Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of East Midlands Railways trains from a) Sheffield to London and b) London to Sheffield have been i) on time, ii) less than fifteen minutes late, iii) 15-30 minutes late, iv) 30-59 minutes late, v) over 59 minutes late and vi) cancelled in each year between 2022 and 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The tables below show the proportion of East Midlands Railway’s (EMR) trains from:
a) Sheffield to London trains that were i) on time, ii) less than fifteen minutes late, iii) 15-30 minutes late, iv) 30-59 minutes late, v) over 59 minutes late and vi) cancelled in each year between 2022 and 2026; and
b) London to Sheffield have been i) on time, ii) less than fifteen minutes late, iii) 15-30 minutes late, iv) 30-59 minutes late, v) over 59 minutes late and vi) cancelled in each year between 2022 and 2026.
(2026 has not been included as we do not have the comparable full year data)
From Sheffield
Year | On Time | <15 Late | 15-30 | 30-59 | >59 | Cancelled |
2022 | 40.4% | 90.8% | 7.4% | 1.4% | 0.4% | 2.5% |
2023 | 43.2% | 90.2% | 8.4% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 2.9% |
2024 | 38.1% | 88.5% | 9.3% | 1.8% | 0.3% | 2.6% |
2025 | 39.9% | 88.1% | 9.8% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 2.9% |
From London
Year | On Time | <15 Late | 15-30 | 30-59 | >59 | Cancelled |
2022 | 31.0% | 89.7% | 8.4% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 2.4% |
2023 | 29.1% | 88.7% | 9.9% | 1.3% | 0.1% | 2.6% |
2024 | 25.2% | 87.6% | 10.4% | 1.7% | 0.2% | 2.5% |
2025 | 30.2% | 89.5% | 8.7% | 1.5% | 0.2% | 2.9% |
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 20 May 2026 to Question 1283 on Department for Transport: Official Cars, what assessment her Department has made of the compatibility of collecting anonymised data on the manufacturing origin of its rental fleet with World Trade Organisation rules.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not made an assessment on the compatibility of collecting anonymised data on the manufacturing origin of its rental fleet.
Our rental fleet data does include vehicle make and model but not where these were manufactured.
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 26 May 2026 to Question 2251 on Railways, what the intended date is for Great British Railways' day-one stand-up.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Great British Railways (GBR) design process is underway. We expect to stand up GBR within 12 months of the Railways Bill receiving Royal Assent.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the cost of technical debt to UK productivity; and what steps her Department is taking to address skills shortages linked to the retirement of personnel maintaining legacy IT systems critical to national infrastructure.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
At least 28% of central government systems are classified as legacy. These outdated systems cost around 40% more to maintain than modern alternatives, slow down public services, are harder to join up and increase the risk of disruption, reducing efficiency across government and contributing to wider productivity challenges.
DSIT is committed to addressing this technical debt. We are undertaking work to identify the most cost-effective methods for modernising outdated systems, which will inform the Technology Modernisation Action Plan later this year.
By moving departments off legacy systems, we reduce reliance on retiring specialist expertise. Alongside this, through Get Tech Certified, over 9,000 public servants have accessed free certification pathways in cloud, AI and modern engineering; equipping the workforce with the skills these modern platforms require.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government is working with local authorities to improve access to nature in deprived communities in Sussex.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has committed, as part of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, to work with 100 local authorities and developers to embed Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework. The framework provides guidance and practical tools to help local planning authorities and developers design high quality green spaces in urban areas.
This Government has also announced that we will bring forward an Access to Nature Green Paper to consult on proposals to improve and expand public access to the outdoors.
The Green Paper will set out a range of policy options and invite views from stakeholders, including local authorities, and the public.
This consultation will play an important role in shaping the development of future policy in this area. Further updates and a timeline for publication will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Road Safety Strategy, what steps she is making to update guidance on (a) local speed limits and (b) speed camera use.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
My Department is planning to hold an initial workshop later this month, which will serve as an opportunity to begin shaping the direction of the programme. During this session, DfT officials will engage with a range of stakeholders and representatives from local authorities, providing a platform for participants to share their perspectives, highlight key concerns, and contribute local knowledge and experience.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department’s guidance entitled Rail rolling stock procurement: cyber-security, published in March 2026, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that operational technology cabinets and data ports on existing passenger rolling stock are physically secured against unauthorised access.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport published its ‘Rail rolling stock procurement: cyber-security’ guidance to help industry consider and mitigate cyber risks when procuring rolling stock. This guidance is intended to support those responsible for procurement in ensuring that train technology, including the physical security of operational technology systems, is appropriately secure. Responsibility for securing existing rolling stock sits with operators and asset owners, who are expected to implement proportionate, risk-based measures to prevent unauthorised access, including to cabinets, data ports and other equipment on passenger rolling stock. The Department will continue to review its approach with partners and update guidance where appropriate.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has provided guidance to electoral registration officers on whether British citizens who have a dwelling in the UK which they periodically occupy and an overseas dwelling which they also occupy can register on the UK electoral roll as a domestic, non-overseas elector.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Commission’s guidance for Electoral Registration Officers in England, Scotland and Wales sets out eligibility requirements.
A person must be resident at the address at which they want to be registered. Residence has a particular meaning in electoral law and is not equivalent to residence for other purposes. Normally, a person is resident at an address for electoral purposes if it is their permanent home address.
When making a determination on someone’s residence, Electoral Registration Officers will need to consider the circumstances of the applicant, including the purpose they are present at a particular address.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance or advice the Electoral Commission has given to local authorities on whether employees of a district or county council can serve as a councillor of a shadow unitary authority for that area.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Electoral Commission outlines the disqualification criteria at each relevant election in its guidance for candidates and agents. Due to the complexity of the rules, it does not provide direct advice on whether someone is qualified or disqualified from standing. Instead it recommends that candidates seek their own legal advice if in doubt about their eligibility.
In its role supporting Returning Officers to deliver well-run elections, it has advised them to raise any queries about the matter with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) Notices to Improve and (b) written instructions her Department issued to train operating companies for which the Department is the operator in relation to (i) service performance and (ii) financial control in January 2026 and each subsequent month.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not issued any Notices to Improve on any of the DfT Operator train operating companies in January 2026 and in each subsequent month because none have been in breach of their formal contractual terms.
The DfT regularly engages with all operators on service performance and financial management, aligned with this Government's priorities on improving performance and reducing subsidy.