accommodation.
Hotel closures will be prioritised based on a wide range of criteria which include but are not limited to cohort-based planning, operational desirability, costs, utilisation, geographical factors and mitigating provider-related risks. The hotel exit programme will be carefully managed to ensure that all supported asylum seekers are provided with suitable alternative accommodation, including large sites, elsewhere in the estate.
For safety, security, and operational reasons, the department does not comment on individual hotels or the timing of closures. Instead, scheduled closures are carefully managed and communicated directly to local authority Chief Executives and MPs when decisions are made.