Rebecca Smith MP: written questions
165 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Electric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3680More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent analysis her Department has undertaken of prevailing EV market demand and trajectories required under the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.
Answer: The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate sets ambitious trajectories through headline annual targets. These are supported by a range of flexibilities to help manufacturers comply. These tools are designed to accommodate different product portfolios and com...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3679More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to undertake an urgent review of the EV transition, including the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.
Answer: The Government has a long-standing commitment to publish a review of the ZEV Mandate by early 2027. We are beginning discussions to inform the review so stakeholders can be properly consulted.
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3618More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of contracts signed by his Department since July 2024 are with Small and Medium Enterprises.
Answer: The number and value of new contracts let by Ministry of Defence (MOD) each year, including specifically with Small Medium-Sized Enterprises, is published annually as part of the MOD Trade, Industry and Contracts: 2025 report. In Financial Year 2024-25, t...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordNorthern: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3597More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps Northern Trains Limited has taken to reduce service cancellations and improve reliability since 17 December 2025; and what percentage change in cancellations on that network has been from 17 December
Answer: Northern’s performance continues to stabilise, and passenger confidence is strengthening as a result. In FY 2025-26 Northern carried 99.6 million passenger journeys, an increase of 8.5% year on year, underpinned by a more resilient and reliable service. C...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLondon North Eastern Railway: Travel InformationDepartment for TransportTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3596More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress LNER has made on replacing passenger information screens at York and Newcastle stations since 17 December 2025; and what steps she is taking to enhance passenger information across LNER-managed st
Answer: London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has completed the roll out of the very latest colour customer information screens, that also feature British Sign Language, on the main departure boards at York and Newcastle stations. LNER will replace customer informa...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLondon North Eastern Railway: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for TransportTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3595More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress LNER has made on the development and delivery of AI-powered instant disruption updates to customers; and whether this system remains on track for delivery in 2026.
Answer: London Northeastern Railway (LNER) has been developing AI and data proof of concepts to determine possible solutions. If successful, the plan is to begin building the tools for customers from Summer 2026.
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3097More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 9 January 2026 to Question 100955 on Department for Transport: Carbon Emissions, what assessment she has made of the administrative costs required for the Traffic Commissioners f
Answer: Traffic Commissioners (TCs) have an important role in regulating the operator licence regime for both goods vehicle and public service vehicles, ensuring operators meet requirements for safety, compliance, and professional competence. Their core function ...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordTransport FocusDepartment for TransportTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3096More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 9 January 2026 to Question 100955 on Department for Transport: Carbon Emissions, if she will set out the programmes Transport Focus is undertaking to ensure its advocacy work and
Answer: Transport Focus supports the Government’s 2050 Net Zero target by ensuring that its passenger advocacy and research activities recognise the need for a more sustainable transport system. This includes incorporating questions on environmental priorities an...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLighthouses: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3095More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 9 January 2026 to Question 100955, if she will provide a breakdown of the capital expenditure programmes Trinity House is committed to for the decarbonisation of its lighthouse e
Answer: All of Trinity House’s capital expenditure programmes are funded through the General Lighthouse Fund and are set out in their corporate plans, which cover rolling five-year periods and are updated and approved annually. The most recent Trinity House corpo...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRolling StockDepartment for TransportTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2978More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of regional variations in the proportion of rail services operated with fewer carriages than planned in the last 18 months.
Answer: The Department does not hold data on the average number of carriages provided per service and has not carried out an assessment of regional variation in the proportion of rail services operated with fewer carriages than planned in the last 18 months. The ...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRolling StockDepartment for TransportTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2977More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on the average number of carriages provided per service for each train operating company holding a National Rail contract in each of the last 18 months.
Answer: The Department does not hold data on the average number of carriages provided per service and has not carried out an assessment of regional variation in the proportion of rail services operated with fewer carriages than planned in the last 18 months. The ...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordIron and Steel: PackagingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1867More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed reduction in tariff-free quotas for packaging steel on the UK metal packaging industry.
Answer: Minister Bryant and I met with representatives of the metal packaging sector on 19 March to discuss the new steel trade measure. Officials have been in regular contact with representatives of the metal packaging sector leading up to the announcement of th...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordIron and Steel: PackagingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1789More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of base fees for steel packaging under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on plastic use; and whether she plans to review
Answer: In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole, pre base fees calculation. This assessment did not split the assessment by material sector impact. Since, Defra...
Answered 11 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordBritish Industrial Competitiveness SchemeDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1788More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including the metal packaging industry in the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.
Answer: From 2027, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will benefit over 10,000 eligible businesses, reducing electricity costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour. The Government published its response to the consultation on eligibility in April, which incl...
Answered 21 May 2026
Original Parliament recordIron and SteelDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1787More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the metal packaging industry on the UK Steel Strategy; and when those discussions took place.
Answer: Minister Bryant and I met with representatives of the metal packaging sector on 19 March to discuss the new steel trade measure. Officials have been in regular contact with representatives of the metal packaging sector leading up to the announcement of th...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work Programme: StaffDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1560More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference o the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75830 on Access to Work Programme, how many of the 118 staff remain assigned to Access to Work.
Answer: Of the 118 staff referred to in the answer to Question UIN 75830 of 16 September 2025, 94 remain assigned to Access to Work. DWP recently announced the recruitment of additional staff into Access to Work (AtW), aimed at addressing the backlog in this vita...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work Programme: StandardsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1559More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of differences in waiting times for Access to Work, including (a) initial assessment, (b) approval and (c) commencement of support between regions.
Answer: The Department does not hold the information in a format that allows waiting times to be analysed by region. Access to Work applications are managed through a national queue and processed in date order, meaning that a customer’s region does not determine ...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work Programme: StandardsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1558More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Access to Work applicants waited more than (a) six months, (b) nine months and (c) one year for approval of their application in each of the past two years, broken down by region.
Answer: Access to Work does not record the information in a way that allows data to be extracted by six, nine, or twelve month waiting periods.Providing the information requested would require manual examination of individual case records and would therefore incu...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work Programme: StandardsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1557More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) mean and (b) median average waiting time was between application for Access to Work and an initial assessment, in each of the past two years, broken down by region.
Answer: Access to Work does not record the information requested in a way that allows data to be extracted by region. Providing this would require manual examination of individual case records and would therefore incur disproportionate cost. Access to Work applic...
Answered 20 May 2026
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work Programme: StandardsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1556More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time was between approval of an Access to Work application and commencement of support in each of the past two years, broken down by region.
Answer: Information on the average time between approval of an Access to Work application and the commencement of support is not held. Providing this information would require a manual review of individual case records, which would incur a disproportionate cost.
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Earnings RulesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1549More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants had their award reduced through the earnings taper in each of the last five years; and how many claimants experienced monthly reductions of (a) less than £100, (b) £1
Answer: The department does not hold information about Universal Credit awards reduced by the earnings taper at claimant level. UC awards are affected by the amount that households earn, rather than the number of hours that they work. The department holds informa...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Earnings RulesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125945 on Universal Credit, what data his Department holds on the relationship between hours worked and reductions in Universal Credit awards th
Answer: The department does not hold information about Universal Credit awards reduced by the earnings taper at claimant level. UC awards are affected by the amount that households earn, rather than the number of hours that they work. The department holds informa...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Public RelationsDepartment for TransportTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1543More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on public relations companies since 4 July 2024 since 4 July 2024, and for what purpose.
Answer: The Department for Transport has spent £110,720.24 (excluding VAT) on public relations activity since 4 July 2024 to support its THINK! drink and drug driving campaigns. This forms part of the Department’s wider, targeted communications approach to road s...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: Armed Forces CovenantDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 921More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has identified a) disadvantages for members of the Armed Forces community in transport usage and b) the potential for co-production of measures to help tackle those disadvantages.
Answer: The Department is committed to the Armed Forces Covenant and to supporting members of the Armed Forces community in accessing the transport system. The Department has not identified specific disadvantages for members of the Armed Forces community in trans...
Answered 18 May 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: Armed Forces CovenantDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 920More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to ensure a) her Department, b) local authorities and c) regional transport bodies take account of duties under the Armed Forces Covenant when expanded.
Answer: The Department is committed to the Armed Forces Covenant and to supporting members of the Armed Forces community in accessing the transport system. The Department has not identified specific disadvantages for members of the Armed Forces community in trans...
Answered 18 May 2026
Original Parliament record
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