Richard Holden MP: written questions
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Written questions
Airports: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13564More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the calculated difference in business rates liability for each commercial airport in England between 4 July 2024 and the most recent date for which figures are available.
Answer: Due to legislation protecting taxpayer confidentiality, the Government is unable to disclose information about individual ratepayers. To respond to those who are seeing large increases, the Government has already acted to limit increases in bills, announc...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Services: FaresDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13563More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which (a) local authorities, (b) transport authorities and (c) mayoral combined authorities in England have a maximum single adult bus fare cap of £2 or below; and if she will list the parliamentary constituenc
Answer: Where local transport authorities (LTA) have taken the decision to introduce a local fare cap of £2 or less, the LTA will already have made those details public. The Government has committed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to 2028/29 to maintain and improve ...
Answered 1 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: AccidentsDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13562More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many reported personal injury road traffic collisions involved a driver who was driving on a foreign driving licence that was valid for use in the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will provide
Answer: This information is not held.
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRestoring Your Railway FundDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13561More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding was spent on each individual scheme supported through the Restoring Your Railway Fund (RYRF); and to what stage did each of those RYRF schemes get.
Answer: The Chancellor’s 29 July 2024 announcement confirmed that the Restoring Your Railway (RYR) programme would be brought to a close as part of the steps taken to address the pressures on the public finances created by unfunded policy announcements made by th...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Overseas WorkersForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13240More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 129518, which posts and locations are classified as qualifying hardship posts for the purpose of additional journeys for s
Answer: Allowances for 'hardship' locations have been a feature of civil service overseas postings for several decades, and New Delhi has been included in the list of those locations since it was first introduced. The list is reviewed on a regular basis to reflec...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMinisters: AviationMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13239More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 44594 on Ministers: Aviation, how many RAF Envoy flights for Ministers have been made since 1 April 2025.
Answer: It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of Ministers and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom. Information about official overseas Ministerial travel is pub...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordArms Length Bodies: LobbyingCabinet OfficeTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13238More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance on arm's length bodies using public funds to appoint public affairs and lobbying consultancies to engage with Ministers, government departments and hon. Members.
Answer: The Cabinet Office does not issue specific guidance on this matter. Section 4.1 of the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies states that ‘it will always be an improper use of public funds for public bodies to employ consultants or other compa...
Answered 30 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Public RelationsDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which arm's length bodies and other bodies sponsored by his Department currently hold contracts with public affairs, lobbying or government relations consultancies; and what the value and purpose of each such c
Answer: In line with transparency requirements, details of all contracts awarded by the Department and its arm’s length bodies above the relevant thresholds are published on the Government’s Contracts Finder service or Find a Tender Service. This includes informa...
Answered 30 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Royal FamilyDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110091 on Railways: Royal Family, what arrangements will be made for official rail travel by members of the Royal Family after the Royal Train is withdrawn
Answer: The Royal Household decided to decommission the Royal Train ahead of the current contract expiring in 2027. Travel arrangements for members of the Royal Family are a matter for the Royal Travel Office within the Royal Household.
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordTransport: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13235More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms are available to her Department to oversee, monitor and intervene in the use of transport funding provided to mayoral combined authorities through City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements a
Answer: The original CRSTS settlement letters, published in 2022, set out the programme framework, including the Department's monitoring arrangements and the ability to withhold funding where programme objectives were not being met. Under CRSTS and its successor ...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: TrespassDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13234More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of rail trespass were recorded in each of the last five years; what the five locations were with the highest number of recorded rail trespass incidents in each of those years; and how many of
Answer: The British Transport Police have provided the following information: Trespass incidents by year:2021/22 - 12,1012022/23 - 12,0332023/24 - 13,0462024/25 - 14,0672025/26 - 14,293The locations with the most trespass incidents recorded were:Location 2025/26 ...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRoad Traffic Offences: ConvictionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13233More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there were for each of the 72 DVLA driving conviction and offence codes in each of the last five years.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a variety of offences including motoring offences, in the Outcomes by Offences tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics quart...
Answered 2 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordTheft: FreightHome OfficeTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13232More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2026 to Question 9972 on Theft: Freight, how many prosecutions were brought under the Theft Act 1968 relating to freight or cargo theft in each of the last five years
Answer: Prosecution data for Theft Act 1968 offences is not recorded in a way that enables freight or cargo theft to be identified separately.This Government is highly aware of the rising frequency of freight crime and the significant and damaging impact it can h...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: ByelawsDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13231More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish a list of Railway Byelaws in force, including (a) the specific offence created, (b) whether the offence is one of strict liability and (c) the maximum penalty available upon conviction.
Answer: The railway byelaws can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/railway-byelaws
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13230More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2026 to Question 7525 on Railways: Standards, what categories of cause for service cancellations are routinely recorded by (a) her Department and (b) each state-owned Train Ope
Answer: The Department does not routinely hold data on service cancellations causes – this is held by operators and Network Rail, and published by the ORR. Since privatisation, the following summary categories have been routinely used across the rail industry to ...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordNetwork Rail: BiodiversityDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13229More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Network Rail spent on ecological surveys associated with vegetation management works in each of the last five years; and how much it plans to spend in future years by survey type.
Answer: Network Rail does not hold a centrally collated estimate of the annual cost of ecological surveys associated with vegetation management. Surveys are undertaken as a routine part of planned vegetation management, and costs are not recorded separately. Any ...
Answered 30 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: NationalisationDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13228More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2026 to Question 10032, what estimate has she made of the annual savings from state control of the railways beyond management fees payable to private operators.
Answer: Moving train operating companies back into public ownership will end decades of fragmentation and waste. Train operators in public ownership are beginning to work closer together and, with Network Rail, forming integrated railways - shifting from adversar...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13227More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2026 to Question 7511, what stakeholder engagement activities are planned ahead of the review of the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate; and on what dates those activities will comm
Answer: We have begun early stakeholder engagement ahead of the ZEV Mandate review. Engagement will continue, including a public consultation, until the review is concluded. We intend to do this in the next six months.
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordBusesDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12809More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many buses are in operation nationwide in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Answer: The Department publishes statistics on bus travel in the Annual Bus Statistics release which is based on survey data and available on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus-statistics-data-tables#vehicles-operated-by-local-bus-oper...
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHigh Speed 2 Line: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12808More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the annual capital expenditure required to deliver a revived Phase 2a of HS2 between Birmingham and Crewe, and Phase 2b through to Manchester; and what assessment she has made of t
Answer: As part of the Northern Growth Strategy, the government set out its intention to ultimately deliver a full North-South new line between Birmingham and Manchester. The Government is conducting feasibility work, working closely with local partners. This wil...
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12582More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many requests have been made by her Department to train operating companies to cancel rail services since 5 July 2024; which train operating companies received such requests; and what proportion of each ope
Answer: The Department expects all operators to deliver services that provide capacity that responds to evolving passenger demand in a way that provides value for money for taxpayers. The Department may accept recommendations from operators to reduce services on ...
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: PolygamyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12581More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households have claimants recorded as being in a polygamous marriage for a) Housing Benefit and b) other benefits.
Answer: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 June 2026 to Question UIN 4348.
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth West Main Line: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12576More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of public ownership on the punctuality of South Western Railway services since 25 May 2025.
Answer: The Department closely monitors the performance of South Western Railway (SWR), including punctuality, through regular engagement with the operator and Network Rail. Public ownership is not a silver bullet but a vital step towards wider reform to bring tr...
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: ByelawsDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12548More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many prosecutions were brought under Railway Byelaws in each of the last five years, broken down by offence category.
Answer: The Department does not collect, nor hold, data on the number of prosecutions brought under Railway Byelaws. Railway Byelaws cover a range of rules on the rail network, and prosecutions are dealt with by train operating companies and other relevant enforc...
Answered 1 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12526More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2026 to Question 9696 on the Low Carbon Fuels Fund, when her Department plans to publish the assessment criteria for the first funding allocation round.
Answer: The high-level assessment criteria for the Low Carbon Fuels Fund will be released in the guidance to applicants when the competition window launches this summer.
Answered 2 Jul 2026
Original Parliament record
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