Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the full enforcement of Electronic Travel Authorisation checks on travel disruption for British dual nationals; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure airlines, travel agents and affected British citizens are informed of the requirement to travel with a valid British (a) passport and (b) certificate of entitlement.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
UK nationals are not eligible for an ETA. Under UK immigration legislation, the requirement to obtain an ETA cannot be applied to British citizens (including those with dual nationality). A dual British citizen may only evidence their right of abode in the UK, at the UK border, with a valid British passport or other passport endorsed with a certificate of entitlement (CoE) to the right of abode. The Government has worked extensively with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that this is communicated effectively to carriers, the wider travel sector, and British citizens in ETA-eligible countries. We recognise that this is a significant change for millions of travellers, and that is why we have allowed ample time between ETAs first being introduced in 2023 and the move to enforcement.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 101474, whether (a) his Department and (b) its arm's length-bodies have adopted any environmental targets.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101474 answered on 12 January 2026.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the next meeting of the Hammersmith Bridge taskforce is expected to take place.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government intends to convene a further meeting of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce in the near future to discuss next steps for the project. My Department’s officials will be in touch with key local stakeholders to arrange this in due course.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) British Board of Agrément and (b) HAPAS-approved (i) self-adhesive surfacing membranes and (ii) other patch repair products on the long-term cost and failure rate of pothole repairs carried out by local highway authorities; and whether she plans to issue any guidance to local authorities and their contractors on (A) trialling and (B) adopting such measures.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government welcomes innovations that can help local highway authorities maintain their roads more effectively and efficiently. The Department encourages and supports innovation in road surface repairs in various ways.
For example, it has started the task of updating the Code of Practice for Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure, which will include new advice on matters such as surface treatments.
The Department is also providing £30 million to the ADEPT ‘Live Labs’ research programme, enabling local authority-led consortia to trial innovative low-carbon ways of looking after their networks. One of the projects within the Live Labs programme is enabling novel resurfacing materials to be tested and evaluated through the Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads, led by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his Department's spend was on sustainability and Net Zero-related estate activity managed via the Government Property Agency in 2024–25 , including a) energy efficiency measures, b) climate adaptation work and c) reporting and monitoring systems.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The department has not incurred any expenditure on energy efficiency measures, climate adaptation work and reporting and monitoring systems associated with estate activity managed via the Government Property Agency in 2024–25.
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 NHS Trusts terminating contracts for driving mobility assessment services, where Department for Transport grant funding does not cover the full cost of delivery, on disabled people and people with medical conditions who cannot access driving mobility assessment services when contracts are terminated; and what steps she is taking to ensure continuity of provision where such contracts end.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We take this issue very seriously and the department is committed to supporting everyone to travel safely. The Department for Transport provides grant funding to mobility centres that have been accredited by Driving Mobility in England. Where a mobility centre is closed by its provider, including where this is the NHS, we work with the wider mobility centres network and Driving Mobility to help maintain geographical coverage. Our priority remains safeguarding patient safety and continuity of assessments.
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 13 January 2026 to Question 99932, whether the estimates referred to in that Answer are held in a form that allows net Government support per passenger journey to be calculated, and whether she will publish those estimates and the underlying calculations.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on (a) purchasing and (b) installing soundproof meeting pods for its headquarters in London since 17 October 2024; and how much of this relates to meeting pods for the Ministerial private office.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No further funds have been spent on purchasing or installing soundproof meeting pods beyond that detailed in the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71266.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what internal data Network Rail collects on level crossings, including a) barrier activation and down-time duration, b) complaints or reports from road users relating to barrier down-time, and c) overruns caused by incidents, failures, or timetable disruption; and whether any such data is shared routinely with her Department.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 January 2026 to Question 98750, when the A12 widening scheme was deferred by the previous Government; on what date that decision was taken; what effect that decision had on the statutory Development Consent Order timetable; and what the evidential basis is for that statement.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.