Richard Holden MP: written questions 2026
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Written questions
Department of Health and Social Care: Written QuestionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15463More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Questions 2799 and 11451.
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 recordRussia: ShippingMinistry of DefenceTabled 2 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15462More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vessels identified as part of the Russian shadow fleet have been boarded since 24 February 2022 by UK (a) military and (b) law enforcement personnel; and what information his Department holds on the numb
Answer: The UK-led interdiction of the sanctioned oil tanker SMYRTOS in June was the first of its kind. The UK has also supported multiple allied interdictions of sanctioned vessels in recent months. We welcome the actions of our Allies, including France, Belgium...
Answered 9 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Airspace Design Service: StaffDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15461More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2026 to Question 13301 on Air Routes, how many staff the UK Airspace Design Service is expected to employ when fully operational.
Answer: The UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) has commenced work and is completing its mobilisation. It is for NATS En Route plc, as the licence holder, to determine the staffing required to deliver the service and be held accountable for its performance. Once f...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordBroadcasting Programmes: RussiaDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 2 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15460More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether (a) her Department and (b) Ofcom has made an assessment of the potential implications for its polices on foreign interference online of the potential use of the animated televis
Answer: Government takes the threat of foreign interference seriously and works across departments, intelligence partners and regulators to identify and respond to state-linked information threats. However, it is not this department’s function to routinely assess...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: MarriageDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15459More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on recognising for social security purposes marriages between an uncle and niece legally contracted overseas where the couple are resident in England and Wales.
Answer: A marriage between an uncle and niece falls within the prohibited degrees of relationship set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Marriage Act 1949 and, by virtue of section 1(1) of that Act, is void for all purposes in England and Wales. There is similar ...
Answered 14 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail Line: Rolling StockDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15010More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 124216 on East West Rail, what her Department’s latest estimate is of the date by which the trains to be used on East West Rail services will be (a) fully mod
Answer: The department is working closely with Chiltern Railways and partners to confirm that all the elements to announce a start date for the first EWR services are in place. Chiltern has been preparing for the start of services, including driver recruitment an...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15009More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which road schemes have been cancelled by (a) her Department and (b) National Highways since 1 May 2026; on what date the decision to cancel each scheme was made; and what the estimated cost to the public purse
Answer: No road schemes have been cancelled by the Department or National Highways since 1 May 2026.
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15008More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 11946 on Train Operating Companies: Finance, whether her Department has undertaken analysis on the factors resulting in passenger revenue in 2025-26 being lowe
Answer: The Department holds regular discussions with DFTO to monitor and review passenger revenue outturn against forecast. Outturn passenger revenue can diverge from forecast for a variety of reasons. These include external factors (such as wider economic condi...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordNetwork Rail: BiodiversityDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15007More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 13067, what guidance her Department has issued to Network Rail on managing delays to projects arising from seasonal ecological survey windows and protected spe
Answer: The Department for Transport has not issued guidance to Network Rail on managing delays to projects arising from seasonal ecological survey windows and protected species licencing requirements. Network Rail is responsible for planning its projects, and wh...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordNetwork Rail: BiodiversityDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15006More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 13067 on Network Rail: Biodiversity, whether her Department plans to require Network Rail to record centrally the (a) costs and (b) delays to projects arising
Answer: The Department for Transport does not plan to require Network Rail to record centrally the costs and any delays to projects arising from protected species survey, licencing and mitigation requirements. Network Rail must comply with species licencing requi...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: Electric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15005More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 12905 on Large Goods Vehicles: Electric Vehicles, what evidence, modelling and analysis underpin her Department's projection that battery-electric heavy goods
Answer: Our projections are based on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) modelling for HGVs. This takes into account a range of future costs of vehicles including upfront costs, fuel/energy costs, maintenance costs and infrastructure costs for a typical ownership perio...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAirports: ParkingDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15004More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 11465 on Airports: Fees and Charges, what criteria her Department uses when assessing whether airport parking fees and charges are implemented in a way that is
Answer: The department does not have a role in regulating airport parking, the provision and pricing of which is a commercial matter for individual airports operators to decide and justify to their customers. Airports should provide customers with clear informati...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15003More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 12528 on Aviation: Alternative Fuels, when the wider eligibility criteria for the Low Carbon Fuels Fund will be published; and what those criteria will be.
Answer: The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate cost-benefit analysis set out the estimates of the impact on an average one-way ticket price (Sustainable aviation fuel mandate: final stage cost benefit analysis). This analysis assumes that airlines pass on 75...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15002More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2026 to Question 11220 on Aviation: Alternative Fuels, what assumptions were made in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate cost-benefit analysis on the proportion of increased
Answer: The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate cost-benefit analysis set out the estimates of the impact on an average one-way ticket price (Sustainable aviation fuel mandate: final stage cost benefit analysis). This analysis assumes that airlines pass on 75...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: Electric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15001More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2026 to Question 11454 on Heavy Goods Vehicles, whether the analysis referred to in that Answer has been published.
Answer: No, we have not published this analysis yet, but we will set out further details alongside the next consultation on the Heavy Goods Vehicle regulations.
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordCollective ResponsibilityCabinet OfficeTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15000More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2026 to Question 10738 on collective Cabinet agreement, what metrics his Department will use to assess whether its reforms have succeeded in speeding up the Government's decisio
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 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Greater ManchesterDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14999More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 11461 on Greater Manchester Combined Authority, in which month she expects the work set out in the Compact Agreement of 22 January 2026 to report.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 11461.
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMaritime and Coastguard Agency: British Overseas TerritoriesDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14998More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 11742 on British Overseas Territories, which British Overseas Territories officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have visited since 4 July 2024; and
Answer: Since 4 July 2024, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency officials have undertaken 10 monitoring visits to British Overseas Territories: These comprised one visit to Gibraltar, two visits to the Turks and Caicos Islands, two visits to St Helena, one visit to...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14997More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 12582 on Railways, how many recommendations from train operating companies to reduce services in the planned timetable have been (a) approved and (b) declined
Answer: The Department does not hold this information centrally. The Department expects all operators to plan and deliver services that respond to evolving passenger demand in a way that provides value for money for taxpayers. This may involve reduced services, ...
Answered 4 Aug 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Public ExpenditureDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14996More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2026 to Question 9949 on Active Travel, how much of the projected £3.448 billion from wider funding streams within the Department for Transport and other Government departments
Answer: None.
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordJudiciary: Public AppointmentsMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14995More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2026 to Question 8930 on Judicial Appointments, in how many judicial appointments in each year since the coming into force of the equal merit provision in the Crime and Courts Ac
Answer: The Equal Merit Provision was introduced in 2014. Where two or more candidates a vacancy are judged by the Judicial Appointments Commission to be of equal merit, the Commission may give preference to the candidates with relevant protected characteristics ...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth Western Railway: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14994More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 12576 on South Western Railway, what data her Department holds on the punctuality of South Western Railway services since 25 May 2025, broken down by reporting
Answer: South Western Railway report Time-to-3 punctuality (the percentage of station stops arrived at within 3 minutes of their scheduled time) to DfT Operator. This data and more performance data is available on the ORR website here: Passenger rail performance ...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of practical car driving tests were taken (a) within six weeks, (b) between six and 12 weeks, (c) between 12 and 18 weeks, (d) between 18 and 24 weeks and (e) more than 24 weeks after first book
Answer: The attached spreadsheet shows what proportion of practical car driving tests were taken within six weeks, between six and 12 weeks, between 12 and 18 weeks, between 18 and 24 weeks and more than 24 weeks after first booking a test in each month since Jan...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: TrainingDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14992More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2026 to Question 11745 on Capacity Development Training, how many capacity development training sessions were delivered overseas since 4 July 2024; in which countries those ses
Answer: These capability development training sessions were in support of maritime and aviation security objectives. We do not routinely comment on matters of national security. In this instance, disclosing the countries worked with would not be in the public int...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordNetwork Rail: BiodiversityDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14991More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2026 to Question 11452 on Network Rail: Biodiversity, what the total cost to Network Rail was of producing habitat management plans in each of the last five financial years.
Answer: Network Rail does not have a centrally recorded figure regarding the total expenditure to produce habitat management plans in the last five financial years.
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament record
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