Richard Holden MP: written questions
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Written questions
Department for Transport: Public ExpenditureDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125029 on Department for Transport: Annual Reports, in respect of the £398 million Capital DEL expenditure attributed to the Decarbonisation, Technology and S
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: VATTreasuryTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128427More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the current revenue to the Exchequer of VAT from pilot training; and what would the estimated net cost to the Exchequer be of removing VAT from pilot training.
Answer: HMRC does not hold information on the VAT revenue from pilot training.This is because businesses are not required to provide a breakdown by product or service on their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden. I refer the Hono...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: TrainingDepartment for EducationTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128424More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons the National Vocational Qualification for Pilots was removed in 1999 and what consideration has been made of introducing a new qualification that is not subject to VAT for pilot training
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordForeign Languages: QualificationsDepartment for EducationTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128329More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set out (a) which modern foreign languages are currently available as GCSE and A level qualifications in England; (b) which European languages are not currently available as GCSE or A level qualific
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigrationCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128310More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people aged 18 and over immigrated to the UK in each year from 2022 to 2025 from (a) Pakistan, (b) Kuwait, (c) Afghanistan, (d) Qatar, (e) the United Arab Emirates, (f) Sudan, (g) Mauritania, (h) Iraq,
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Rt. Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 20th April is attached.
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordA34: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127909More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 117050 on A34: Safety, whether the road marking renewal works on the A34 from Chieveley to the M40 have now been completed; and if she will provide an updated
Answer: The programme of road marking renewal works on the A34 between Chieveley and the M40 is largely complete. One remaining closure is still required to complete the final element of the works, and National Highways is working with the local highway authority...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordM1: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127907More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2026 to Question 118274 on M1: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the roadworks on the M1 northbound between junctions 12 and 13 have been completed.
Answer: Repairs to the central reservation drainage on the M1 (Northbound) between junctions 12 and 13 have been completed. All traffic management was removed on 30 March 2026.
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: Public ConsultationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations will be launched; and what her planned timetable is for its conclusion and response.
Answer: The Animal Welfare strategy sets out Government priorities until 2030. Policies will be delivered throughout this time. Next steps on the consultation will be announced in due course.
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: Waiting ListsDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127873More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the monthly average waiting time was for a car practical driving test at each driving test centre and zone for a) March and b) April 2026.
Answer: The attached spreadsheet (WPQ-00066787) shows the average waiting time for car practical driving tests at each driving test centre, and zone, for March 2026. This data is based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test s...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordActive Travel: LightingDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127856More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2026 to Question 126073, when the forthcoming guidance from Active Travel England will be published.
Answer: On 25 March, Active Travel England set out the intention to publish guidance during 2026 to help authorities design safer streets for women and girls.
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordHighway CodeDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127597More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120036 on the Highway Code, which (a) organisations and (b) individuals were represented on the expert stakeholder group; and how many times that stakeholder
Answer: The expert stakeholder group convened by the previous government when it determined the new rule could be introduced included individuals from The Automobile Association (AA), British Horse Society (BHS), BRAKE, Chartered Institution of Highways and Trans...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127591More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120278 on Electric Vehicles: Costs, whether she will publish the analysis underpinning the estimated monthly cost savings under the proposed Government’s proposed
Answer: In answer to Question 120278 the Government set out that analysis suggests that the average EV driver will pay around £20 a month under the Government’s eVED proposals once the new policy starts in 2028, roughly half the equivalent rate for a petrol car. ...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordA14: TreesDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127587More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 121208 on A14: Trees, whether the work to remove redundant biodegradable and plastic tree guards along the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme has commenced; a
Answer: National Highways has commenced work to remove redundant biodegradable and plastic tree guards along the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme. To date, around 36,000 redundant tree guards have been removed, and the work is expected to be completed by May 2...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDfT Operator: TrainingDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127586More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120879 on DfT Operator: Training, whether her Department plans to provide funding through DfT Operator Limited to increase the number of rail training places.
Answer: There are no plans to provide funding to DfT Operator Limited specifically for rail training places as part of the Department’s funding of train services. It is up to the train operating companies to establish their own training requirements and fund thes...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127584More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121577 on Roads: Carbon Emissions, how much is the total additional cost to the public purse of the one-year extension to the Live Labs 2 programme; and if sh
Answer: The Department for Transport will provide up to £300,000 to support a one-year extension to the Live Labs 2 innovation programme. This will help councils access and adopt more innovative approaches to highways maintenance, including uptake of longer-lasti...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: PricesDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127583More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121469 on Electric Vehicles: Prices, whether her Department plans to update its projections for when zero emission vehicles will reach price parity with inter
Answer: DfT continues to monitor evidence on prices and projections.
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127582More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of new car registrations that will be zero emission vehicles in 2027 under (a) central, (b) low and (c) high uptake scenarios.
Answer: The Department regularly updates its projections of zero emission vehicle (ZEV) uptake. The latest published projections were included in the Cost Benefit Analysis accompanying the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2025, which o...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: VacanciesDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121903 on Driving Tests: Vacancies, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of holding centrally a snapshot of the total number
Answer: Monthly driving examiner vacancy figures have limited value because numbers change frequently due to demand, training, turnover and capacity. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency manages its workforce flexibly, matching examiner numbers to demand and u...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAirports: CyclingDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127548More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2026 to Question 123240, what contribution improved cycling facilities will make to balancing aviation sector growth.
Answer: Airports and their local stakeholders consider all transport options as part their surface access strategies, which cover staff as well as customers.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordBiodiversityDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127547More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a written assessment of the commercial impact on existing private sector BNG technology providers was completed before the Alpha phase of contract C24064 was approved.
Answer: The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Go...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: North of EnglandDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127546More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122316, whether the Government plans to resume the York Area Capacity and Performance Project.
Answer: Following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Department is working closely with Network Rail and key stakeholders to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for the East Coast Main Line, aligned with emerging plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail. T...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, on what basis her Department determined that the delayed appointment of Chiltern Railways as operator for East West Rail Services was caused by the Ge
Answer: The appointment of the operator for the first phase of EWR services was paused during the General Election campaign in July 2024. This Government then appointed Chiltern Railways as the operator in March 2025. The department has not commissioned an indepe...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127544More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, when she expects driver training to have been completed for passenger services to commence on trains for the first EWR services between Oxford and Mil
Answer: The Department is working closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to conclude the remaining staffing arrangements required for the first East West Rail passenger services between Oxford and Milton Keynes. This includes training the 44 recruited...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127543More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118920, if she will develop new Outline Business Cases for a) the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and b) Haughley Junction upgrades and c) whether she has plans
Answer: The Government’s commitment to a significant programme of railway investment was announced as part of Spending Review 2025. We will set out our plans for further investment in rail infrastructure in due course.
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordTrain Operating Companies: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127542More
Question: 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
Answer: The Department's priority objectives for train operators are to improve performance and reduce financial subsidy. It does not routinely publish specific instructions made to operators. We have asked train operators to reflect how they will deliver these p...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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