Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the West Coast Main Line at Stockport; and what steps she is taking to ensure that local rail services are not adversely impacted by the introduction of HS2-compatible trains on that line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We recognise there are capacity constraints on the West Coast Mainline at Stockport. The Rail Minister has asked officials to work with Network Rail and the wider industry to explore options to address this and meet future demand.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department considers the level of rail infrastructure investment in (a) Leicester and (b) the East Midlands to be proportionate to its population.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Decisions made by the Government on investment in rail infrastructure are taken to ensure that the railways are funded to operate safely and efficiently and in line with our strategic goals.
The funding identified for rail infrastructure enhancements as part of Spending Review 2025 was not apportioned regionally. Schemes were prioritised for funding on a value for money basis and we needed to make difficult decisions to reach an affordable and sustainable position.
In addition to funding for rail enhancements, the Office of Rail and Roads’ periodic review process determines Network Rail’s funding allocation for the Operation, Support, Maintenance and Renewal (OSMR) of the network. The periodic review process is undertaken on a regional basis. Funding for Network Rail to operate, maintain and renew the railway in the East Midlands during Control Period 7 (from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029) is included in their £9.6bn settlement for the Eastern region.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria were applied in the Spending Review for assessing proposed rail infrastructure projects.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Rail infrastructure projects are carefully considered to assess their value for money. This includes consideration of strategic, economic, social and environmental factors, the local context and regional distribution of projects, as well as affordability and the government’s wider fiscal position.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his answer of 28 January 2026 to Question 107450, if he will publish a breakdown of the administration and programme expenditure for 2024/5 in the categories of "Subsidies to private sector companies" and "Current grants to persons and non-profit (net)".
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The requested breakdowns are below:
CURRENT GRANTS TO PERSONS AND NON-PROFIT (NET)
Description | Capital DEL (£000) | Resource DEL (Programme) (£000) | Total (£000) |
Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) | 180,149 | - | 180,149 |
Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) | 68,688 | 116 | 68,804 |
Citizens Advice | - | 42,317 | 42,317 |
Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) | 26,044 | 1,915 | 27,959 |
Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) | 24,356 | 531 | 24,887 |
Help to Grow | - | 20,913 | 20,913 |
Consumer advocacy for Energy, Post and cross-sector | - | 19,502 | 19,502 |
National Trading Standards (NTS) | - | 12,518 | 12,518 |
Global Centre of Rail Excellence | 6,865 | - | 6,865 |
Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eRGF) | 3,000 | 2,651 | 5,651 |
Music Export Growth Scheme | - | 2,983 | 2,983 |
Materials Processing Institute | 2,042 | - | 2,042 |
The British Standards Institution | - | 1,896 | 1,896 |
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities | - | 1,301 | 1,301 |
Other | 2,053 | 6,480 | 8,533 |
| 313,197 | 113,123 | 426,320 |
SUBSIDIES TO PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES
Description | Capital DEL (£000) | Resource DEL (Programme) (£000) | Total (£000) |
Energy Intensive Industries (EII) Compensation Scheme | - | 141,679 | 141,679 |
Postmaster Horizon redress-Suspension Renumeration Review-Provision utilisation | - | 8,979 | 8,979 |
Other | - | 23 | 23 |
| - | 150,681 | 150,681 |
CAPITAL GRANTS TO PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES (NET)
Description | Capital DEL (£000) | Resource DEL (Programme) (£000) | Total (£000) |
Movement on financial guarantee liabilities-Growth Guarantee Scheme | 62,332 | - | 62,332 |
Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eRGF) | 34,766 | - | 34,766 |
Steel infrastructure | 15,263 | - | 15,263 |
Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) | 7,930 | - | 7,930 |
Called financial guarantees-Enterprise Financial Guarantee Scheme | 6,099 | - | 6,099 |
| 126,390 | - | 126,390 |
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his answer of 28 January 2026 Question 107135, if he will publish a breakdown of the £126m in CDEL outturn for 2024/5 in the category of "Capital grants to private sector companies (net)".
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The requested breakdowns are below:
CURRENT GRANTS TO PERSONS AND NON-PROFIT (NET)
Description | Capital DEL (£000) | Resource DEL (Programme) (£000) | Total (£000) |
Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) | 180,149 | - | 180,149 |
Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) | 68,688 | 116 | 68,804 |
Citizens Advice | - | 42,317 | 42,317 |
Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) | 26,044 | 1,915 | 27,959 |
Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) | 24,356 | 531 | 24,887 |
Help to Grow | - | 20,913 | 20,913 |
Consumer advocacy for Energy, Post and cross-sector | - | 19,502 | 19,502 |
National Trading Standards (NTS) | - | 12,518 | 12,518 |
Global Centre of Rail Excellence | 6,865 | - | 6,865 |
Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eRGF) | 3,000 | 2,651 | 5,651 |
Music Export Growth Scheme | - | 2,983 | 2,983 |
Materials Processing Institute | 2,042 | - | 2,042 |
The British Standards Institution | - | 1,896 | 1,896 |
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities | - | 1,301 | 1,301 |
Other | 2,053 | 6,480 | 8,533 |
| 313,197 | 113,123 | 426,320 |
SUBSIDIES TO PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES
Description | Capital DEL (£000) | Resource DEL (Programme) (£000) | Total (£000) |
Energy Intensive Industries (EII) Compensation Scheme | - | 141,679 | 141,679 |
Postmaster Horizon redress-Suspension Renumeration Review-Provision utilisation | - | 8,979 | 8,979 |
Other | - | 23 | 23 |
| - | 150,681 | 150,681 |
CAPITAL GRANTS TO PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES (NET)
Description | Capital DEL (£000) | Resource DEL (Programme) (£000) | Total (£000) |
Movement on financial guarantee liabilities-Growth Guarantee Scheme | 62,332 | - | 62,332 |
Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eRGF) | 34,766 | - | 34,766 |
Steel infrastructure | 15,263 | - | 15,263 |
Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) | 7,930 | - | 7,930 |
Called financial guarantees-Enterprise Financial Guarantee Scheme | 6,099 | - | 6,099 |
| 126,390 | - | 126,390 |
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
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, what proportion of the £424 million efficiency saving attributed to regulated settlements in 2028–29 is expected to be delivered by Network Rail alone.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All of the £424 million efficiency saving attributed to regulated settlements in 2028–29 is forecasted to be delivered by Network Rail. Efficiencies for National Highways for the equivalent period will be determined through the Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3) process, which is currently underway and not yet complete.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of young people entering the building and construction sector in the West Midlands.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has also been working closely with the Mayor of the West Midlands and local authority leaders on a new £75 million construction skills package over the next three years to help meet rising sector demand. Alongside this, the Secretary of State is supporting the continuation of the successful Construction Gateway programme, new activity linked to the Construction Technical Excellence College led by Dudley College and wider skills initiatives delivered through the West Midlands Combined Authority and regional leaders as part of the West Midlands Works programme.
In the West Midlands, the DWP is undertaking a wide range of activity to help young people move into the building and construction sector. This includes Crown Rail’s Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) which upskill young people for track‑rail roles that link into construction and infrastructure as well as ongoing collaboration with West Midlands-based construction employers on mentoring circles, work experience, apprenticeships and large‑scale initiatives such as the HS2 Hub and the Sports Quarter development.
More generally, this Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Further details of the announcement can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-12-08/hcws1137
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding to Northern Ireland elements of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Many of the ambitions of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review support the vision for UK transport connectivity that Lord Hendy set out in his 2021 review report.
That is why the UK Government provided financial support to Translink to undertake four Northern Ireland rail feasibility studies linked to the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.
My department continues to engage positively with the Department for Infrastructure and remains willing to explore ways in which we can collaborate and share best practice in support of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.
However, the development and implementation of rail schemes in Northern Ireland - including how they are financed - are devolved matters and therefore responsibility for them rests with the Northern Ireland Executive and Translink.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to conduct an annual review of (a) the duration of closures of public level crossings, (b) the potential impact of those closures on local economies and (c) the potential merits of replacing high-delay road crossings with alternative means of crossing railway lines.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail is responsible for the safe management and operation of level crossings across the rail network, which includes monitoring their performance and usage and the duration of closures arising from train operations.
The Department for Transport has no current plans to conduct an annual review of closure durations or their economic impacts. However, Network Rail already assesses level crossing performance and considers a range of factors when reviewing whether upgrades or alternative solutions—such as bridges, underpasses or road realignments—may be justified. These decisions take account of safety risk, operational needs, local circumstances and the potential impacts on communities and the wider network. The Department continues to work with Network Rail and the safety regulator to support proportionate improvements where they deliver clear safety and network benefits.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to integrate climate change projections and increased storm frequency into long-term planning for transport and coastal defence infrastructure in Newton Abbot constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has plans in place and underway with industry to adapt to and mitigate the risks of extreme weather caused by climate change. In 2024, the rail industry agreed a set of climate scenarios. This will harmonise data and methods and will help the industry develop consistent approaches to assess physical risks.
Network Rail is undertaking a programme of adaptation pathways across the network, including in Wales and Western region, which covers the Newton Abbot constituency, to develop a long-term strategic adaptation plan and identify priority areas for further adaptation investment. This approach will help identify those parts of the network which may require transformational change to enable safe and reliable services to continue in the future. Network Rail has also produced regional weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans (WRCCA). These explain Network Rail’s understanding of how weather and climate change can affect infrastructure at a more targeted, local level. This work is already informing discussions for future funding periods.
In addition, the Department has requested its train operating companies, including Great Western Railway, South Western Railway and CrossCountry, to produce their own WRCCA strategies due at the end of January 2026 and these will add further detail to our understanding of regional risks.