Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, if she will set out (a) what the purpose was of each such visit, (b) which Ministers or senior officials approved each visit, (c) how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade and (d) what the total cost was of each visit; and what assessment she has made of whether those engagements could have been conducted remotely or combined with other travel.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of the flight to Colombia; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125029 on Department for Transport: Annual Reports, in respect of the £398 million Capital DEL expenditure attributed to the Decarbonisation, Technology and Strategy Group in 2024-25, if she will publish (a) a breakdown of the projects and programmes funded, (b) the amount allocated to each project, (c) a description of the purpose and remit of that Group, including its organisational structure, and (d) the planned Capital DEL and Resource DEL budget for that Group in 2025-26.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of the flight to Lebanon; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of each flight to Netherlands Antilles; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125015 on Immobilisation of Vehicles, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of immobilisation devices unlawfully removed from vehicles.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) works closely with its national wheel clamping contractor to monitor where wheel clamps have been forcibly removed and to identify patterns of concern.
When a vehicle is clamped, the registered keeper can secure the vehicle’s release by paying the required fee within 24 hours. In areas where the unlawful removal of immobilisation devices is a known issue the contractor will, where possible, immediately remove vehicles to reduce the risk of the clamp being removed unlawfully.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems alert enforcement officers where there is a previous history of the clamp being removed so that immediate removal of the vehicle can be arranged.
Measures to strengthen the securing chains on wheel clamps are also being considered to increase resistance to tampering. While this will not completely prevent deliberate damage, it is expected to significantly increase the time required to remove a clamp and so increase the likelihood of the offender being detected.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average number of days taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to reach a licensing decision was in cases where a medical condition required investigation, in each month from January 2024 to April 2026.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The table below shows the average number of days to make a licensing decision for driving licence applications where a medical condition required investigation before a licence could be issued in each month from January 2024 to March 2026. The final figures for April 2026 are not yet available.
2024 | Group 1 (car and motorcycle) | Group 2 (lorry and bus) |
January | 50.9 | 50.6 |
February | 46.3 | 49.3 |
March | 43.3 | 48.9 |
April | 41.9 | 35.0 |
May | 37.5 | 34.1 |
June | 51.1 | 46.9 |
July | 45.7 | 49.4 |
August | 43.3 | 40.1 |
September | 43.3 | 41.0 |
October | 46.1 | 47.3 |
November | 43.4 | 40.0 |
December | 45.3 | 46.7 |
2025 |
|
|
January | 46.1 | 46.3 |
February | 42.7 | 40.6 |
March | 45.5 | 40.6 |
April | 41.6 | 43.5 |
May | 42.3 | 41.5 |
June | 48.1 | 37.9 |
July | 54.4 | 39.1 |
August | 49.3 | 41.7 |
September | 52.5 | 49.0 |
October | 78.4 | 55.8 |
November | 80.3 | 47.7 |
December | 73.2 | 47.0 |
2026 |
|
|
January | 59.7 | 42.5 |
February | 71.4 | 46.3 |
March | 55.9 | 56.2 |
Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer than applications where there is no medical condition as the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.
The DVLA has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of medical licence applications, increasing waiting times for some customers. To improve its services, the DVLA has introduced a new casework system and launched a new medical services portal, so most customers can now apply online through the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account. Details on how to sign up for an account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account.
These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with these applications and answer telephone calls will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118920, if she will develop new Outline Business Cases for a) the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and b) Haughley Junction upgrades and c) whether she has plans to undertake a BCR assessment for the dualling of single sections of the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government’s commitment to a significant programme of railway investment was announced as part of Spending Review 2025. We will set out our plans for further investment in rail infrastructure in due course.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122316, whether the Government plans to resume the York Area Capacity and Performance Project.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Department is working closely with Network Rail and key stakeholders to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for the East Coast Main Line, aligned with emerging plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail. This work will consider potential investment opportunities at key locations across the route, such as York.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120879 on DfT Operator: Training, whether her Department plans to provide funding through DfT Operator Limited to increase the number of rail training places.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no plans to provide funding to DfT Operator Limited specifically for rail training places as part of the Department’s funding of train services. It is up to the train operating companies to establish their own training requirements and fund these through the budgets agreed.