Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the extension of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime on defence manufacturing businesses on the Isle of Wight.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK Emissions Trading Scheme expanded to include maritime emissions earlier this year.
The Scheme applies to ship owners and operators, who are responsible for monitoring and reporting emissions from in-scope activities and surrendering allowances.
This expansion does not place obligations on manufacturing businesses, including those in the defence sector.
An Impact Assessment was published on 25 November 2025.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the European Commission's proposal to extend the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on the competitiveness of UK airlines and airports.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are monitoring developments regarding the EU ETS with interest, particularly given the context of ongoing negotiations to link the UK ETS and EU ETS. These are initial proposals and subject to consideration and potential amendment by the Council and the European Parliament before any final agreement is reached. We continue to assess the implications of these proposals for the UK, and remain committed to supporting a thriving and competitive aviation sector whilst emissions are reduced.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he had with the Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting; and whether he raised the case of Jimmy Lai.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Jimmy Lai's case continues to be a priority for this government. The Foreign Secretary discussed a range of bilateral and international issues with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 23 July, including Mr Lai's ongoing imprisonment. Direct engagement matters because it allows us to raise issues of the utmost importance to the UK and push for progress.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July to Question 18171 on Furnaces: Port Talbot, whether his Department had discussions with Tata on the country of origin of the electric arc furnace.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department engages regularly with Tata Steel on matters relating to the Port Talbot transition project to electric arc furnace steelmaking. Procurement decisions, including decisions on the sourcing and manufacture of equipment, are commercial matters for Tata Steel.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent through the Access to Work scheme on (a) taxi journeys and (b) other private hire vehicle journeys in each of the last three years; and, for those journeys, what the total value was of (i) contributions made by Access to Work and (ii) personal contributions made by recipients.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Although the Department holds information on the specific types of support funded through Access to Work, this data is recorded as descriptive free-text information and extracting it would require manual review of individual records, incurring disproportionate cost.
Statistics on Access to Work expenditure by readily available element and support worker categories are published annually in Table EXP02 of the Access to Work official statistics: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with the Office of Rail and Road on Lumo’s application for a new direct rail service between Rochdale and London Euston.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under existing legislation, decisions on applications for track access rights are a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). This includes Lumo's application to operate direct services between Rochdale and London Euston.
The Secretary of State is unable to direct the ORR in the exercise of its statutory functions. As part of its regular engagement with the rail industry, the Department has discussions with the ORR on a range of relevant rail matters. However, responsibility for determining individual track access applications rests solely with the ORR.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) capital funding and (b) maintenance funding Active Travel England has allocated to each local authority since its establishment.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The breakdown of information by Local Authority is published on gov.uk under Active Travel Fund (ATF), Consolidated Active Travel Fund (CATF), and devolved consolidated and integrated funding allocations for the Spending Review 2025 period, available at the following links:
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of physical measures to prevent pedestrians from accessing the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at the Dartford Crossing; and whether National Highways has plans to install additional barriers, fencing or other access control measures.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Recognising the profound impact suicide has on individuals, families and communities, National Highways is committed to strengthening its role in suicide prevention. National Highways’ approach focuses on identifying locations of concern, implementing appropriate interventions where possible and working collaboratively with partners to help save lives. The Dartford Crossing has physical measures in place against unauthorised access and is closely monitored by CCTV. From the start of 2021 to 31 August 2026, the Operator has recorded 49 incidents of pedestrians accessing the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. National Highways has been reviewing the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge for suicide prevention, including engagement with experts and stakeholders, and is working to identify further safety interventions for consideration. National Highways makes decisions regarding barriers and other physical interventions on a case-by-case basis, guided by established design standards and a risk-based approach.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2026 to Question 13566 on Transport: Planning Permission, if she will publish a list of legislative and statutory requirements that apply to the planning and construction of roads.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government does not maintain, and does not plan to publish, a single consolidated list of all legislative and statutory requirements that apply to the planning and construction of roads.
Doing so would be disproportionate and would duplicate information already available through legislation.gov.uk.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to WPQ 18160, how many of the driving tests for D1 licenses that were conducted in each year were for people a.) 24 and under b.) 25 and over, when taking the test.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The table below shows the number of conducted D1 driving tests by customers aged 24 and under, and 25 and over. This data is also split by tests conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and by delegated examiners.
| DVSA | Delegated | ||||
| 24 & Under | 25 & Over | Total | 24 & Under | 25 & Over | Total |
2013 | 406 | 2897 | 3303 | 52 | 607 | 659 |
2014 | 355 | 2598 | 2953 | 52 | 812 | 864 |
2015 | 334 | 2674 | 3008 | 64 | 810 | 874 |
2016 | 354 | 2892 | 3246 | 49 | 743 | 792 |
2017 | 297 | 2721 | 3018 | 50 | 574 | 624 |
2018 | 275 | 2620 | 2895 | 62 | 699 | 761 |
2019 | 308 | 2602 | 2910 | 61 | 1053 | 1114 |
2020 | 101 | 1030 | 1131 | 35 | 650 | 685 |
2021 | 111 | 1105 | 1216 | 40 | 693 | 733 |
2022 | 137 | 1804 | 1941 | 60 | 839 | 899 |
2023 | 147 | 2342 | 2489 | 68 | 920 | 988 |
2024 | 143 | 2076 | 2219 | 70 | 905 | 975 |
2025 | 150 | 2034 | 2184 | 90 | 792 | 882 |
Please note that this data does not include tests for non-GB licence holders for whom their age is not known. This means there may be slight variations between the totals in the above table and the total number of tests provided in Answer 18160.
By way of context, the lower number of D1 tests conducted for candidates aged 24 and under is considered to reflect the level of demand from that age group. In addition, D1 is a vocational entitlement, and the minimum age is generally 21.