Rebecca Smith MP: written questions 2026
171 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Transport 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 recordNorthern Lighthouse Board: Public RelationsDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 919More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what expenditure has the Northern Lighthouse Board undertaken on public affairs companies, and for what purposes, since 4 July 2024.
Answer: The Northern Lighthouse Board has spent £31,221.99 (gross) on communications support services since 4 July 2024.This relates to the provision of specialist support by Charlotte Street Partners Ltd to assist the organisation’s Communications Officer, inclu...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 918More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118920, whether she has plans to undertake a BCR assessment for the dualling of single sections of the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line.
Answer: The most recent appraisal was undertaken in 2014 as part of the Blackburn to Manchester Rail Scheme, which assessed options to double the single-track sections between Blackburn and Bolton. The preferred option was to extend the Darwen passing loop, which...
Answered 20 May 2026
Original Parliament recordTransport: EU Emissions Trading SchemeDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 917More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, a) what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues and with international counterparts on plans to link the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes and b) what impact assessment has been done to identify how i
Answer: Negotiations to agree linking of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and EU ETS are ongoing, including for the maritime sector. The Government is working to negotiate a good deal in line with UK interests, as quickly as feasible, as set out in the Comm...
Answered 20 May 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118920, if she will develop new Outline Business Cases for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement.
Answer: The Ely Area Capacity Enhancement scheme will be considered for potential progression in the future as funding becomes available.
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: CybersecurityDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 915More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks affecting the automotive sector.
Answer: Government has written to businesses about the tools government provides and the steps they can take to protect themselves from cyber-attacks, including the Cyber Action Toolkit and the Cyber Essentials scheme. It is vital firms take up this support.Gover...
Answered 18 May 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: AviationDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 914More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Kuwait; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasio
Answer: The Department for Transport (DfT) undertakes essential international workeach year, including for aviation and maritime security, which includes direct engagement with other countries and international bodies. While a significant proportion of DfT’s inte...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: AviationDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 913More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of the flight to Kazakhstan; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occas
Answer: On two occasions a Grade 7 travelled to Kazakhstan, with the total cost of the trips being £3620.70. This was approved in line with departmental policy by a Senior Civil Servant within the Transport Security Directorate. One meeting was to assist in the d...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament record
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