Richard Holden MP: written questions
2152 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Aviation: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11459More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many capacity building visits officials from her Department have undertaken to States on the UK Air Safety List since 4 July 2024; on which dates those visits took place; which Ministers and senior official
Answer: Since 4 July 2024, officials from the Department for Transport have undertaken four missions to assess and support States on the Air Safety List. The visits have taken place between January 2025 and June 2026, with one official on each visit at a range of...
Answered 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11458More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate compliance costs on the commercial viability of domestic air routes.
Answer: The SAF Mandate is designed to protect against excessive costs being passed on to passengers with a buyout option for obligated suppliers. How airlines choose to balance costs between domestic and international routes will be a commercial decision for eac...
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11457More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2026 to Question 7033, what assumption on the proportion of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate compliance costs being passed through to passengers was used in the Department's c
Answer: We recognise the need to protect consumers and factored this into the design of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate through the inclusion of a buyout option for obligated suppliers, which protects end users (passengers) from excessive costs.The Sustaina...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAir Routes: Public Service ObligationsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11456More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2026 to Question 6200 on Air Routes: Public Service Obligations, what factors are taken into account when determining whether a clear public interest case exists for the design
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to Question 6200 answered on 15 June. The guidance is available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6571a404746930000d488999/dft-public-service-obligations-guidance-2023.pdf
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11455More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2026 to Question 8188, how many public EV charging points have a rated output of (a) 100-149kW, (b) 150-249kW, (c) 250-349kW and (d) 350kW and above.
Answer: The information requested is not centrally collated. Data on EV chargers are published on gov.uk:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a06e28fee62840dba48a311/evci0201_2026-04_EV_chargers_by_power_band_UK.ods.
Answered 26 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: Electric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11454More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2026 to Question 8838, by what year her Department expects the total cost of ownership of zero emission heavy goods vehicles to reach parity with equivalent diesel vehicles wit
Answer: The total cost of ownership is expected to fall over time as vehicle prices decline, and battery energy density improves. As these trends continue, battery‑electric Heavy Goods Vehicles are projected to become cheaper to operate than diesel across many du...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailway Stations: Air PollutionDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11453More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2026 to Question 7215 on Railway Stations: Nitrogen Dioxide, whether Network Rail holds estimated costs for actions proposed within individual Air Quality Improvement Plans; an
Answer: Information on the funding of specific measures to improve air quality at Network Rail-managed stations is not held centrally within the organisation.
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordNetwork Rail: BiodiversityDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11452More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2026 to Question 7211 on Network Rail: Biodiversity, what proportion of habitat management plans completed by Network Rail have been produced using (a) in-house staff and (b) e
Answer: Network Rail does not centrally record what proportion of habitat management plans are produced by internal resource or external contractors.
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMarriage: RelativesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11451More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2026 to Question 1717 on Cousin Marriage, if he will publish (a) the current guidance (b) the current training materials, and (c) any amended versions of (i) guidan
Answer: I apologise to the Rt. Hon. Member for the delay in responding to his questions of 19 May and 19 June, and I refer him respectively to the answers he received on 9 June in response to Question 1717 and on 17 June in response to Question 8796.
Answered 22 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Executive AgenciesDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10742More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated financial deficits of the a) Vehicle Certification Agency b) Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, c) Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and d) Maritime and Coastguard Agency are in monetary
Answer: The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) reported a net deficit of £8.8m in its accounts for the 2024/25 financial year. Income was reported at £22.252m against costs of £31.031m. This is primarily because the hourly rate charged by the VCA for technical wo...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10741More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2026 to Question 4263, what net zero, carbon reduction, emissions reduction or equivalent environmental sustainability targets have been adopted by (a) the Department for Transp
Answer: The Department has adopted the draft Greening Government Commitments targets (2025-2030). Those being: • By 2030, the government will reduce its direct (scope 1- gas, fuel in vehicles, fugitive emissions) emissions by 23% from 2025/26 levels.• By 2030, th...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHorizon IT System: Criminal InvestigationHome OfficeTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10740More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2026 to Question 5450 on Horizon IT System: Sub-postmasters, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the additional funding provided to support the police inve
Answer: The Home Office has already provided £6m to the MPS to date for Operation Olympos. The government is determined to see justice delivered as swiftly as possible. It is for PCCs and Chief Constables to determine the allocation of operational resources.
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Emissions Trading SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10739More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2026 to Question 6816 on the UK Emissions Trading Scheme and Northern Ireland routes, whether he plans to publish any (a) assessments, (b) modelling, (c) case
Answer: The Government published the final stage Impact Assessment for this policy on 25 November 2025. Overall, it found the policy delivers emissions reductions and wider economic benefits in the most cost-effective way possible. There are no plans to publish a...
Answered 26 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCollective ResponsibilityCabinet OfficeTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10738More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2026 to Question 1231 on collective Cabinet agreement, what metrics his Department has proposed for measuring the success of reforms to the process for collective Cabinet agreeme
Answer: Policy analysis on options for reforming collective agreement is ongoing and we have high ambitions for speeding up the government’s decision making processes. The operation of the system and efficacy of all changes will be kept under continuous review.
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: Waiting ListsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10737More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2026 to Question 5449 on Driving Tests, what the (a) mean and (b) modal waiting time was between the first booking of a practical car driving test and the test being taken in (
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) cannot report a single modal waiting time as the distribution of waiting times was bi-modal. Therefore, the table below provides only the mean and median waiting times, between the first booking of a practica...
Answered 26 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRoad Works: InspectionsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10736More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what percentage of utility works have been inspected each of the last three years by highways authorities; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of using digital inspection systems
Answer: The Department’s Street Manager digital service enables local authorities to record, monitor and co‑ordinate street works, including inspections. Use of this service is not mandatory for all types of works so the Department does not hold complete data on ...
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRoad Works: CostsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10735More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to local highway authorities and local taxpayers arising from defective utility reinstatement works in each of the last five years.
Answer: The Department does not collect data on the impact of utility works on highway condition or the associated maintenance costs for local authorities. Highway authorities have powers under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 to inspect works, require uti...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRoadsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10734More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of a nationally consistent road asset inventory for improving long-term maintenance and policy planning.
Answer: Local highway authorities manage a wide range of assets, including carriageways, footways, drainage, bridges, street lighting, traffic signals and road markings. They are responsible for managing their networks, including asset data and maintenance decisi...
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10733More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the availability of comprehensive road condition data to support infrastructure investment decisions.
Answer: DfT worked with local authorities and the wider highways industry to develop the PAS 2161:2024 Road condition monitoring (RCM) data specification, which was published in September 2024, and is available online, at: https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/...
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Northern IrelandDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10732More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether officials in her Department have reviewed outcomes from the Northern Ireland road network intelligence programme to identify best practice for adoption elsewhere in the UK.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to Question 10731, answered on 22 June.
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Northern IrelandDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10731More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the road and footway digital condition assessment and asset management programmes undertaken by counterparts in Northern Ireland.
Answer: The Department keeps developments in road maintenance and asset management under review and engages regularly with a wide range of stakeholders, including devolved administrations and industry partners, to share best practice and consider emerging approac...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10730More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many potholes there are in England, how many were filled last year, and how she is performing against her commitment to fill one million additional potholes every year of this Parliament.
Answer: The Government is investing a record £7.3 billion over the next four years to support local highway authorities to maintain and improve their road networks. This significant increase in funding would enable authorities to fix millions of additional pothol...
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordChildbirth: DatabasesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10241More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 16 June to Questions 1233 and 1236, if he will take steps to make the recording of SNOMED codes mandatory across all births.
Answer: There are no current plans to make the recording of SNOMED codes mandatory across all births.
Answered 25 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDisinformationForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10240More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to counter misinformation being spread globally by a) Russia, b) Iran and c) Afghanistan; and whether she plans to take further such steps.
Answer: As set out in our response to the Foreign Affairs Committee's report published on 27 March, this Government recognises the seriousness of the threat posed by foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), including mis- and disinformation, to t...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: AfghanistanForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10239More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what visits have taken place to Afghanistan by Ministers in her Department since 4 July 2024.
Answer: Details of ministers' overseas travel are published on a quarterly basis in the Department's transparency returns. No UK Government Ministers have travelled to Afghanistan during this period.
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament record
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