Richard Holden MP: written questions 2026
1407 published records · newest first.
Written questions
UK Emissions Trading SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117429More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 115442, what his evidential basis is that linking the UK Emissions Trading Scheme with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will minimise adminis
Answer: Linking the UK and EU emissions trading schemes is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK, including a cheaper path towards decarbonisation by providing businesses with access to a larger, more stable and liquid carbon market which will...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Energy Security and Net Zero: TyresDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117003More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 114111, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of centrally collecting data on the procurement of retread and single-use
Answer: No such assessment has been made.
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMarriage: RelativesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117002More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Freedom of Information response reference FOI-251202287377 of 9 January 2026, if he will place a copy of the training modules on close relative marriage and genetic risk for (
Answer: The NHS Learning Hub originally had five training modules on close relative marriage and genetic risk. Three of these modules were retired in October 2025. The remaining two modules were subsequently updated and can be found online on the NHS Learning Hub...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCar SharingDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117001More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 115050, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the exit of Zipcar from parts of the UK on the car-sharing market; and what as
Answer: The Department wants sustainable transport options to be available to all. The Department is assessing the evidence base and considering how best to support the car sharing sector and ensure the right measures are in place to support car clubs and other s...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSpeed LimitsDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117000More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 115446, in which month and year the updated Setting Local Speed Limits guidance will be published.
Answer: Work to update the Setting Local Speed Limits guidance is expected to commence shortly. No timetable has yet been set for the publication of the revised guidance.
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116997More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 115048 on local road maintenance, what specific guidance was provided, and whether it included advice on the political composition of councils.
Answer: Advice was provided to ministers in line with standard procedures.
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116995More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate in light of the February 2026 decision by the Government of Canada to repeal its EV sales mandate.
Answer: Government continues to monitor regulatory approaches to support the transition to zero emission vehicles in other countries. These vary depending on the economic, market, and geographic circumstances of each country. The UK remains a leader in the ZEV tr...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordA12: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2026 to Question 107159, whether the decision taken in March 2024 was made by Ministers; and what start date for construction was in place prior to that decision.
Answer: The decision taken in March 2024 to defer the start of construction on the A12 widening scheme was made by Ministers. Prior to this decision, the publicly committed start date for construction was 2023/24 but a new start date was being planned.
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Services: CyclewaysDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116791More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether an Equality Impact Assessment was undertaken in relation to the guidance entitled Floating Bus Stops: Provision and Design.
Answer: Ahead of publishing the guidance on floating bus stops, in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty, I had due regard to impacts on people with protected characteristics, particularly disabled people, in making decisions regarding the guidance. This was ...
Answered 5 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Services: AccessDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116790More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with the Prime Minister on the impact of floating bus stop designs on the ability of blind, disabled and older people to board and alight from buses independently.
Answer: Statutory guidance on the provision and design of floating bus stops was published on 26 January under section 31 of the Bus Services Act 2025, which was cleared across government in the usual way.
Answered 5 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving under Influence: DrugsDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116789More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research her Department has commissioned and reviewed on emerging drug-driving testing technologies that are more cost-effective and provide faster processing than oral fluid tests; what steps she is takin
Answer: The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account local problems and demands. The police are operationally independent. W...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving under Influence: DrugsHome OfficeTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116788More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the annual cost to police forces of (a) administering roadside drug-impairment tests and (b) drug-driving testing; what steps she is taking to reduce the per-test
Answer: The Government’s Road Safety Strategy, launched in January 2026, includes a consultation on a range of motoring offences including the drink and drug driving testing framework. The government will continue to support the police to ensure they have the too...
Answered 5 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordTransPennine Express: CostsDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116787More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2026 to Question 106601, what the (a) operating revenue, (b) operating costs and (c) net cost of onboard catering were for TransPennine Express in each financial year betwee
Answer: We are only able to provide data since the transfer into public ownership in May 2023. The data for 2023/24 (May onward) and 2024/25 are: £'00023/2424/25Catering Costs5,2058,668Catering Revenue1,0771,897Net Cost4,1286,772 The difference in cost is explain...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGreat British Railways: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116786More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2026 to Question 105751, how each of the measures cited as enabling the reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy has performed from the date each Train Operating Com
Answer: Public ownership is not a silver bullet but a vital step towards rebuilding trust and pride in our railways. Due to seasonal variations, it will take time for the impact of public ownership to be fully reflected in performance trend data. Public ownership...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116785More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2026 to Question 110085, (a) whether electric vehicle repair costs and their impact on insurance premiums form part of that work, (b) what analysis has been undertaken thro
Answer: The Motor Insurance Taskforce published its final report in December 2025. This report sets actions to strengthen the vehicle repair sector and references independent findings by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on the causes of increased premiums, i...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordHousing: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116784More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has considered the effectiveness of household fuseboards in reducing fire risk.
Answer: Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 covers electrical safety in dwellings and is intended to protect people from fire or injury. In England, installation of new household circuits, addition or alteration of circuits in specified locations and replacem...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEnergy: HousingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116783More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of voltage reduction technologies installed in homes on household energy bills.
Answer: The effect of voltage reduction on consumer bills varies between appliances. For appliances that are power controlled (including most electronics, LED lighting, EV chargers and heat pumps), lowering the voltage does not reduce energy consumption and reduc...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116782More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2026 to Question 108806, if she will make it her policy to provide such an estimate within the next three months; and if she will publish it.
Answer: The Department for Transport does not have plans to collect and publish this data.
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: Colour Vision DeficiencyDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116781More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the difference in colour vision medical standards between the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the (a) Irish Aviation Authority, (
Answer: The UK approach to pilot colour vision testing involves initial screening using Ishihara test plates. Where applicants make a single error, advanced colour vision testing using the Colour Assessment and Diagnosis (CAD) test is required to measure colour v...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCrops and Ethanol: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116780More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the level of import of (a) maize, (b) oilseed rape, (c) ethanol and (d) wheat in each of the next five years.
Answer: Imports supplement domestic production and ensure any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease do not affect the UK's overall security of food supply. The UK agricultural sector is highly resilient and adaptable and operates in an open mar...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116779More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that UK producers are not disadvantaged by lower-standard imports.
Answer: As the Secretary of State set out at the NFU Conference, the first meeting of the new Farming and Food Partnership Board will take place in March. This represents a reset of the relationship between government and the farming and food sectors, and will de...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: TaxationTreasuryTabled 27 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116591More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 111451, whether her Department has undertaken a comparative assessment of changes to aviation passenger taxes in other European countries, including recent redu
Answer: The government is committed to the long-term future of the aviation sector in the UK and recognises the benefits of the connectivity it creates between the UK and the rest of the world. The Government is clear that APD is an appropriate tax that ensures a...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Services: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116590More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder can in itself qualify a person for a concessionary bus pass under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme; and what guidance her Department issues to loc
Answer: The disabled eligibility criteria are set out in Section 146 of the Transport Act 2000. While autism is not included in this list, individuals with autism may be eligible for a concessionary bus pass if they meet certain criteria related to their conditio...
Answered 5 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCycling: AccidentsDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116589More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of cyclist injury collisions that occur (a) at and (b) in the vicinity of bus stops; and whether evidence supports the association of cyclist collisions w
Answer: There is no national estimate of cyclist injury collisions occurring at or near bus stops. National collision data does not routinely identify bus-stop locations, and non-fatal cycling injuries are significantly under-reported, making precise calculations...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCycling and Driving: Visual ImpairmentDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116588More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department provides guidance to blind and partially sighted people who are unable to cycle or drive.
Answer: The government is committed to improving transport services, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity, including for blind and partially sighted people. As part of our broader mission to break do...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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