Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to provide mechanisms for (a) local authorities and (b) Transport for London to challenge service decisions made by Great British Railways that affect their areas.

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

GBR will be required to consult Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs) where decisions on passenger services or rail infrastructure could have a significant impact on their areas. GBR will also have regard to Local Transport Plans and the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy to ensure local priorities are considered. Alongside this, GBR will agree partnerships with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, bringing local influence into railway planning. This collaborative approach is designed to maintain regular communication and a shared understanding of trade-offs. In addition, the Bill also establishes the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) as a robust and independent appeals body, providing a clear route for appeal of GBR’s access and charging decisions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the criteria for the Electric Car Grant was determined; and what engagement with industry was held on this issue.

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

The Electric Car Grant criteria were designed to support British drivers in accessing affordable, sustainably manufactured electric vehicles. Over 35,000 drivers have benefited from this scheme to date. The grant's design was not discussed with industry during its development to avoid market distortion.

Following launch, the Department has engaged closely with vehicle manufacturers and will continue to do so as the grant develops. All grants are regularly reviewed to ensure value for taxpayer's money.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the total cost to the public purse of rebranding Network Rail as Great British Railways, including expenditure and losses relating to new branding, logo replacement, signage, vehicle and train livery changes, digital and printed materials, staff uniforms, estate updates and any associated transition and implementation costs.

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

Great British Railways i(GBR) s not a rebranding of Network Rail. GBR will bring together track and train as a directing mind, consolidating several different rail bodies to deliver better outcomes for passengers, freight users, and taxpayers.

The Department is working to develop a rollout plan for the GBR branding, with a focus on maximising opportunities to ensure value for money, such as repainting trains when they were due to be repainted by their leasing companies, and changing station signage when it is life expired.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating the international frozen food storage standard from –18°C to –15°C, including the potential impact on (a) energy costs for producers and retailers, (b) efficiencies in the food supply chain and (c) consumer prices; and whether the Government plans to support such a change in international standards.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government welcomes new and innovative steps taken by any businesses to produce and supply food sustainably, providing they can demonstrate the food they place on the market is safe.

There is no legal requirement for frozen food to be stored at -18°C in general, but freezing remains a critical control step in some cases, such as killing parasites in fish intended to be eaten raw, and these requirements continue to apply.

We are aware that parts of the food industry are exploring raising frozen food storage temperatures from -18°C to -15°C to reduce energy use and support sustainability goals. While this evidence has not yet been shared with the Food Standards Agency, we are engaging with food businesses to understand potential implications. The Government will continue to monitor industry trials and evidence related to international frozen food storage standards.

Raising frozen food storage temperatures could reduce energy use for food business operators, which may help lower operating costs. At present, there is no clear evidence that such changes would lead to lower prices for consumers.

Any food business considering changes to frozen food storage temperatures must ensure food safety management systems remain compliant with legal requirements.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much expenditure has been incurred for the new Network Rail clock design to date; and what is the budget for the programme as a whole.

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

Network Rail’s new clock design was the subject of an international competition launched in April 2023 under the previous Government. The winning team received £35,000 for the purchase of the Intellectual Property rights to the design, and runners up shared an additional £35,000. Installation of the one-off clock at London Bridge cost Network Rail £120,000 and is the largest circular digital screen on the UK rail network – sized to provide clear visibility for 200,000 passengers passing it each day.

The rollout of the clock to other stations has been delivered as part of a wider programme of accessibility and inclusivity upgrades to customer information systems, costing Network Rail £330,000. Network Rail do not have a separated estimate of cost for the specific clock element of this.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS trusts in areas with higher prevalence of consanguineous unions receive additional (a) funding, (b) training and (c) genetic counselling resources to help tackle related health needs.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Genomic testing is delivered through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service and guided by the National Genomic Test Directory, which outlines the eligibility criteria for genomic testing. These criteria support clinicians to decide whether genetic testing is appropriate, including in cases where genetic disorders may be linked to consanguinity. Seventeen NHS Clinical Genetics Services are commissioned by NHS England and deliver a comprehensive clinical genetics and genetic counselling service that directs the diagnosis, risk assessment, and lifelong clinical management of patients of all ages and their families who have, or are at risk of having, a genetic condition. In addition, through the Genetic Risk Equity Project, NHS England is piloting and evaluating new models of care in nine sites to improve equity of access to genetic services for the small proportion of consanguineous couples at increased genetic risk. NHS England has published training modules about close relative marriage and genetic risk for midwives and health visitors, as well as guidance on how to submit data around consanguinity and pregnancy to the Maternity Services Dataset.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which UK automotive manufacturers and tier-one suppliers Ministers and officials have met to discuss the provisions of the Employment Rights Bill since 1 July 2024; on what dates those meetings took place; and what sector-specific concerns were raised.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is committed to engaging closely with employers throughout the development and implementation of Make Work Pay. Officials meet regularly with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss the Employment Rights Bill, as well as other bodies representing automotive manufacturers and suppliers, such as Make UK, the largest representative of UK manufacturers. There is also regular engagement through the Auto Council’s Skills Working Group.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what formal consultation his Department has undertaken with (a) UK automotive manufacturers and (b) their UK-based supply-chain firms on the Employment Rights Bill; what representations his Department has received from those businesses; and how the Government has responded to those representations.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is committed to engaging closely with employers throughout the development and implementation of Make Work Pay. Officials meet regularly with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss the Employment Rights Bill, as well as other bodies representing automotive manufacturers and suppliers, such as Make UK, the largest representative of UK manufacturers. There is also regular engagement through the Auto Council’s Skills Working Group.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on (a) planned capital investment in the UK automotive sector, (b) the economies of areas with substantial automotive manufacturing and (c) that sector’s international competitiveness relative to EU and US automotive labour markets.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

On Monday 21 October 2024, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill [Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK].

The assessment provides analysis of the potential costs and benefits to business, the impacts on SMEs, potential trade implications as well as the sectoral impacts of the Bill, including the manufacturing sector.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 84267 on the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, what direct financial or in-kind support her Department currently provides to NaVCIS; whether she has assessed the adequacy of its industry-funded model for tackling organised HGV and freight theft; and whether she plans to allocate public funding to support that Service in the 2026-27 financial year.

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

As noted in response to question 84267, the Government does not fund the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) and has no plans to do so.

NaVCIS is funded by industry to provide dedicated specialist intelligence and enforcement. However we have regular discussions with key policing partners, including the NPCC, NaVCIS and Opal, the national policing intelligence unit for organised acquisitive crime, about the best ways to tackle organised freight crime.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on (a) UK automotive manufacturers and (b) their domestic supply chains; and whether he has estimated the (i) additional annual recurring cost of that Bill and (ii) aggregate additional cost to that sector in each of the first five years after Royal Assent.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

On Monday 21 October 2024, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill [Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK].

The assessment provides analysis of the potential costs and benefits to business, the impacts on SMEs, potential trade implications as well as the sectoral impacts of the Bill, including the manufacturing sector.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on SME firms within UK automotive supply chains; and whether his Department has undertaken any separate modelling of the cost implications for SMEs operating as tier-two and tier-three suppliers.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

On Monday 21 October 2024, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill [Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK].

The assessment provides analysis of the potential costs and benefits to business, the impacts on SMEs, potential trade implications as well as the sectoral impacts of the Bill, including the manufacturing sector.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the recommendations of the Civil Justice Council's 2025 review, whether he plans to introduce legislation to clarify that third-party litigation funding agreements are not treated as damages-based agreements.

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

The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all.

The Government welcomes the Civil Justice Council review of litigation funding, which will help inform the approach to potential reforms. We are considering the report carefully and will outline next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, a) what steps her Department is taking to ensure consistent national safeguarding standards for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, including (i) DBS checks, (ii) knowledge and safeguarding tests and (iii) the use of in-vehicle CCTV; b) whether her Department collects data on (i) the number of licences issued by each authority, (ii) the proportion issued to drivers residing outside that authority area, and (iii) the number of drivers operating predominantly beyond the area where they are licensed; and c) what assessment her Department has made of the approach taken by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in retrospectively applying enhanced licensing standards, and whether it plans to encourage or mandate similar practices nationally.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

On Tuesday 18 November, the Government tabled an amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to seek a power for the Secretary of State to set in regulations the national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. These standards would be subject to consultation and would be primarily focused on passenger safety and accessibility. This would mean that wherever they are travelling in England, passengers can be reassured that the drivers of any taxi or private hire vehicle service they are using are subject to robust safeguarding standards. If agreed by Parliament, it would be possible for national standards to be applied to existing licence holders.

The Department has published data about the number of licences issued by each licensing authority. This can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/taxi-and-private-hire-vehicle-statistics-england-2024

The Department does not collect data on where licensed taxi or private hire vehicle drivers reside or on the number of taxi or private hire vehicle journeys that take place outside of the area in which the drivers are licensed. Licensing authorities may hold this information.

The Department recognises the good work carried out by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council following the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to improve their taxi and private hire vehicle licensing functions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the £616 million capital allocation for active travel announced on 3 November, if she will publish a breakdown of that funding by programme, scheme and spending category, including the amount allocated to each and the expected outputs or purposes for which those allocations are intended.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In the Spending Review we announced that we are allocating £616 million for Active Travel England from 2026-27 to 2029-30 to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure. Further details concerning specific programmes and revenue funding will be announced in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Algerian Government concerning Mohamed Tadjadit.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Algeria, and consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards. Our Embassy in Algiers remains in regular contact with the Algerian authorities to promote the importance of upholding human rights, and we continue to monitor the situation closely.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025, to Question 78720, on South West Railway: Nationalisation, whether the pubic purse is liable for potential (a) losses, (b) cost over-runs and (c) increases in costs.

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

Under public ownership, the Government takes on all revenue and cost risk. This has largely been the case since the pandemic too, when Government implemented emergency contractual arrangements which involved taking on all revenue and the vast majority of cost risk from the train operating companies – except now, the Government will not additionally be paying management or performance fees to private operators and, indirectly, their shareholders.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what has been the average percentage annual change in rail fares in (a) absolute terms and (b) real terms in each of the last 30 years.

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

The Office of Rail and Road publish annual statistics measuring the change in prices charged by train operating companies to rail passengers, normally introduced in March of each year.

Between 1995 and 2025 rail fares have risen a) in absolute terms by 196.6 per cent and b) in real terms by 10.3 per cent.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 88363 on Freight: Fuels Excise Duties, whether her Department holds data on the relative changes in operating costs for (a) rail freight and (b) road freight since fuel duty was first frozen for HGVs in 2011; and whether it has assessed the impact of that freeze on the competitiveness of rail freight.

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

The Government is committed to supporting rail freight, recognising its economic and environmental benefits and the role it plays in the resilience of the UK’s supply chain. However, both road and rail freight are privately owned and operated, with a wide range of costs and other criteria which could affect competitiveness. The fuel duty decisions referenced – which were taken primarily under the last Government – are only one part of this.

The Department does not hold data on relative changes to operating costs between road and rail freight.  As part of continued support for the rail freight sector, the Department has operated the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme since 2010. Network Rail also offers the Access Charges Discount Policy to stimulate growth, supporting new to rail traffic.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving tests a full-time driving examiner can conduct per year, allowing for annual leave.

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

A full-time driving examiner can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving test centres recorded the maximum waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car driving test in each month from July 2023 to October 2025; and if he will list those centres.

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

The national average waiting time for a car practical driving test in October 2025 was 21.9 weeks.

There were four test centres in total where the waiting time for a practical car driving test was 24 weeks for each month from July 2023 to October 2025. Those test centres are Bletchley, Goodmayes, Pinner and Wanstead.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78713 on Driving Tests: Waiting Lists, what the national average car driving test waiting time was in weeks in October 2025.

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

The national average waiting time for a car practical driving test in October 2025 was 21.9 weeks.

There were four test centres in total where the waiting time for a practical car driving test was 24 weeks for each month from July 2023 to October 2025. Those test centres are Bletchley, Goodmayes, Pinner and Wanstead.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the national average car driving test waiting time is in weeks in October 2025.

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

The national average waiting time for a car practical driving test in October 2025 was 21.9 weeks.

There were four test centres in total where the waiting time for a practical car driving test was 24 weeks for each month from July 2023 to October 2025. Those test centres are Bletchley, Goodmayes, Pinner and Wanstead.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of biodiversity net gain requirements on the cost of non completed strategic road network improvement projects since the implementation of the relevant legislation, by schemes within Road Investment Strategy (a) two and (b) three.

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

Mandatory biodiversity net gain requirements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects will apply from May 2026. The 16 National Highways road enhancement schemes that already have development consent, along with one scheme awaiting a decision expected in February 2026, are not therefore within scope of mandatory biodiversity net gain.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on including locally manufactured materials such as natural stone in planning conditions and development frameworks.

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

National design guidance, which supports the National Planning Policy Framework, states that well-designed places should be responsive to local history, culture and heritage. The guidance highlights the role of resources, including the careful selection of materials and construction techniques, to minimise any environmental impacts.

A local design code can introduce requirements on the use of materials for new development, if appropriate.

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 energy-efficiency benefits derived from using natural stone in public and private construction.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Energy efficiency requirements for new dwellings and buildings are set through the Building Regulations, which specify overall performance standards rather than mandating particular materials. This allows designers and developers to select the most practical and cost-effective materials for each project, including the use of natural stone where appropriate.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a new frequency trial being is being implemented in Jobcentres under which claimants including young people aged (i) under 24, (ii) under 30 and (iii) those with neurodivergent conditions are receiving less frequent job search appointments and reduced employment support.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the Rt. Hon. member to the answer I gave on 23 October to PQ 82987.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Chinese market dumping of (a) electric vehicles and (b) internal combustion engine vehicles on UK automotive sector.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the UK’s investigatory body that exists to defend the UK against unfair international trade practices, including dumping.

I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA if they believe they are being injured by dumped goods.

While the Department remains vigilant to any reports of potential injury to industries from unfair trading practices, and regularly engages with the automotive sector, I am not aware any application to the TRA at this time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the net zero targets for NHS England are; and what guidance has been given to NHS bodies on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 10-Year Health Plan commits to supporting NHS England’s existing commitments set out in 2020’s Delivering a Net Zero Health Service report, including achieving net zero by 2040 for the emissions the National Health Service controls and by 2045 for the emissions it can influence. The plan is clear that all NHS bodies will be expected to decarbonise, reduce environmental impact, and increase resilience to climate risks in line with the climate change duties set out in the Health and Care Act 2022.

We continue to work with NHS England to ensure that the NHS’s net zero aims are delivered in a way that improves patient care and saves taxpayers money, and which is aligned to the Government’s wider approach to carbon budgets and the 2050 legislative target for the United Kingdom’s economy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the causes of driving test waiting times, including the impact of block-booking and examiner shortages; and what steps she plans to take to improve Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency performance, strengthen oversight of its complaints processes, and implement a recovery plan for the driving test system.

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

Waiting times are still high for learner drivers. Car practical test waiting times remain high due to sustained increased demand and reduced learner driver confidence in the availability of driving tests. This has contributed to some learners choosing to book their test much earlier in their learning journey before having had any lessons.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests

• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.

• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners who are now in post and delivering driving tests. However, 118 prospective driving examiners failed or resigned during training. Currently, there are 71 people in training, 63 booked onto a future course and 79 applicants who have received offers from DVSA

Despite DVSA’s recruitment efforts, the number of full-time equivalent driving examiners has only increased gradually since July 2024 (1,439) with net increase of 46 full-time equivalent driving examiners in October 2025 (1,485).

DVSA has a robust complaints process in place. Complainants can ask DVSA to pass their complaint to an independent complaints assessor if they have been through the final stage of the Agency’s complaints process and are not happy its response.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2025, to Question 77640, on Road Traffic Control: Oxford, if he will publish the data sharing contract.

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

Such data sharing contracts are not routinely published and there are no plans to do so.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to reform the regulation of driving instructor training, including the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training (ORDIT), to introduce minimum entry standards and protect trainees from misleading training packages and unfair franchise contracts.

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

This year, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) established the Car Driver Training and Testing Forum, which brings together trade and industry partners to work collaboratively on improving the driver instructor training and testing profession. The forum has created several improvement workstreams, one of which is exploring options for the future of the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training (ORDIT) scheme.

DVSA does not regulate driving schools or franchise agreements; these remain private contractual matters between individuals and providers. However, DVSA provides guidance on this on GOV.uk at Driving instructor associations and organisations - GOV.UK, including the Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) register guide Approved driving instructor (ADI) register guide - GOV.UK. All potential ADIs sign a declaration confirming they have read and understood this guidance.

While DVSA does not directly regulate franchise arrangements, the Agency encourages ADIs to join recognised ADI associations and organisations. These bodies are experienced in supporting instructors to make informed decisions about training and franchise agreements and ensure their interests are represented in industry discussions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 84696 on Shipping: Investment, when her Department plans to publish the competition scopes and assessment criteria for the maritime funding programme.

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

The Department plans to launch the next round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition and the Zero Emission and Vessel Infrastructure competition in Spring 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the measures included in her Department's joint press release entitled Mirror, signal, manoeuvres: military driving examiners mobilised to cut test backlog, published on 12 November 2025.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has agreed with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) that 36 defence driving examiners (DDE) will carry out driving tests for one day a week for 12 months. MOD has charged DVSA estimated marginal costs in line with HM Treasury guidelines.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department last met (a) the Mayor of Greater Manchester, (b) combined authorities and (c) other local authorities to discuss potential reforms to taxi licensing across local authority boundaries; when her Department last met (i) local authority's children’s services, (ii) police forces and (iii) local safeguarding partnerships to discuss the risks identified in chapter 7 of Baroness Casey's independent report entitled National audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, published on 16 June 2025; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the Mayor of Greater Manchester's campaign entitled Backing our taxis: local, licensed, trusted on public safety and out-of-area licensing.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Department for Transport Ministers and officials meet regularly with a range of stakeholders and discuss various issues relating to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing policy.

The Department is aware of the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s campaign entitled “Backing our taxis: local, licensed, trusted”.

The public should be safe in taxis and private hire vehicles regardless of where they live or travel. The Government has tabled an amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill that would enable national minimum standards to be set for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. National minimum standards would enable Government to set a strong baseline for licensing right across England, to keep vulnerable children and indeed all members of the public safe, wherever they live or travel.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 87864 on Department for Transport: Electric Vehicles, whether he has had discussions with car manufacturers on the potential impact of the entry of electric vehicles from China into the UK market on the cost of new electric and petrol cars.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

China plays a significant global role across the automotive sector, and this brings challenges and opportunities for the UK. We closely monitor how changes to trade flows and other issues impact UK manufacturers. While DBT Ministers, including the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, engage regularly with UK car manufacturers on a range of relevant issues, including on the entry of electric vehicles from China into the UK market, decisions on the cost of new vehicles are a commercial matter for individual companies.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consultation her Department has undertaken with vehicle manufacturers and the wider automotive industry on the proposed changes to Employee Car Ownership Schemes, including the number of meetings held since July 2024; and whether the figures used to inform the proposed changes have been independently verified.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Budget 2025, the government announced that, to allow more time for the sector to prepare for and adapt to the proposed changes in treatment to Employee Car Ownership Schemes (ECOS), its implementation will be delayed to 6 April 2030, with transitional arrangements until April 2032. The tax impact and information notice (TIIN) has been updated to reflect the impact of the changes on the automotive industry. You can find the TIIN here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-employee-car-ownership-schemes-for-income-tax/changes-to-employee-car-ownership-schemes-ecos

The government maintains regular engagement with vehicle manufacturers and the wider automotive industry. The costing has been certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 92692 on South Western Railway: Rolling Stock, if she will publish in full the modelling and departmental assessments associated with the new rolling stock leases.

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

The Department's internal modelling draws upon a number of sources and data from third parties which is not publicly available and is commercially sensitive, and therefore unable to be released.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90403 on the Electric Car Grant, if she will publish the internal impact assessment produced for the Electric Car Grant criteria.

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

The Government does not plan to publish the internal impact assessment for the Electric Car Grant. Officials continue to monitor the grant and assess its impact.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Interim Settlement: Investment and Management of the Strategic Road Network from April 2025 to March 2026, what the estimated quantity is of life-expired steel barrier that will be replaced with concrete barrier as part of the delivery of 261 kilometres of vehicle restraint systems.

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

For the Interim Settlement period of 2025-2026, National Highways are currently forecasting to deliver 14 kilometres of concrete barrier replacing life-expired steel barrier.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Departures from Standard have been granted to permit the replacement of life-expired steel barrier with further steel barrier in the last two years; and what the kilometre length is of steel barrier covered by those departures.

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

A total of four Departures from Standards have been granted to permit the replacement of life-expired steel barrier with further steel barrier in the last two years, covering a total length of 12.22km.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many kilometres of life-expired steel barrier have been replaced with concrete barrier on the Strategic Road Network in each of the last four years excluding upgrades delivered through the Smart Motorways Programme and the Smart Motorways Alliance; and what her projection is for steel-to-concrete barrier replacement outside the smart motorway programme in 2025–26.

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

Through its renewals programme, National Highways has delivered 52.6 kilometres of concrete barrier over the last four years and are projecting to deliver a further 14 kilometres of concrete barrier in 2025-26. This is excluding upgrades delivered through the Smart Motorways Programme and Smart Motorways Alliance.

A breakdown of National Highways’ delivery over the four-year period:

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what performance indicators her Department uses to assess level-crossing down-time; whether she plans to introduce maximum permitted barrier down-time standards; and if she will publish annual statistics on average barrier down-times at level crossings.

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

My Department does not use performance indicators to assess down-time at level crossings, nor does it plan to publish annual statistics on these. These decisions are the responsibility of Network Rail, which has a statutory duty to ensure the safe management of Britain’s railway infrastructure, and reflect the specific conditions at each level crossing.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 90060 on Railway Network: Environment Protection, whether she plans to make changes to the size of the rail network under Great British Railways.

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

This government will continue to deliver high impact projects and enhancements to the railway that improve connectivity and capacity for passengers and freight to support unlocking economic growth. Schemes such as the Transpennine Route Upgrade, East West Rail and Midlands Rail Hub, which are expected to deliver after Great British Railways (GBR) has been established, will expand the capacity of the network and allow more services to be run. The government expects to work with GBR to continue to consider the appropriate size of rail network and deliver plans to support that.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2025 to Question 88882 on Great British Railways, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of establishing and operating the regulatory oversight functions set out in the Railways Bill, including the Office of Rail and Road’s new statutory consultee role and its expanded appeals and enforcement powers over GBR’s access, contracting and pricing decisions.

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

The Railways Bill gives ORR a statutory power to levy a fee, providing stable and predictable funding to support its independence and effective operation. ORR's own analysis has been reflected in the SR settlement for 2026–27 to 2028–29. Final funding levels will depend on how ORR implements its new role and will remain subject to Spending Review outcomes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 90058 on Railways: Safety, how the ORR’s railway safety enforcement regime will change following the establishment of Great British Railways.

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

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent railway safety regulator for the UK. Its enforcement powers derive from the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and range from giving advice and information through to prosecution in the courts. The creation of Great British Railways (GBR) does not change the legislation that underpins ORRs enforcement powers and therefore its regime will not change following the establishment of GBR.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Venezuelan Government concerning the journalist Carlos Correa.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65220.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to chapter 7 and recommendation 11 of Baroness Casey's independent report entitled National audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, published on 16 June 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of taxi and private hire vehicle drivers operating outside of the local authority in which they are licensed on the level of risk of child sexual exploitation; what steps her Department has taken to tackle taxi and private hire vehicle drivers operating outside of the local authority in which they are licensed; and if she will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent taxi and private hire vehicle drivers from operating predominantly outside of the local authority in which they are licensed.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Department has been actively looking at safeguarding and regulatory reform in relation to taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs). Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse added valuable evidence to this ongoing work.

The English Devolution White Paper, published in December last year, committed to consult on making all Local Transport Authorities, including Strategic Authorities, responsible for taxi and PHV licensing. Administering taxi and PHV licensing over larger areas could increase consistency and efficiency in taxi and PHV licensing across England, reduce out-of-area working and better match licensing revenue and compliance and enforcement burdens. The consultation will be launched soon.

The Government response to Baroness Casey’s National Audit committed to legislate to address the important issues raised, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and PHV driver licensing.

On Tuesday 18 November, the Government tabled an amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to seek a power for the Secretary of State to set in regulations national minimum standards for taxi and PHV licensing. These standards would be subject to consultation and would be primarily focused on passenger safety and accessibility. This would mean that wherever the public live or travel any taxi or PHV service they use would be subject to robust standards. The power was approved by the Commons at Report Stage and the Bill will now move to the Lords.

The Department continues to consider further options for reform, including out-of-area working and enforcement. We need to ensure that taxis and PHVs are able to work in a way that facilitates the journeys passengers want and need to make, in a consistently safe way, whilst achieving the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to Question 88884, how much income has been collected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency by providing vehicle registered keeper details in 2025.

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

The table below shows the income received in the calendar year 2025 and financial year 2025/26.

The £2.50 fee is set to recover the cost of providing the information and ensures that the cost is borne by the requester, not passed on to the taxpayer. In line with Managing Public Money, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency reviews its fees regularly to ensure that fees are set to recover the costs of providing the service.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen supply chain resilience by supporting the use of British natural stone in public building projects.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Government Property Agency Capital projects will use tools such as Whole Life Carbon Assessments (WLCA) to analyse the cost and carbon impact of materials and products used during construction. This would favour local materials that naturally have a lower carbon footprint. The GPA would also factor in maintenance and replacement considerations on the choice and sourcing of material.

The Government Property Agency aims to utilise and support British businesses throughout our supply chain and in line with the principles of the Procurement Act 2023, which aims to support smaller local businesses and embeds social value into our contract delivery model.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of i) timetable planning, ii) signalling and iii) freight pathing margins on barrier down-times at level crossings; and how Network Rail monitors and reports performance experienced by road users at level crossings.

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

Network Rail is responsible for assessing the impact of timetable changes, freight paths and upgrades to signalling on level crossing down-time, as part of its overall management of level crossings on the rail network. These arrangements are kept under review, to ensure crossings remain safe for all users while minimising the impact on communities where practicable.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department holds information on a) the average barrier down-time at each public highway level crossing in England, b) the five crossings with the longest average down-times in the most recent year, and c) the frequency with which barriers remain down for more than ten minutes at any location.

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

The Department does not hold this information.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 92685 on Railways: Reform, whether she will request that the Office for Budget Responsibility or the National Audit Office examine and validate the Department’s estimates of (a) the £200 to £400 million set-up and transitional costs and (b) the projected £110 to £150 million annual savings from bringing rail services into public ownership.

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

We have no current plans for the Office for Budget Responsibility or the National Audit Office to examine or validate these estimates. The Office for Budget Responsibility provides economic and fiscal forecasts and scrutinises government performance against its fiscal rules. It does not examine the financial details of individual Departmental investment projects at a granular level. The National Audit Office published a value for money report on rail reform in 2024.

We are focused on delivering long overdue reforms to the railway promised by the last Government, which will put the interests of passengers and taxpayers at the heart of our railway again.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 92677 on London North Eastern Railway: Fares, how many tickets introduced or sold under the LNER demand-based pricing trial for travel between 1 August and 12 December 2025 were priced higher than the equivalent previously available ticket types, broken down by( a) Semi-Flexible tickets and (b) Standard Advance tickets, for journeys from (i) London, (ii) Newcastle and (iii) Edinburgh.

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

The London North Eastern Railway (LNER) trial is making more flexible options available to passengers and making it easier for passengers who are able to travel at less busy times to benefit from cheaper tickets on less crowded trains.

Through this trial, all tickets except the Flexible (formerly Anytime) ticket are priced according to demand. This means prices vary according to availability. Unlike the old super off-peak ticket, it is possible to purchase the Semi Flex ticket for what were previously peak times when the Anytime ticket was the only ticket available that had flexibility. Therefore, the relative pricing between super off-peak tickets and semi flexible tickets cannot be validly compared.

The vast majority of passengers on routes covered by the trial will find Fixed or Semi-Flexible fares to be the same price or cheaper than the former super off-peak fare, and there are more Fixed fares available than before.

For the specific period referenced, LNER has not published those statistics to date, although the period between 1 August and 12 December has also not yet concluded and therefore sales data is incomplete at this stage.

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 Chiltern Railways’ decision to adopt driver-only operation on the Oxford to Milton Keynes section of East West Rail on the future operating framework for Great British Railways (GBR); and whether GBR plans to implement this on other parts of the network.

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

In line with the Government's priorities for rail reform, the design work for the future of rail services in Britain is focused on improvements for passengers, better value for taxpayers and the key themes of reliability, affordability, efficiency, quality, accessibility and safety. We will continue to engage with the industry on our plans for GBR.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90806 on Railways: Contracts, in what circumstances track access rights would be extended; and what role (a) she and (b) Great British Railways will have in decisions undertaken by the Office of Rail and Road.

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

Further to the answer from 21 November to Question 90806, the government is maintaining its commitment to honour existing rights in Schedule 5 of track access contracts until they expire. As existing contracts expire, operators will move on to new GBR model access contracts. It will be for GBR as the directing mind for the railway to decide whether existing rights represent best use of the network and whether they are extended.

The ORR will be a robust appeals body for GBR’s access decisions, ensuring fairness, and able to impose remedies on GBR to correct a decision that is not consistent with its statutory duties, SoS issued guidance or its own AUP.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to rule out the future (a) leasing and (b) purchase of electric vehicles manufactured by Chinese companies.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the security of defence assets very seriously, and is working with other government departments to understand and mitigate any potential threats to national security from vehicles. Our policies and procedures take account of the potential threats from all types of vehicles, not just electric vehicles or those manufactured in China, and we are working across MOD to ensure risks are appropriately managed in accordance with the needs of different communities. We do not give details of restrictions and controls as to do so could benefit potential adversaries.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many electric vehicles (a) manufactured by Chinese companies and (b) containing Chinese-made critical components are in use across the defence estate.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what enforcement powers are available when local authorities fail to meet minimum animal welfare standards.

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

In cases of local authorities’ failure to meet animal welfare standards, Defra retains the necessary powers and scope to intervene under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87431 on Congenital Abnormalities, what consanguinity data NHS England collects through the Maternity Services Data Set; what assessment he has made of the completeness and reliability of those data; and whether he has reviewed that information in his Department.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Consanguinity can be recorded in the Maternity Services Data Set (MSDS) at any point in the maternity care pathway, by maternity services providers, including a relevant clinical code in the submitted MSDS record for an individual receiving maternity care. NHS England has published guidance for maternity services providers on preferred clinical codes to submit, and in which data tables. Only a small number of National Health Service trusts have recently submitted any of the consanguinity clinical codes to MSDS. An evaluation of the Genetic Risk Equity Project will include an analysis of the quality of the consanguinity data on MSDS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87431 on Congenital Abnormalities, whether he has plans to (a) publish aggregated consanguinity statistics collected through the Maternity Services Data Set, (b) improve the completeness and reliability of those data and (c) integrate consanguinity indicators into wider national population health or genomics datasets; and whether he has reviewed options for doing so in his Department.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has no current plans to publish aggregated consanguinity statistics collected through the Maternity Services Data Set. Through the Genetic Risk Equity project, the National Health Service is seeking to improve the quality of consanguinity data in nine pilot sites. There are no plans to integrate consanguinity indicators into wider national population health or genomics datasets.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 87859 on Hereditary Diseases, if his Department will publish any estimates or research they have of the annual cost to the public purse for the NHS of treating (a) congenital and (b) genetic disorders arising from consanguineous unions.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No, the Department is not planning to publish any estimates or research on the annual cost to the public purse for the National Health Service of treating congenital and genetic disorders arising from consanguineous unions. The Department does not hold this information and has no plans to collect this information.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether vehicle rentals at airports are in scope of the definition of airport operations for the purposes of Government targets to achieve net zero for UK airport operations.

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

The Government is supporting the transition to greener aviation, including work on sustainable aviation fuels, airspace modernisation, and low-emission technologies. We are considering the role an airport operations emissions target could play as part of our broader approach to decarbonising aviation. Vehicle rentals are not typically included in the definition of airport operations; however, this would be subject to the scoping of any potential future target. We will set out next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to prioritise domestic oil and gas production over imports.

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

Our priority is a fair, orderly transition to homegrown clean energy to ensure energy security and protect billpayers.

Further oil and gas exploration and production licences would not meaningfully increase UK production levels, nor would they change the UK’s status as a net importer of oil and gas. The UK benefits from a secure and diverse energy system, drawing on multiple sources to reduce reliance on any single supply.

Our ‘North Sea Future Plan’ sets out how we will implement our manifesto commitments in relation to domestic oil and gas production.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, to publish all assessments his Department has made of the implications for UK energy security of importing approximately 40% of the UK’s energy in the last five years.

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

The Department and Ofgem jointly publish annual statutory security of supply reports, which provide a comprehensive assessment of the availability of secure and affordable electricity, gas and oil to meet the UK’s energy needs. These reports consider the contribution of both domestic production and imports to the UK’s overall energy security. The link to the most recent report is included below.

Statutory security of supply report: 2024 - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is her Department's policy that 50% of journeys in towns and cities should be walked or cycled by 2030.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which ended in March 2025, included an objective that 50% of short journeys in towns and cities should be walked or cycled by 2030.

The consultation on the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy was launched on the 3^rd November and seeks the views of stakeholders on a national vision, statutory objectives and underlying performance indicators. The shape of the final strategy, intended to be published next year, including future targets, will be informed by the responses to the consultation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 85352 on Airports: Business Rates, what the rateable value is for each civil airport in England and Wales.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The VOA published the draft 2026 Rating List valuations on 26 November 2025; the compiled list will come into effect on 1 April 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy vessels are deployed in the Middle East, including the types of vessels deployed, for each of the last ten years for which the latest data is available; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of this presence given regional security threats.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The number of ships that have been deployed to the Middle East region (which includes the Gulf and the Eastern mediterranean) for the past ten years shown in the table below:

The number of deployments to the Middle East region will vary over time for many reasons, such as support for specific operations (for example, delivering humanitarian aid, non-combatant evacuation operations); changes to operating concepts and transiting through the region enroute to another area of operations. I am unable to provide specific detail on the type of vessels deployed to protect the operational security of the fleet.

The Ministry of Defence keeps its force posture in the Middle East under continual review to safeguard the UK’s national security interests and operational requirements. We remain committed to working with our partners across the region.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of recent changes to the UK’s amphibious capability, including a) the decommissioning or reduced availability of amphibious platforms, b) the effect on the UK’s ability to conduct independent or NATO amphibious operations, and c) any change in doctrine arising from these reductions on the UK's military capabilities.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Royal Marines and UK Commando Forces (UKCF) are being transformed through the Littoral Strike/Commando Force programme which is tailored to UK and NATO requirements. The decommissioning of amphibious platforms reflects a planned transition towards a new generation of amphibious capabilities. Our focus is on delivering these new capabilities which are currently being considered through the Defence Investment Plan, and we do not anticipate any impact on the planned operational programme of UKCF during this time. The UK retains the ability to conduct independent operations and our commitment to NATO remains unchanged. Recent adjustments to amphibious capability have not altered the UK's doctrinal commitment to amphibious operations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of readiness of the (a) Army and (b) RAF to respond to a high-intensity conflict, including (i) levels of critical munitions, (ii) levels of personnel and (iii) equipment availability rates.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Armed Forces readiness is directed by the Armed Forces Plan, in which the Chief of the Defence Staff directs his Military Command Chiefs to hold a variety of Force Elements at varying levels of readiness. This readiness in aligned to our NATO Force Model along with our Sovereign defence and our ability to respond to crisis.

Defence continues to focus on ensuring its readiness, including for a high-intensity conflict, in line with the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The SDR is already being implemented, and the Defence Investment Plan will further shape our priorities to ensure we can continue to meet the threats we face.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 19 September 2025, to Question 76656, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her polices of trade unions objections to staff scanning electronic tickets without additional payments.

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

Train operating companies are responsible for managing industrial relations with their workforces and trade unions. The Department engages regularly with all of its contracted train operating companies regarding their approach to industrial disputes, including regarding ticket scanning.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out the (a) frigate and (b) destroyer refit programmes that have been (i) cancelled and (ii) deferred on grounds of cost since July 2024.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy constantly reviews maintenance and refit requirements across the fleet to achieve maximum availability of its platforms for operational tasking.

No Type 45 refit programmes have been cancelled or deferred on the grounds of cost since July 2024.

In November 2024, the Secretary of State for Defence announced that the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland was to be retired due to the structural damage discovered during refit which rendered the vessel uneconomical to repair.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 88357 on Great British Railways, whether she plans for the consultation on the draft policy to be launched during the passage of the Railways Bill in the House of Commons or House of Lords.

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

As per the answer from 17 November 2025 to Question 88357, it is our intention for a consultation on a draft Access and Use Policy to be launched during Bill passage to support implementation of rail reform. No further details are available at this time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 87433 on Hereditary Diseases, for what reasons reporting of parental consanguinity within the National Disease Registration Service congenital conditions dataset remains incomplete; what assessment he has made of the impact of this incomplete reporting on the accuracy and usefulness of prevalence data; and what steps his Department is taking to help tackle this and improve compliance.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Since assuming responsibility for the registration of congenital and rare conditions in 2015, the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) has focused on improving the accuracy of case completeness and strengthening regional coverage to monitor trends in congenital and rare conditions. NDRS is reviewing the data items recommended for reporting of congenital conditions, including which information should be collected through specialist congenital condition registration datasets and which is better captured for all pregnancies through the Maternity Services Data Set. NDRS has not assessed completeness of the consanguinity field at a provider level. NHS England is working to improve the recording of consanguinity. NDRS continues to work closely with reporting trusts, maternity services, and clinical teams to improve the quality and completeness of congenital condition data, supported by a dedicated data liaison function.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 87433 on Hereditary Diseases, which NHS trusts and other data providers are submitting incomplete information on parental consanguinity to the National Disease Registration Service congenital conditions dataset; what the rate of completeness is for each provider; and what action is being taken in respect of providers not meeting required data standards.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Since assuming responsibility for the registration of congenital and rare conditions in 2015, the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) has focused on improving the accuracy of case completeness and strengthening regional coverage to monitor trends in congenital and rare conditions. NDRS is reviewing the data items recommended for reporting of congenital conditions, including which information should be collected through specialist congenital condition registration datasets and which is better captured for all pregnancies through the Maternity Services Data Set. NDRS has not assessed completeness of the consanguinity field at a provider level. NHS England is working to improve the recording of consanguinity. NDRS continues to work closely with reporting trusts, maternity services, and clinical teams to improve the quality and completeness of congenital condition data, supported by a dedicated data liaison function.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out the current operational status of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet, including which (a) frigates and (b) destroyers are (i) ready for deployment, (ii) at sea, (iii) in refit, (iv) in extended maintenance, and (v) expected to be unavailable for operational tasking for more than six months.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

For operational security reasons, the Ministry of Defence does not routinely disclose elements of the Fleet's long-term schedule and readiness profiles. The Ministry of Defence continues to ensure that it has sufficient assets available to deliver our highest priority operational outputs.

Currently the Royal Navy has 53 Surface Ships in service, at varying states of operational availability and readiness. The RFA has 10. It is important to see availability as a constant cycle as ships move through maintenance, training, and deployment and recovery phases, with around 50% of the fleet at high readiness or above at any one time.

The Royal Navy continues to modernise its Fleet through careful management of a surface fleet transition plan to ensure the highest priority outputs are maintained through this decade and the next. We are replacing our Type 23 Frigates with eight of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare ships, the Type 26 Frigates. They will be bolstered by five general purpose Type 31 Frigates, providing opportunity to project power, support NATO operations and influence on the global stage.

More information on Readiness Days can be found here: Committees.parliament.uk/publications/49894/documents/267958/default/

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the current status of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) fleet, including which vessels are (a) in service, (b) operational, (c) laid up and (d) awaiting repair; and if he will set out the expected in-service dates for (i) replacement and (ii) new-build RFA vessels.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

For operational security reasons, the Ministry of Defence does not routinely disclose elements of the Fleet's long-term schedule and readiness profiles. The Ministry of Defence continues to ensure that it has sufficient assets available to deliver our highest priority operational outputs.

Currently the Royal Navy has 53 Surface Ships in service, at varying states of operational availability and readiness. The RFA has 10. It is important to see availability as a constant cycle as ships move through maintenance, training, and deployment and recovery phases, with around 50% of the fleet at high readiness or above at any one time.

The Royal Navy continues to modernise its Fleet through careful management of a surface fleet transition plan to ensure the highest priority outputs are maintained through this decade and the next. We are replacing our Type 23 Frigates with eight of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare ships, the Type 26 Frigates. They will be bolstered by five general purpose Type 31 Frigates, providing opportunity to project power, support NATO operations and influence on the global stage.

More information on Readiness Days can be found here: Committees.parliament.uk/publications/49894/documents/267958/default/

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a timeline for the introduction of (a) future frigate classes, (b) autonomous systems and drones, and (c) AUKUS-related submarine capabilities; and if he will set out which of these will be available before 2030.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Future capability plans for the Royal Navy are being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan. However, the first of the Type 26 and Type 31 frigates are scheduled to be ready for operations by the end of the decade, with further uncrewed and autonomous systems scheduled to be introduced over the next five years. By 2030, AUKUS partners will establish a rotational SSN presence in Australia, embed advanced technologies through Pillar II, and build industrial and workforce capacity.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many submarines have been unable to deploy due to maintenance overruns in each of the last five years; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the potential impact of increased operational tempos on submarine availability.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with the Submarine Delivery Agency and industry partners to minimise maintenance overruns and ensure that submarine availability remains aligned with operations

We are investing in infrastructure, work capacity and improved maintenance processes to mitigate the impact of increased operational tempos on the Fleet.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings her Department have had with Sheffield Hallam University following recent reports of alleged academic intimidation at the university.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department met with the university in October 2024 to understand more about the issues and offer support. Alleged foreign interference can present sensitive issues for institutions to navigate and there remain active enquiries into this matter, so it would not be appropriate to comment further on the specifics. We are clear that any attempt by a foreign state to intimidate or coerce universities will not be tolerated, and the government made this clear to Chinese officials after learning of this case.

The department is working with the regulator to set clearer expectations around international risk management, as well as raising awareness and developing good practice on managing foreign interference risks. This includes a closed event we will be holding with Vice Chancellors to discuss the risks posed by foreign interference and signpost our plans to further increase the sector’s resilience.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether officers of the British Transport Police are permitted to take industrial action.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In line with all other police forces, it is unlawful for British Transport Police (BTP) officers to take strike action, as per Section 280 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (consolidation) Act 1992.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will legislate to require all private tutors working with children to hold enhanced DBS clearance and be subject to formal safeguarding regulation.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to safeguarding children across all education settings, including out-of-school settings, such as private tuition.

All out-of-school settings, including tutors, have a legal duty of care to keep children safe and protect them from harm. To support this, the department has published guidance and free e-learning for providers, outlining the safeguarding standards we expect them to meet. We also offer guidance for parents and carers to help them make informed decisions when choosing providers.

Whilst the department believes most out-of-School Settings offer enriching education in a safe environment, we want this to be true for all. That’s why the government held a Call for Evidence regarding sector safeguarding practices and invited views on approaches for further strengthening safeguarding, including potential regulation. This closed on 21 September and analysis is ongoing. We will respond in due course.

The government has also just laid legislation, due to come into effect in January, which will enable self-employed people, including private tutors, to access enhanced DBS checks.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90404 on the Electric Car Grant, what assessment she has made of the value for money of the Electric Car Grant.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Electric Car Grant makes electric vehicles more affordable by cutting the upfront costs of electric vehicles. In doing so, it accelerates the transition to zero-emission driving and has already helped over 35,000 drivers make the switch.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make a comparative assessment of the carbon intensity of (a) domestically produced oil and gas and (b) imported liquefied natural gas in the last 5 years.

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

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has published annual Emissions Monitoring Reports since 2021. These contain figures for carbon intensity or emissions intensity (relating to carbon dioxide and methane) of domestically produced oil and gas compared to fossil fuels from other sources, including imported Liquefied Natural Gas. The latest report and methodology can be accessed online:

Emissions Monitoring Report 2025

Emissions Monitoring Report 2025 methodology

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the impact of the North Sea oil and gas sector on employment and economic growth; and what steps he is taking to safeguard jobs in the offshore energy sector.

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

Our oil and gas sector significantly contributes towards our economy, and directly employs tens of thousands of highly skilled workers right across the UK.

However, the natural decline of oil and gas in the North Sea has seen more than 70,000 jobs lost in the last decade. On 26 November the Government published its North Sea Future Plan. This sets out how we will protect current jobs in oil and gas, while also securing the next generation of good jobs. This includes a new North Sea Jobs Service to provide end-to-end support for the current workforce to access new opportunities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 34154, if she will launch that review.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The government is considering plans to review the existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing, and licensing in a manner that takes account of both long-standing plans in the Department for Transport and the Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency, and proposals received from the motorcycle sector. More details will be set out in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Energy Profits Levy on investment in North Sea oil and gas projects; and whether her Department has estimated the capital investment generated by reforming that levy before 2026.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has carefully considered the potential impacts of the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), including on investment. The Treasury publishes impacts in summary form for tax measures in tax information and impact notes (TIINs) alongside the Finance Bill. The most recent summary of impacts from the EPL can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-profits-levy-reforms-2024.

The Government is clear that the EPL will end in 2030, or earlier if the EPL’s price floor, the Energy Security Investment Mechanism (ESIM), is triggered. While it remains in place, the EPL is forecast to raise around £8.5 billion between 2025/26 and 2030/31, contributing towards funding vital public services. This is in addition to more than £11 billion in tax revenues already raised through the EPL since its introduction in May 2022.

The Government is committed to providing the oil and gas industry with the long-term certainty it needs on the future fiscal landscape and to support capital investment. At Budget 2025, the Government announced the details of the EPL successor regime, the Oil and Gas Price Mechanism. This new regime is designed to respond to future price shocks once the EPL ends, to create a stable, predictable fiscal environment that ensures companies continue to contribute fairly when oil and gas prices are unusually high while supporting investment in the UK’s oil and gas sector.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help prepare the maritime sector for the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

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

We are working closely with the sector as part of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Authority to ensure that maritime operators will be sufficiently prepared to join UK ETS from July next year.

Regulators are running a voluntary onboarding period from next month which will help the sector engage with the ETS ahead of July and give them extra time to become familiar with how it works.

Additionally, the Authority will allow for ‘double-surrender’ for maritime operators for the first two scheme years, giving maritime operators extra time to familiarise themselves with UK ETS, and the digital systems.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency plans her Department has for mitigating the impact on the planned 2030 phase-out of new petrol and diesel cars and vans if the delivery of 300,000 operational public electric vehicle charge points by that date is not achieved.

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

The National Audit Office’s report last year outlined that the number of public chargepoints being installed is on track to meet 300,000 chargepoints by 2030. The majority of these will be delivered by industry, which has already committed £6 billion of private sector investment in UK charging infrastructure before 2030.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of whether it is possible to carbon offset all flights; and what are the commercial or other mechanisms for doing so.

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

The Government is supportive of the role of carbon markets in driving cost-effective decarbonisation of the aviation sector, including through the global carbon offsetting scheme, CORSIA, and aviation’s inclusion in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS). Such measures complement other Government action to achieve net zero aviation by 2050, including on Sustainable Aviation Fuel and airspace modernisation.

Airlines may also choose to offset their emissions voluntarily or offer this to customers. The Government supports businesses engaging with voluntary carbon markets in a way that complements deep emissions cuts, using high-integrity credits to finance additional climate action where immediate abatement is not possible.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to collect data on the number of stray dogs taken in by local authorities in the last year that were (a) reclaimed by their owner, (b) rehomed, and (c) euthanised.

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

The Department does not collect this data.

The obligations for dealing with stray dogs are laid down in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The responsibility for implementing these obligations lies with each local authority.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90824 on Great British Railways: Disclosure of Information, whether the data published by the Office of Rail and Road will include annual figures on passenger complaints and the number of those complaints resolved.

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

The Office of Rail and Road currently publishes the number of complaints closed by train operators on a bi-annual basis. There is no distinction between the number of complaints received and the number resolved.

Train operators are obliged to provide certain information to the ORR as part of their current licence agreements. In the future, the Passenger Watchdog will set the consumer standards in the licences, including standards on complaint handling and reporting. While the detail of what data operators must share after GBR is established is to be decided, we do not expect any reduction in the level of transparency of complaints data.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the consultation outcome entitled Lowering the minimum age requirement for train drivers from 20 to 18 – outcome, updated on 7 May 2025, when she plans to respond to the coordinated implementation plan submitted by the industry.

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

The Department intends to make an announcement shortly.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how her Department will measure the impact of the Railways Bill on private sector innovation in the rail industry; and what baseline data has been established to assess the impact of that Bill on levels of innovation.

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

Establishing GBR through the Railways Bill will provide an integrated approach and greater longer-term certainty for rail, giving the private sector the confidence it needs to invest and support innovation throughout the sector. The Railways Bill Impact Assessment provides an assessment of the potential impacts of the rail reform policies within the Railways Bill, including the impacts on Business Environment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what analysis she has undertaken of the impact of the Railways Bill on private sector investment and innovation within the rail industry; and if she will publish that analysis.

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

Establishing GBR through the Railways Bill will provide an integrated approach and greater longer-term certainty for rail, giving the private sector the confidence it needs to invest and support innovation throughout the sector. The Railways Bill Impact Assessment provides an assessment of the potential impacts of the rail reform policies within the Railways Bill, including the impacts on Business Environment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support ports wishing to offer onshore power supply connections to cruise line customers.

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

On 25 March, the Government published the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports. This call for evidence focused on potential options to reduce emissions from vessels at berth and how ports are managing their future energy demand, including the provision of shore power to customers such as cruise operators. We are considering the responses to the call for evidence and will set out next steps in due course.

In September, we announced an additional £448m of Research and Development investment for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme. Through previous rounds of UK SHORE funding, we have already funded shore power projects, including nearly £20m for a shore power installation at Portsmouth International Port, which will soon allow visiting cruise ships to connect. Future rounds of funding will continue to support clean maritime solutions.

Given the importance of securing grid connections to providing shore power, the Government is working closely with Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator on fundamental reforms to the connections process, which will reduce the connections queue and prioritise progressing viable projects.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on prioritising access to the national grid for port electrification, including in relation to onshore power supply for ferries and cruise ships.

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

Reforming the connections process and investing in the grid is a key Government priority. This includes reforms that are expected to deprioritise over half of the existing queue based on readiness and strategic alignment with our strategy as set out in Clean Power 2030.

Department for Transport Ministers and officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. These include discussions on the significance of getting sufficient grid capacity to electrify ports, for cruise and ferries to use shore power and policy options to accelerate connection dates for strategic demand customers, such as critical port sites. This is informed by the Department for Transport call for evidence on Net Zero Ports, published in March 2025, which posed questions on managing future energy demand at ports.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 89631 on Driving under Influence: Testing, if she will publish all assessment her Department has made of the impact of the absence of any data on drug testing on road safety policy and enforcement.

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

The Home Office does not collect data on tests conducted by police for drug driving.

The Department for Transport is developing a Road Safety Strategy, the first in a decade and intends to publish by the end of the year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 89631 on Driving under Influence: Testing, whether her Department will begin collecting and publishing data on tests conducted by police for drug driving.

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

The Home Office does not collect data on tests conducted by police for drug driving.

The Department for Transport is developing a Road Safety Strategy, the first in a decade and intends to publish by the end of the year.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of remote monitoring equipment used to detect landslips on the rail network; and what steps she is taking to improve detection rates.

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

Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager of Britain’s railways, is responsible for maintaining the integrity and safety of the rail network to ensure passenger and freight services can operate reliably.

Following the tragic derailment at Carmont in August 2020, Network Rail commissioned two task forces looking at earthworks management and extreme weather response. In response to these, Network Rail have taken forward a number of actions including commissioning an active nationwide monitoring regime using remote sensors, modelling and geotechnical assessments to monitor slope stability across the network.

In its 24/25 Annual Assessment, the independent safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, indicated that Network Rail is making good progress in its delivery of weather resilience and climate adaptation plans.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of future increases in business rates on the financial sustainability of regional airports and the level of regional air connectivity they are able to provide.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to enabling investment so that airports can play their full role in the growth mission.

Properties seeing large bill increases as a result of the business rates revaluation - including airports - will benefit from a redesigned transitional relief scheme worth £3.2 billion over the next 3 years. Compared to the 2023 transitional relief scheme, the redesigned scheme will provide more generous support for large properties.

The Government has also published a Call for Evidence exploring concerns that airports and a small number of other ratepayers have raised around the ‘Receipts & Expenditure’ valuation methodology and its impacts on long-term, high value investments. Through this call for evidence, we will seek to address issues raised ahead of the 2029 revaluation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual cost to the public purse is of tax reliefs provided through the Cycle to Work scheme.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Non-structural tax reliefs - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of vehicles used by Government departments are electric; and what recent progress she has made in increasing the use of electric vehicles within the Government fleet.

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

The Government publishes data on its progress in decarbonising the central Government fleet, as part of wider reporting on the Greening Government Commitments. The most recent published data can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-government-commitments-april-2021-to-march-2024-report/greening-government-commitments-april-2021-to-march-2024-report.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2025 to Question 88878 on Train Operating Companies: Contracts, what is a GBR model access contract what its key terms and conditions are, and how it differs from existing rail track access agreements.

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

As part of GBR’s new role in determining access to its network, GBR will develop and issue Model Contracts. This will set the rights and obligations between an operator and GBR for the use of GBR's network. The provisions of the model contracts must be consistent with requirements in legislation and GBR’s AUP.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2025 to question 92688, what progress he has made on reducing regulation by 25% by 2029.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is working within the framework set out in the ‘New Approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth’ (also known as the Regulators Action Plan – RAP) to identify potential administrative burden reductions. As part of the RAP, HSE committed to look at three areas: Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR); Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR) and Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) and reforms to aspects of chemicals regulation for which HSE holds the policy lead. These three areas are in the process of consultation and/or call for evidence. The analysis of the responses will be used to inform the next steps in supporting the 25% administrative burden reduction target.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2025 to Question 77640 on Road Traffic Control: Oxford, whether the DVLA has received requests for access to vehicle registration data from (a) Oxfordshire County Council and (b) Oxford City Council in financial year 2024 to 2025 for the purposes of (i) congestion charging, (ii) traffic filters, (iii) zero-emission zone enforcement and (iv) moving traffic offences; and what the statutory authority is for each of those requests.

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

In 2024/2025 financial year, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) received requests for registered keeper information from a third-party service provider on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council in relation to zero-emissions zones and moving traffic offences. It is not possible to say if requests specifically relating to traffic filters have been received as they would be included in the category of moving traffic offences. The Oxford congestion charge came into effect in October 2025. Oxford City Council requested information, also through a third-party service provider, for off-street parking management only.

Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 allows the DVLA to make information about UK vehicles and their registered keepers available for use by a local authority for any purpose connected with the investigation of an offence. The same regulation also allows the DVLA to make information available to a local authority in England and Wales when it is acting as an enforcement authority within the meaning of Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. These provisions apply to Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is the estimated net cost to the public purse of freezing certain regulated rail fares in March 2026 for this and the subsequent five financial years.

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

The estimated net cost to the public purse of freezing certain regulated rail fares in March 2026 is set out in the table below. This is putting money back in the pockets of hardworking people when they need it most. With savings set to be available on over a billion journeys, the freeze will also make rail more affordable, encouraging more people to use the railway.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she expects unregulated rail fares to move in line with regulated rail fares this year and over the next five years.

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

Changes to unregulated fares have typically followed a similar trend to regulated fares in recent years – so we expect the majority of passengers to benefit from savings.

We are also continuing to reform the complex fares system that we know creates significant confusion and does not work for passengers, including through introducing more tap in, tap out pay as you go across the country, and delivering long-distance fares reforms, such as through the trial with London North Eastern Railway (LNER).

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 92692 on South Western Railway: Rolling Stock, if she will provide the link to the renewed rolling stock leasing contract as published on the Government’s Find a Tender website.

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

The Contract Award notices for the leases entered into can be found here:

Direct award of a Lease for Class 701 rolling stock - Find a Tender

Direct award of a Lease for Class 444/450 rolling stock - Find a Tender

Direct award of a Lease for Class 158/159 rolling stock - Find a Tender

Direct award of a Lease for Class 455 rolling stock - Find a Tender

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 91465 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will provide the hyperlink to the electric vehicle charging infrastructure statistics listing the number of public charging devices at local authority level.

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

The Department’s latest published statistics on the number of public charging devices at local authority level are available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6900f9b584b816d72cb9aab6/electric-vehicle-public-charging-infrastructure-statistics-october-2025.ods.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 November 2025 to Question 93956 on Driving Tests, what is the estimated total cost of the Ministry of Defence charges to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency for the use of 36 defence driving examiners for one day per week over a 12-month period.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

In response to a Military Aid to the Civil Authorities request from the Department for Transport, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has agreed to provide 36 defence driving examiners (DDE) to conduct driving tests for one day a week for 12 months. This support will seek to reduce current civilian driving test wait times.

Actual costs will be calculated and charged following the completion of this support, the estimated cost is approximately £100,000. The MOD has agreed to charge marginal costs, rather than full costs, in line with HM Treasury guidelines as set out in JDP 02 UK Operations: the Defence Contribution to Resilience.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer of 21 July 2025 to Question HL9428, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of unfunded freight schemes on her Department's (a) rail freight growth and (b) modal shift targets.

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

The Government recognises that the economic and environmental potential of rail freight is significant and is committed to delivering growth and supporting modal shift to lower-carbon modes of freight transport. We have committed to the rail freight growth target of a 75% increase in freight moved by rail by 2050.

The recently laid Railways Bill sets out that the Secretary of State will provide GBR with growth targets for rail freight. As was the case during the development of the 2050 target, we will make informed forecasts about the future capability and capacity of the network when developing any further rail freight growth targets.

Network Rail has a regulated target of a 7.5% increase in rail freight by the end of Control Period 7 (March 2029). In the first year of reporting rail freight grew by 5%, which is significantly ahead of the 1.5% annual growth forecast.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2025 to WPQ 89594, what the difference will be between the Operator of First Choice and the previous Operator of Last Resort in the Framework Document.

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

The Framework Document is being reviewed and updated following the change of role from the DfT Operator of Last Resort to the Operator of First Choice and the transfer of circa 200 DfT staff to DFTO on 31 March 2026 which moves more operational functions into DFTO. The new Framework Document will be published on gov.uk.