Richard Holden MP: written questions 2025
1652 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Train Operating Companies: Conditions of Employment and Trade UnionsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71269More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information (a) her Department and (b) Great British Railways holds on (i) the trade union agreements with each railway operator and (ii) the operating practices on employees rights in each railway operato
Answer: The Department for Transport does not hold any records of individual trade union agreements or operating practices relating to employee rights for each individual railway operator. These matters are managed directly by the operators themselves. Great Brit...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Ministers' Private OfficesDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71268More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on furniture, fittings and refurbishment for Ministers offices since 4 July 2024; and on what specific items.
Answer: Since 4 July 2024 the Department has spent £211.34 on redecoration.
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: CommunicationDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71267More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on (a) designing, (b) producing and (c) installing posters on departmental workstreams for its headquarters in London since 4 July 2024.
Answer: Since 4 July 2024, the Department for Transport has made no spend on designing posters to promote departmental workstreams in London offices. Costs of producing and installing posters are covered by the fixed cost of the total Facilities Management contr...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: BuildingsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71266More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on (a) purchasing and (b) installing soundproof meeting pods for its headquarters in London since 4 July 2024; and how much of this relates to meeting pods for the Ministerial
Answer: Since 4 July 2024 the Department has spent £27,083.43 purchasing and £8,229.23 installing soundproof meeting pods. Of those costs £18,055.62 for purchasing and £5,486.15 for installation relate to Ministerial private office.
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBus LanesDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71265More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to strengthen guidance to help ensure bus lanes operate only (a) when buses are running and (b) when traffic is heavy enough to cause delay to buses.
Answer: It is for local authorities to decide whether bus lanes are appropriate on their network, and to set the times of operation. The Department published Local Transport Note 1/24: Bus User Priority in March 2024 which includes advice on all aspects of bus pr...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving under InfluenceDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71264More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the alcohol drink drive limit level on the viability of (a) pubs, (b) restaurants, (c) cafes and (d) other hospitality businesses in rural areas.
Answer: As part of the development of our Road Safety Strategy, the Government is considering a range of policies relating to motoring offences such as drink driving and other matters of concern that have been raised. The enforcement of road traffic law and how a...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving under InfluenceDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71263More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to reduce the micrograms of alcohol drink drive limit in England and Wales.
Answer: As part of the development of our Road Safety Strategy, the Government is considering a range of policies relating to motoring offences such as drink driving and other matters of concern that have been raised. The enforcement of road traffic law and how a...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: Trade UnionsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71262More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role (a) her Department and (b) its agencies will play in making agreements with trade unions on the nationalised railways.
Answer: As the employers, Network Rail and individual train operators, including those owned by DfT Operator Ltd, are responsible for negotiating agreements with the trade unions, under established collective bargaining arrangements. The future role of Great Brit...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHeathrow Airport: ConstructionDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71261More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what substantive proposals her Department received relating to the construction of a third runway at Heathrow, other than from (a) Heathrow Airport Limited and (b) the Arora Group; and from which organisations.
Answer: The Department received seven proposals for consideration through a structured internal assessment process.The assessment process is designed to ensure that each proposal is examined carefully and consistently against the criteria set out in the Secretary...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordParking: TaxationDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71260More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to adopt working parking taxes.
Answer: The power to introduce a workplace parking levy sits with the local traffic authority.
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDriver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71259More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether DVLA is making use of AI for (a) Automatic Number Plate Recognition and (b) supply of traffic enforcement data to local authorities.
Answer: While artificial intelligence (AI) is not currently in use for these purposes, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is actively monitoring developments with AI technology and will consider where and how it could potentially be used to help impro...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRoad Traffic Control: OxfordDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 64502 on Road Traffic Control: Oxford, whether DVLA will be providing vehicle registration data to (a) Oxfordshire County Council and (b) Oxford City Council t
Answer: The law allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to make information about UK vehicles and their registered keepers available for use by a local authority for any purpose connected with the investigation of an offence. The law also allows the DVLA t...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71257More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of booking driving tests.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Se...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: AutomationDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71256More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to support the roll out of automated train operation technology on (a) rail, (b) light rail, (c) Tube and (d) metro lines.
Answer: There are already a number of automated systems currently in use on various networks, the most notable being the Docklands Light Railway. Semi-automated systems are also operational on parts of Thameslink, the Elizabeth line and several London Underground...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRestoring Your Railway FundTreasuryTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71255More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the document entitled Fixing the foundations: Public spending audit 2024-25, published on 29 July 2024, if she will publish the (a) equality impact assessment, (b) strategic environmental assessmen
Answer: On 8 July 2024, the Chancellor of the Exchequer instructed HM Treasury officials to undertake a audit of public spending. The audit’s findings showed a forecast overspend on departmental spending of £21.9 billion above the resource departmental expenditur...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAirports: National Policy StatementsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71254More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question HL9412 on Heathrow Airport: Planning Permission, what the provisional timetable is for the review of the Airports National Policy Statement; and what her plann
Answer: The Government published a letter to potential promoters inviting proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. The Government is now assessing the proposals against the criteria set out in the letter. Once this is complete...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: Facilities AgreementsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71253More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance (a) Network Rail, (b) her Department and its agencies and (c) Great British Railways have produced on trade union facility time for railways staff.
Answer: Facility time arrangements are matters for individual rail employers and the trade unions to agree, in accordance with trade union and labour relations legislation.
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Written QuestionsCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71252More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 43120, tabled on 1 April 2025, on Honours: Forfeiture.
Answer: The answer to question 43120 was published on 1 September 2025.
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordStreet Trading: Westminster BridgeCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71251More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether ice cream vans parked on red lines on Westminster Bridge are monitored by the Government Secure Zone control room.
Answer: The Government can confirm that vehicles are monitored within the Government Secure Zone. However, the Government does not comment in detail on security arrangements within the Government Secure Zone.
Answered 2 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: AviationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71250More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of (a) overseas and (b) domestic Ministerial official flights by his Department are (i) carbon offset and (ii) use Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
Answer: No flights were offset and we cannot provide data on the use of sustainable aviation fuel on flights as this detail is not available through our travel booking contract.
Answered 8 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Energy Security and Net Zero: AviationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71249More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025 to Question 62999 on Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Aviation, whether information on the (a) number and (b) cost of domestic flights
Answer: Defra does not centrally hold this information.
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: MinistersMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2025 to Question 31166 on Ministers: Aviation, how much air passenger duty has been paid for Prime Ministerial domestic travel on RAF-provided flights since 4 July 2024.
Answer: During the period 4 July 2024 to present there have been a total of seven domestic tasks for which the Prime Minister (PM) was identified as the principal passenger. The total of Air Passenger Duty (APD) paid for all passengers on those flights is £14,358...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: MinistersMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71247More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria are used for Ministers to fly on RAF Envoy for domestic flights.
Answer: Defence Ministers working within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are counted alongside entitled military personnel for Envoy use, thereafter the Secretary of State for Defence authorises Senior Ministers occasional use of the RAF CSAT aircraft, in fulfilmen...
Answered 30 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: AviationCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71246More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39576 on Prime Minister: Aviation, how many and what proportion of the Prime Minister's overseas flights used Sustainable Aviation Fuel since 4 July 2024.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer of 21 October 2024, Official Report, PQ 8434.
Answered 25 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWorkplace PensionsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71245More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that more customers can access pension pot consolidation more quickly.
Answer: The Government is committed to the consolidation of small workplace pension pots, when in the best interests of savers. The Pension Schemes Bill 2025 was introduced into Parliament on the 5 June. This includes measures to address the growing issue of defe...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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