Richard Holden MP: written questions
2152 published records · newest first.
Written questions
SmokingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78725More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to educate consumers about less harmful alternatives to smoking.
Answer: The health advice is clear that whilst vapes are less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, children and adult non-smokers should never vape. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been carefully designed to get this balance rig...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordSmokingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78724More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what evidential basis his Department has assessed the public health implications of (a) the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and (b) encouraging the use of less harmful alternatives to tobacco.
Answer: The health advice is clear that whilst vapes are less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, children and adult non-smokers should never vape. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been carefully designed to get this balance rig...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic CigarettesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78723More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on the risk of vapers returning to traditional cigarettes.
Answer: The health advice is clear that whilst vapes are less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, children and adult non-smokers should never vape. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been carefully designed to get this balance rig...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78722More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled Simpler train travel for the South East as contactless ticketing rolls out at 47 more stations, published on 20 January 2025, how many and what proportion of the 49 s
Answer: We have committed to expanding Pay As You Go (PAYG) with contactless ticketing to further stations in the Southeast, with an additional 49 stations to be rolled out by the end of this year. Ministers will be making an announcement on delivery soon. Additi...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78721More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press relase entitled New era of rail accountability for passengers as performance data goes live at stations, published on 6 March 2025, when she expects performance data to go live on-sc
Answer: For the first time, we have made station-specific performance information available at over 1,700 stations. Where possible, this information is displayed digitally. Otherwise, passengers are able to scan a QR code which will direct them to the relevant in...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSouth Western Railway: NationalisationDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78720More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled New dawn for rail as South Western services return to public hands, published on 25 May 2025, on what evidential basis her Department calculated that public ownership
Answer: Private sector train operating companies are paid fixed and performance-based fees are set out in their National Rail Contracts with the Department. Operations are being transferred into public ownership as their National Rail Contract expire, meaning the...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78719More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled East West Rail services planned to begin this year as Chiltern Railways named operator, published on 25 March 2025, when she expects (a) passenger services between Ox
Answer: The Department is working closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the service. We are looking forward to commencing services as soon as all necessary authorisations and agreements are in place. Passenger services, inc...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: SwitzerlandDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78718More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled Transport Secretary forges landmark deal to progress new Swiss rail link, published on 9 May 2025, how many meetings of the joint UK–Swiss working group have been hel
Answer: The landmark agreement signed with Switzerland earlier this year established a UK–Swiss Working Group which could pave the way for direct commercial services between the UK and Switzerland in future. As of 10 October 2025, one meeting of the joint UK–Swis...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSoutheasternDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78717More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled Great British Railways in action – passengers benefit from track and train being united on South Eastern Railway, published on 18 June 2025, how many times the South
Answer: In June this year, the South Eastern Railway - a single integrated leadership team with accountability for track and train – was formally launched. Since then, members of this team have met both formally and informally on a daily basis.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: Bus ServicesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78716More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled New tech to make rail replacement travel more accessible, published on 13 May 2025, what information her Department holds on the number of times the 3D animated avata
Answer: The products referenced are not yet in use as the competition (Contracts for Innovation: Accessible Information on Coaches) is still underway, and these projects are currently going through development, trials with disabled people and coach operators, and...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: WiFiDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78715More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled On track and online: landmark deal to end mobile dead zones, published on 25 June 2025, what progress her Department has made on Project Reach; and whether her Depart
Answer: The initial scope of project Reach is for mobile coverage improvements in the major stations and a number of tunnels and cuttings on the main lines only. Internal team mobilisation has progressed, and Network Rail have also down selected the design and bu...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78714More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled Your chance to try simpler train tickets in Yorkshire and the East Midlands this September, published on 6 June 2025, how many passengers have volunteered to particip
Answer: The Digital Pay As You Go (DPAYG) trials are an opportunity for passengers to test cutting-edge technology and benefit from a simpler, more flexible tickets. We have had good engagement from passengers across the trial routes so far, with 968 users on Tri...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78713More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for a practical car driving test was in (a) each of the 12 months before 5 July 2024 and (b) each month since that date.
Answer: The table below shows the national average car driving test waiting time in weeks, for the months July 2023 to September 2025.MonthNational average car driving test waiting time in weeksJul-2319.1Aug-2320.2Sep-2320.4Oct-2318.9Nov-2318.4Dec-2317.4Jan-2415....
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: FaresDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78712More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the number of bus journeys for which passengers have paid a fare between £2 and £3 since 5 July 2024.
Answer: The Department for Transport does not routinely collect fare-level data for individual bus journeys.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHigh Speed 2 Line: Greater ManchesterDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78711More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish (a) the benefit–cost ratio assessments undertaken for the proposed Manchester Piccadilly HS2 station options and (b) any associated operational assessments commissioned by (i) HS2 Ltd and (i
Answer: The Department is carefully reviewing proposals for an underground station at Manchester Piccadilly. However, no decision has yet been made, and the Department has not published any benefit–cost ratio assessments for the proposed station options. Similarl...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78710More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Passenger Watchdog will be (a) responsible for issuing passenger performance standards, (b) involved in drafting and publishing those standards before Great British Railways becomes operational; and
Answer: The Government consulted on proposals for a railways bill, including the creation of a new passenger watchdog, earlier in the year. The Government response to this consultation will be published in due course and we expect to introduce legislation to esta...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGreat British Railways: StaffDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78709More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has for the number of staff working for Great British Rail in each of the next 10 years; and over what time frame they will be hired.
Answer: GBR will be established as a new arms-length body bringing together responsibilities currently split over more than 17 different organisations. While details on exact roles are subject to further design work, GBR will rely on colleagues from across the ra...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRailwaysDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78708More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) stations, (b) tracks, (c) passengers and (d) fareboxes will not be run by Great British Rail.
Answer: GBR will be responsible for all stations, infrastructure and services that are currently run by Network Rail or operators contracted by government. It will be empowered to deliver industry-wide modernisation and reform of the complex and fragmented fares ...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78707More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Greener flights ahead for UK aviation, published on 1 January 2025, what estimate her Department has made of the additional cost per passenger flight of
Answer: The press release relates to the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate which came into force on 1 January. The Department published a Cost Benefit Analysis for the SAF Mandate, alongside the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations (Sustainable Aviation Fue...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMotorcycles: Manufacturing IndustriesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78706More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to her Department’s press release entitled £120 million to roll-out more electric vans, taxis and motorbikes, published on 25 February 2025, what estimate she has made of the annual number of motorbike
Answer: The Department for Transport does not collect data on the number of motorbikes manufactured in the UK. The £120 million of funding announced at the Autumn Budget 2023 enabled the continuation of the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant, offering grants of £500 for qu...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving Licences: Digital TechnologyDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78705More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled Digital driving licence coming this year, published on 21 January 2025, what the commencement date is for the pilot of the mobile driver's l
Answer: We will begin testing an early version of the digital driving licence with a small group of users later this year. The exact date and format of the trial hasn’t yet been finalised.Following best practice in developing this type of digital product, testing...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: LandDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78704More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many planning permissions for new homes on surplus railway land have been granted since 5 July 2024.
Answer: Since July 2024, planning permission has been granted for more than 2,800 new homes on surplus railway land.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordShipping: InvestmentDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78703More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled More than £1.1 billion investment to boost growth, jobs and skills in UK’s coastal towns and cities, published on 15 September 2025, how much and what p
Answer: On 15 September 2025, we announced £448m for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme in the Department for Transport. All the funding is to support clean maritime research and development from 2026 to 2030. Allocation of funds i...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAviation: BiofuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78702More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department press release entitled Boost for British green aviation fuel production to support jobs and lift off emerging industry, published on 14 May 2025, how much of the (a) £400,000 an
Answer: The press release concerns £63 million which was made available for the third competition window of the Advanced Fuels Fund (AFF). The AFF aims to grow the UK supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by supporting first-of-a-kind production plants achiev...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78701More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department has allocated to (a) road maintenance and (b) pothole repairs in each year since 2022; and what the total amount is allocated over that period.
Answer: The Department has allocated approximately £8 billion for local highways maintenance in England over the period 2021/22 to 2025/26.This includes a range of funding sources including the Highways Maintenance Block, the Integrated Transport Block, Potholes...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
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