Richard Holden MP: written questions 2026
1407 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Airports: ParkingDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111456More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of airport surface access planning conditions and sustainability requirements on the level of car parking and drop-off charges paid by passengers.
Answer: Surface access strategies give airports the tools they need to stay connected, cut congestion and meet environmental targets. The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the potential impact of airport surface access planning conditions and...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDartford-Thurrock Crossing: PrivatisationDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111455More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 105302 on Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Privatisation, what steps she is taking to mitigate for the loss of revenue to her Department from the privatisation o
Answer: Under the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model, ownership and operation of the Dartford Crossing would transfer to a new regulated private sector entity. This entity would be responsible for operating and maintaining both the Dartford Crossing and the new Low...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Government AssistanceDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111454More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether estimates of net Government support per passenger journey are used internally by her Department for (a) budgeting, (b) business planning and (c) performance monitoring purposes; and in which internal do
Answer: As explained in response to Question 89632, the reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy over the Spending Review period will be primarily driven by passenger ridership and revenue continuing to recover post COVID-19 and efficiencies and savings b...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Lanes: MotorcyclesDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111453More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to publish the updated Traffic Advisory Leaflet 1/24; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of recommending that local authorities permit motorcycles to use bus lane
Answer: The Department for Transport does not currently have plans to update Traffic Advisory Leaflet 1/24.The Department for Transport undertook a consultation on the potential merits of recommending that local authorities permit motorcycles to use bus lanes in ...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordBuses: Anti-social BehaviourDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111452More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is tacking to help tackle anti-social behaviour on the bus network.
Answer: The Department is working across government and with partners, industry and local transport authorities, to ensure that everyone feels and is safe when travelling by bus. Through the Bus Services Act 2025 we have introduced measures to combat anti-social ...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAir Passenger DutyTreasuryTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111451More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has conducted a comparative assessment of Air Passenger Duty rates in the UK with aviation passenger taxes and equivalent charges in other European countries; and whether such analysis is used
Answer: Air Passenger Duty (APD) applies to airlines, not individual passengers, and is the principal tax on the aviation sector. It is expected to raise £4.7 billion in 2025-26. The Government is clear that APD is an appropriate tax that ensures airlines make a ...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordBuses: ProcurementDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111450More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average grant-supported cost per bus was under each bus procurement scheme in each of the last five years; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of social value weightings on tendere
Answer: My Department is not responsible for the procurement of buses and so does not hold this information.
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPorts: National Policy StatementsDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111449More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish the final National Policy Statement for Ports..
Answer: The final text of the revised National Policy Statement for Ports will be laid in Parliament in due course.
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAirports: National Policy StatementsDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111448More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she intends to make changes to the existing Airports National Policy Statement in the context of the potential of a third runway at Heathrow; and what assessment she has made of the likelihood of securi
Answer: Government launched a review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) on 22 October, to reflect changes in legislation, policy and data. We will consult on any proposed amendments to the ANPS in summer 2026. When the ANPS has been reviewed, and de...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111447More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 105288 on Railways: Repairs and Maintenance, what criteria is used to determine which rail infrastructure schemes are included in the Department’s longer-te
Answer: This government believes in the importance of rail investment to support economic growth and bring connections to people all across the country. The type and level of investment is determined by the needs of passengers, rail users and the network, while d...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordLevel CrossingsDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111446More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assurances she has had from Network Rail on steps being taken to minimise unnecessary barrier down-time at level crossings, while maintaining safety; and how such assurances will be monitored.
Answer: Network Rail is responsible for the safe operation of level crossings across the rail network. The safety measures it puts in place are informed by risk assessments which include, where relevant, available information on barrier down-time. Network Rail is...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPorts: National Policy StatementsDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111445More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.3.2 of the draft National Policy Statement for Ports, what guidance will be available to decision-makers to support their interpretation of the terms compensation for as a last res
Answer: The Government provides guidance on Habitats Regulations Assessments, including compensatory measures, from time to time. We are considering the Transport Committee’s report and responses to the consultation and will shortly lay a final text of the NPSP a...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPorts: National Policy StatementsDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111444More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.5.12 of the draft amended National Policy Statement for Ports, published on 4 June 2025, what guidance will be available to decision-makers to support them interpreting the term ec
Answer: The Department for Transport does not intend to publish supplementary guidance on the interpretation of this paragraph. The concepts of technical feasibility and economic reasonableness are generally well established, and encompass costs not being disprop...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMotorcycles: Motor InsuranceDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110899More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will commission a specific inquiry into the motorcycle insurance market to examine underwriter withdrawals, geographic exclusions and pricing anomalies.
Answer: The Government does not intend to commission a specific review into the motorcycle insurance market, as motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. It is for them to decide the level of risk that th...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAirports: Immigration ControlsHome OfficeTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110898More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 104868, what the service standard wait times at passport control are, and what assessment the Department has made of the economic impact of passen
Answer: Border Force publish data on the percentage of sampled measurements cleared within service standards, with the target of 95%.The service standard is 25 minutes for passengers using eGates or queues where the majority of passengers are GBR/ EEA/ B5JSSK nat...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAir Force: Alternative FuelsMinistry of DefenceTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110897More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the additional cost to the public purse of the Royal Air Force transitioning to 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel by 2040; and whether his Department has undertaken any assessmen
Answer: The Royal Air Force (RAF) procures its aviation fuel in the UK from commercial suppliers at market rates. As a result, this makes accurate long-term cost forecasting challenging. The price of aviation fuel, including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), is su...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordGreat British Railways: MarketingDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2026 to Question 106604, whether growing revenue and delivering value for money for passengers carry equal priority in the rollout of Great British Railways branding.
Answer: As set out in the answers to the questions 100962 and 106604, both growing revenue and delivering value for money for passengers are priorities Ministers have set industry leaders delivering the rollout of the Great British Railways brand. These are not m...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFires: Health and SafetyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110895More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department issues to Natural England on the circumstances in which staff may not attempt to fight wildfires on land they manage.
Answer: Decisions on when and how Natural England (NE) staff respond to wildfire on land they manage are made by NE, and are dependent on the size of the fire, the training and equipment staff on site can access, and advice from the local Fire and Rescue Service....
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110894More
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 has not issued any Notices to Improve on any of the DfT Operator train operating companies in January 2026 because none have been in breach of their formal contractual terms. The Department regularly engages with all operators on service pe...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110893More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for a practical car driving test was in January 2026.
Answer: The national average waiting time for a practical car driving test in January 2026 was 21.2 weeks.Data for January 2026 on the number of full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), that are in post a...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: StaffDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110892More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests in January 2026.
Answer: The national average waiting time for a practical car driving test in January 2026 was 21.2 weeks.Data for January 2026 on the number of full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), that are in post a...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Manufacturing IndustriesCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110891More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of vacancies in the automotive manufacturing sector in (a) January 2024 and (b) each subsequent month up to and including the most recent month for which data
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt Hon. gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th February is attached.
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant SchemeDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110890More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82998, whether the Department plans to extend the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme beyond March 2026; and what assessment has been made of the im
Answer: There are no plans for further windows of the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Matched Funding Scheme (MFGS). To date 16 projects have been withdrawn by the operators. It is estimated that this is a reduction of up to 177 proposed additional HGV parking spa...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPortsmouth International Port: Energy SupplyDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110889More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department provides (a) funding and (b) any other support for increasing (i) grid capacity and (ii) enabling electrification at Portsmouth International Port.
Answer: The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, published in March 2025, sets out domestic goals and commitments to decarbonise maritime transport, and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports was launched to assess future energy demand at ports such as Southampton a...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordEnergy Supply: Port of SouthamptonDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110888More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department provides (a) funding and (b) any other support for increasing (i) grid capacity and (ii) enabling electrification at the Port of Southampton.
Answer: The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, published in March 2025, sets out domestic goals and commitments to decarbonise maritime transport, and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports was launched to assess future energy demand at ports such as Southampton a...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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