Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the acceleration capability of trains powered by (a) batteries, (b) overhead catenary systems and (c) contact rail systems for operating speeds of up to 125 miles per hour.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not made an assessment of the acceleration of different types of traction for operating at speeds up to 125mph. It is a matter for operators, when procuring rolling stock, to ensure that the characteristics of their fleet can meet their timetable requirements and best use of the infrastructure.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the whole-life costs of (a) full and (b) partial railway electrification taking into account (i) infrastructure and (ii) rolling stock including (A) fully electric (B) battery, (C) battery/electric, (D) bi-mode and (E) tri-mode trains.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The department is working closely with Network Rail to develop updated plans for where and when electrification is required to deliver a fully decarbonised railway, that considers both track and train, as well as the recent development of battery technology on the railway. As part of this process, the Department is assessing whole-life costs of both full and partial electrification with regard toall rolling stock traction types in order to decarbonise in the most cost-effective way.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) discontinuous electrification and (b) battery locomotives on (i) the decarbonisation of rail freight and (ii) increasing the use of rail freight.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The department will consider all options, including battery locomotives and discontinuous electrification, when deciding on the best solution for decarbonising freight. Currently, it is unclear what role batteries will play in freight in the short term due to range and weight considerations; however, the technology is constantly improving. The department will continue to monitor developments in battery technology, although it is expected that most decarbonisation in rail freight will come from full electrification and fuel changes. Discontinuous electrification could also play a role decarbonising freight on lines which have lower volumes of freight traffic. Additionally, electric traction has advantages of more pulling power and speed compared to diesel traction and therefore could aid rail freight growth as well as contributing to decarbonisation.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the reliability of battery (a) bi-mode, (b) tri-mode and (c) battery/electric hybrid trains and fully electric trains; and if she will publish the data underpinning this assessment.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not made an assessment of the merits of different types of traction as this is a matter for operators when procuring rolling stock to deliver passenger services. The Rail Delivery Group collects common reliability data from operators and a range of industry systems as part of their role in improving performance across the industry. This data is shared with operators and other industry partners to help with reliability improvements.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which railways are planned for (a) full and (b) partial electrification; whether these proposals are funded; what the target delivery dates are; and whether this information is published in tabular format.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The railway is already a green form of transport and the Department want to develop an integrated strategy that joins up infrastructure investment and rolling stock plans to decarbonise rail travel effectively and efficiently for as many people as possible, which is likely to include a combination of full and partial electrification, and use of new, more efficient, technologies such as battery trains. The Department is assessing all investment plans as part of the ongoing Spending Review and will continue to announce details of schemes as decisions are taken, as was done for the major investments in East West Rail and Transpennine Route Upgrade following the Budget.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on access to fertility treatment for same sex couples.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not had recent discussions with the Minister for Women and Equalities on access to fertility treatment for same sex couples.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with Network Rail on the December 2025 East Coast Main Line timetable.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has been in regular discussion with Network Rail since 2018 on the new East Coast Main Line (ECML) timetable including through industry planning forums. Last year, the Department commissioned an industry taskforce, including Network Rail, to oversee the readiness for this change and make a recommendation to implement. On their advice, I approved this timetable for implementation in December 2025 to enable the full benefits of a £4 billion investment in the route.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered the merits of introducing a statutory requirement for schools to screen children for dyslexia before the age of 7.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40829.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients continue to receive ADHD medication without cost when their shared care agreement has come to an unpredicted end.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to medication services for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Services are underpinned by relevant guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice.
It is for the responsible clinician to decide on the most appropriate treatment plan to manage ADHD, in discussion with their patient. This decision is based on the clinician’s expertise regarding treatment options, evidence, risk and benefits and the patient’s personal circumstances as part of a shared decision-making process. The NICE guideline on the diagnosis and management of ADHD provides recommendations that healthcare professionals should account for when considering treatment options.
Shared care within the National Health Service refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s general practitioner (GP).
The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. Shared care is not part of the GP contract and as such, participation is voluntary. GP practices may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds. A GP who has previously agreed to a shared care agreement but can no longer support it must provide a clear rationale for their decision. Both the GP and the specialist clinician share responsibility for ensuring continuity of care for the patient.
ADHD medication prescribed by an NHS doctor is subject to prescription charging, unless the patient meets the criteria for a prescription charge exemption. This is the case regardless of a shared care agreement being in place.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to respond to the Third Report of the Work and Pensions Committee of Session 2023-24 on Defined benefit pension schemes, HC 144, published on 26 March 2024.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is grateful to the previous Work and Pensions Select Committee for their valuable report on defined benefit (DB) pensions schemes and to the Chair for her sustained focus on this important area.
I will respond to the Committee in the coming weeks.