Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department was informed of the Department for Transport’s decision to cancel the A12 widening scheme between junctions 19 and 25 before 8 July 2025.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government received confirmation that the A12 widening scheme had been cancelled on 7 July 2025. Together with National Highways and local partners, we are working through the impacts of this decision. We will be able to provide further details as this work progresses.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 70427 on East Anglia Rail Franchise: Nationalisation, whether she plans to (a) sign and (b) publish the Services Agreement before 12 October 2025; what the differences are between that Services Agreement and the existing franchise agreement; and which stakeholders have been consulted.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Services Agreement with the new public sector operator will come into force as Greater Anglia’s National Rail Contract expires and services transfer into public ownership on 12 October 2025. It will be made available on the Department for Transport website in due course.
Services Agreements have been designed to reflect the long-term public ownership of passenger services. A range of stakeholders were consulted and engaged in the design of the Services Agreement template, including train operating companies, DFT Operator Limited, Network Rail and passenger representatives. Services Agreements are customer-focused, performance-focused and will support the financial sustainability of the railways for taxpayers. The Agreements focus on the whole-industry outcomes we want operators to deliver and enable more decisions to be taken by those closest to passengers.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on which dates services agreements were (a) signed and (b) published covering rail services on (i) C2C and (ii) South Western Railway when those franchises were brought under public ownership.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Services Agreements with South Western Railway Limited and c2c Railway Limited were signed on 23 May 2025 and 16 July 2025 and came into force on 25 May 2025 and 20 July 2025 respectively. The Agreements will be made available on the Department for Transport website in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of income from East Anglia rail services in each of the next five financial years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I expect Greater Anglia to continue to grow passenger numbers and income. I expect Greater Anglia will remain a net contributor, with the exact net contribution amounts and income levels to be agreed during the rolling business planning process.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to decommission the A12 widening scheme; and what estimate she has made of the (a) timescale and (b) cost of that process.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is working with National Highways to bring the scheme to a close in an orderly way to end a long period of uncertainty for those affected. We are anticipating that the scheme will be substantially closed down by the end of 2026, with some activities closing down sooner.
National Highways will publish details on costs incurred in its Annual Report and Accounts in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to announce regulated rail fare changes for 2026.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No decisions have been taken on the regulated fares change for 2026, but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers. There will be an update on changes to regulated rail fares in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what date he agreed to remove the provision to provide the UK with a unilateral right to extend the 99-year lease for the use of Diego Garcia from the draft UK-Mauritius Treaty.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As we have consistently said, we are not going to provide a commentary on the negotiations, nor our implementation talks. The final, agreed Treaty has been laid in Parliament.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer given 3 September 2025 to Questions 69773 on Chagos Islands: Marine Protected Areas, on what dates implementation talks have taken place since 22 May 2025; and which (a) ministers and (b) officials were present at those meetings.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As we have consistently said, we are not going to provide a commentary on the negotiations, nor our implementation talks. The final, agreed Treaty has been laid in Parliament.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 49 of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee report on the UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, published on 25 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Chagossian Trust Fund.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer to question 75385. The response to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee report will be published shortly.
Ahead of ratification, the Government will make a ministerial Statement in both Houses providing a factual update on eligibility for resettlement and the modalities of the trust fund. This will enable further discussion in a proper manner.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he will respond to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee's report entitled UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, HL 146, published on 25 June 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer to question 75385. The response to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee report will be published shortly.
Ahead of ratification, the Government will make a ministerial Statement in both Houses providing a factual update on eligibility for resettlement and the modalities of the trust fund. This will enable further discussion in a proper manner.