Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress she has made on the Euston Masterplan since 17 April 2026; and when she plans to publish details of the number of (a) homes and (b) social and affordable homes to be delivered as part of the redevelopment of land at and around Euston associated with the HS2 programme.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We are working at pace with our Master Development Partner, Lendlease, on a Masterplan for Euston, with an emphasis on growth and delivering much needed housing. The number of homes and affordable homes is subject to the development of the Masterplan.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to require motorists to pay (a) tolls and (b) road user charges on new roads constructed as part of the Roads Investment Strategy 3 programme.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Motorists will not be required to pay a) tolls or b) road user charges on sections of the network that are subject to enhancement as part of Road Investment Strategy 3, with the exception of the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC).

LTC will be financed using the Regulated Asset Base model as this is the best way of reducing the cost burden of the project to taxpayers. To do this, the model harnesses private investment, with a link through to charges on users, who are ultimately major beneficiaries of the scheme.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many category D1 (minibus) practical driving tests have been conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each of the last 30 years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below shows the number of category D1 minibus tests conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and by delegated examiners for each year for which data is available.

Please note testing for D1 during the years of 2020 and 2021 was reduced due to the covid pandemic.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2026, to Question 4343, on Parking Offences: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, if she will publish the (a) public sector equality duty and (b) environmental principles assessments undertaken for that decision to authorise higher parking charges.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The equality and environmental impacts of the proposal were considered through the policy process. This included identifying no adverse impacts on protected characteristics arising from increased compliance with traffic laws through enforcement by LAs, the potential for illegal parking displacement outside the trial area to affect protected groups and that any negative impacts on equality were not disproportionate. Consequent air quality benefits were also considered, as reducing parking overstays can improve the availability and turnover of parking spaces, thereby reducing the need for vehicles to circulate while searching for parking.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2026, to Question 4260, on Department for Transport: Lanyards, what was the business case for purchasing the branded lanyards.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The branded lanyards were purchased to support National Apprenticeship Week, a significant event in the apprenticeships and skills calendar. They were used to promote the crucial role apprenticeships and apprentices play in the Department’s capability and skills plan. The lanyards were used at apprenticeship engagement events to recognise apprentices’ achievements and encourage awareness and uptake of apprenticeship opportunities across the Department.

The purchase was approved in line with the Department’s existing arrangements for branded merchandise. As the Department’s apprenticeship branding does not change annually, the lanyards can be reused at future apprenticeship events, providing ongoing value for money.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 124216 on East West Rail, what her Department’s latest estimate is of the date by which the trains to be used on East West Rail services will be (a) fully modified and (b) fully tested.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The department is working closely with Chiltern Railways and partners to confirm that all the elements to announce a start date for the first EWR services are in place. Chiltern has been preparing for the start of services, including driver recruitment and training.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2026 to Question 11452 on Network Rail: Biodiversity, what the total cost to Network Rail was of producing habitat management plans in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail does not have a centrally recorded figure regarding the total expenditure to produce habitat management plans in the last five financial years.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Oxfordshire County Council press release, "Council secures injunction to protect communities", of 23 June 2026, whether her Department has had discussions or correspondence with Oxfordshire County Council on the removal of flags from lampposts.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has not had any discussion or correspondence with Oxfordshire County Council regarding the removal of flags from lampposts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2026 to Question 13228, what metrics her Department will use to assess whether train operators in public ownership are delivering for passengers; and whether she plans to publish performance against those metrics.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government is focused on ensuring that current and future operators in public ownership deliver real improvements for passengers. Working with the rail industry, we have simplified performance measurement so that track and train are aligned behind the outcomes that matter most to passengers: reliable services, fewer cancellations, and better punctuality. The principal operational metrics are therefore cancellations and Time to 3 punctuality (the proportion of trains arriving within three minutes of schedule). Performance against these metrics is published by the Office of Rail and Road for all operators, and operators in public ownership also publish performance information on their websites (https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/ ).

Operators are also assessed on the quality of service they provide. This includes customer satisfaction measures and performance under the Service Quality Regime, which assesses how well operators meet the standards passengers expect, like cleanliness and accurate and timely information.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate has been made of the potential cost impact of the UK ETS and domestic carbon pricing mechanisms on the cost of UK domestic flights between 2026 and 2050.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Due to uncertainty surrounding both future emissions and carbon prices, the Government has not produced an estimate of the potential impact of the UK ETS on the cost of domestic flights between 2026 and 2050. The costs faced by aircraft operators will depend on the level of emissions covered by the UK ETS and the future price of UK ETS allowances. DESNZ publishes traded carbon values for modelling purposes, which provide scenario-based projections of future carbon prices rather than forecasts. As uncertainty increases over longer time horizons, any estimates of future UK ETS costs should be treated with caution.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether HM Government has received representations from the Mayor of London on the GLA taking control of suburban rail services (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has received representations from the Mayor of London and Transport for London regarding the potential devolution of Great Northern Inner rail services. These services operate both within Greater London and to destinations beyond the Greater London boundary. The Government continues to engage with the Mayor of London and Transport for London on these proposals.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for each of the following operators: (a) LNER, (b) Southeastern, (c) TransPennine Express, (d) South Western Railway, (e) c2c, (f) Greater Anglia, (g) West Midlands Trains and (h) Greater Thameslink Railway, how many scheduled passenger services were short-formed in the 18-month period ending on 4 June 2026; and what proportion of all scheduled passenger services operated by each operator this represented.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Below is the available data for the number of short - formed services and the percentage based on the regime data for each operator. Please note that the percentages are not comparable and do not represent the total number of services for each operator.

LNER monitored services measured against All Weekday, Saturday and Sunday services.

SET monitored services measured as Peak services arriving in the morning Peak or departure in the evening peak at London Bridge, London Victoria, London St. Pancras International or London Blackfriars.

TPT monitored services measured against Weekday, Saturday and Sunday services at Manchester Stations, and Leeds.

SWR monitored services measured against All Weekday, Saturday and Sunday services.

c2c monitored services measured against Monday – Friday Peak Services.

Numbers for Period 2610 – Period 2702 is not currently available due to a technical issue; I will write to the Hon. Member as soon as possible with updated information and place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.

GA monitored services measured against Morning Peak Services and Evening Peak Services.

WMT monitored services measured as LNRBU Passenger Services and WMRBU

Passenger Services that are a Weekday, Saturday

and Sunday service.

GTR monitored services measured against services arriving in the Morning Peak or departing in the Evening Peak from Kensington (Olympia), London Blackfriars, London Bridge, London Kings Cross, London St Pancras international, London Victoria and Moorgate, as well as Brighton in the London Road and Hove directions.

N.B. Passenger services are only counted once for the purposes of Short Formations.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations has the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety made to Ministers since July 2024 on 20 mph zones.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Since July 2024, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) has not made any formal representations to Ministers on 20 mph zones/limits.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will set out (a) where the electric arc furnace being installed at Port Talbot was manufactured, (b) whether any UK-based companies were invited to bid to manufacture the furnace and (c) what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the procurement on the UK steel supply chain.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Tata Steel UK has contracted Tenova to supply the electric arc furnace (EAF) and associated equipment for Port Talbot.

Procurement decisions are a commercial matter for Tata Steel, and the Department does not hold information on bidding processes. Government support for the project is intended to secure the long-term future of UK steelmaking. The EAF is expected to use significant volumes of UK-sourced scrap steel, supporting domestic supply chains and the wider Steel Strategy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2026 to Question 10741, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of meeting the Department's draft Greening Government Commitments (2025–2030) targets.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Greening Government Commitments (2025–2030) have not yet been finalised.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which projects within her Department’s capital budget are planned to be (a) cancelled, (b) deferred, (c) rephased and (d) reduced in scope to contribute to the funding allocated by her Department towards the Defence Investment Plan.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave on 6 July 2026, to Question 14738.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vessels identified as part of the Russian shadow fleet have been boarded since 24 February 2022 by UK (a) military and (b) law enforcement personnel; and what information his Department holds on the number of vessels identified as part of the Russian shadow fleet that have been boarded since 24 February 2022 by the (i) military and (ii) law enforcement personnel of allied countries.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK-led interdiction of the sanctioned oil tanker SMYRTOS in June was the first of its kind. The UK has also supported multiple allied interdictions of sanctioned vessels in recent months.

We welcome the actions of our Allies, including France, Belgium and Sweden, who have taken action to interdict a number of sanctioned vessels involved in the export of sanctioned Russian oil.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 11946 on Train Operating Companies: Finance, whether her Department has undertaken analysis on the factors resulting in passenger revenue in 2025-26 being lower than forecast.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department holds regular discussions with DFTO to monitor and review passenger revenue outturn against forecast.

Outturn passenger revenue can diverge from forecast for a variety of reasons. These include external factors (such as wider economic conditions and weather events), internal factors (such as operational performance and rail policy changes) and customer behaviour (such as increased use of railcards and greater take-up of good-value advance fares, which can affect overall revenue levels).

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety has any Parliamentary permission, charter or authorisation to use the word Parliamentary in its title.

Answered by Nick Smith

We have no records of such authorisation but note that the organisation was incorporated at a time when the law and parliamentary rules about naming organisations were less developed than now.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2026 to Question 13301 on Air Routes, how many staff the UK Airspace Design Service is expected to employ when fully operational.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) has commenced work and is completing its mobilisation. It is for NATS En Route plc, as the licence holder, to determine the staffing required to deliver the service and be held accountable for its performance. Once fully operational, they expect UK ADS to operate with around 40 staff, although this is likely to fluctuate through time as delivery requirements change. The UK Airspace Design Service will also be able to draw on expertise and resources from across the wider NATS En Route plc organisation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to my Question 11459.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Question 11459 was answered on 8 July 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to my Question 11744.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

PQ UIN 11744 was answered on 3 July 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2026 to Question 9949 on Active Travel, how much of the projected £3.448 billion from wider funding streams within the Department for Transport and other Government departments is currently committed to projects that are not active travel schemes.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

None.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the proportion of the total cost of compliance with the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate represented by the compliance fees charged by sustainable aviation fuel suppliers.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As part of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate cost-benefit analysis, the total cost of compliance was estimated by looking at the additional cost of supplying SAF compared to kerosene, as well as the change to any carbon price obligation that applies.

A high-level assessment of the additional administrative costs which may be faced by fuel suppliers when complying with the SAF Mandate was included in the non-monetised costs in section 4.

Question 12526 was answered on 1 July 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to my Question 12526.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As part of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate cost-benefit analysis, the total cost of compliance was estimated by looking at the additional cost of supplying SAF compared to kerosene, as well as the change to any carbon price obligation that applies.

A high-level assessment of the additional administrative costs which may be faced by fuel suppliers when complying with the SAF Mandate was included in the non-monetised costs in section 4.

Question 12526 was answered on 1 July 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 12576 on South Western Railway, what data her Department holds on the punctuality of South Western Railway services since 25 May 2025, broken down by reporting period.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

South Western Railway report Time-to-3 punctuality (the percentage of station stops arrived at within 3 minutes of their scheduled time) to DfT Operator. This data and more performance data is available on the ORR website here: Passenger rail performance | ORR Data Portal.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2026 to Question 11454 on Heavy Goods Vehicles, whether the analysis referred to in that Answer has been published.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

No, we have not published this analysis yet, but we will set out further details alongside the next consultation on the Heavy Goods Vehicle regulations.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2026 to Question 11220 on Aviation: Alternative Fuels, what assumptions were made in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate cost-benefit analysis on the proportion of increased ticket prices that would be passed through by airlines to consumers; and what estimate her Department has made of the average increase in the price of (a) a short-haul, (b) a medium-haul and (c) a long-haul return ticket attributable to the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate in each year to 2040.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate cost-benefit analysis set out the estimates of the impact on an average one-way ticket price (Sustainable aviation fuel mandate: final stage cost benefit analysis). This analysis assumes that airlines pass on 75% of the additional costs of the SAF Mandate onto consumers. The year-on-year costs for different ticket-types was not part of the cost-benefit analysis, as this will be dependent on how individual airlines choose to distribute additional costs.

Eligibility criteria for the Low Carbon Fuels Fund will be provided in the guidance for applicants, which will be released upon the launch of the competition this summer. In the previous Advanced Fuels Fund competition, eligibility criteria included the categories of main fuel output, technology readiness level, feedstocks, greenhouse gas emissions, location, project lead and grant offer terms and conditions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 12528 on Aviation: Alternative Fuels, when the wider eligibility criteria for the Low Carbon Fuels Fund will be published; and what those criteria will be.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate cost-benefit analysis set out the estimates of the impact on an average one-way ticket price (Sustainable aviation fuel mandate: final stage cost benefit analysis). This analysis assumes that airlines pass on 75% of the additional costs of the SAF Mandate onto consumers. The year-on-year costs for different ticket-types was not part of the cost-benefit analysis, as this will be dependent on how individual airlines choose to distribute additional costs.

Eligibility criteria for the Low Carbon Fuels Fund will be provided in the guidance for applicants, which will be released upon the launch of the competition this summer. In the previous Advanced Fuels Fund competition, eligibility criteria included the categories of main fuel output, technology readiness level, feedstocks, greenhouse gas emissions, location, project lead and grant offer terms and conditions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional journeys from the Department's overseas posting in New Delhi have been approved under the qualifying hardship post policy since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Since 4 July 2024, there were a total of 12 additional journeys approved from the Department’s posting in New Delhi under the qualifying hardship post policy.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2026 to Question 4274 on Clean Air Zones, whether the new air quality targets in the Environmental Improvement Plan are legal limit values for the purposes of the Clean Air Zone policy.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environmental Improvement Plan sets out our commitment to deliver air pollution levels set out in the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 (AQSR) in local areas. Where Clean Air Zones have been introduced they have been to bring nitrogen dioxide levels to within legal limit values, as set out in the ASQR, in the shortest possible time.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to assess the fairness of calculating company car benefit-in-kind tax on used electric vehicles using the vehicle's original P11D list price rather than its current market value, in the context of significant depreciation in used electric vehicle values.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

The Government considers P11D list prices the fairest and most practical way to calculate benefit-in-kind liabilities for company cars and has no plans to move away from this approach. However, the Government will keep the second-hand EV market under review and continue to monitor developments closely.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2026 to Question 11744, how many flights have been paid for by her Department since 4 July 2024 for external training providers approved by the Department; from which companies those training providers were sourced; and, for each such flight, what (a) the cost and (b) the purpose was.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport works with international partners to support the strengthening of aviation security standards at last points of departure to the United Kingdom. This activity includes technical cooperation, engagement with international organisations and, where necessary, in-country visits to provide assurance, share best practice and support the effective delivery of aviation security measures.

The Department maintains a framework agreement for the provision of specialist aviation security training and expertise. Suppliers are appointed to the framework following an open and fair competitive procurement process, after which framework providers may compete for individual requirements in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

The Department does not routinely comment on national security matters. Disclosure of information relating to the number of flights undertaken, the organisations providing specialist services, associated costs and the purpose of individual visits could reveal details of operational activity undertaken in support of aviation security objectives. Furthermore, disclosing information on the countries visited and the frequency of such visits could undermine the effectiveness of the Department's aviation security activities. It would therefore not be in the interests of our overall national security to provide further details in this area.

In addition, it would be of disproportionate cost to the Department to provide fully verified and robust data on the number of flights undertaken, their cost and the specific purpose of individual visits since July 2024.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2026 to Question 13039 on Aviation: Antisocial Behaviour, how many people have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted for offences relating to disruptive and unruly behaviour on board aircraft in each of the last five years.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport does not collect or hold data on how many people have been prosecuted and convicted for offences relating to disruptive and unruly behaviour onboard aircraft. Data on prosecutions is collated and held by the Ministry of Justice.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether (a) her Department and (b) Ofcom has made an assessment of the potential implications for its polices on foreign interference online of the potential use of the animated television series Masha and the Bear as a vehicle for Russian propaganda.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

Government takes the threat of foreign interference seriously and works across departments, intelligence partners and regulators to identify and respond to state-linked information threats. However, it is not this department’s function to routinely assess individual television series. We work closely with other departments, including the Home Office and FCDO, to respond to existing and emerging threats.

Ofcom is the independent communications regulator, and any assessment of compliance with relevant broadcasting requirements is a matter for Ofcom.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2026 to Question 3821 on Parking Offences: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, what was the policy and evidential reason for approving the trial of higher level penalty charges.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The reason for approving Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s August 2025 trial of higher-level Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) was in response to concerns raised by the Council about the impact on the local community of inappropriate parking.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average processing time was for medical driving licence renewal applications for G1 and G2 licences in June 2026.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below shows the average number of working days taken to process Group 1 and Group 2 medical driving licence applications in June 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 24 April to Question 127689, what her Department's planned timetable is for concluding its review into the findings of the trial; and whether it intends to publish that review.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We have considered the findings of the trial and there are no plans to publish the department's review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's capacity to respond to public correspondence and enquiries; and what steps she is taking to reduce response times.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has internal targets to respond to 90% of simple enquiry emails within five working days, and to respond to 90% of more complex emails (such as complaints about driving tests, that need investigating before it can respond) within 10 working days.

DVSA’s 2025/26 annual performance outturn for both types of correspondence is 90% and 93% respectively.

The agency keeps its performance under review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of (a) the total hours of delay to road users, (b) the number of road users affected and (c) the economic cost of traffic disruption resulting from incidents on the strategic road network in each of the last five years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

National Highways routinely publishes data on delays on strategic road network links https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/travel-time-reporting-tool/.

National Highways have previously published estimates of the causes of delay on the SRN, which includes incidents. See: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/media/nixpb1ed/managing-delay-on-the-strategic-road-network.pdf.

The Department also makes an assessment of congestion on the strategic road network using the metric of average delay based on seconds of delay per vehicle per mile (see table CGN0405 Average speed, delay and reliability of travel times (CGN) - GOV.UK).

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2026 to Question 12226 on the Euston Delivery Company, what the target date is for the Euston Delivery Company to be established as a public body.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to Question 16519 answered on 16 July 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration her Department has given to incorporating the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence qualification into the (a) driving licence and (b) driver tachograph card for bus, coach and lorry drivers.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has no plans to incorporate the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence qualification into either the driving licence or the driver tachograph card.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2026, to Question 4282, on Government Departments: Aviation, on how many occasions have aircraft been commissioned for (a) domestic and (b) foreign travel, since July 2024.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds

The department has commissioned an aircraft on 32 occasions, all of which were for foreign travel.

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 the requirement that projects supported through the Structures Fund be completed by 31 March 2030 on the eligibility of Hammersmith Bridge for funding.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. Local highway authorities putting forward structures for consideration for investment from the Structures Fund are responsible for developing repair or replacement schemes that fully meet the Structures Fund eligibility criteria.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the level of importance of the cement industry to the economy and the number of jobs reliant on it.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No specific assessment on the importance of the cement industry to the economy or number of jobs reliant on it has been conducted. However, the Government is aware of the sector's importance to the economy and government priorities as well as the number of jobs it supports across the country. The Government regularly engages with the cement sector's main trade association, the Mineral Products Association, to understand the sector's challenges and explore how best to support it. The Government delivers the British Industry Supercharger which aims to mitigate carbon leakage and improve the competitiveness of eligible energy-intensive industries by relieving them from some electricity policy costs and network costs. Businesses in the cement sector currently receive support under this scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2026 to Question 8930 on Judicial Appointments, in how many judicial appointments in each year since the coming into force of the equal merit provision in the Crime and Courts Act 2013 was that provision relied upon to determine which candidate was selected.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Equal Merit Provision was introduced in 2014. Where two or more candidates a vacancy are judged by the Judicial Appointments Commission to be of equal merit, the Commission may give preference to the candidates with relevant protected characteristics which are underrepresented within the judiciary as a whole or the level of judiciary for which they are being recommended for appointment.

125 recommendations for appointment have been made by the JAC following the application of the provision.

This is broken down per year as follows:

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to review the requirement that projects funded through the Structures Fund be completed by 31 March 2030 in cases where that deadline may prevent the restoration of nationally significant transport infrastructure.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

There are no plans to review this requirement. Eligibility for the Fund is restricted to structures that require repair or replacement now or are likely to before 31 March 2030. Schemes to repair or replace these structures must be completed and reopened to traffic by 31 March 2030.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department holds data on the i.) amount of cement and proportion of the UK's domestic requirement for cement has been produced in the UK in each of the last 10 years ii.) amount of cement and proportion of the UK's domestic requirement for cement has been imported the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold information about either the amount of cement produced in the UK to meet domestic production requirements in the last 10 years, or the amount of cement imported to meet domestic production requirements in the last 10 years.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 13067 on Network Rail: Biodiversity, whether her Department plans to require Network Rail to record centrally the (a) costs and (b) delays to projects arising from protected species survey, licensing and mitigation requirements.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport does not plan to require Network Rail to record centrally the costs and any delays to projects arising from protected species survey, licencing and mitigation requirements.

Network Rail must comply with species licencing requirements when delivering maintenance and enhancement projects. Network Rail has been working with Natural England to reduce the burden of species licencing through district level licences for some species.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 11461 on Greater Manchester Combined Authority, in which month she expects the work set out in the Compact Agreement of 22 January 2026 to report.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 11461.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 129518, which posts and locations are classified as qualifying hardship posts for the purpose of additional journeys for staff posted overseas.

Answered by Seema Malhotra

Allowances for 'hardship' locations have been a feature of civil service overseas postings for several decades, and New Delhi has been included in the list of those locations since it was first introduced. The list is reviewed on a regular basis to reflect changes in the condition of different locations, and in the configuration of UK posts, but - like New Delhi - the vast majority of cities on the list have held their 'hardship' status unchanged for several decades, and under successive governments.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HMRC's policy paper entitled Salary sacrifice reform for pension contributions, published on 4 December 2025, if she will publish the calculation underpinning the estimate that the mean average additional employee National Insurance contributions liability will be £84 in the first year.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

Further detail on the methodology and assumptions used to produce the fiscal impact of the measure can be found in the OBR’s “Supplementary forecast information on salary-sacrifice pension contributions” publication, which includes breakdowns of the costing pre- and post-behaviour and by employer/employee National Insurance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on what the twenty most common offences dealt with by (a) community resolutions and (b) out of court conditional cautions were in the most recent year for which data is available; and how many cases there were for each offence.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences and their outcomes including community resolutions and cautions recorded by the police in England and Wales.

This information is published as official statistics each quarter. The latest information by force and offence type to the year ending December 2025, can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tables

Statistics to the year ending March 2026 will be published on July 23.

Information on out of court conditional cautions is not separately identifiable from Adult/Youth Cautions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many offences recorded by police in England and Wales were dealt with by (a) a community resolution and (b) an out of court conditional caution in each of the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences and their outcomes including community resolutions and cautions recorded by the police in England and Wales.

This information is published as official statistics each quarter. The latest information by force and offence type to the year ending December 2025, can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tables

Statistics to the year ending March 2026 will be published on July 23.

Information on out of court conditional cautions is not separately identifiable from Adult/Youth Cautions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on how many (a) community resolutions and (b) out of court conditional cautions were issued by each police force in England and Wales in the most recent 5 years for which data is available.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences and their outcomes including community resolutions and cautions recorded by the police in England and Wales.

This information is published as official statistics each quarter. The latest information by force and offence type to the year ending December 2025, can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tables

Statistics to the year ending March 2026 will be published on July 23.

Information on out of court conditional cautions is not separately identifiable from Adult/Youth Cautions.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2026 to Question 1718 of National Highways: Expenditure, whether the National Highways public affairs contract was approved by the Cabinet Office.

Answered by Chris Ward

The value of this expenditure does not meet the threshold for Cabinet Office Commercial Assurance Review or Approval.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2026, to Question 13259, on National Highways: Expenditure, which company or supplier provided the public affairs contract; if she will publish the contract and work specification; and for what reason an external public affairs contract was required in addition to the in-house staff.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Lexington were awarded the technical professional services’ public affairs contract in April 2023.

Details of all contracts awarded by the Department and its arm’s length bodies above the relevant thresholds are published on the Government’s Contracts Finder service. This includes information on the value and purpose of each contract.

The contract provides additional strategic support to inform the external affairs engagement activity, which is delivered by National Highways' own in-house team at local, regional and national level.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on recognising for social security purposes marriages between an uncle and niece legally contracted overseas where the couple are resident in England and Wales.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

A marriage between an uncle and niece falls within the prohibited degrees of relationship set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Marriage Act 1949 and, by virtue of section 1(1) of that Act, is void for all purposes in England and Wales. There is similar legislation in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending permitted development rights for development of roads within road corridors akin to those already in existence in rail corridors.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

There are already permitted development rights – set out in Part 9 of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (England) 2015, as amended – which grant planning permission for development relating to roads.

We continue to keep permitted development rights under review.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he made of requiring the structural steel used in the Net Zero Teesside carbon capture, utilisation and storage project to be (a) produced and (b) fabricated in the UK.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government knows it is important to communities across the country that we use UK-made steel. We are ambitious about increasing the use of UK made steel in UK energy and infrastructure projects where possible.

Net Zero Teesside is not a public procurement (so public procurement guidelines do not apply) but we have spoken to the project developer to understand more about the use of UK and non-UK steel, as well as the wider use of UK local content, in the project. They confirmed their voluntary commitment to achieve more than 50% UK content across the value chain, with around £1.5 billion UK-based sub-contracts already awarded.

We want to champion UK steelmaking and our steel communities now and for generations to come and my colleagues at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero are looking at how greater UK content will be used in future projects.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) Transport for London, (b) the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and (c) the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames have, individually or jointly, submitted (i) an expression of interest and (ii) an application to the Structures Fund in relation to Hammersmith Bridge; and whether officials in her Department have held discussions with any of those bodies on a potential Structures Fund application for Hammersmith Bridge in advance of any formal submission.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As the asset owner and project lead, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is responsible for submitting any application to the Structures Fund. Local highway authorities have until 3 August 2026 to put forward proposals for investment.

My Department engages regularly with London local highway authorities on matters related to their local highways networks, including the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The technical advisory body to the Structures Fund is also having conversations on behalf of my Department about projects that local highway authorities may put forward to the fund; including Hammersmith Bridge.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on how much revenue each local authority in England received from traffic enforcement in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This information is not held by central government.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2026, to Question 13237, on Department for Transport: Public Relations, and with reference to the answer of 30 January 2025, to Question 25857, on Written Questions: Government Responses, if she will provide relevant hyperlinks to each of the live contracts in this area of spending.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Details of all live contracts in this area of spending for the Department and its arm’s length bodies (that are above the relevant thresholds) are published on the Government’s Contracts Finder service and/or Find a Tender Service.

Links to these sites are below.

Contract Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with the Government of New Zealand to ensure the UK Armed Forces play a present and active role in the Indo-Pacific region over the next 20 years.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK and New Zealand maintain a strong defence partnership and are committed to working together to enhance security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Through the Joint Statement on Enhanced Defence Cooperation, signed in September 2025 between UK-New Zealand Defence Ministers, the UK and New Zealand have committed to cooperate on regional security challenges, enhance interoperability, and strengthen defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and Pacific.

The UK and New Zealand continue to exercise and train together through multinational activity, including the Five Power Defence Arrangements, exercises, and through bilateral engagement with the New Zealand Defence Force. Between April and June 2026, the UK Armed Forces also recently conducted joint training activities in New Zealand alongside New Zealand Defence Force counterparts.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates vessels of the a) British Army b) Royal Navy c) Royal Air Force visited New Zealand since 1 January 2020.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

Vessels from the Royal Navy visited New Zealand on the below dates.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many scheduled passenger services operated by each train operating company were formed of fewer carriages than planned in each month since June 2024.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The department monitors short formations based on the passenger capacity of the trains rather than the number of carriages. Attached is data for the number of short - formed services and the percentage based on what is monitored for each operator. Please note that the percentages are not comparable and do not represent the total number of services for each operator.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2026 to Question 11755, what circumstances have previously been regarded as constituting a justifiable business requirement for making reference to a candidate's protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 in employer input on suitability for military appointments or promotions; and, for each such circumstance, what protected characteristic was considered.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

Military appointments and promotions are based on merit, and protected characteristics are not used as selection criteria. Consequently, there is no centrally held record linking appointment or promotion decisions to candidates' protected characteristics.

All appointment and promotion decisions are made in accordance with relevant legislation and departmental policy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2026 to Question 16176 on Railways: CCTV, whether the funding allocated to the rail CCTV connectivity project represents (a) the total estimated cost of delivering the programme or (b) funding allocated to date.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Nearly £17 million has been allocated to this project up until 2029/30. The project is currently in its early stages, with Network Rail developing a Full Business Case for the entire programme which, once complete, may indicate that further funding is required in future years.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2026 to Question 12032, excluding flights relating to national security or those provided via the Integrated Security Fund, what the total expenditure by her Department has been on flights for people who are not staff members and are not UK nationals since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DfT funds travel where there is a clear business need, with controls to ensure all spend delivers value for money. The Department does not routinely record or retain information on the nationality of individuals within the records used to manage and account for travel expenditure. As a result, it is not possible to identify the number of flights taken by non-UK nationals through a simple search of existing records since 4 July 2024.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many knife-enabled crimes were recorded by the British Transport Police as having occurred at railway stations in each of the last 30 years.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

British Transport Police (BTP) holds readily extractable, comparable data for knife-enabled crimes at railway stations over the past five years. Providing comparable figures for each of the last 30 years would require a manual review of historic records which was not possible within the required timescales.