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.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment has been made of the potential impact of consolidation of operations under Great British Railways compared with the previous franchising model on (a) operational competition and (b) innovation.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government was elected on a clear manifesto commitment to return franchised passenger services to public ownership. Public ownership, as delivered through the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, is an important first step towards making the railway run better, with the whole system working to one set of clear objectives.
The Railways Bill delivers the next phase of rail reform, establishing Great British Railways (GBR) to run both track and train, thus ending the fragmentation that currently exists between Network Rail and train operating companies which is inefficient and drives down performance.
GBR will support a competitive private sector. Open access will continue to play an important role on the network where it genuinely adds value that benefits the public and aligns with the overall strategy for growth on our railways. Freight operations will remain in the private sector and will benefit from a statutory freight growth target. GBR will provide greater longer-term certainty for rail that gives investors' confidence, thus supporting innovation throughout the sector. Further detail can be found in the Impact Assessments for both pieces of legislation, including the analysis that neither public ownership nor GBR is expected to materially reduce competition in terms of operating passenger services, given competition was already limited under the franchising model.
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: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of funding apprenticeship training for under-22s in SMEs on apprenticeship starts prior to announcing an expansion to under-25s.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Employers who do not pay the levy, typically SMEs, are vital to the economy and to apprenticeships; they provide valuable opportunities for younger apprentices and apprentices from disadvantaged areas.
That is why from the next academic year, we will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers for all eligible people aged 16-24, to boost small business starts and prioritise funding for young people. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21, and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.
To further support non-levy paying employers with the additional costs associated with employing young people, we are also introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 when they take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees.
These changes are part of our plan to deliver 50,000 more apprenticeship opportunities for young people and are supported by £1bn of additional investment over the next three years.
In addition, we provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care. Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.
The government also facilitates and funds the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN) which comprises around 3,000 employers and apprentices who volunteer to promote the benefits of apprenticeships. It operates across all parts of England through nine regional networks which provide buddying and mentoring support to small businesses to help them recruit and retain apprentices.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the specialist provision packages in the SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First consultation on children with complex needs reliant on statutory Education Other Than in School provision.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s consultation, “SEND reform: putting children and young people first”, proposes the introduction of Specialist Provision Packages for all children and young people with complex needs, including those children and young people whose needs are currently met through Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) packages of support.
After a 12-week consultation period, including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, the department’s consultation has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals.
As part of that continued engagement, we intend to publish a consultation on the use of EOTAS provision in the coming weeks. It is crucial that we get support for EOTAS children and young people right, particularly given their often complex needs. This consultation will seek views to ensure we meet those specific needs, and that these children and young people benefit from the inclusive education we want for all.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of local government reorganisation on the ability of councils to support young people who are not in education, employment or training.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The reorganisation programme is designed to support stronger, more joined up local services. By bringing services such as employment support, education, youth services, children’s social care, and housing together within a single council, councils are better able to coordinate services and identify need early to improve outcomes for young people.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government's proposed socio-economic duty will apply to the operation of nationalised trains.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Section 1 of the Equality Act (Socio-Economic duty) is the responsibility of the Minister for Equalities.
The Office for Equality & Opportunity is working toward commencement of the duty. We will work with the Cabinet Office on progress towards enactment and the interaction with Rail Reform.