Richard Holden MP: written questions
2152 published records · newest first.
Written questions
London North Eastern Railway: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104871More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of changes in LNER ticket prices since the introduction of simpler fares for long-distance travel.
Answer: The Department has commissioned independent evaluation on the trial, this research has not yet concluded. The current evidence is provided by LNER and is available at https://assets.ctfassets.net/mxack5k9p2sw/6k2Evw4OmGsvywKgBg9U9j/e63a4ca09d2c4e01fada29f...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: AirportsHome OfficeTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104868More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer to Question 97331 on Airports: Immigration Controls, for what reason Border Force set queue time service standards at passport control.
Answer: The service standards for wait times at passport control, which Border Force publish against, stem from a Ministerial decision to monitor performance more accurately at the border. A huge amount of work is involved to keep passenger wait times to a minimu...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFreightDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104867More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the information her Department holds on (a) key transport routes (b) main transport bottlenecks for freight movements across transport modes and (c) freight data;
Answer: The Department holds a broad range of information on the freight and logistics system that provides an effective evidence-base for our work. This includes information that helps understand key transport routes, like our published road traffic and maritime...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFreightDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104866More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made in identifying a National Freight Network.
Answer: The 2022 Future of Freight plan committed to developing a fuller understanding of our domestic freight network from a multimodal perspective, before considering how it could be consolidated into a National Freight Network. The Department is making good pr...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Services: PassengersDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104865More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many bus passenger journeys were taken in (a) London and (b) England outside London in each month from January 2023 for which data is available.
Answer: The Department does not hold information on bus passenger journeys operated by calendar month in London or England outside London.
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104863More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which driving test centres were at 24 weeks wait times in December 2025.
Answer: The attached Excel document shows which driving test centres had a waiting time of 24 weeks in December 2025 for a practical car driving test.
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordTrain Operating CompaniesDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104862More
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 December 2025 because none have been in breach of their formal contractual terms. The DfT regularly engages with all operators on service performa...
Answered 15 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104861More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for a practical car driving test was in December 2025.
Answer: The national average waiting time for a practical car driving test in December 2025 was 21.9 weeks.
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: StaffDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104860More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent driving examiners employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests in December 2025.
Answer: As of 30 December 2025, there were 1,618 full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) in post. Of those, 1,542 FTE were available to deliver practical car driving tests.A DE is a paid Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency employee from the point at whi...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordChildren in Care: EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104859More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate provision of safeguarding for the ePEP online system.
Answer: The department’s statutory guidance for Virtual School Heads sets out what electronic Personal Education Plans (ePEPs) must cover and the outcomes they are intended to support. While we do not mandate or endorse specific ePEP platforms, local authorities,...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: BiodiversityDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 96696 on Roads: Biodiversity, what estimate she has made of the average cost for each Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project of (a) voluntarily deli
Answer: The department does not estimate the average cost of voluntary biodiversity net gain for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects on the Strategic Road Network. Biodiversity net gain provisions are determined on a project by project basis and assess...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCongenital AbnormalitiesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102886More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2025 to WPQ 96699, if he will provide a hyperlink to that information.
Answer: Guidance on how to submit data about consanguinity and pregnancy to the Maternity Services Dataset is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/maternity-services-data-set/guidance...
Answered 19 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Services: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102885More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 97184, what estimate the Department has made of the annual cost of extending the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme to provide concessionary pass
Answer: The Department for Transport does not hold a current assessment of the cost of expanding the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) to include companion passes as part of the statutory provision. In the year ending March 2025, the ENCTS cost...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordOffice of Rail and Road: ResignationsDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102884More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she was first informed of the decision by John Larkinson, Chief Executive of the Office of Rail and Road, to step down from his role.
Answer: The Secretary of State received a letter from the Chair of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on 8 December 2025 informing her of John Larkinson’s decision to retire from the role of Chief Executive of the ORR with effect from the end of April 2026.
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: BasildonMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102883More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the postponement or delay of the 2025 Basildon Borough Council elections was discussed during the meeting between Baroness Taylor and Basildon Borough Council councillors
Answer: As would be expected, topics relating to local government reorganisation were raised with the Minister, including 2026 elections. We have invited Basildon Borough Council and other councils undergoing local government reorganisation to set out their views...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordRegional Airports: Air RoutesDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102882More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2025 to Question 96341, what consideration her Department has given to funding Public Service Obligation air routes between UK airports which do not involve the service sta
Answer: In December 2023, the Department for Transport published updated Public Service Obligation (PSO) guidance extending support to region-to-region PSOs which removes the historical requirement for eligible PSO routes to operate into London.Region-to-region P...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Local GovernmentDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102881More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2025 to Question 96490, how much revenue the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency received in 2024-25 from a) local authorities, and b) agents acting on behalf of local auth
Answer: The information requested is not readily available and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordIron and Steel: EnergyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102880More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2025 to Question 95965, what assessment his Department has made of whether the £8 to £13 per tonne electricity cost differential faced by UK steel producers reflect
Answer: The energy intensity factor used only relates to the production of crude or liquid steel, which is not further treated or rolled into specific products. The electricity cost differential per tonne of steel between specific plants will depend on various fa...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power: ContractsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102879More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether Drax’s current Contract for Difference contains any binding obligations requiring the development and deployment of carbon capture and storage; and what assessment his Department has
Answer: The current Contract for Difference (CfD) and recently announced Low-Carbon Dispatchable CfD agreements will be in place until 2031 and do not include contractual requirements for the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) at the site. The focus ...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFiresMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102878More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle wildfires in 2026.
Answer: The Government recognises that the impact of climate change is likely to increase and intensify fire incidents in England and Wales – with potential to impact fire and rescue service’s (FRS) resources, capacity, and strategical response. As the lead gover...
Answered 9 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPeatlandsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102877More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the modified heather dominated upland peat managed by Natural England is degraded.
Answer: Natural England manages 7,865 hectares of upland peat areas with a mosaic of dwarf shrub heath and blanket bog vegetation types. The latest condition assessments report that whilst 15% is unfavourable, either with no signs of change or declining, 72% is u...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHigh Speed 2 Line: Environmental Impact AssessmentDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102876More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2025 to Question 96800, on what dates each HS2 environmental assessment published since 4 July 2024 was published, and to provide a link to each document, in accordance wit
Answer: HS2 Environmental Assessments published since 4 July 2024 are available on www.gov.uk alongside their corresponding publication dates here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-environmental-sustainability-progress-report- https://www.gov.uk/gov...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHigh Speed 2 Line: Environmental Impact AssessmentDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102875More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2025 to Question 96800, what the cost was of each of the following HS2 environmental assessments published since 4 July 2024: a) the Environmental Sustainability Progress R
Answer: HS2 Ltd and its supply chain undertake routine environmental assessments throughout design and construction to confirm compliance with the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act, the HS2 Environmental Minimum Requirements, and other commitments and...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVehicle Number Plates: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102874More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2025 to Question 99978, when she expects the Government to publish its response to the public consultation on proposed amendments to BS AU 145e.
Answer: The consultation on proposed amendments to BS AU 145e was carried out by the British Standards Institution and the BSI is responsible for publishing the response to the consultation. The current penalty for using an incorrect or non-compliant number plate...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVehicle Number Plates: FinesDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102873More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2025 to Question 99930, what the current maximum fine is for the use of incorrect or non-compliant vehicle number plates; and whether she has made any assessment of the det
Answer: The consultation on proposed amendments to BS AU 145e was carried out by the British Standards Institution and the BSI is responsible for publishing the response to the consultation. The current penalty for using an incorrect or non-compliant number plate...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament record
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