Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide an update on reintroducing a direct train service between Kent and Gatwick Airport.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Train operators and Network Rail are required to work together to plan services that meet current and future demand while delivering value for money. While we recognise the benefits of a direct service, there are significant financial and operational challenges, particularly on the busy Brighton Main Line. A feasibility study is underway, and I understand that Network Rail has committed to meeting with you ahead of publication of the findings, which will help clarify the options and inform any next steps.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department scrutinises South East Water’s performance in providing alternative water to vulnerable customers following the loss of water supply.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) regulate water company performance against the Security and Emergency Measures Direction (SEMD), including its requirement for companies to identify and prioritise vulnerable customers.
The DWI’s assessment into the supply failures experienced by South East Water customers in the Tunbridge Wells area provides a recent illustration of how DWI scrutinise company performance against SEMD requirements.
The DWI have a range of enforcement options for non-compliance. These include the ability to serve companies with enforcement orders under section 18 of the Water Industry Act. DWI enforcement against South East Water for the multiple failings experienced in late 2025 and early 2026 should lead to improved resilience measures in the longer term, but the scale of the changes required will take time to implement. In the meantime, the Government expects SEW to take urgent action to improve the robustness of its contingency plans to meet SEMD obligations.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what targets the Department gives water suppliers for the delivery of alternative water to vulnerable residents following the loss of water supply.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Security and Emergency Measures Direction (SEMD 2022) requires water companies to make, keep under review, test and revise plans to ensure the continuation of their water supply functions, and ensure they have the necessary capability, capacity and facilities to implement their plans. In the event of an unavoidable failure of normal (piped) supply, companies must ensure that a minimum supply of safe drinking water is provided by alternative means, with a specific requirement to identify and prioritise its vulnerable customers.
Companies must make available 10 litres of alternative water per day to all customers who are off supply within 24 hours of an incident starting, and maintain this supply until the piped supply is restored. Defra expects water companies to follow Ofwat guidance on supporting vulnerable customers during incidents. Their plans should take into account the higher-than-average quantities of water needed by some vulnerable customers, in particular those with specific medical needs, as well as being able to promptly identify and support to vulnerable customers, including transient vulnerabilities and customers that are not on a Priority Services Register (PSR).
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to set out a timetable and a strategy for expanding the number of National Landscapes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England (NE) is the organisation which has powers to designate National Landscapes (formerly Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, AONBs).
NE is working on proposals to extend the boundary of the Surrey Hills National Landscape, and to create a new National Landscape in the Yorkshire Wolds. The package of evidence for each designation project is expected to be submitted to the Secretary of State (SoS) in Summer 2026. The SoS will then make a decision for each project.
There is no formal application process for National Landscape designation and NE takes an evidence-led approach, guided by government policy steers. Beyond the present projects, Defra is prioritising support for our existing Protected Landscapes.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings of the Water Delivery Taskforce have been held to discuss South East Water's performance since 13 November 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra and the regulators have met regularly with South East Water since 13 November 2025 to discuss company performance. The Water Delivery Taskforce met with South East Water on 21 April 2026.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what target figure for asylum dispersal has been given for a) Tonbridge and Malling borough, and b) Sevenoaks district.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Accommodation Plans are the mechanism via which the Home Office works towards achieving Full Dispersal and thus, a fair and balanced distribution of asylum accommodation across all local authorities nationally.
The Asylum Accommodation Plans are underpinned by an indexing model which accounts for a multitude of pressures within local authorities, including – availability of housing, levels of homelessness, availability of GP and dentists as well as levels of community cohesion. Development of the plans was informed by engagement with a range of national, regional and local stakeholders, to ensure that the evidence base was reflective of broader local authority feedback.
For the safety and security of those we accommodate and staff, it is our longstanding policy not to disclose information about sites which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office.
The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area, including those in dispersal properties. These statistics can be found at Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many properties a) her department, and b) Clearsprings Ready Homes Ltd have acquired in i) Tonbridge and Malling borough, and ii) Sevenoaks district, since the 2024 General Election.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Accommodation Plans are the mechanism via which the Home Office works towards achieving Full Dispersal and thus, a fair and balanced distribution of asylum accommodation across all local authorities nationally.
The Asylum Accommodation Plans are underpinned by an indexing model which accounts for a multitude of pressures within local authorities, including – availability of housing, levels of homelessness, availability of GP and dentists as well as levels of community cohesion. Development of the plans was informed by engagement with a range of national, regional and local stakeholders, to ensure that the evidence base was reflective of broader local authority feedback.
For the safety and security of those we accommodate and staff, it is our longstanding policy not to disclose information about sites which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office.
The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area, including those in dispersal properties. These statistics can be found at Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many properties are being used for asylum dispersal in a) Tonbridge and Malling borough and b) Sevenoaks district.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Accommodation Plans are the mechanism via which the Home Office works towards achieving Full Dispersal and thus, a fair and balanced distribution of asylum accommodation across all local authorities nationally.
The Asylum Accommodation Plans are underpinned by an indexing model which accounts for a multitude of pressures within local authorities, including – availability of housing, levels of homelessness, availability of GP and dentists as well as levels of community cohesion. Development of the plans was informed by engagement with a range of national, regional and local stakeholders, to ensure that the evidence base was reflective of broader local authority feedback.
For the safety and security of those we accommodate and staff, it is our longstanding policy not to disclose information about sites which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office.
The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area, including those in dispersal properties. These statistics can be found at Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the impact of the draft National Planning Policy Framework for rail capacity on a) the Southeastern mainline, b) the Maidstone East line, c) the Uckfield line, and d) the Chatham mainline.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, set out a number of proposals to support development in sustainable locations, including a “default yes” for suitable proposals that develop land around rail stations within existing settlements, and around ‘well-connected’ train stations outside settlements, including on Green Belt land.
We have considered how the proposed draft policies could affect existing rail capacity and we will continue to work closely with the Department of Transport and with rail operators, including Network Rail, to address any issues should they arise.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what investment her Department has planned to enable 12 carriage trains on the Maidstone East line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Southeastern (SET) have plans to improve services, increase capacity and reduce crowding to/from Maidstone East from May 2026. These include the reintroduction of Mainline services to London Blackfriars at peak times from Maidstone East; additional services between Charing Cross and Maidstone East on weekdays; and more off-peak services between London Victoria and Ashford International via Maidstone East.
SET are also exploring further options for the December 2026 timetable.
SET are always exploring the possibility of providing extra capacity where needed. This is not always feasible due to a variety of reasons, including platform lengths, rolling stock availability and funding considerations.