Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the changes in costs for the A12 widening scheme following the decision taken by the Secretary of State to pause that scheme in July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The A12 scheme was deferred by the previous Government, adding to the overall cost of the scheme as set out in the table below.
Date | Estimated outturn cost | Source |
December 2014 | Expected cost category £100m–£250m | Published list of RIS1 schemes and cost bands https://www.ciht.org.uk/media/4382/roads-investment-strategy-summary-of-schemes.pdf |
March 2016 | Funding envelope of £750 million | Published Options Appraisal Report: A12 Chelmsford to A120 Options Assessment Report OAR.pdf |
September 2022 | £1,045-1,268 million | Published Funding Statement for Development Consent Order: Microsoft Word - TR010020_APP_1.1 - Introduction to the Application |
In July 2025, following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Government took the difficult decision not to proceed with the A12 scheme, to provide certainty for the public.
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, whether she has held direct discussions with representatives from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with her Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. She has not held direct discussions with Major General Alian or any of his staff.
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, what information her Department holds on the number of trucks of aid entering Gaza since the establishment of the Civil Military Coordination Center from (a) the UN and (b) other sources.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Ministry of Defence are in regular contact with UK staff in the US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre to ensure that UK expertise can support the US-led planning efforts for Gaza post-conflict stability. The specific data the Rt Hon Member has requested on aid trucks is not centrally held by the FCDO.
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, whether she has held direct discussions with (a) General Frank, (b) British representatives and (c) representatives from other countries at the Civil Military Coordination Center.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Ministry of Defence are in regular contact with UK staff in the US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre to ensure that UK expertise can support the US-led planning efforts for Gaza post-conflict stability. The specific data the Rt Hon Member has requested on aid trucks is not centrally held by the FCDO.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what evidential basis she has indicated that she is minded to cancel the Department's support for the development of the proposed Lodge Farm Primary School, Witham; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cancellation on (a) early years provision, (b) primary school places and (c) special educational provision places.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Mainstream projects were evaluated against consistent criteria on the need for places, value for money, and whether they would provide a distinctive or innovative education offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools.
We will invest at least £3 billion over the next four years to create around 50,000 places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across England. To support this investment, we are not proceeding with some mainstream free school projects.
For Lodge Farm Primary and Nursery, the review found that current evidence does not show sufficient medium‑term need for a new school in the proposed Witham and Hatfield Peverel location. The trust and local authority can submit any further evidence for ministers to consider by 30 January 2026. The local authority has been offered just over £600,000 additional funding to provide the 12 special educational needs unit places that were planned for this school.
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, if he will make an estimate of the total estimated yield in non-national domestic rates from commercial properties in each district in Essex in 2025-26 and 2026-27, broken down by local authority area.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We do not collect data on national non-domestic rates by specific types of property.
However, we do collect data on net rates payable by local authorities in England. Forecast data for 2025-26 can be found here National non-domestic rates collected by councils - GOV.UK.
Data relating to 2026-27 will be published in February 2026.
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 of 5 November 2025 to Question 85749 on Syria: Politics and Government, what quantity of chemical weapons has been identified.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As indicated in the answer referenced by the Rt Hon. Member, it will be for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to verify the types and quantities of any chemical weapons destroyed, but the UK remains committed to supporting the OPCW in that work.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has asked National Highways to update its business case for the A120 dualling scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
During the second Road Period (2020-2025) National Highways has been considering improvements to the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey as a possible future major enhancement to the network as part of the Road Investment Strategy pipeline.
The last formal iteration of the business case for these proposals was developed in 2022/23. Affordability and deliverability assessments have been further tested since then to inform decision making and investment planning for RIS3 and beyond. The third Road Investment Strategy is due to be published in March 2026 and will include an updated pipeline of future enhancement schemes.
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 the (a) number and (b) total value of fare evasion incidents on Greater Anglia services in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The most recent Ticketless Travel Survey data we hold for Greater Anglia covers rail industry period 5, starting on Sunday 26 July 2025, to rail industry period 7 ending Saturday 17 October 2025. The overall revenue-at-risk was £4.685 million, and the portion of revenue-at-risk is 3.527 per cent.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of hereditaments in Essex, broken down by local authority area; and how many have had their rateable values (a) increase and (b) decrease as a result of the latest revaluation.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Statistics on changes in the rateable value of non-domestic properties as a result of the 2026 Revaluation and publication of the draft 2026 Rating List are published here: Change in rateable value of rating lists, 2026 Revaluation