Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made towards commencing section 19 of the Road Safety Act 2006; what timetable she has set for introducing mandated driving instruction standards for emergency service drivers; and what recent engagement her Department has had with police, fire and ambulance services on the implementation of these measures.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department is currently developing the package of measures required to implement S19 of the Road Safety Act 2006. This will include mandated driving instruction standards. Police, Fire and Rescue, and NHS Ambulance services are fully engaged at both chief officer level, and with their respective Driver Training Advisory Groups, which have provided expert input into the drafting of the minimum training standards. Further announcements will be made in due course.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information their Department holds on (a) the proportion of tyres procured that were re-tread tyres for (i) Department-operated and (ii) commercially contracted heavy vehicle fleets, including lorries, buses and refuse vehicles and (b) the volume of tyres procured for those fleets that were single-use imported tyres in the last 12 months; and whether such information is held centrally or by individual contractors.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is for bidders to submit compliant solutions to meet requirements. In accordance with the safety cases in place for our vehicles, the tyres in use are those approved by the design authority or original equipment manufacturer, which enables us to meet our obligations to ensure that the appropriate measures and controls are in place to make sure that our vehicles are safe to operate.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will list all visits undertaken outside the UK by i.) ministers ii.) officials from her Department or it's arms length bodies, since 4 July 2024; and, for each such visit, to state (a) the number of i.) ministers ii.) officials in attendance at each visit and their grade, and (b) the total cost of the visit.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information on overseas travel by Ministers is published quarterly and can be accessed by using the following link:
DfT: ministerial travel and meetings - GOV.UK
Information on expenses including for overseas travel by the DfT's senior officials is also published quarterly and can also be found using the following link:
DfT: senior officials’ business expenses, hospitality and meetings - GOV.UK
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an estimate of the level of import of single-life budget tyres for 2026.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. However, due to the commodity codes used to identify goods being imported or exported, we are not able to distinguish between single-life budget tyres, and other kinds of tyres.
Tyres are classified to several commodity codes within Heading 4011 of the UK Tariff. It is not possible to identify single-life budget tyres within any of the commodity codes found within Heading 4011.
HMRC releases imports and exports information monthly, as an Accredited Official Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com) .
If you need help or support in constructing a table from the data on uktradeinfo, please contact uktradeinfo@hmrc.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 the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 105752, what estimate her Department has made of the number of job losses expected as a result of workforce reform associated with the corporate initiatives underpinning the projected efficiency savings by 2028–29.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has set out its forecasted efficiencies in the Departmental Efficiency Plan as well as making a further commitment to reduce our administration budget in line with the government’s overall aim to reduce administration costs by 15% by the end of the decade. This will likely mean that the core department will have to become smaller, more skilled, agile, and productive. This work is in the early stages, however we expect that natural attrition will play a significant part and there are no planned compulsory redundancies.
Furthermore, the Department has not made plans for any compulsory redundancies in the train operating companies (TOCs). The Spending Review settlement included an allowance for a small number of potential voluntary exits in the TOC workforce, and these are still being considered.
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 29 January 2026 to Question 107278, what items of hospitality were provided at that reception; and if she will publish the relevant food and drink invoices and procurement contracts.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The items of hospitality provided at the Department for Transport Operator Group’s (DFTO) parliamentary reception on 19 January 2026 were: canapés, tea and coffee, bottled water, and various soft drinks totalling £1,646.99. As this was below the contractual minimum catering spend of £2,365, an additional charge of £718.01 was applied. Room hire, a service charge, a facility fee, and an AV package made up the remainder of the cost published in the Answer to Question 107278.
Relevant documents including invoices and the procurement contract will be published in due course, as set out in Cabinet Office guidance for electronic invoicing and payments under the Procurement Act 2023.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 105895 on National Highways and Network Rail: Finance, what estimate he has made of the net efficiency savings attributable to Network Rail after accounting for the up-front and ongoing costs of the technology and systems investments cited.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The technology and systems investments cited contribute to Network Rail’s £3.9 billion Control Period 7 efficiency target but their costs are not directly comparable, given that the investments confer benefits beyond financial efficiency as well as contributing to Network Rail’s overall delivery of its settlement.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department expects to complete the (a) Manchester Route and Stations, (b) Platforming Scenarios, (c) East of Manchester Connection Scenario Study and (d) Manchester Piccadilly Integrated Study documents; and whether the Department plans to place the documents in the Library.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail has been announced as a three-phase programme, with a £45bn (2025 prices) funding cap. The second phase will deliver a new route between Liverpool and Manchester, via Warrington and Manchester Airport.
The Department continues to consider developments to the route which would improve passenger and operational experience. If these are taken forward, a detailed update will be provided as part of seeking necessary consents.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data her Department holds on the volumes of imported single-life budget tyres for heavy goods vehicles, including buses and lorries, for a) 2023 b) 2024, and c) the period between 1 January 2025 and 1 August 2025.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK.
Heavy goods vehicle tyres for buses or lorries are classified under commodity code 401120. 401190 would be used for other tyres in this subheading for example motor cars, agricultural and forestry vehicles. However, we are not able to distinguish between single-life budget tyres, and other kinds of tyres within these commodity codes.
HMRC releases imports and exports information monthly, as an Accredited Official Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com).
If you need help or support in constructing a table from the data on uktradeinfo, please contact uktradeinfo@hmrc.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 the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 92911 on Driving under the Influence: Drugs, whether the figures for 2024-25 are the budgeted figures after the July 2024 reductions in communications spending.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The figures previously given for the total budgeted spend on publicity for drug driving in 2024-25 reflect the July 2024 reductions in communications spending across government departments.